Conor Wright

Branch manager made a site visit. Meanwhile, the beagle did beagle stuff.

I think most valtras have a legendary ability to clock up huge hours, a local contractor to me has a t130 with 22k on it, always has young lads trashing it with slurry tankers and silage trailers and it's still got all it's original running gear! I would agree with Stephen that visual appearance bears no resemblance to mechanical performance. I would much rather see an "honest" machine than a freshly painted one. Don't be fooled by small hours either, most clocks can be turned back easily and cheaply. I would look under the bonnet though! (Says the guy who buys most of his gear off pictures on the internet, no horror stories yet either!) If you keep holding out for a perfect machine you may never get it. Every machine has its quirks and flaws once it reaches a certain age! I would trust Wilson's too. Decent folk.

Used to have them come into the porch of a rental house, line of salt across the inside of the back door soon slowed them down.

Have a look for a second hand branson. Korean made and uncomplicated, no kubota but well up to the job for occasional users. Iseki are good too.. there are some gems or older compacts out there if you can find them.

Eggs. The adult brandling is a very prolific egg producer, each egg cluster can have up to 20 worms hatch and with 3 to 4 clusters a week and a very short period between hatchlings emerging and being able to reproduce (4 to 6 weeks if memory serves me correctly, slower in winter) it's not a surprise they are so widespread. Your logs hit the ground, an egg cluster sticks to the log, or a bit of chip, or your shoe, you bring that back to your yard and given the right conditions you will have a colony of worms in a matter of a few weeks. Their eggs can survive low temperatures and dry spells (to an extent) and hatch when conditions are more suitable.

It's obvious, they worm their way in.. I'm sorry. I cant help myself. Might seem a tight squeeze to us, but ridges in the concrete and bark, sawchip etc on the logs leaves gaps enough for them to fit, I guess.

Still doesn't explain how they sneaked past you to get to the log pile!

Could be brandling worms. They live above the soil level and are one of the top composters.

Great video. Thanks.

I'd keep them out of the sun.. they may rot, hopefully not though.

Thought the same.. some things best left unsaid methinks.

This mornings sunrise

Somebody knows what's going on.

Wont the vertidrain stop spiking downwards once it hits something solid? Used them before (on football/rugby pitches mainly) and if it's the same mechanism on yours the rubbers on the rotor allow a certain level of "flex" hitting major roots would stop it before it does significant damage imo.

Grant was up, farmer wanted cash. Simple as.

And in the longer run they lose out, but don't seem to care, lots of damage to remaining trees, windblow due to significant soil disturbance lower growth rates of remaining trees due to compaction and root damage. You're right in saying a tractor trailer combo would be as bad or worse, but why use that within the wood? Keep it on the tracks and use light and nimble forwarder to extract to various points along the existing track instead of constantly using the same path. Just because it's not a conventional way of doing it doesn't mean it wont work as well or better than common practise. Saying that, every site is different but I am quite familiar with this one and as such can see the advantages and disadvantages of using different techniques.

It shouldn't fall over. They are rigorously tested for such things. Smaller spider lifts and very light tow behinds may be at more risk but none should go over if there is a single occupant who goes overboard. Poorly levelled outriggers and unsuitable ground conditions cause more incidents which lead to occupant ejection.

Maybe max diameter you can mill within x km of whatever your nearest major town is? As for criminals watching this I'm happy to publish my list of firearms and accuracy with each at any given distance.

Seems a good idea. Can see it working out nicely.. putting those with big butts in touch with those who like big butts.. or is there already a few sites like that?!

Nice place, well worth a walk around. Usually quiet during the week. weekends draw the dubs with pent up dogs and kids. A foggy morning, late spring, clearing to crisp sunshine as you enter the old part of the woods is memorable.

It was matted, logs put down too. Behind where I took that photo the forwarder got stuck and had to unload on at least two occasions. The weather held up for the most part, soil is good for the area, lots of black almost peat ground around, this is silty but hard ground. I'm well aware how much of a mess you can make if the weather turns on a job and how ground can recover I just think that sometimes smaller may be better.. lots of sub 10ac plots around here which can never see their full potential due to poor management in the early stages. Who knows, maybe today's plantings will be extracted by giant drone harvesters by remote from the mill!

Any time I used to hire a mewp there was a cheap and nasty harness included. Very basic fall arrest type.. have seen people use full climbing harness. The advantage of wearing one is obvious, you wont end up with broken everything if you fall out. Fall arrest may give you a softer stop if you do fall out. If your on your own maybe make it as safe as possible for yourself.

To be honest my forestry involvement is little more than a couple of weeks brashing or felling edgers here and there.. hate it and only do it if work is very quiet.. but I can see a poor future for our forests in the medium to long term unless action is taken soon. Ah yes, the one sided maccies! Hideous things! Nice durable wood though, if you can find a straight one.

I believe there is some truth to this. However combining both should be more efficient as well as being more environmentally sound. More diversity of tree type in planting schemes, staged plantings and thinning, something closer to ccf than clear fell, although I would be happy to see some clear fell of mono blocks as long as replantings are geared towards a different structure of forest. Designated wild areas within plots, to leave connected pockets of wildlife through all stages of work.. as far as Irelands forestry sector goes, its ill thought out, grant driven and based on poor quality with rapid turn around. Linking forests through properly thought out drainage and planting would be a start. Reducing sitka and increasing higher quality woods and mixed soft and hardwood plantations. All wishful thinking really. Most large sitka blocks are just hidden from view with a wind break of alder and birch. Dead inside with little or no interest from its owners other than what it will make in subsidies. More sympathetic thinning leaving better growing conditions with less wind blow and less root compaction will leave a better long term return. Not really schooling ya, just ranting in your direction! You mentioned in another thread recently you were in wexford (how stalkerish of me) did you pop over as far as tomnafinogue woods or any of the other smaller oak woods in the area? I'm not advocating turning every wood or plantation in the country into a recreational park, we do have those.. but taking a longer term view of what we are doing instead of just looking at what it's worth today.

You win.