Conor Wright

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.

Squashed all the frogs. Left stagnant water for the mosquitos.

As an aside, I spent much of last week chipping and stacking logs for a fella who has a 3 year old rav4 it fell to pieces towing one ton loads of branch wood. The old ones are good. The new ones have psa running gear. Useless raised up car. A mid 2000s vitara may be worth a look.

Thirsty but the most fun commercial vehicle I ever had!

Ponsse ergo and a timberjack 810. Not exactly big machines by forestry standards.

Company called ferrybridge. It's a great thumb, (of course I would say that, I'm so used to it now!) the geometry is measured well against the bucket, the outer teeth and thumb spikes form a pinch point and with a bit of practise you can even pick out strands of barbed wire or the farmers favourite- baler twine! I bought the digger secondhand from the above company. They had fitted the grab when new.

Little takeuchi still punching well above its weight!

Really liking the low impact, high quality approach you're taking. Certainly beats this.. two hundred tonnes extracted from mixed sitka, Norway and larch stand down the lane from my place, first thin, loads of damage to surrounding trees and ground. Have you ever taken the time to work out your production rate as regards litres of fuel per tonne roadside? Interested to see how it may compare to larger scale enterprises..

View from the bedroom window. Taken in February.

Barely. It's a bit heavy.. just don't want the hassle of taking it on and off.. I'm getting lazy! Not overly worried about weight to be honest, it's a good excuse to uprate the springs! (Or leave more chip onsite!) Not thinking of a massive crane either.. something tidy but useful.

Thanks, you're probably right, looking at your setup the chipper is very tidy on the front. Does the crane affect the nose weight of the trailer much? Have thought of fitting the crane to the low loader but I'd rather it on the mog to access tighter places.

Yeah, that does stick out a bit far! That's why I'd like to do away with the three pt linkage and mount it closer to the body. Only issue I can see is attaching the PTO shaft. I chip into the box a good bit but it's small at 5.5 cube, probably max 5 cube in it.. That's a heavy crane, I'm thinking more like a hiab or palfinger 2 ton, more for ton bags of logs and bark mulch than massive butts!

Rents are ridiculous. It was the main reason I went down the mobile home route. Best of luck with yours!

So, I have been running my mog with rear mounted farmi 250 for almost a year now and want to switch it to front mount, I have a reverser fitted to the front pto and have a front linkage, however I would rather keep the whole thing as close to the front as possible. Does anyone out there have a farmi on the front? Thinking of getting a plate/frame made up to lift the chipper on and off, also keeping it usable on a standard tractor setup, so no adapting the chipper itself.. would really appreciate any pics/advice on this. I will hopefully get a crane on the back as a counterbalance to avoid nosediving under braking! Advice or pics of how people have attached their cranes would be great too. Finally, before I do all this work, will the farmi blow over the cab for me? It's well able to pack the box as it is but the chute is inches from the box now.. on smaller wood, when hand feeding (I use the digger when possible) I often reduce the revs, I doubt it would have the oomph at 1500, but even when I give it around 2000rpm I'm not sure it will drive conifer tops far enough.. I'm tired of doing multiple runs to jobs and want to be able bring chipper and low loader with digger etc in one go but don't want to spend all my money on a setup that will cause me grief. No budget for a schliesing, my ideal choice, so, do i make do with what I have, change it to the front or keep putting pennies in the big yellow chipper fund?!

No kids, we have had friends over with kids and we have two dogs.. and its not too crowded, usually.. think the record so far is 7 adults, 3 kids and four dogs. All managed to find space to lie down and sleep! I gave around 6.5k for it.. went for one with a higher than standard ceiling as I'm 6 ft 4. Make sure it's got a "winter pack" ie. Some Insulation. Storage is good and since we fitted a stove and scrapped the gas heating it's been the warmest place I've ever lived. If you buy a decent one it will have a resale value similar to what you pay for it, provided it's in good condition a few years down the line. if you get a cheap one it may end up as a permanent garden feature.

If you get a decent mobile you won't be disappointed, I'm in one over three years now and it's been great.. spend a little extra and get one with a bit of insulation and double glazing and you won't want to set any deadlines for your renovation!

Yawning hippopotamus

Same advice goes for both. usually volatile, entry is not advised unless absolutely necessary and you should ensure you have adequate protection at all times. It may be best to enter in small groups. A member of the press may decide to accompany you.

Could probably get in and row her like a canoe

If Wayne agrees of course.

Knackers. Thieving knackers. Precious me hole.

The "like" button doesn't suffice. Looking forward to the "Erik's selfbuild" thread!

10k is more realistic, but 6 can grab a bargain, but you'll have to be quick! As regards that particular one, tyres are over half worn by the look of it, so may not cope well in muddy forests.. without seeing a machine in the flesh it's impossible to know. Hear it run, try all the gears, adjust the lift, make sure the radio works!

Ah, arc eye.. that's a painful one. Ended up in a and e for that too.. looked like I'd spent the week with the jamaican dope smoking team! Not as sore as jumping over a high sided trailer and misjudging it, slipping and landing a leg either side. Fractured tailbone and a badly bruised ball. Agony.