Jack.P

I wasn't involved with the job on the weekend so can't be held liable for there shoddy job (no contract) .Client was aware I was planning to be back this week to finish off .it is typical as it could have been done a lot better .i am convinced trees will now die

Heard from the client on Monday evening that they had decided to plant the trees and back filled the trench themselves over the weekend even though if was far from ready for planting .i wish they had asked me first but nevermind I guess it's there problem now and I'm just going along with it .I went back there yesterday to top up the topsoil and it's already turned into a swamp land .the new loam soil seems to be floating and impossible to compress down .i will be very surprised if the trees survive .its stupid really as they spent £1200 on these trees literally money down the drain .

Whacking the ground hard until shovel snaps is always good therapy for this Christmas nonsense

hi yes it's all clay everywhere.currently the area dug out is roughly 2ft x 2ft x 10m. I think your on about conventional soakaway which I'm sort of doing anyway but the trees to be planted are in 50l pots so the whole thing has got to be deeper for drainage layer.

Yeah I've used a one ton before digging fish ponds .would have struggled to use it though on this job and hiring fee would of probably been wasted

I've used a few different makes and really like the portek ones with hickory handles and a bargain really at 40 quid with a hand axe aswell.a while ago did a good 7hr day of splitting no trouble with a good pair of gloves that was big beach rings

Hi so didn't get round to taking any pics yet .been back on this job this week .i have now dug the area down deeper but I still need to go at least half a foot deeper but having trouble now as the soil has got like concrete now and my elbow has enough of it .it seems to be compacted clay with 10-40mm stone and builders sand dumped in and underneath that seems to be a bed of flint .ive tried various shovels and forks and kango but it takes a lot of effort only to move a small amount .not sure how I can get it any lower now ?

I will get pics tomorrow on the job .it looks to me like it's collecting some rain run off from next door ./ surrounding area . I had pumped out around 300l before I had a better look and we've got had showers here in the last week or som.apart from mains drains can't see a way to channel it somewhere.looks like the clay is very deep and I've been told it's the same soil in neighbouring gardens .doing a soil test which will show soil profile should have the results tommorow

Hi guys .thanks for input so far on this tricky subject I have been back at the job today to work on the drainage but it didn't go to plan .my idea of drilling the ground isn't going far enough into the ground to do anything as the clay is so thick and dense .(the trench is already 1.5 feet deep though from when I dug bamboo out ).anyway I've had a better look at what's going on today and most of the clay seems to have a run offwhich is going right next to neighbors garage (within a foot ) Its far too close to put in a big soakaway so the only option might be to now linking it into main drainage. I have almost run out of ideas and worried I could of actually made it worse today .if we have heavy rain tonight it might flood over the trench .its very annoying now as I needed the job finished this week

Hi I've bought a manual auger 150mm x 1m which I can use to full depth then once done I'm going to extend it with a bit of welding or jubilee clips so could even go to 2m depending on stones etc .might also pick up few bags of agricultural gypsum and dump it in there at clay level not sure it will do much though but possibly worth a try .

Would be in Gosport .(council contracts ) probably would have to meet at job location.can't remember what days it was but could find out .I can message them now if your intrested ? they might already have made work plans but I can ask anyway

There is someone just down the road I've worked with before .they needed me 3 days next week for groundie work but I couldn't commit .do you have plans for next week as I could ask them if they still need a hand ? Typical rate would be 8.00-4 for £80

Not really as trees arriving next week .it has been hard work with the client trying to work out what to get . Initially they were set on the idea of olives or holm oak both not suitable with lower chance of survival so I had to say it's waste of efforts .I tried to suggest hornbeam but they weren't very keen .as others have mentioned it all depends how deep the clay layer is .if I'm digging the holes and I've reached the max 1.5 m depth and still no good then I'm not sure what the next plan will be .the site is along a boundry fence line

The reason why I dug the 2 ft trench was because I'm going to backfill with well draining topsoil .this could be the builders fault as before the houses were built 5 yrs ago the whole area was mature woodland so should of had a lot of organic matter going into the soil .the area is 10m long x 2ftdepth x 1.5 ft wide .yesterday I ordered half ton of horticultural grit .half ton of extra sandy loam mix and 1 ton loam topsoil .my thoughts were with the holes Idea to backfill them with grit and they might get through the clay layer aswell although this is bit of a experimental thing and could just make it worse

Hi again . I would appreciate any advice about planting mature Portuguese laurel trees 4m in height . The area where they will planted has really heavy thick clay soil with very limited drainage (new build houses).So far I have taken out 2 tons of the rubbish clay and left a trench which after a few days of rain turned into a river . anyway there isn't really space for conventional soakaway which was my first idea .I am thinking now about drilling about 10 15cm diameter holes at a depth of 1.5 m in the trench then filled with fine grit to aid drainage then a layer of grit at the bottom of the trench with a sandy loam soil mix then with topsoil on top .has anyone had similar problems on a job ? I'm still not convinced it will work or the tree roots will spread outside of the trench in surrounding heavy clay .laurels are hardy though so we've got a chance but any thoughts would be great

Just to clarify the original link I sent you with climbing saw is the same seller .screenshot mentions trailer you were intrested in also same person

What's the verdict then ,is it genuine or bit fishy ? The bloke does roofing driveways jet washing etc might be of gypsy origin

Yep this the same seller in question. they could maybe be bought cheap if there there not working but alot of the newer tools would likely still be under stihl warranty .havent a clue where they got the stuff from but a lot appears to be hardly used / new

Yep he's a dealer. One feedback particularly intresting that states Wessex trailer serial number grinded off and wheels fell off ...my mate had a Wessex trailer stolen in this area few years ago that sounds the same one possibly .whoever took it towed it away with no tow hitch as they grinded that too and left the old one behind .anyway happy to pm links to anyone

Just seen that the guy in question is now advertising he wants to buy tools ladders etc . it would be intresting though to see what he would offer for the sort of tools he's selling probably very little little so why would people sell there genuine stuff to him so cheaply the whole thing doesn't make sense.they would probably get double the amount selling themselves .looking at the feedback as well looks as though they've sold around 300 Stihl saws ,hedge cutters etc in the last 5 years which seems a lot im intrested to know where they all came from

Of course I could be wrong but it seems to be this way from what I've seen .I've only been watching the guys online activity for a few years .I am little unsure if buying his stuff through ebay is a good idea as he will have my details from ebay so might even be an open invitation to also steal my stuff .as mentioned would be intrested in seeing if serial numbers traceable or any further clues

Yep Thats right .

So for some time now after researching for a few years I've got pretty good theory of where some of the stolen equipment might end up .I reckon that it's sold to certain tool dealers up and down the country with no questions asked (the thieves will ether keep the stuff a few years before selling or the dealer will to attempt to make it less obvious that it could be stolen ) .there is one particular seller who ive been looking at for a few years who was even selling some saws that sounded like same ones mentioned on a post on here stolen and not that far from the sellers address and they sold them 4 months after they were stolen ( message sent 4 weeks ago with pics no reply yet). I don't understand how the dealer could get a constant supply of stihl gear (often little used / as new ) and to be able to sell at no reserve auction .often the stuff doesn't sell for much but sold prices vary why would people sell there climbing saws and professional equipment so cheap? im thinking of buying a few saws and checking serial numbers with local Stihl dealer as something definitely doesn't add up with this bloke .and the other strange thing they will usually wait a few months in between selling batches of gear .I wonder if they have got a bit stash of stolen stuff in there garage and slowly off loading it .....

Yeah it's definitely worth spending extra for aspen .i got 100 quid worth recentley (5x5L) with free delivery from mower magic .not sure but might be better next time to not buy premixed and put own stuff in