Peter 1955

Oh no you wouldn't! Against all advice on here, I bought the MSA 300 Stihl. It suits my needs, but it's not a pleasure to use, whereas the 261 brings a smile to your face every time you pick it up.

Not entirely the same, but I put a 12" Rotatech chain on my Kombi pole saw. It was noticeably not cutting smoothly, but bouncing about a lot. I have a second attachment with a 16" bar from an 023 fitted to it, with a Stihl chain. That's much smoother, so I may check raker height. Interesting.

Perhaps the choice of name is to illustrate his amateur status, and consequent quest for enlightenment, rather than something implying years of experience, like Saw Wielder, Wood Demon, Defoliator of Worlds and the like? 🤔

Ooh no, Mr Dempsey, no. Merely someone who can't understand why we're all telling him to spend thousands of pounds on Professional gear, or get the professionals in. That's because he hasn't yet been there, done that, and got the T- Shirt, like we all have. Someone in another sphere once asked me how I knew all the things NOT to do? That would be Experience.

Right Jimmy, first of all, put out a request on Facebook or use Google. You are looking for lads who advertise " Garden Clearance". Try to pick a reputable one, that won't tip the resultant waste three streets away as they leave. Let me tell you a story about machinery, and a man with a lot to learn. Once upon a time, I was made redundant, and having set aside a sum of money for the purpose, I went to a reputable Stihl dealer to buy a Kombi unit. Negotiations went well, until the salesman asked me what I intended to do with the machine. " Why, earn money of course "says I. Salesman immediately refuses to sell me the machine. Informs me that despite bearing the legend of a Professional brand, this is the Domestic model, and not designed for me to beat the living daylights out of it in a concerted fashion. I will thus break it quickly, and come back and yell at him for selling me something unfit for purpose. He then sold me the Pro model, for £100 more, but he was totally and absolutely right. Thus began a relationship with that dealer still going today. Hawksmoor, Titan and other brands sold by Screwfix, Toolstation, B&Q and the rest are one of two things. 1) A lottery. A good one will last far longer than it has a right to do, and repay you well. I had a £20 9" angle grinder which endured years of abuse until I got a Stihlsaw. A bad one will refuse to start out of the box/second time you use it. The reviews on the sites will reflect this. 2) Disposable. Bought for one off jobs which you will never do again, and as long as it last long enough to finish the task, you've saved hundreds of pounds over hiring a professional, or buying an expensive piece of kit. Tears come to my eyes when I realise that one of my Kombi tools has cost me a thousand, yes a thousand pounds. Love it to bits though. ( And for those who haven't done the sums yet, in round numbers, just short of £500 for the big battery Kombi, £350 for the battery in it, and £150 for the bit you then screwed into it ). Believe me, if I could get away with £150 from Toolstation, I would do. Draw your own conclusions.

As others have said, you're best forgetting the little battery machine for this job. The Hawksmoor is the type of machine you need, but if it could be regarded as " disposable". If it managed this one job, that would be a result. Again, as already mentioned on here, the blade has to be a mulching blade, of the style of this one and vitally important above all, is to use an up and down motion, not side to side. That will result in the material being pulverised. If you go side to side, it will simply cut it in long and hard to handle lengths. In all honesty, for the money you'd spend on suitable gear, it should be more cost effective to get someone in with the correct gear, and the required knowledge. Also, it's the most mind numbingly boring job I know of.

Obviously I haven't handled the Makita, but from what I can see, the specs are virtually identical to the MSA 300. That might make it attractive to folk like my son, who is on the 40v Makita platform for power tools.

Is this the point at which I tell him he needs a 251, and I just happen to have a lovingly cared for immaculate example, one careful owner? 🤔 If your pockets are deep enough, you can't go wrong with a 261, cracking saw. List price of that is within £10 of a 391, and I know which one I'd rather have.

Said it before, I will doubtless say it again. " I disagree totally with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". If an admin shuts something down, they're a censor. If they don't, they're not doing their job. Damned if you do.............................................

Dayton Albatross. My brother got that Villiers engine from said scooter, and nearly got it fitted into something I forget what. Mine had elements of a 14/4, but it didn't start life as that. It was somewhat of a Frankenstein, I seem to remember.

Good luck on that with my first bike. A BSA Bantam, of indeterminate parentage. My, but it was definitely “ entry level “ motorcycling. 😆

Agreed. I must say that for a forum I respect, and use as an information gathering utility, I regard the antics of many folks on the subjects not dealing with timber related issues as very disappointing indeed. I don’t have any problem with banter ( which is often very amusing) but name calling and insults really lower the tone. I’m by no means a snowflake, but I have standards. As a moderator on an unrelated forum, I appreciate the fine line trodden by those folks trying to keep us all in check.

I don't really have an answer as to how to find the fault, but I may have a solution. Why not simply buy a £10 battery isolator switch, and cut all possibility of current leakage when you're not using it? Simple but effective.

" When you make something idiot proof, they build a better class of idiot "

If you're not going to mulch it, then to me, the only way forward is a trailer to get it home in bundles, and a proper sawbench to log it. Been there.................