Peter 1955

Bloody kids! 69 here, still climbing ladders and waving cutters about. 😛 More slowly than twenty years ago. 😉 And with more aches afterwards. 😒

Labour tied their shoelaces together in their election promises, " no tax rises". That led them to tax businesses which were already struggling, who will react by putting prices up, and cutting expenditure ( wages, expansion for two ) which will be worse and more badly received than a small income tax rise. They then nicked the heating allowance, blamed the 22billion black hole so much that it led to a loss of confidence, and was a big factor in stalling the economy.

You know, when I was young, America was very anti-Russia ( cold war et al ), an ally of Europe, and run by leaders it was possible to respect. Just saying. 😉

Hasn't stopped a lot of folk before. 😂 Self included, before anyone says.

I was told of a goods vehicle that left its yard legally in the morning, tipped part of its load, and was then over on an axle, despite having less weight on board.

Re Neck Oil, well Bill, it's another one that may polarise opinion. That brewery was founded by Robert Plant's son ( yes, that Robert Plant ) and was initially welcomed as a microbrewery. As is often the case, the brewery is now controlled by Heineken, so the true afficionados of craft beer now view it with disdain. Re thick or thin bar oil, I use Stihl Synth Plus, which I am led to believe is Rheopeptic, ie thickens when subjected to shear forces. Don't know how well it's rated by others, but it works for me.

Indeed there are, the Sandvik was always my favourite. It looks like Screwfix are doing them cheaper than I remember.

It's not unknown for air inlet hoses to collapse as the engine cranks. Unlikely, but not unknown. Something in the recesses of my mind says that some old Bedford lorries were known for this. I see AHPP has suggested something along the same lines. We don't have the engine in front of us, we're just theorising of course.

Often, a session with a multimeter set to continuity test can be a solution. Find the main input terminal ( often the biggest ) and look for permanent live ( probably not needed for anything, unless you have fitted it with a radio 😂) , switched live, and momentary live ( the one that energises the starter ). Switched live feeds everything except the starter. It can be trial and error at first, but not beyond the wit of man.

Logical. The colour of the smoke makes me suspect some sort of air restriction, as a non starting diesel ( eg failed glow plugs ) usually gives white smoke if it's getting air and diesel. I once left a wire off an engine when replacing an alternator, and despite cranking the engine until the building disappeared in white smoke, it refused to fire.

Now he tells me! Looks like it might be possible to create a shorter reach hedgetrimmer that way. I tried to do it with surplus Kombi parts, but nothing from the tools fitted the engine. I abandoned the process and bought a dedicated trimmer instead.

Well, given those parameters, Oregon Universal 3 Tooth Brush Cutter Blade 3.0 x 255mm for Grass and Vegetation in Gardens, Professional and Heavy Duty, Fits All Brushcutters including Husqvarna, Echo, Shindaiwa, Stihl and more : Amazon.co.uk: Garden WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK Free delivery and returns on all eligible orders. Shop Oregon Universal 3 Tooth Brush Cutter Blade 3.0 x 255mm for Grass and Vegetation in Gardens, Professional and Heavy Duty, Fits... Unless you've bought a bigger machine than a Kombi, beware the 300mm blade. It's a millimetre thicker, far heavier, and probably too big for a Kombi. I bought one, and it takes too long to spool up, and too long to slow down. I'd expect concerted heavy use to damage the drive line. If you're meeting a post every few metres, loop handle all the way, for precision. Basically, as far as I understand, it's because you don't have the same control over the machine. Just imagine trying to cut the hedge face vertically with a bike handle strimmer. The idea doesn't appeal to me.

KM 131 R Petrol KombiEngine | STIHL WWW.STIHL.CO.UK For professional applications requiring high performance ✓ Order the 1.4 kW KM 131 R Petrol KombiEngine here! 131R loop handles, 131 bike handles. My son loves bike handle machines, I hate them. I had to smile when I watched some trainees with bike handle machines fitted with mulching blades in some briars. As you know, the best results with these blades is a vertical movement, and watching these lads bobbing up and down like weebles was hilarious, I thought. My loop handle machine would have only required me to move my arms, not my whole body. Also, use of hedge trimmer attachments with bike handles is not recommended at all.

Well, Stihl have moved the goalposts with their BOGOF on batteries and selected tools. With the thought at the back of my mind that we're going to be pushed/led/cajoled/coerced away from petrol, this tipped the scales for me. A cost of nearly £1500 becomes much nearer £1000. ( Around £1100 actually ) My apprentice has retired, at 90 years old, I thought he'd have had a year or two more left, but apparently not. 😉 It became apparent to me that when working solo in my yard, the cable was becoming a real nuisance, which it hadn't been when I had to move about much less. After a missed delivery date, I picked up a 300 yesterday, with two batteries and a charger. Once I've had a go with it this afternoon, I'll report my findings, and if I hate the thing, a large portion of humble pie will be eaten. My son's has used one at his place, and he quite liked it ( with the standard complaint about the safety switch ).

Sorry fellas, but I'm going to swim against the tide here to a certain extent. Let me first concede that if you're going to be clearing Amazonian jungles all day every day, yes, a dedicated clearing saw is the answer. However, I have found that if you choose the correct blade/line for the job, a Kombi will cope admirably. KM 131 has to be the choice, in case you're going to use 2.7mm line, although it lasts longer than 2.4, it requires more power. For what they cost, I'd recommend having two cutting shafts, one with line, and one with blades, as I think the " universal " guard is being phased out. ( Not sure about that, I do know that they're moving towards single purpose guards ). I think I have the Autocut 27-2 head for 2.7mm line, and my most used metal blades are Oregon 3 tooth blade for grass/scrub, or for brambles/heavier stuff, The 3 tooth mulching blade ( which requires patience, and a different action for best results ), or the amazing EIA type blade, which will cut wood up to 75mm easily. It's great for clearing hedges that haven't been touched since dinosaurs roamed the earth.