Peter 1955

I have had great success recently with a " Terrasaur" blade on a Stihlsaw. Wouldn't deal with railings, but is designed to cut roots in soil. £100 a time, but so far, well worth its money. Takes a bit of getting used to. I'm of the opinion that that job will wreak more havoc on chainsaws than is economically viable.

A book everyone should read. " All animals are equal. ( But some animals are more equal than others)". The last pages of that book are very powerful.

That's one of the most sensible posts I've seen on here, or anywhere else. ( In my humble opinion). If you remember, we were originally trying for Herd Immunity, until talk of half a million deaths frightened politicians. It's not a nice thing to say, but perhaps the cure of everybody staying cooped up behind locked doors, while the country goes bankrupt is worse than the disease of higher than normal death rates. And before anyone suggests otherwise, my wife and I are both in At Risk/ High Risk categories, so I'm not speaking as someone unlikely to be harmed.

I've filled out the preliminary form, all been approved. Apparently I get a second form on 14th May, where I give bank details, and money hits my account eight days later, fingers crossed. The more I see of it, the more I think I may apply for a Bounce Back Loan, even if I don't spend it. Even if I spend it, it will be the cheapest loan I get my hands on.

I was a tad wary too, so I got a little push mower with a Briggs and Stratton on it. Some of the smaller Cobra engines don't have a throttle, merely a set engine speed. That's another reason why I went for one with a Briggs on. My father has a Honda self propelled, and using that one certainly gets a move on, it's a bit rapid!

Well, well, well, well. I must report that the chap on Ebay is a most splendid fellow. Having put my glasses on, and viewed the chain under a good light, I find that not only did I miss seeing the dimples on my new chain, but also the legend " Stihl". Oops. Silly me. Good info about the trusted sites though, I've already learnt a lot about possible replacement parts for my saws.

Invaluable procedure with woodscrews. Excellent advice.

Something a mechanic told me years ago, if you're trying to undo something which you're fearful of damaging/rounding off, use a T-bar central to the head. This ensures the torsional force is applied along the same axis, and not at an angle, as it would be with say a ratchet or spanner.

Thank you for that. I was more referring to the local dealers I deal with. The Farm Shops here ( although genuine Stihl agents ) are running low on stock, and the big dealer near me closed very early into the outbreak. Fortunately, the day after they put the cable to repair my Husqvarna Rider in the post. Yay.

The scenario I was fearing. Ah well. ? Good job it's a spare for the electric saw. On a positive note, the branded Oregon one I got cuts very well. I'll be glad when more places reopen, it's a real pain relying on Ebay for bits.

Interesting that his post comes up now, as I recently bought a chain from Ebay, which came in a Stihl marked box, with blank specification fields. After initially being slightly worried, I too came up with the same explanation as Chris Newport. It would however be nice if the chain had Stihl stamped on every link.

That's a very good question. Previously, we only had one log store, and we had to store wood outside, and split it into the store as it became dry enough. Less than ideal. That store could comfortably hold seventeen and a half cubic metres, which until I measured it, I would have said was ridiculous. We would easily use that in a year, so I'm thinking a figure of twenty cubic metres. I've just measured the new store, and that seems to hold around twenty eight cubic metres, so if I can fill it, that would be great. All donations gratefully received, he typed hopefully. ?

I can only apologise for posting it in the wrong area. My mistake. I haven't found all the bits yet. ?

Don't know if this will help, but here's a pic of my recently finished store. ( If I'm honest, I wanted to show it off ). ? Rear is slatted, with 3" gaps at least. Internal sides are solid, and front is obviously open. About six feet high at rear, nearly eight at front. Logs sit straight onto a concrete floor. I know from standing in it that the airflow is considerable, on a breezy day. Oldest logs currently on right, newest on left. This is domestic, by the way, the house and water is all heated by a Charnwood stove, and boy do we shift some timber

I'm in the Goole/Howden area. I'm no good to mend the saw, but I do know who to take it to, and who not to. Will pm you, if I can work out how. Edit: I did. PM sent.

Keenly following this, as I have a thirty year old 023 which knocks lumps out of the 251 which replaced it. It has the same leak, and I'm idly wondering about trying my hand at a fix.

Well, prompt reply, from the man. Very interesting, and his reply makes absolute sense. Copied and pasted ( hopefully). Hi Peter, You have just hit the most debated subject amongst Farmertec users. The figures I quote are this recommended by Farmertec. We have to quote those. Now here’s the thing. I run all my saws, regardless of make, on 45:1 ( I like a little extra oil) and have done. For a very long time. With no issues, as long as you run the green fully synthetic oils. I recently stripped a 660 kit saw that has been in use for two years and run 50:1 and piston rings etc were perfect. Continued So if you bought from me, and run fully synthtic at 45:1 or 50:1 I would homer the warranty. Hoe that helps Ian

They also appear to have a big range of saws in all sizes. The top handle one looks very interesting, and let's say " awfully familiar". Farmertec G111 Blue Thunder Chainsaw, Similar To Stihl Ms200t WWW.EBAY.CO.UK Here we have the surgery saw in the range, the G111 saw head, which is based on the iconic stihl ms200t saw. The drive... The big question ( which I've asked him, waiting for a reply) is that they recommend 25:1 mix, but my Stihls are on Stihl oil at 50:1. Anyone have thoughts on that please?

I would have to agree with everything Dan said. Two things to point out, firstly any machine without some sort of auto return of the ram/splitter is a waste of time and energy. Once I've released the handles on mine, the ram returns to the start point, ready for another split. A customer showed me a tractor mounted one he'd bought, which simply stopped where it was upon release, and we told him we wouldn't entertain such a feature. As a side note, the Sheppach has a narrow, sharp wedge, as opposed to the really wide wedge on his. When we ran them side by side, his split logs faster, because of the more rapid wedge action, but I could split some that he couldn't, even though his machine was rated at a higher force. Secondly, we found out very early on that placing a trestle table or similar next to the splitter is a godsend. My helper could load this up with rounds, and have a rest, while I split them. Also, when splitting large diameter ones, in exactly the manner Dan suggests, you can put a split part back on the trestle, while you deal with the piece in your hand. This almost eliminates unnecessary bending.

I've got a Sheppach HL 710, from memory. Got it from Screwfix, and it has about a 2Kw motor. I see they now sell an uprated model instead, the HL 730 with about a 3Kw motor, and wider table. A quick Google of prices and suppliers shows a wild variation. I'm guessing mine is now discontinued. I'm very happy with mine.

Hello everyone, recently joined up, have looked in on here before for information, from time to time. I see there are many knowledgeable folk on here, so I expect you to be able to answer any of the stupid questions I may ask with well thought out, accurate and helpful replies. ( Don't worry, I realise that may be a big ask). About me: Spent my life in agriculture, until redundancy pushed me into becoming a Landscaper/Handyman/Groundworker/Builder's Labourer ( sometimes all at once) quite a few years ago! I muddle through with the help of cleverer people and the Internet. The one thing that's very apparent is that compared to many folk here, I'm a rank amateur, thus my quest for knowledge. Thanks for letting me in.