coppice cutter

So there's a problem. Do you have a solution or are you just going to sit in your ivory tower and blame 'the farmers' like everyone else does? Personally, I haven't used chemical fertiliser for over 10 years, most of the land is now down to permanent pasture, and the only weeds I kill are the thistles which the sheep won't touch and I spot spray with a knapsack using approximately 200ml per year of a chemical which the EU banned from being used in a knapsack and would prefer I sprayed the entire field with killing everything other than than the grass itself. I farm like this because I think it's the right way to farm, I've few financial responsibilities any more, and they can't threaten me with taking my farm payments away because I don't claim anything from the b@stards. However, I'm not going to point the finger accusingly at anyone farming 'conventionally' because many of them are younger, have financial responsibilities, and what consumers, including yourself no doubt, pay for their food simply would not sustain my farming practices to be scaled up across the land. I wish it would change but all I ever see is gurning, griping, and sniping from people like yourself (and George f**king Monbiot!), and never see any positive input about how to change it. Far too easy to accuse when you've no skin in the game. *edit* - for clarification, I farm grade one arable lowland, not upland.

He's been getting a good old (and well deserved) kicking over on the farming forum. Enjoy! https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/moonbat-now-after-woodburners.382643/

Might be too wee but if Echo is your thing see if anywhere still has a new 390esx. On paper it looses out to the 501 being less powerful and not much lighter but they get a good rep on here and my own is just coming up to 2yr old and I can't fault it (apart from lack of a primer bulb!) Non-strat engine, standard carb, light and handy, but 15in bar is as big as you'd want in it. Any bigger than that and look elsewhere.

Our 8kw Burley is in to it's tenth winter of service, lit comfortably in excess of 200 days per year, and we cannot fault it in any way. Nothing has broken, nothing has worn out, nothing has distorted, just flawless. Needless to say I strongly recommend.

.............or someone needing a rocket up their ass!

Sadly, I think that is pretty far off the mark, I think capitalism tightens it's grip around our throats further and further by the year. I'd like you to be right, but can see no evidence to support your assertion.

You seriously think he's the first to have had a nap in the commons? And actually there'd probably be more of them doing so if they weren't out in the bar getting pissed, or shagging their PA in the stationary cupboard. And actually, working class people frequently catch a few winks while getting paid, I'd like to see anyone who hand on heart has never done it. You don't like the guy, fair enough, you're just the type the media was feeding.

No, I think you'll find it's those who are so quick to apologise every time a bird shits on someone's house, or some other event, historical or contemporary, which they plainly had no influence or control over and is only being done for optics, that are the pricks. Why should someone in any walk of life apologise for something they haven't done. JRM has had a hit job done on him by the media because he's such an easy target but primarily because those pushing the 'progressive' agenda are terrified of him having any real power.

Sorry, but what part of that phrase is incorrect exactly?

Then it should have been nothing. Russia would still have an illegal drug smuggler in custody, and an illegal gun runner would have continued to serve his sentence. Society lost out with both sides of the 'deal'.

Although to be hard nosed about it, you do have to wonder if getting her off a drugs rap truly justified the release of an international illegal gun runner. Indeed why give up anything to facilitate the release of a self-confessed drug smuggler?

Don't remember if it's in the blurb accompanying them, or if some of the Michelin tech guys told me, but the Crossclimates work better than summer tyres on all but bone dry surfaces, even then only above 10°C, and the drop off in performance is marginal. My brother in law was having a clear out a year or two ago and gave me an almost brand new set of Michelin Primacy which as it was summer I put straight on to the Accord to save the Crosssclimates. I didn't notice any difference in grip in the dry, and I push on a bit when I have to, only difference I noticed was the steering a wee bit more vague (*edit* - with the Crossclimates!), presumably due to the Primacy having deeper lateral grooves and the Crossclimates having shallower diagonal ones. But it wasn't that significant, most people probably wouldn't even notice it.

If doing everything you can to avoid a hideous tyre related accident is an issue you also take seriously then they are best avoided. Fine in principle, but has never worked well in practice. Unfortunately!

You'd be living dangerously though, probably a right bunny boiler.

That's correct, I was talking about the tyres themselves, not the entire wheel. Swapping the wheels over would also mean it was rotating the wrong way as well.

Never mind the lack of direct accountability in the EU parliamentary system.

That having been said, concerns over the environmental aspect of tyre wear is entirely valid. In those earlier years of supplying tyres I was really struggling with the amount of waste being generated in so few miles which is why I was very ready to assist in any way possible when Michelin embarked on the increased longevity route, including encouraging my customers to try them once I'd tested them for myself and was satisfied with the performance. It's an aspect of traffic pollution too often glossed over or never even considered at all.

Somebody said the Nokians were a winter tyre?

I'd prefer to see it as your saviour. Saved you wasting your money on something worse.

They're not softer, they're a different mix. When I started selling motorcycle tyres a good gripping rear tyres used hard done 2k miles at best. You can now get a rear tyre which will grip as well as that, work in the wet, and do 5k miles. You can also get a tyre which will work in the wet, grip better than 90% of motorcyclists can ride and do 10k miles. I done a bit of testing and evaluation work for Michelin through the noughties, and every set of tyres they send you was a big step forwards from what was available previously. Crossclimates were one of the first car tyres to benefit from all that improvement on two wheels which is why I had no qualms about ordering them as soon as they became available.

I was a Michelin motorcycle tyre distributor for over twenty years but pulled the plug last year as availability was becoming so haphazard. And this from a company who were pretty much flawless in every regard over all those years. Covid seemed to impact them massively. On the Crossclimates, another big advantage they have is that they are directional as opposed to inside/outside, so if the fronts get scrubbed a bit more on the outside you can swap right and left over which puts the outside on the inside.

I've been using Crossclimates since they came out, they really are the perfect all year round tyre and worth every penny IMO.

At first glance they look similar but when you look closer they are quite different, and going by your experience, plainly nowhere near as good.

"Discontinued", WTF!!!!!!!

No idea, they were given to me by a mate and they were standard supply at his work. Mine are eventually getting pretty worn, I'll be gutted if I can't find them anywhere and he has since changed jobs.