Muddy42

I have a lot of makita LXT battery tools for small jobs and I have to say they are amazing. Not broken one yet. But if I am doing any 'hard work' petrol powered followed by mains electric is the way to go. Battery just doesn't have the power and the components tend to be lighter weight. Alkalyte fuel produces far nicer fumes. Long reach hedge cutters keep the fumes further from the body.

Personally Id say it was suffering from drought, particularly given the brown lawn and healthy lavender.

Assuming someone who knows what they are talking about has done the basic things like replace the spark plug and tested the old module and pronounced it dead, I would think a replacement module would solve it, Yes.

i would have included the exact same saws - ms400 and ms261 ! Both amazing saws

I agree. The one downfall of the tool is that it throws the chain quiet easily, especially if you force the cut or catch a thin branch. That side cover and plastic nut thing does seem flimsy. If the nut ever broke, Id experiment with something else - maybe a locking wingnut and a massive repair washer?

So did I, after a period of learning how it behaves. It opens up the possibility of deeper cuts and undercuts. None of my other chainsaws have guards. Be careful and keep other limbs well away.

Thanks, and reassuringly expensive. I've just had a small victory. I've just managed to get a 16 inch brush through a flue that Id only ever managed to get an 8 inch brush through (open fire / no steel liner / just original clay lining). Id been treating somewhat sceptically with powdered flue creosote cleaner, so maybe that stuff does work after all.

Agreed, very strange this crime had nothing to do with employing qualified people?

Agreed. Manually oiling is surprisingly effective. Hopefully the motion of the chain will suck bar oil through.

dont use used engine oil. As above clean the bar, flush the oil tank out with and try squirting WD40 into the oiler mechanism. If that fails disassemble the oiling mechanism and squirt in more WD40. If that fails I would run the saw with diesel as the bar oil. A 10 year old Husqvarna 135 is not worth buying parts for. Just buy a new cheapo stihl or husvarna saw for £150 - £200.

Ask for a tap and die set for your birthday! If you use them gently (oil, fward and back etc) even the cheap ones will work fine to repair stripped threads. Sorry if you have done this but check the manual for the valve clearances and set them to the midpoint. I find setting valves incredibly temperamental and it often requires several attempts. Normally the tolerances are given as a range, ive sometimes fixed issues in used engines going for the tighter end of the range, if that makes sense.

So I take it there is no longer a leak in the head, which is good. It doesn't sound too bad to be honest. Yes incorrect valve adjustment could cause those backfires and loss of power - loose valves don't seal properly allowing unburnt fuel in when it shouldn't. Also you mentioned a dirty carb, this could mess with the fuel mix and cause backfires.

when you say burning oil, is that oil that is leaking round the head gasket then smoking off (like the photos in your first post) or has that oil leak been fixed and oil is still getting into the combustion, as a separate problem?

All land, even unregistered land is owned by someone, ultimately its the crown. Being unregistered just makes it harder to find the owner, but there will be an owner. If you aren't the land owner you can't just chop trees, remove stumps, plough, or use the land for access. Whatever you do is bound to be noticed by the users of the footpath.

This is very weird thread. Seeing as AI was mentioned here is google AI's response to the question how to remove stumps and trees Professionals primarily use chainsaws for felling trees, particularly petrol-powered models for their power and bar length. To remove a tree stump, you can choose from several methods including grinding, digging, using chemicals, or burning (with caution and proper permits). Grinding is a common method for large stumps. Digging is a labor-intensive but effective method for smaller stumps. Chemical treatments can speed up decomposition, while burning requires careful planning and adherence to local regulations. Not bad.

I havn't used stovax, but have used three other 'eco design' stoves that have been utter s**** - hard to light and smokey. Ive posted on this topic here before. The problem (as I see it) is that these stoves are designed to divert/restrict exhaust so it recirculates and re-burns the gases within the stove repeatedly. These is also less control of air going in. These stoves need very exact operating conditions - airflow in the room, flue length/straightness/temperature. They may work fine in a new airtight house (that is warm already) with a perfectly straight/lined and insulated flue, but conditions in older properties are much more variable. Give me big old Charnwood or Clearview anyday. These stoves have massive air intakes that can make them roar like a steam train on lighting. Yes more heat goes up the chimney and you use more wood, but it doesn't smoke into the room.

The small bark stuff sounds great for lighting fires.

wouldn't long thin lengths be ideal for turning into wood chip for someones biomass boiler? Or do you not have enough volume?

wouldn't long thin lengths be ideal for turning into wood chip for someones biomass boiler?

Ive heard the Sherpas and ASs are good. The Grillo looks like an Iseki, maybe the Grillo is a knock off. Ive just managed to raise the deck a bit on the Grillo, by moving a 'shut off' so the blades can turn in the travel position. The highest standard height setting was 90cm, which was too high and I was hitting too much and digging into the soil.

So I have put a few hours on the Grillo. It cuts great. It doesn't clog and stall like the Bolens did (which I was really asking too much of it to become a rough cut mower). It just smashes through everything, rocks and stumps included. I like the simplicity of being able to remove and sharpen the blade tips. - It needs choke to start even when warm, so I think some carb cleaning might be helpful. - I'm going to raise the deck a bit. I'm hitting too much even on the highest setting.

and pull the bit out regularly to release the chips and sap.

Personally What gear did your father have? Personally I wouldn't think it was a viable business now without a tractor/ forwarder, large log processor, a loader and room to dry >1000 crates (some of it can be outside, some under cover.

Thanks Eric. Ive also bought a second hand Grillo Climber 9.22. My thinking was this had the largest engine without being 4WD. 4WD would have been nice, but these are more expensive and there are more parts to go wrong. I havn't felt I have needed the extra traction in the past, but maybe I will regret this. For some reason the tyres have been shifted from tractor tyres to turf tyres, so I will probably return it to aggressive tractor tyres that will help with the traction. Regarding your electrical issues, you might try a 'contact spray' to control the oxidization - the kind that you use to protect trailer electrics? Alternatively I have bypassed all the safety systems in various mowers. I haven't looked at the Grillo's electrics yet, but normally you have one circuit running to the ignition key that needs to be closed by the various safety switches to work. Normally the safety circuit is a different colour from the black/red of the earth/positive - yellow or blue. A bit of continuity testing with an electrical tester will normally work this out. Let me know if you want me to figure out how the safety switches work on mine?

Thanks. Yes the others have newer B&S engines which I understand are not perfect. Brushcutters or rough cut mowers have thicker blades, off road tyres, do not collect and are generally built to take more abuse.