Muddy42

As was seen by last year's Ukraine war gas shock, the UK no longer has a joined up energy strategy. I support renewables as an experiment, but there has been insufficient thought for when its not sunny/wet/windy. I can see the sense of burning low value grades of timber, even importing it but the problem is that things can go too far. Pretty much the only commercially viable timber of scale is Sitka Spruce which leaves the understory looking like this. No biodiversity, no amenity value, acidifies watercourses, cuts up peat layers etc. Carbon policy has exacerbated planting because one of the easiest ways to get carbon credits is converting pasture (where no carbon sequestration is recognized as yet) to woodland. Some of the recent prices paid for upland land that might be planted has been insane.

Removing all the leaves could shock and kill the tree (this happened to me). Personally if the trunk is sound, I would remove the branches above head height in the autumn in two stages two years apart. Spray all the resulting shoots a few times with fungacide.

I think all wood is easier to split when fresh. Some types of wood take longer to dry than others, oak being one of them, but don't think of that as a negative. Oak is a hard strong wood with lots of stored energy hence why it holds onto water longer. Its a trade off. If you want quick drying, cut birch or softwood but it will have less stored energy.

I have experienced brown rot, but maybe not to the extent you have. I think you are following the right approach for any old fruit trees - reduce them to a manageable size over a few years. Thats what I am doing too and the resulting new vigorous growth looks pretty healthy.

Yes I’d recommend taking your time with the wooden guide. Make sure its square and true and you can lubricate the metal rails with candle wax. Once you start using it, I found the only way to get the jig to cut square was with test cuts.

Buy yourself a moisture meter and an axe from Amazon. Before paying for it, split a log and test the moisture level of an inside surface. <20% or even better <15% of any species will burn fine. Check log dimensions fit your stove.

yes I do. I live in an old house with fussy open fires aswell as stoves so I like to clean frequently. I do get the sweep in too to keep the insurers happy!

Yes it could mess things up. As smoke cools as it rises, the deposits will be way worse higher up or in the cowl. Get one of those kits with flexible rods and a brush that you use with a power drill. Its always worth a try.

Well done! Gender is irrelevant, you saw a career you wanted to pursue, got trained and went for it.

OK, I will send you a message.

Yes plastic doesn't sound ideal. Id try taking the plastic ones to a quad breaker and seeing what they have in metal in a similar shape. Guards from a different model would be easy to adapt. I don't know where you are in the UK, but I can put you in touch with a quad breaker in Carlisle that knows everything there is to know about Hondas and may well have something suitable.

I've used a 2008 Honda trx420 in woodland since 2010 and I've never needed more than the standard front and back axle guards. These are metal and yes they get dented, but they offer good protection and I've not damaged anything that way. Maybe you could find some from a quad breaker?

Yes the gaskets are on the right way. I have just re-checked, as my skill level is ‘always learning.’ Hopefully the carb cleaning and new cylinder/carb gasket will make a difference.

sorry, I should have said Ive installed new diaphrams from a cheap kit. Needle arm is currently just below the surrounding metal (but only by visual reference to a straight edge, as I dont have a guage). I’ve cleaned deeper into the carb today and made a new gasket for between the carb and cylinder. Lets see, I’ll try and start it again tomorrow. thanks again.

Yes, the lines were cracked and the filter was dirty. Yes I've cleaned in there. yes i've cleaned the gauze and underneath it. yes new plug in. I've just sorted a leak in the purge bulb and the carb now holds pressure when applied to the fuel intake. The machine seems to fire a bit better with the L jet out too far (2 turns even) or choke open. Both sides of the carb seem wet, so I think there is still an air leak somewhere. The gasket between the carb and the cylinder is pretty worn and ripped and might be sucking air, so I'm going to try making a new one next. Thanks!

@spudulike @pleasant I got the re-greased the shaft (correction its a solid shaft) and freed up the clutch. I'm not sure where the issue was exactly but the mechanism feels better now. I've replaced the larger carb diaphrams - fuel pump and metering sides. It runs for longer now but still dies after a few seconds. I suspect a deeper issue with the carb or a leak in the purge bulb. Any other ideas?

Doh, found this very obvious sticker. So it is a pro.

I have a RAC 400 Amp one. It works OK. It is only meant for cars up to 1.5 liters (incidentally I have no idea why they size it off the engine size rather than the battery size). But I have used it on tired batteries of 2 liter cars, quad bike, mower, even a tractor once. The battery life only seems to last a few months before it needs recharging, but funnily enough that works fine for me. It doesn't take long to charge. This is so much easier than jump cables. I might try a more powerful one next time.

Thanks Spud. Yes the diaphragms are gone, but I am confident everything else in the carb is OK. Its a cable type and I can turn the head from the engine end by turning the cable. Yes there is something seized in the clutch and I havn't been able to get the head apart (as if to add more string). I will keep working on these last two aspects before I spend money on the carb kit and correct lines.

Thanks. It feels pretty cheap. I'll give it another go later and see if the diaphragms have softened.

I've been working on a tiny old McCulloch strimmer for a few hours. I've been on the look out for a small strimmer for a while for neater smaller jobs. This one was obtained for free. My progress so far is as follows (no money spent just time): - compression feels decent from pulling the starter rope - removed muffler, piston and cylinder look in great condition - confirmed spark, it does! - replaced cracked fuel lines to the purge bulb with some I had lying around. The purge bulb then drew fuel up OK, but with a slight leak because the lines were a tiny bit too small. - unseized the strimmer head with WD40 and re greased - cleaned out the varnish in the carburetor It now runs for a few seconds with half choke or a spray of fuel in the spark plug hole. I havn't been able to get the motor to turn the string head yet. As I say I have got to this stage without spending money so its decision time! - I could buy the right size of fuel line which might help fuel delivery. - I could buy a carb kit for walbro carb. The diaphragms are definitely brittle. But what do people think I should do? Are these McCulloch strimmers any good? Clearly the company is no more so parts will be hard to obtain. Thanks for any advice.

Do you mean fuel hose disconnected from the carb or impulse line disconnected from the cylinder? Either way glad you got it sorted

Facebook market place is good and doesn't charge fees. But people tend to be quite flakey and don't reply to messages.

I have a small esse one and its OK but I wouldn't recommend it enthusiastically. Yes I can get it going but its on the hard side to light and smokes a bit. The top of the door is too close to the flue exit. Its been installed properly with a decent double skinned liner, flue insulation and a cowl. I used an equivalent 5kw Charnwood the other day and it was excellent.

Amazing. Ive never seen anything that thick