Muddy42
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Everything posted by Muddy42
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saw this on the esso website today (29th June 2023) From September 2023 our Synergy Supreme+ 99 will transition to contain up to a maximum of 5% ethanol at all Esso pumps irrespective of which part of the country they are located. The labelling at our pumps will remain as E5 for Synergy Supreme+ 99 unleaded.
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One of the locking wings looks bent down?
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I was given a honda 4 stroke, I use it, bit wouldn't buy another. The weight to power ratio is worse, its vibey and I dont really know how to work on it compared to two strokes. sorry maybe its just me!
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Totally agree. Last year I waited three months for a warranty repair for a Husqvarna robot mower, when it returned fixed Husqvarna had upgraded their software which caused a further six month pause. Both delays are the responsibility of Husqvarna not my local dealer, however it has left my faith in new machinery, the benefit of warranties and anything that needs plugging-in in for diagnosis, severely tested. Now, I'd rather buy cheap second hand and have a few extra saws and strimmers on standby, repair myself or if I fail "there-is-a-guy-locally-who-can-fix-anything-with-an-engine."
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interesting, i’ve not seen HB exhibit that kind of behaviour yet, but then I have not been cutting just pulling up. I find it best to tackle large areas early on before they flower and the cover gets really think. You soon develop a hawk eye for identifying the leaves!
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Haha. Its an officially sanctioned torture treatment for seeding HB, sanctioned under the Geneva Convention. First you quickly place a bag over the victim, grasp the stalk firmly and pull it out by the roots. The bag catches any seeds that explode. Cable ties help if doing a few.
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I'm fighting a battle with a front guard of Himalayan Balsam as it literally moves upriver, probably via explosive seed blasts. So there are still few enough plants to simply pull them up. I seal them in plastic sacks to die. If you can get the plants before they flower its ideal, however the flowers can help locate them. I do tackle a few isolated plants once seeded with the 'bag over the head technique.' Seems to be working so far!
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I think its pretty sick to be discussing irony and not very respectful for those involved. This was a horrific way to die and a nightmare for friends and family. Just leave it as a horrible tragedy.
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I'd do it any time, the sooner the better. You can also make the reverse argument, the shoots are renewed every year so in early spring plants have yet to build up reserves so you are hitting them when they are weakest. Plus its easier to poison smaller shoots than larger ones that you would have to cut back anyway.
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Yes that works well, I've even heard of people using a big syringe.
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I have yet to find a plant or tree that can survive the standard treatment of cutback and then 1 to 3 applications of fresh max strength glyphosate. The last two treatments are probably only needed because I missed some the first time or I am impatient.
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When did they buy the property? This is normally the point that a homeowner gets told about TPOs through searches - formal questions asked to the council that can be relied on. I think I'd get the homeowner to ask (in writing) as its less likely to raise alarm than an arborist ringing up. If they get an email reply saying No and you have a print out of the map showing nothing you should be OK.
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Oh the irony - failed electric motor and survivor petrol engine!
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Yes my brother has an 80s Harrier. Phenomenally tough and easy to maintain. However its much easier to clean small mower when you can just tip it over (as long as its the right way) compared to a heavy ride on. Its too late for mine, but I do paint it whenever the deck is off for sharpening or repair (which is quite often at the moment - bearings and axle recently). I don't think those hose ports work that well. I guess you could drive the mower onto a ramp or a repair pit. I have a pit but the mess and faff would be horrendous.
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I suspect the deck will rust before the engine! Even with cleaning/repainting the rust gets to them eventually. I have a few old ride ons and find I can repair or replace everything easily until the deck goes and they are no longer in production. I have one in this stage at the moment - i have welded the odd hole, but will have to decide what to do when the structural areas go. I could find a different replacement deck and weld it to fit, but its a fair bit of work!
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I have a battery drill and screwdriver. Everything else is mains power (indoor workshop including mains power drill and pillar drill) or petrol (outdoors - strimmer, hedgecutter, chainsaws). i have tried various battery tools and feel I have been relatively open minded - yes they are easy to start and maintain but the power is just woeful. They might suit an occasional non-practical user but for serious users they just dont come close yet.
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Im not a lawyer but: In a strict sense, all bonfires will cause a degree of damage and impact to a field - burnt grass, burnt soil leaving a heap of ash behind. All bonfiring activity comes with a degree of risk that the fire will spread or throw off sparks. You were given permission, you supervised the fire, you put the escaped fire out as soon as possible - you cant be seen as negligent or criminal. in terms of economic loss, the owner still has a live tree. I struggle to see where the owner has suffered financial loss? Indeed the damage sounds pretty similar to what could happen naturally from a lightening strike.
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If you are just doing the odd one for yourself personally - wet and dry - take your time avoiding going in and out. Honing with power takes skill and you can easily over do it. Then if all else fails, ive been very impressed with meteor cylinders.
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Yes, could well be phytophthora ramorum. It has devastated larch in the UK and especially Scotland. Isolated trees can survive longer that large blocks of commercial planted larch. I'm guessing its either something to do with genetic variation (commercial trees are cuttings) or better circulation of air and sunlight. But wait, whereabouts are you, southern hemisphere? Larch are deciduous so their leaves turn brown or fall off anyway in the winter. Generally the first you know of phytophthora is when the leaves fail to reappear the next spring.
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At about £100 for a gallon, that stuff is not cheap, 3 or 4 times as much as Stihl/Husqvarna two stroke oil!
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Thanks. what oil would you recommend?
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Totally. This is JAS FC (I understand only fully synthetic oils are clean enough for the hgiher FD rating) and Stihl Ultra doesn't even warrant a rating at all, some chemists say it is 1980s era spec and technology.
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Thanks but I don't really understand. Surely its up to the user to decide on the ratio they use and tune for, just like someone's preference for strong or weak Ribena?
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I went for this oil from Wickes. On the plus side its rated JASO FC (2nd highest rating), bright red, semi-synthetic (I am a bit suspicious of full synthetic, probably irrationally) and only £9. I can report back on what it performs like and does to pistons in a few months. I'll still use premix for occasional use, i only mix fresh for strimming and longer firewood sessions. The Handy 2 Stroke Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil - 1L | Wickes.co.uk WWW.WICKES.CO.UK The Handy 2 Stroke Semi-Synthetic Engine Oil - 1L
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For mixed hardwoods we do all the management (paperwork, felling licenses, dealing with windblow over fences and minimal restocking because it mostly reseeds itself). I have sold small quantities both roadside (windblown trees all over the place where I wanted to be in control) and standing timber (where we had to deal with subsequent damage to fields and walls). By volume maybe 50% poor mill timber and 50% firewood. I would say neither sales approach was particularly lucrative, maybe a few £k of profit after costs. The firewood market isn't as strong in Scotland as parts of England. Its more work that has to be done rather than a get-rich-quick scheme, given how long hardwoods take to mature.
