Muddy42
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Everything posted by Muddy42
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New to purchasing a woodland
Muddy42 replied to milkshakespoon's topic in Forestry and Woodland management
No vehicular access rights and the estate (presumably the former owner) has retained sporting rights. No mention of who maintains the fences or fallen trees over the fences. I do wonder how a wood ended up being split off like this - consolation prize for the younger son? -
I'm not on three phase, that was someone else in the thread. The grid in our area will only let us export 8kw, so even though we have 10kw installed its currently limited to 8kw. I did apply for a bigger grid connection but was rejected.
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New to purchasing a woodland
Muddy42 replied to milkshakespoon's topic in Forestry and Woodland management
Sorry I havn't read the whole thread, but watch out with the likes of woodlands.co.uk and woods4sale.co.uk. Some simply parcel up existing woodlands in a grid, in reality you can get very little access rights, privacy or control of what the neighbors do. Don't settle for anything other than freehold ownership and get a lawyer to think about the pitfalls. -
I have covered half of an asbestos shed roof with 8-10kw of solar. I would have done more but the grid won't let me which is frustrating. I just need to decide whether to go down the route of battery storage or just solar diverters for hot water heating. I wouldn't want solar panels on the ancient slate roof - it leaks badly enough as it is.
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Yes but presumably the number of problem days would increase drastically if we increase renewable generation? Yes and most of the decent green wood is needed for housebuilding or pallets. I agree storage and grid capacity are a problem.
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update after a few weeks....I got to the stage where I felt I had tried everything within my capability. So I took the strimmer to a fellow who know his two strokes (probably takes milk in his tea in a 50:1). He tested the spark and diagnosed an issue with the ignition unit - it sparks but the strength or timing of the spark was out. Anyway now it runs after we pinched an ignition unit from a donor engine. Thanks for the help everyone.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Smoke in the room, Stovax County 5 Wide
Muddy42 replied to treeworld1203's topic in Log burning stoves and fireplaces
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! -
Smoke in the room, Stovax County 5 Wide
Muddy42 replied to treeworld1203's topic in Log burning stoves and fireplaces
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.
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OK, I will send you a message.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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!
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@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?
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Doh, found this very obvious sticker. So it is a pro.
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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.
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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.
