Cordata

Can someone ban him already^

Thanks everyone, good to know species & that I can cut it back 👌

I have a tree/(large shrub?) I would like to reduce quite a lot but I don't know what it is, and if it takes hard pruning well. There are no growth points to take to past the outer crown - if I cut it in the inner woody sections without any foliage (as you could with a laurel for example and it would come back fine), is this suitable for this plant? Advice and an ID would be appreciated.

Yeah me neither, no character at all like the old stone houses nearby. The client was pretty chilled out, he even mentioned the builders probably put loads of crap in the soil so it could be a case of changing plans after we started digging and problems arise

I for whatever reason didn't know that characteristic of hornbeam, liking moisture. From a few google searches it could be the perfect thing to plant, maybe even digging a trench and mixing some compost in with the naturally occurring clay in case it is devoid of nutrients. Because all the websites I'm reading say it's moisture tolerant and does well in clay, maybe I don't need to create a raised area of soil as @Stere says?

Thanks, that is very true about just creating a place for the water to pool in, I'm just not sure what the best thing to do is. I like the idea for a raised section & what that website says, I will ask the question and see what they say. Hornbeam is similar to beech that would be good, I think it's quite a lot slower growing though. I've suggested 1.75-2m trees, and they want the hedge to grow up past the fence for privacy, so the time taken to grow might make them want something else

Hi all, I have been asked to look at a job where the customer wants a beech hedge planted along one side of their garden. The whole area consists of heavy clay soil and there's evident waterlogging, ground squishy everywhere. The neighbour directly over the fence where the hedge is to be planted, has put in a French drain, to collect the water and take it away. I've attached an image showing the site and direction of water flow. My question is: how best to prepare the ground for the beech hedge going in? I am considering a metre-wide trench, the existing clay soil completely removed, and refilled with 50:50 soil/compost. Maybe even digging lower than required for the trees (50cm?) and putting a small layer of rocks/gravel in the bottom to alleviate potential drainage issues. I don't know if I should consider additional drainage methods, as the water flows towards where we want to plant, is it possible to take TOO much water away? Forest research says - "Beech can grow on mineral soils of poor to medium nutrient status including calcareous ones, but does not tolerate compacted, waterlogged or very dry soils". So waterlogged (as it is currently) is bad, but I don't want to overdo drainage so there is no moisture available, if that's even possible. Anyone with experience of this situation able to offer advice? Thanks

I replaced the air filter, fuel filter, and spark plug and it seems to have fixed it, but thanks for the suggestion I'll look out for that in the future

I got a service kit with new air filter, fuel filter, and spark plug and when fitted this seemed to solve the problem. I did pick up a fuel solenoid as well since you mentioned it, and some googling & youtube videos tell me that it's good preventative maintenance to replace this every so often, so I'll get round to replacing it when I have more time Looking at this article on how to replace - How To Change A Solenoid Valve On Your Machine | STIHL Blog BLOG.STIHL.CO.UK Solenoid valves can wear due to dirt in the fuel tank on your petrol machine. Check out our quick guide to changing the solenoid valve here. - it says to 'coat the solenoid valve below the collar with press fluid' Did you do this, and if so what is and where can I find press fluid? Thanks

Thanks, I got a service kit with a new spark plug, air filter, and fuel filter, fitted them all and it started easily It's about 4 years old and I've never replaced any of these through semi-regular use so think this sorted it out

That makes sense and I agree that once the engine is going, it should prime ok as fuel is being sucked in, but there is a possible blockage or something between the tank and the engine I should troubleshoot, which would explain why the bulb remains low. Another commenter mentioned water in the filter.. is this something you think will be causing the issue? And it will just dump out when I disconnect the filter? A new filter with a small hose in a can of petrol makes sense for testing this out, I'll look into trying this and report back

I need to sit down and properly look at the manual, I could very well be missing something obvious That idea makes sense for testing for blockages.. Probably sound stupid, but I have never disconnected one of those fittings in the fuel line system holding the hoses on. Just as simple as loosening it off to disconnect, and then when I put it back on do I really need to crank down on the screw to tighten it? Or it just needs to be firmly torqued?

I've attached a photo showing the connector coming out the tank, and the inline filter That's interesting about the filter filling up with water, like the filter I have here is designed to let petrol through, but not let water through? I am probably being stupid, but I guess I'd have to disconnect the top fitting on the filter first, turn it upside down so water there doesn't slide back into the tank when I disconnect the bottom fitting, then I can dump it out? Do I then need to prime the fuel lines before turning the engine back on?

Thanks for the practical tips - I've never cleared out the air filter on this yet which could very well be stalling the engine, I'll blow it out tomorrow. Also will check oil. See how you say if the pipe gets empty it can struggle to get started.. it there a way to prime the line with fuel? Quick google said (albeit for a car engine) a way to prime the fuel line was to turn the engine over without the spark plug connected a few times and it would fill with fuel.. Possible solution? I don't know if I popped the cover holding all the belts and tried turning the shaft if it would be hard to turn?

I looked as best I can following the fuel line, and it doesn't seem like there is a pump feeding fuel in from the tank, I think the engine does all the pumping The only thing I can see between the fuel tank and the engine when following the fuel line, is the transparent bulb filter in the pictures

To be honest I don't really know what I'm doing, Check fuel tap on tank, checking for a good flow of fuel - how would I do that? Also you said it looks like there might be water in the bulb, that doesn't sound good.. what reason makes you think that?

Circled in yellow the fuel filter which seems to be low, and also a photo of what it looks like. I guess it's transparent so you can visually tell when it's clogged up and needs changed, but it's a pretty new machine, I don't think it's clogged up..

I have a timberwolf 160PH chipper, and on a job the other day the engine cut out. When I switched it back on, it was kind of 'barely' running, like the engine wanted to cut out and didn't quite have the guts to keep going. There's a clear bulb thing going into the engine which the manual says is the fuel filter - before this issue started happening, I could see the bulb was always pretty full of fuel, and now it's very low down, like there isn't much fuel getting to the engine. When it first cut out I was up a tree and the subcontractor I was working with who is pretty inexperienced at using machines (like knowing to put the choke on when an engine is cold to get it going etc) was struggling to start it, I think they had the key turned for ages and I could hear the starter motor going for a pretty long time without the chipper starting.. Is this a potential reason for depleting the fuel in the system somehow? Just racking my brains as to what it might be, advice on troubleshooting this would be appreciated

I have a stihl 261 with m-tronic. Over the past few jobs it's taken quite a few pulls to start, and once it's fired up and running it seems fine, but starting it up even when it's warmed up and it doesn't need the choke can take many many pulls of the starter cord. Sometimes it won't start at all when pulling the cord, and (strangely) when it's left for a few minutes after failing to start it and I try to start it, it starts pretty easily. Is there a common reason for this? I'm wondering if it's fuel related, maybe the fuel filter needs cleaned or changed? No other ideas are jumping out, advice would be much appreciated

I've seen a young oak plantation in central Scotland which had a mix of English oak and sessile oak, and the bark was like this I think young oak trees (maybe under certain conditions?) have that kind of bark, and as they mature it changes Maybe a bit like how sycamore has smooth (sort of beech-like) bark on young trees, and when it's mature it has a flaky scale type bark

So I didn't read this thread until now, having already tried the carbide bit this afternoon It did exactly what you said here, and to my surprise the bolt almost instantly flew out the threaded hole - no need for bolt extractor at all!

I do like this idea.. I guess I'd have to use a washer with a super small hole in the middle so I only tack the bolt and don't damage anything surrounding it. Been and got the bolt extractor already so I'll try this for now

It might be a dud cobalt drill bit, not sharpened at the end properly perhaps? I got it for a couple quid at the shop. I don't have a pillar drill unfortunately, just a steady hold on a cordless drill.. Borrowed a carbide bit from someone which google says is far harder than high speed steel or cobalt, so it should be able to do the job!

I have a bolt which sheared off in my long reach Stihl hedgecutter head attachment. I have a bolt extractor to remove the sheared off bolt, but when I tried drilling through, a cobalt drill bit has done almost nothing to the bolt.. Any advice on which type of drill bit to get, and what material these Stihl bolts are made of? Thanks

Hi, I want to set belt tension on my chipper and have never done this before. I've watched a few videos on youtube on using a belt tensioning gauge tool, and I see they have O-rings and are rated for a certain force.. for example on amazon I found a tool which says it is 10lbs (~4.5 kg). My manual has instructions showing how to go about tensioning, shown in the attached pic. I get the deflection should be set to 2mm as shown in the manual. However there is a force range stated in the manual for a new belt (3.75 - 4.01 kg) and a used belt (3.21 - 3.47 kg). So to get a deflection of 2mm, over the lifetime of the belt I need to apply a varying force to set that.. so can you get tools which let you set the force you apply?