Oh I need this new bit of kit so badly!!

[British Red]

One of the neighbouring properties had the builders in (just been sold). Nice couple bought it. They asked the builders to clear some trees for their horses. The builders piled them up. In a stack 15' high by 30' long. Entire trees. Then dumped mud over the lot.

My buddy and I said we would help clear them. We moved some trees by tractor - then blew a hydraulic line.

So we used a Unimog. That shifted about half.

We rang my farmer friend who came with his huge MF tractor with forks on. Even that couldn't shift it.

So he brought a teleporter in. (If you haven't seen one - one of these - but with a grab not a bucket). He was picking up trees 15' out and 10' up and putting them where I wanted them to cut up . Now, I have no need of one of these beasts. Or anywhere to put it. But Damn they are cool!



With that we managed to spread the remaining trees out and get cutting. We have about five hours left for two saws tomorrow - done about 20 hours each so far cutting, burning brash and transporting wood.

But the new neighbour will get it all shifted - me and my buddy each get a Winters worth of fuel - and another guy who is now bought into "self sufficiency". He confessed that he realised that it would have cost him several grand to pay a firm to bring in the gear to shift that lot.

A little demonstration of the value of self reliance goes a long way

But above all else - has anyone got a teleporter to trade for some mead?

 

[JonathanD]

The only time I've considered teleportation is when I've had a whole load of mead.

 

[British Red]

Oh this thing is so cool John. Imagine it with an 8' grab. It reaches out and pick up big trees in one go. Its like the worlds biggest game of "Jack Straws"

 

[JonathanD]

Maybe I should consider one when I'm going after those mythic 100ft anaconda down in the Amazon.

Cold have done with one of those last year when two ginormous scots pine next door decided to come down during a storm. Took months to shift them.

 

[Toddy]

They're cool toys. One of them and a unimog and a woodmizer and it makes the most brilliant slab planks for boats and ginormous furniture

http://www.galgael.org/work/timber

cheers,
M

 

[British Red]

Can't afford a woodmizer sadly

But I am toying with an alaskan mini mill to tie up with my big Husqy. I could cut 12" wide planks with that......

With huge sadness we have found the first Ash Die Back - so it would at least be nice to mill all those trees we will be asked to remove rather than just cut them up for fuel.

 

[demographic]

Site I was on a while ago had a Manitou telehadler that was big enough that it could reach high enough to put roof trusses on a timber framed house. Three booms (two of which telescoped out) as opposed to the usual two booms.

Just looked on the Manitou site and some of them lift to 14 metres.

 

[JonathanD]

With huge sadness we have found the first Ash Die Back - so it would at least be nice to mill all those trees we will be asked to remove rather than just cut them up for fuel.

That is sad. We had a very old ancient Ash at the bottom of the garden, but it had to be cut down. And now our two Horse chestnuts are virtually leafless. I don't think they have long now.

 

[colly]

Can't afford a woodmizer sadly



With huge sadness we have found the first Ash Die Back - so it would at least be nice to mill all those trees we will be asked to remove rather than just cut them up for fuel.

got this from http://www.forestry.gov.uk/chalara


Managing infected trees

• You are not required to take any particular action if you own infected ash trees, unless we or another plant health authority serves you with a statutory Plant Health Notice requiring action
• keep an eye on the trees' safety as the disease progresses, and prune or fell them if they or their branches threaten to cause injury or damage
• help slow the spread of the disease by removing and disposing of infected ash plants, and collecting up and burning (where permitted), burying or composting the fallen leaves.

 

[shaggystu]

....And now our two Horse chestnuts are virtually leafless. I don't think they have long now.

I've seen a few Horse Chestnuts looking in a real sorry state this year Jonathan and wondered what was going on, can Horse Chestnut get infected by the same nasty that causes sudden Ash dieback?

When I was a kid we had a telehandler on the farm for loading round bales onto trailers. No grab, no bucket, just a 5 foot solid steel spike sticking straight out of the front. It was great to see the looks on other road users' faces as we bombed around from field to field looking like some mad maxesque industrial jousting team. Priceless

 

[Mesquite]

I've seen a few Horse Chestnuts looking in a real sorry state this year Jonathan and wondered what was going on, can Horse Chestnut get infected by the same nasty that causes sudden Ash dieback?

Horse chestnuts suffer from leaf blotch which isn't too bad.

​What's really bad and what you've probably seen Stu is leaf mining moth damage which I'm seeing more and more of around my way

 

[JonathanD]

​What's really bad and what you've probably seen Stu is leaf mining moth damage which I'm seeing more and more of around my way

All the HC's are infested with them around here. The leaves have all but dropped off already.

 

[shaggystu]

Horse chestnuts suffer from leaf blotch which isn't too bad.

​What's really bad and what you've probably seen Stu is leaf mining moth damage which I'm seeing more and more of around my way

Thanks for that Steve, leaf blotch I'm familiar with, leaf mining moth could well be what I've been seeing, the leaf damage looks very similar anyway.

Cheers,

Stuart.

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

I saw them in action a few times when I was training as a keeper, and I was always in awe of the shear power they had available.

Hugh it might change your mind on buying one to know that they are in short supply (or so I am lead to believe) an you can earn a fair bit of money if you have one you can rent out or rent it out with a driver, if it's going to sweeten the deal I am more than willing to throw in some money towards it as long as we get to have some of your scumble and go out cow tipping

 

[British Red]

You lack imagination ASM. We could put cows on flat roofs and drive away - much better than cow tipping (although I think I need that Manitou to have fun )

 

[shaggystu]

...We could put cows on flat roofs and drive away - much better than cow tipping...

"cow-a-door-run" I think you've hit the motherlode of rural entertainment there Hugh

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

You lack imagination ASM. We could put cows on flat roofs and drive away - much better than cow tipping (although I think I need that Manitou to have fun )

Hugh, we NEED to do this....

 

[British Red]

Think how loud mice in the loft are....then imagine cows

 

[abominable_scouse_monster]

This could be a winner for prank of the decade... Has any one got a load of pink dye an a cow we can borrow because I think Mr Fenna is going to get a bit of a shock

And if dave bud want's in on the action we can do something like this:

 

[Fraxinus]

Just when you think your reading a thread on tool envy.......

One of the Milton Keynes concrete cows got rustled years ago and ended up in someones front yard, in Hull IIRC, that has to be an award winning prank.

Rob.