@Faye Fox: ... I wish someone would give me that Stihl saw for a Christmas present. I'm tempted. Another toy:. Black&Decker Alligator Loppers It's like a mini electric chain saw at the end of scissors. It only works for certain things, but when it does, it works well. I want to drastically lower the old holly hedge in town this winter. Tried out the loppers this afternoon. Just have to dust off my work clothes first (thorns).
Can't say its looks are worse than its bite, but there are so many safety features, you would have to try really hard to hurt yourself with them.
Correction from earlier... That kitchen drain kit is plastic, not PVC. Glue seems to be working, but won't know for sure until I hit it with something. November 12/13 Lots of rain predicted in the next 10 days, so I tackled those 6 red tip logs still in the back yard. Two I could lift into the truck, but the others were impossible. Wish I could have weighed them, but I'd probably just get depressed. Used two 2x4's together with spacers between, something I nailed together for the goats years ago, which didn't work out (long story), but I saved it anyway. I should start a thread on Simple Machines. Couldn't even get the heaviest log onto the lever, so I sawed it in half with a dull chain saw. Took forever. Rolled them out in the woods yesterday.
Bill, most of the things I do only take a couple of hours. It's getting ready for it and finding everything needed that takes time. And every third day I loaf around. Today is one of those days. I've done nothing all day.
They advertise them at Home Depot and Lowes, but neither has them in stock here. You can order them delivered free to the store. There is also a cordless version. I would not be afraid to use them on a ladder. But they don't work for big stuff. I need to trim a cedar that's getting too close to a power line.
Because this truck is getting so old, I've started noticing all noises it makes. They may have been there all along, but I just didn't listen for them. Why don't they make a video (audio) of all the various noises a vehicle makes when things start to go bad? A few weeks ago the transmission started making a funny noise when the gears shifted. I stumbled on a video by the Aamco Guy, which was meant to be a joke, but his 5th sound (~1:00) matches, exactly! Finally found a keyword to search on ...SHUDDER. . It's like you are driving over a washboard when the gears shift. . It didn't help to know that. The transmission fluid was just at the very tip of the dipstick. All it said was "DO NOT ADD if level is in the cross-hatched area." Say what? Added enough to bring it up into the MIDDLE of the crosshatched area, about 3/4 quart. Haven't heard the shudder since, but it sometimes makes a faint clunk/jerk, like something is taking up slack somewhere. Sometimes it sounds perfect, i.e. you can hardly tell when it shifts. Yesterday the airbag light came on. I didn't even know there was an airbag light. On the coldest day last week the heater put out only cold air. Radiator was not low this time. Next time the heater worked fine. This thing is toying with me.
Hey Nancy--how do you like the loppers? I ordered the corded one from Amazon and my hubby is eyeballing it. We haven't tried it out yet.
There are the only two things I don't like about it: 1. The chain doesn't oil itself. You have to put oil on the chain manually every so often, and the oil bottle they provide is hard to use. Try something else. There are so many safety features, you can hardly get to the chain without 3 hands. 2. It sometimes leaves a ragged edge when it cuts. It may be that I don't know how to use it, but I've seen it happen in demo videos also. Not a problem unless you want to use it to prune your prize shrubs, or your money tree. Good things: It cuts well. It pulls things up off the ground into the cutters. No chance of ruining the chain by hitting dirt even if a small log is laying on the ground. Super safe.
I'm hoping it will work well to cut old fronds off our palm tree and to trim a weeping mulberry (fruitless) that gets outta control. Thanks for the oiling tip; my hubby commented that the bottle looks like a PITA.
So far I've just poured oil on the chain out of the quart engine oil bottle. Maybe 10% of the oil ends up on the chain. I need to find something better before starting on these hollies. Maybe a ketchup bottle.
I was surprised you have to manually oil. That has to be a mess. I would use spray teflon all over the chain before you start. Then occasionally. It would also help clean the chain. Do they sharpen like a chainsaw?