Forestry & Hedging ...from previous page
everything was well laid out and easy to get at and carrying out routine maintenance was straightforward with no tools required.” Captive nuts on the chain sprocket cover were considered a definite advantage, preventing them being lost while maintenance is carried out in the woods.
Comfort The handles make the saw comfortable to hold although the rubber sleeve on the front handle finishes partway down the side section. “When felling trees and using the saw on its side I sometimes found that only part of my hand was over the rubber sleeve, so grip was compromised. Extending the rubber further down the handle would provide a better grip,” he commented. The dead-man’s handle was also slightly too short, so that the operator’s hand had to be well up the rear handle to press it fully in. Jake said the chain brake was well designed and he was pleased to see the brake handle attached
and hinged at both ends, making its action positive wherever pressure was applied along its surface. Vibration, he said, was impressively low for such a powerful saw. The MS 462 C-M has a recommended retail price of £970 complete with an 18in bar or £1,000 with the 25in bar as tested. However discounts are usually offered through main dealers and on-line making the saw generally available from approximately £680, so it is well worth shopping around.
Verdict Stihl’s new saw is bigger than most farms will need, but will suit those with larger trees to fell or section. It has plenty of power for most cutting and clearing tasks and its lightweight, compact size makes it easy to handle and use, especially with the 18 or 20in bars likely to be preferred by most farm users. It’s well designed, easy to service and performs well. Back-up is from a large number of main sales and service dealers. ■
Overall, the saw performed well considering some of the heavy cutting work carried out and, although it had plenty of power, the lightweight engine would have been better paired with a shorter and lighter bar to improve the balance.
Stihl MS462 Displacement 72.2cc Power 4.4/6 kW/bhp Weight 6kg Vibration level (l/r) is (4.8/3.6m/s2)
Sound pressure level 108dB Sound power level 119dB Recommended bar size (inches) 18/20/25
New tree shears added to forestry range
61021
ANT PL PL
PLA
SE
THE
E AC
THE WIDEST RANGE OF HD FLAIL MOWERS FROM 3’-29’
NT
S
PO
The Westteach Woodcracker-CL-260.
New to the product range at Marshall Agricultural Engineering this year is the Westtech CL 260 tree shears. The shears are suitable for 6-14t machines with a cutting diameter of 320mm for soft wood and 260mm for hard wood, Marshalls has more than 30 years experience in specialist equipment supplying small and large scale operations in the forestry, woodland management and agricultural sectors. The company will be exhibiting at APF later this month and as well as the Westtech shears will also be displaying the Vitli Krpan front
FO R A PUR
linkage blade. This is available in two sizes with a choice of width of 1,840mm or 2,040mm. The new Dalen 2054 firewood processor Hatz engine can also be seen working on the stand (number 1840-1920). The company offers a wide range of equipment from the Binderberger timber trailers, horizontal and vertical log splitters, sawbenches, cone splitters, and fully automatic firewood processors. Visitors to APF will also be able to see examples from Vitli Krpan winches, Serra sawmills, Vahva grapples, IronHorse and Vahva Jussi compact trailer cranes. ■
THE PLANT PLACE Thimbleset Nurseries • 2A Mill Road Fen Drayton • Cambs
Top quality UK grown trees and hedging plants, planting sundries and plant & maintenance service
WWW.VANWAMEL.NL
oday tel & fax: 01480 880122 or T l l Ca email: ptpinnerandson@eplusmail.com
100 www.farmersguide.co.uk September 2018
82-113 ROP Sep.indd 100
20/08/2018 09:55
Farm