Gav912

We are looking at ways around it but there are further issues as the machine has to be clinically clean before it’s allowed back into the U.K. by DEFRA which would take hours with some things we sell

It’s not just second hand things. I work for an agricultural machinery distributor, if we want to send a machine to Ireland on demonstration we have to pay 20% export VAT on it then to bring it back it’s 20% import VAT to pay. When the value of some of this kit is in excess of £100k the VAT soon adds up even if it can be reclaimed. Once things settle down it’ll be far cheaper to fly a customer here than to take kit to Ireland so as it stands now no Irish demo’s anymore.

An extremely frustrating one when I spend my days training you guys how to obtain your Pa certificates then I get asked why some of the more common stuff can be sourced from eBay and other online sellers with no requirement for proof of qualifications needing to be shown. I’ve recently seen a 25kg bag of slug pellets on eBay along with products like Stomp, the latter and a whole load of other even more hazardous pesticides like Actellic being sold on there by Italian and Eastern European sellers.

Mountain Top roller shutter off a 2017 Ford Ranger Limited d/c, never leaked the whole time it’s been fitted but now need more enclosed space so had to change to a Truckman top. Just the top, no roll bar but can include the riser brackets to fit one if required. Central Norfolk. Looking for £650 ono

As does the Limited unfortunately, about 50kg over I think from memory when I bought mine. Mitsubishi was the other choice but they can’t tow 3500kg (at that point in time anyway) and I found it less comfortable than the Ranger but slightly more economical. 11 months on and 16000 trouble free miles I’m still happy with my choice.

There’s something wrong with it if it’s using that much, he should be doing 4000-6000 miles on a 20 litre fill up.

Spent most of last week in bed with what has turned out to be one of the worst chest infections I’ve had in years, my emergency supply of antibiotics I keep at home didn’t touch it so grudgingly crawled out of my pit to see the Dr last Wednesday for some stronger ones which seem to be working, was told to revisit today for a follow up.......saw a different GP who ought to consider a career change, executioner maybe! Apparently it’s all my own fault and I wouldn’t have been ill at all if I’d had the flu jab, amazing diagnosis without having read my 37 year history! Be glad when I’ve stopped coughing and wheezing as work has been torture this week, the downside of being self employed and running training courses, cancelling and rearranging them is near impossible at times!

Must be a Case man then as no other red one is worth having 😂

Agricultural training instructor specialising in pesticides but also cover forklifts and machinery across the whole of East Anglia. Occasionally do a bit of tractor driving still but the training keeps me busy most of the year now.

That's one of the reasons I bought my Ranger from Busseys at Fakenham, Martin there couldn't have been more helpful.........I walked out of their Dereham branch which is less than 5 minutes from my house as the salesmen there couldn't even be bothered to speak to me, the receptionist actually handed me the keys to look at the truck and no sales person ever came near me despite requests being made. I've now heard the same from two other people who went in there with the intention of buying a Ranger who've had exactly the same experience, in one case the young salesmen actually went and played on his phone when he said he'd go get more details!

I bought a new Ranger 2.2 Limited at the end of April this year, I've now done 6500 miles in it and have no complaints with it so far. It's my daily drive in my agricultural training business so I travel over all sorts of terrain in it, yes it's not the smoothest ride but it's a commercial vehicle at the end of the day and still more comfortable than the L200 it replaced. Regularly returning 35mpg plus so no complaints on fuel use either. Oil pumps have been modified on all the newer ones so the engine problems mentioned should have been sorted. Plenty of space for 3 adults in the back and loads of space in the buck for whatever you need to carry.

The neighbours to a farm I do some work on lost a lot to CSFB last year, the seed we bought actually had the damn things in when we put it in the drill!last year.

Nail on the head, it's also an expensive crop to grow some years and can easily be lost in a later thunderstorm prior to harvest. Speaking to farmers as I go on farm with training courses, those that have stopped growing it don't miss it, also they are noticing less slugs in their fields without it.

Both OSR and winter barley being cut around here, one or two people had a go 10 days ago on the lighter sandier land. Earliest harvest a lot of people can remember for a long time.

Maximum train weight of 31000kg, trailer weight of 18290kg. Would need car and trailer license for telehandler/combine etc and trailer and a Cat H for a twin track crawler. No restrictions on weights of the above as long as they don't exceed the legal maximums.

I don't know where you got the 2.5t weight limit from for tractors at 16 but it's wrong, I've heard it a few times from various people, the width and trailer restrictions are correct though. The gross train weight changed in March 2015 to 31000kg to allow for bigger tractors pulling equipment however the maximum trailer weight remains at 18290kg. With regards to other ag vehicles, things like telehandlers and self propelled machines count as a Cat B vehicle on your licence so you would need a B + E car and trailer licence to tow with them on the road. With these there are age related weight restrictions: Age 16 - not allowed on road Age 17 - 3500kg with full car licence Age 18-21 - 7500kg Age 21+ - normal agricultural weight restrictions. Tracklaying tractors like Challenger's and John Deere RT series is 21 years old with a Cat H licence. I'm one of the people some farmers love to hate.......a training instructor!

I bought a 2.2 Limited two months ago, Aviva were the cheapest for me by a large margin, £200 less than Flux and £400 less than NFU.

As already said, I'd want to see a copy of that policy myself on the grounds of seeing what I'd been charged for along with a proper invoice for it being self employed to keep my books right. Don't think I'd go as far as not working for them if they are a good paying customer though unless other work was there. I'm self employed myself, one of the first things I done was to take out PL insurance and also professional indemnity insurance, both for large amounts, as we have too many parasitic no win no fee companies and people out to claim for anything these days. Training people to use expensive farm machinery and pesticides I saw them as essential expenses, the two together are just over £16 a month so not exactly expensive for peace of mind.

Not just the dealers, put my L200 up for sale last Friday with no VAT to pay and sold it first thing Sunday morning. If they're clean and tidy with no VAT there's a high demand everywhere for them especially in rural areas, all the dealers said the same when I was pricing its replacement up........which I've had to pay VAT, business isn't registered for it so basically dead money.

I'll vouch for how effective these little things are, we used have a lot of trouble with rollers and idler shafts coming loose on the stone separator on the farm I used to work on, one of the field engineers from Standen Engineering gave me a bag of Nord Lock washers to try and they instantly cured the problem. The joys of working in extremely stony soils.....they shake everything loose except these it seems!

If you've not got yourself sorted yet with training courses try giving The Training Association a ring near Kings Lynn. I carry out training courses in machinery, pesticides and forklifts for them and I know that they do run welding courses as well, 01485 600225.

The new pattern BFG Mud Terrains are a lot quieter on the road than what the old style ones are, had both in the past on different Defenders, they are hard wearing so not a problem in that area.

Don't judge all of us who carry out CPC training and training in general by the same book! I carry out forklift and telehandler training for CPC along with pesticide, tractor driving, ploughing and machinery related courses and come from a practical background where I started at the bottom rung of the ladder on the farm and worked my way up to head tractor driver before having a change of direction due to health problems. Anyone who comes on a forklift CPC with the impression they can just sit there will be in for a rude awakening with the instructors in the training groups I work for, the lap top will be closed, paperwork cleared up and the instructor leaving premises as its our name that goes on the certificate and ultimately us who gets hung out to dry if there's an accident caused by the person not paying attention. Thankfully there is only one incident like this that I'm aware of to date and the course got back on track after the drivers employer read the riot act to his staff. Sometimes on these courses its a case of the more you are willing to work with the instructor then the more you will get back, I am aware though that not all of us who teach these courses go out of our way to make it interesting though. I've sat through enough courses over the years so always try to adapt to each individual companies situation and involve the candidates with the training so hopefully everyone goes away having gained something. I too however think that doing the same course year on year is tedious, we as a group offer at least 3 different ones beside the various forklift courses so there is no need for it.

I'll second that, not had any problems with the 160 amp inverter I bought off them 4 or 5 years ago and that's had quite a bit of use on farm machinery as well.

Ex head tractor driver/machinery operator/workshop man now running my own business working as a freelance agricultural training instructor specialising in forklifts, tractors, ploughs and pesticides throughout Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Essex so keeps me out of trouble(ish!!!). When that goes quiet during the busy periods on the farm I still keep my hand in as a tractor driver/machinery operator for one or two local farmers/contractors.