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DFB5.0
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- #154
A little delivery arrived today, all the way from Podunk USA............................
Taryl Fixes All - YouTube
I love how Taryl levels the playing field when it comes to brands. There is no fan boy syndrome here, even fabled brands like Kawasaki, Honda, Snap-On or Stihl have their problems as well. So rather than worship these brands like a cult, he puts a little bit of humour behind them and reminds the viewer to lighten up, or in his words, "it's a lawn mower, not the space shuttle". My favourite of these is Kindasucki.................."it's not that they suck, they just kinda suck......"
The main reason for this order was the universal cable repair kits, which I couldn't find a suitable equivalent locally (story of my life). With Rover not selling replacement clutch cables anymore, and with no aftermarket alternative, this will allow me to repair a cable if needed in the future. While I was at it, I also grabbed a bottle of Gel-Lube, again the Valco Cincinnati brand is not sold here, and I couldn't find an exact alternative.
https://tarylfixesall.bigcartel.com/product/universal-cable-repair-kit
https://tarylfixesall.bigcartel.com...gine-assembly-general-purpose-spray-lubricant
I know some are put off by the silly teeth and hillbilly antics, but again, it's all about have a little fun rather than taking things too seriously. I've learnt so much watching these videos, and laughed a lot as well. And "there's your dinner!"
If you want to find out more about the legend that is Taryl, this article from 2019 gives the backstory. His real name is Tim Gross and the videos are made with his two sons who either work for him or his brother "Feral" (Bill).
Taryl Fixes All - YouTube
I love how Taryl levels the playing field when it comes to brands. There is no fan boy syndrome here, even fabled brands like Kawasaki, Honda, Snap-On or Stihl have their problems as well. So rather than worship these brands like a cult, he puts a little bit of humour behind them and reminds the viewer to lighten up, or in his words, "it's a lawn mower, not the space shuttle". My favourite of these is Kindasucki.................."it's not that they suck, they just kinda suck......"
The main reason for this order was the universal cable repair kits, which I couldn't find a suitable equivalent locally (story of my life). With Rover not selling replacement clutch cables anymore, and with no aftermarket alternative, this will allow me to repair a cable if needed in the future. While I was at it, I also grabbed a bottle of Gel-Lube, again the Valco Cincinnati brand is not sold here, and I couldn't find an exact alternative.
https://tarylfixesall.bigcartel.com/product/universal-cable-repair-kit
https://tarylfixesall.bigcartel.com...gine-assembly-general-purpose-spray-lubricant
I know some are put off by the silly teeth and hillbilly antics, but again, it's all about have a little fun rather than taking things too seriously. I've learnt so much watching these videos, and laughed a lot as well. And "there's your dinner!"
If you want to find out more about the legend that is Taryl, this article from 2019 gives the backstory. His real name is Tim Gross and the videos are made with his two sons who either work for him or his brother "Feral" (Bill).
https://www.greenindustrypros.com/mo...tube-sensation
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DFB5.0
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- #156
I've never been a fan of Australian native plants, they lack structure and softness for my liking. But then something like this catches my eye and makes me wonder.
Hakea 'Burrendong Beauty'..........
This variety is a cross between Hakea myrtoides and Hakea petiolaris.
Hakea -
Named after German horticulturalist Baron Christian Ludwig von Hake (1745–1818)
Myrtoides -
Myrt- (Latin myrtus or Greek myrtos) Referring to the myrtle plant.
oides - (Greek suffix -oeides) Meaning "resembling" or "like".
Petiolaris -
Latin meaning of having a petiole or petiole-bearing. The petiole is the stalk of the flower, in this case containing many of them.
For most of the year, this is a scraggy, low spreading shrub with sparse branch structure and small pointy leaves. In other words, it's an ugly mess. But then in late Autumn these delicate, intricately detailed flowers appear and change the whole narrative. And that describes a lot of native plants for me. Ugly until they are not, then back to ugly.
Native to Western Australia and discovered by Burrendong Arboretum, this Hakea became quite popular several years ago. We would stock it all year round, but it only really sold when in flower, when people were seeing vast groves of it planted at the local botanic gardens.
Hakea 'Burrendong Beauty'..........
This variety is a cross between Hakea myrtoides and Hakea petiolaris.
Hakea -
Named after German horticulturalist Baron Christian Ludwig von Hake (1745–1818)
Myrtoides -
Myrt- (Latin myrtus or Greek myrtos) Referring to the myrtle plant.
oides - (Greek suffix -oeides) Meaning "resembling" or "like".
Petiolaris -
Latin meaning of having a petiole or petiole-bearing. The petiole is the stalk of the flower, in this case containing many of them.
For most of the year, this is a scraggy, low spreading shrub with sparse branch structure and small pointy leaves. In other words, it's an ugly mess. But then in late Autumn these delicate, intricately detailed flowers appear and change the whole narrative. And that describes a lot of native plants for me. Ugly until they are not, then back to ugly.
Native to Western Australia and discovered by Burrendong Arboretum, this Hakea became quite popular several years ago. We would stock it all year round, but it only really sold when in flower, when people were seeing vast groves of it planted at the local botanic gardens.
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DFB5.0
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- #157
I planted two Crepe Myrtle "Zuni" in the front garden about 17-years ago. Planted diagonally from each other, they were intended to create a bit of height without growing into a mammoth down the track. The main drawcards being the mauve summer flowers and orange-red autumn foliage. I also love the smooth patterned trunk and branches. You'll have seen these trees in the background of my detailing photos.
Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei "Zuni" is a smaller growing Crepe Myrtle variety, reaching about 3- to 4-metres in height and 3-metres in width. I'd say mine were bang on those figures. "Were" being the key word....................
Apart from some early formative pruning, this variety's naturally slow growth rate and compact size meant I'd never needed to do much pruning of these two Crepe Myrtles. Until today.
There are three reasons I decided to go to town on these trees:
1. Over this past summer, I noticed they didn't flower very well. Pruning stimulates new growth, and new growth produces more flowers.
2. After shedding their foliage in autumn, Crepe Myrtles drop thousands of little black seeds everywhere, which then blow into the garage and make a mess of the driveway. Pruning now solves that problem, at least for this year.
3. A heavy prune like this also reshapes the tree. Since these trees aren't grown for shade, the goal is to push fresh growth and flowers lower down.
I also took the opportunity to remove any dead or crossing branches. This will improve airflow through the canopy and help reduce the likelihood of grey mildew developing during summer, something Crepe Myrtles are prone to.
Because of how hard and brittle Crepe Myrtle timber is, I needed some mechanical assistance today. Tools of choice being my Stihl ASA 20 battery-powered pruning shears and MSA 140C chainsaw.
All that's left now is to wait and see what spring and summer bring.
Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei "Zuni" is a smaller growing Crepe Myrtle variety, reaching about 3- to 4-metres in height and 3-metres in width. I'd say mine were bang on those figures. "Were" being the key word....................
Apart from some early formative pruning, this variety's naturally slow growth rate and compact size meant I'd never needed to do much pruning of these two Crepe Myrtles. Until today.
There are three reasons I decided to go to town on these trees:
1. Over this past summer, I noticed they didn't flower very well. Pruning stimulates new growth, and new growth produces more flowers.
2. After shedding their foliage in autumn, Crepe Myrtles drop thousands of little black seeds everywhere, which then blow into the garage and make a mess of the driveway. Pruning now solves that problem, at least for this year.
3. A heavy prune like this also reshapes the tree. Since these trees aren't grown for shade, the goal is to push fresh growth and flowers lower down.
I also took the opportunity to remove any dead or crossing branches. This will improve airflow through the canopy and help reduce the likelihood of grey mildew developing during summer, something Crepe Myrtles are prone to.
Because of how hard and brittle Crepe Myrtle timber is, I needed some mechanical assistance today. Tools of choice being my Stihl ASA 20 battery-powered pruning shears and MSA 140C chainsaw.
All that's left now is to wait and see what spring and summer bring.
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DFB5.0
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #158
I bought this chipper shredder from one of my gardening clients today. I don't always have a need for one, but the price was too good to pass on. I've used this machine many times over the years, so I know the service and usage history. I actually changed the oil, spark plug and cleaned the air filter this time last year, so no need for a reset service that I normally do with secondhand small engines.
I'm not a massive Honda fanboy, primarily because you pay a price premium for engines that are often made in China or Thailand, even the commercial grade ones like this GX160. I also don't buy into them being head and shoulders above a Briggs or Kindasucki in terms of reliability.
This particular GX160 has the oil bath air filter. I know these technically filter better, but I hate the messiness of them. A shredder doesn't really kick up much dust, so I don't think you need a oil bath filter in this application. The other thing I hate about horizontal shaft Honda's, the quarter-turn fuel caps are a pain in the neck as the cap needs to clock exactly right to go back on. I also find Honda mufflers are too small, while they idle nicely, they make far too much high frequency noise at full speed.
But, I will acknowledge Honda's run smooth and are easy to work on because everything fits precisely. On a commercial GX or GXV, most of that added smoothness comes from replaceable ball bearings supporting the crankshaft rather than plain bushings on the non-commercial competitors.
I'm not a massive Honda fanboy, primarily because you pay a price premium for engines that are often made in China or Thailand, even the commercial grade ones like this GX160. I also don't buy into them being head and shoulders above a Briggs or Kindasucki in terms of reliability.
This particular GX160 has the oil bath air filter. I know these technically filter better, but I hate the messiness of them. A shredder doesn't really kick up much dust, so I don't think you need a oil bath filter in this application. The other thing I hate about horizontal shaft Honda's, the quarter-turn fuel caps are a pain in the neck as the cap needs to clock exactly right to go back on. I also find Honda mufflers are too small, while they idle nicely, they make far too much high frequency noise at full speed.
But, I will acknowledge Honda's run smooth and are easy to work on because everything fits precisely. On a commercial GX or GXV, most of that added smoothness comes from replaceable ball bearings supporting the crankshaft rather than plain bushings on the non-commercial competitors.
