New Grump of the Day

[livias]

Bad timing I suspect. I phoned my scaffolder to come and take some of it away and he bit my hand off was round like a shot to remove it saying that I had saved him having to lay out 1000s on new scaffold poles

 

[Penners]

The worst offenders, in my experience, are skip companies. You order a skip and it arrives within a day or two. But try getting them to come and remove it.... :evil:

 

[MatthewC]

Have you been away, Penners? It's been quiet here...

As for scaffolders: when I was rebuilding my Victorian extension, the scaffolders failed to turn up when booked - there was a light rain shower. When I rang, I was told that as it was raining they couldn't do it! What they really meant was that their lousy staff had been out on the p**s the previous night and hadn't bothered to come to work the next morning, but they couldn't be honest about it. Then the next morning, when promised for "first thing, soon after 8", they arrived just after 9, unloaded a few poles and then went for breakfast at the local Subway, so they didn't even start erection of the structure until well after 10am. To add salt in the wound, they broke some of the drainage and left the scaffolding unsafe with a gap you could walk off, 12 feet above the ground. If anyone wanting scaffolding is within 30 miles of Oxford, ask me and I will pass on their name so you don't use them!

As for skips: if you possibly can, use a grab lorry instead - it's much cheaper per ton!

M

 

[Penners]

Have you been away, Penners? It's been quiet here...

I had a bulk shipment of Kit-Kats to get through, Matthew.

 

[Flyfisher]

Delivered by a grab-lorry perhaps?

 

[Penners]

Certainly not! Lovingly carried in by flunkies wearing white gloves.

 

[MatthewC]

Delivered by a grab-lorry perhaps?

Where's that "Like" button?

 

[Flyfisher]

Certainly not! Lovingly carried in by flunkies wearing white gloves.

Quite right, of course. In all the excitement of discussing grab lorries I'd forgotten about your impeccable standards.
What was I thinking about? Unforgivable really. :wink:

 

[Penners]

I'm intrigued by the word "flunky". How does one flunk? Have I ever flunked? Can one be trained to flunk?

They're all questions that require a considerable amount of cogitation (while eating a Kit-Kat of course).

 

[Flyfisher]

A worthy cogitation (especially if it requires Kit-Kats), though I think the answer is that having a flunky means you don't have to worry about flunking because they will handle all the necessary flunking for you. Indeed, the very best flunkies should flunk away so discreetly that you'd be barely aware of all the flunking actually going on.

 

[Penners]

The advice is much appreciated, FF, but I'm still worried. What if I'm unhappy with the flunking, dismiss the flunky and then wish to deflunk the misflunked item myself? How will I go about it?

 

[DJH]

With great flunkishness?

 

[Flyfisher]

A reasonable worry Penners. I guess they don't make flunkies like they used to.

 

[88v8]

Over two months ago, decided I wanted our meter & fuse board and associated electrics moved upwards a few feet.
First, the meter needs to be moved, and yesterday, for the third time, Scottish Power were supposed to come and do their stuff.

First appointment early August, no show - no one available - no one had bothered to tell us.
Second go late August - engineer came, but said he'd been given wrong paperwork, couldn't or wouldn't do the job.
Third time yesterday - no show - couldn't find us.

The work is or is supposed to be, done by G4S. I suspect they have insufficient resource on the contract.
Scottish Power's so-called Customer Service dept seem to have little idea how to raise appropriate works orders, and insist on doing everything over the phone so I have no way to send them specific instructions.

I sent an email to the Board member in charge of customer relations, saying that I want an engineer here today. Much good may it do.

Ivor

 

[Penners]

G4S have taken on a job without the resources to do it? Really??!

I've never heard of that happening before.


PS: The above goes way beyond irony. It's.... titaniumy.

 

[a twig]

Not particularly period but...

My Series III Land Rover got stuck today - in little more than a puddle, on a very tight by-way which I occasionally trundle through as a pleasant shortcut and could quite conceivably be driven in a normal car...

1h45 minute later off thrashing around in nettles and brambles in shorts and t-shirt - airing down tyres, wedging bits of wood etc underneath, switching between 2WD and 4WD etc, finally got out.

Three points to the grump:

1) Land Rover's "recommended and standard" A/T tyres - General Grabber GT (which used to be supplied on new Defenders) - are absolutely terrible, clogging at the slightest hint of damp soil.

2) I had just cleared out the back of the LR, and it was the lack of weight over the rear axle which was the main contributing cause to lack of traction. :evil: :evil:

3) If I had been in my old Defender, a simple engaging of the difflock and I would have been out and on my way, despite the lack of weight. Sometimes modern technology really is the answer. :evil:

I think my days of Series Land Rover ownership may be coming to a premature end...

 

[Flyfisher]

I wouldn't say a diff lock is particularly modern technology, but I do take your point as it got my series one Disco out of the mud a few times times many years ago. Most tyres are a huge compromise though and what is good for 95% of ground conditions is little comfort when you hit the other 5%. I used to use grass tyres on my tractor for mowing (those diamond pattern ones) until I discovered that they offered almost zero grip on damp grass, especially when towing a trailer! That and a seized pedal making the diff lock inoperative caused me to get stuck a couple of times before I changed back permanently to standard agricultural type tyres. My method for getting out of such predicaments has involved assorted ropes, strops and shackles plus one of those lever operated 'puller' gizmos, making it very easy to pull the vehicle the necessary few yards back onto more solid ground. I now have a Defender and seriously considered fitting a winch, but decided that the price was too high for my rare stuck-in-the-mud episodes so I simply carry a box of ropes, strops and the lever-puller. Fortunately, I've not yet needed them with the Defender

Edit: this sort of thing - https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/chp1250-heavy-duty-power-puller/

 

[Penners]

I think my days of Series Land Rover ownership may be coming to a premature end...

I'm afraid that's true of the world at large.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/end-of-the-road-for-the-land-rover-defender/

 

[a twig]

When my next tyre change comes up I shall be investing in something a bit better for sure - I had some GTRadial A/T on my old Defender which were pretty good, might jump that way again. Or maybe some Cooper A/Ts - decisions...

I'd always looked at Tirfors hand winches but thought they were a bit pricey, never thought of just using a cheap "puller" - might have to invest, along with some mud/sand ladders. Thanks for the heads up!

I think my days of Series Land Rover ownership may be coming to a premature end...

I'm afraid that's true of the world at large.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/news/end-of-the-road-for-the-land-rover-defender/

To be honest I think the end of the Defender is a good thing.

Yes it's iconic, blah blah, but actually as a working vehicle it's a bit rubbish, unreliable and overpriced compared to whats out there now. Last time I looked a Jeep Wrangler came in £6k or £7k cheaper than the base Defender for a much better specc'd vehicle (the Jeep had central lockers as well, aircon, actual room for your eblows, more horsepower, doors that dont leak in a rainstorm etc).

The Series/Defender weird back door and load bed design makes it very difficult to fully take advantage of the loadspace in a hard top as you can't fit much through the door. If you go for a pick up, you can't fit a standard pallet between the wheel arches/boxes in the back, and you have to either fabricate a custom drop side or crane it in over the side due to the lack of tailgate width.

The cab is uncomfy and cramped, especially as they try to cram in more "premium" features (air con etc), the last 2.2 engine a bit underpowered and over complicated.

Land Rover don't want to be in the working vehicle market anymore - its clear from the ever climbing spec lists and prices of the Range Rover and the Discovery. If I had £120k Range Rover, there's no way I'd drive it down a green lane, scratching the paintwork etc. Besides, you can get an Aston Martin and change for that sort of price and I know which I'd rather have.

I don't think they ever will bring out a Defender replacement - and frankly I don't think that would be a great shame. In the mean time, the nostalgia fest will continue, second hand Series and Defender prices will continue to rise and more and more will get stolen as a result. Ho hum...

 

[88v8]

I run Michelin Latitude Cross on my Series III Lightweight. But they're road-biased so perhaps not ideal for mud.
Never yet been unable to get going with 4WD, provided of course I remember to lock the freewheeling hubs.

Seventeen years since I first bought a Series Landy. Mine is currently in Cheltenham being expensively fettled, having been rescued from a chap who was supposed to be fettling it but didn't. That was 6 months of potential use lost :evil: Amazing how it cramps one's building activities, not being able to shove stuff on the roof of the car.

Ivor