Alex5211

My question: is there any pool pump famous for its low energy consumption? This seems to be the main feature to me. Everything else nowadays seems to me like simple state-of-the-art technology, same same, most probably made in China if you expect a reasonable price. I also would like a very quiet pump. But nobody seems to care about that.

All the people I asked are recommending Emaux Pool Pumps. Ok quality for a good price. I have an old one (Emaux 220V, 16,5m³/hr) that needs to be changed because of enormous energy consumption. This is the chance to try something new. Thank you for your ideas in advance.

Jor Charoen in Hua Hin it is I think. They have only KTM road bikes in the shop but there is one KTM Enduro they can order which is a KTM 690cc for 390 000 Baht. Too big and why pay this price if you can get a good Enduro used for under 100 000,- ?? (if you want to risk "used" off course)

They can order the M Bike and also the Kawasaki KLX 250 but they did not quote me good prices on both of them.

Kawasaki Kui Buri is the best shop I have seen. The Honda shop in Hua Hin can order the CFR (list prices, no good deals) and Yamaha Hua Hin or whatever the name is has a CFR in their shop right now.

200m after Tesco in Pranburi there is a shop with Chinese bikes mostly, big shop, interesting items - I am sure they can order stuff. They have a used M Bike for 40 000 (way to expensive for 26 000 km) and also in Hua Hin there is a shop on Phetkasem Road near the King´s palace that has the M Bike there for 50 000,- Baht new. Pranburi has another shop near Mitsubishi with a Kawasaki KLX 150 new for 75 000 Baht. That shop seems to have a repair guy who knows what he is doing.

the Kawasaki KLX 250 is 138kg (7kg lighter than the Honda CRF 250):

http://www.kawasaki.co.th/th/motorcycle_14_klx250.asp

this seems to be the official Kawasaki Thailand link.

The title says it all:

"Motocross Inspired Dual Purpose"

hi nigel, thanks. I totally agree with you.

this link says the Honda CRF 250 L is 145kg:

http://www.motorcycle.in.th/article.php/The-Honda-CRF250L_Revvy-Dual-Sport-Bike

this links shows Honda Thailand it seems where they have a Honda CRF 250 R (not L) available for 316 000 Baht:

http://www.aphonda.co.th/hondabigwing/home.ashx#product-CRF250R-overview.ashx

I guess the L version (more than twice as expensive) is equiped with better suspension etc.

I know about those "wars" with equipment from other sports I have done and intuitively and through my research over the last 2 months I have evolved to the point now where - yes- I think I will jump right to a 250 motocross version. The 150 might get boring after a while although lighter bikes are easier in traffic and I can find many almost new ones for about 55000,- Baht on the internet.

I did sit (only sit) on the Honda CRF 250 L several times. It does make a very good impression to me. But I cannot test drive it. A friend of mine also tells me about a small issue where the hot air from the air cooler goes right to your upper leg and after a few hours that is a point to consider. It´s 20 000 Baht cheaper new than the Kawasaki.

So the only option for a good or at least usable 250 offroad bike which is street legal in Thailand right now is to get the Kawasaki KLX 250 either new from the shop or wait until I see something on the internet where I might be able to get it for half the price almost. The problem is: there are not so many KLX 250 used advertised on the internet. And travelling and checking them out is also a hazzle. Maybe take risk? Pay and hope the seller ships the bike? I can find the D-tracker 250 Kawasaki more often. It is supposed to be the same bike as the KLX 250 except the wheels (17/17 street wheels versus 18/21 motocross/offroad wheels). So I am considering to change the wheels if I can find a good deal for D-tracker. But that adds to the hazzle and is not cheap either.

Some info/One more word about Chinese bikes: The quality is not that bad when I look at them. 99% of the people use these bikes only on roads anyway. The worst quality is the "M Bike" (it´s also the cheapest at around 45-49000 Baht) BUT it seems to be the best bike for offroad (confirmed by a friend of friend of mine). I did test ride this one several times (only on the road) and it is ok for a start. The suspension and everything else was ok. But with 200cc (which are not top effective I guess) I got bored even while test driving it.

There is a small issue with the clutch which I did not like and my main problem was that the frame (not alluminium) is welded real badly. Even with brand new bikes I saw some red rust coming out from the weld. They weld it but not all the way around. That way air and moisture can go in through the wholes and it rusts from within. You might not even see it. That fact really disqualified it for me at the end. The mentality of the people who produce something like that is a big question mark to me. It would be sooo easy to close the whole with the weld. I want to be open for everything but I have hooked of the Chinese bikes.

thanks nigel. I went to the Yamaha/Honda shop today and sat on the Honda CRF L 2013 and surprise, surprise it was a real good feeling, better than my first impression on the Kawasaki- high up, could barely touch the ground but it felt heavy, the lady in the shop tried to find out how heavy it is and said not more than 160kg. Oh my god. But of course I have not driven it yet. I also heard the weight of the Honda is much more. I still consider the KLX 150 because it´s a lot lighter.

Then I went to meet somebody who is selling his Kawasaki D-tracker 150 (I would just have to change the wheels and it is a KLX) and I test rode it. Surprise, it was stronger and faster than I thought and sitting low was not really a problem. Good bike.

I also went to a motorcycle repair shop in HH near the main railway crossing in the corner. He had a lot of Motocross bikes there to repair (it seemed from a company called Renthal, does anybody know it?) and he told me that he is riding the Kawasaki 250 KLX himself and that also older models are good as well. He did not speak english very well but he said it´s 28000 Baht to buy the set for the performance boost. Not cheap.

The Kawasaki seems the way to go. The question is only 150 or 250. Both come with number plates and are road legal.

thanks for the replies:

Honda XR 250 is supposed to be the best but they are hard to find with a tabien, a number plate which I would like for the first bike..

Honda CRF 250 everybody says no good, bad suspension for offroad but maybe sufficient for me..

Kawasaki KLX has been around for years also and they are more expensive but for a start everybody seems to agree that the are ok-

they also seem to be easy to modify (for more power) but I don´t exactly know how yet..

I have tested the Kawasaki 250 KLX in the Kawasaki Shop in Kui Buri and it was an ok bike, definitely much more power than the chinese M Bike 200cc which I also test rode in Isaarn which is the only acceptable offroad bike among the chinese bikes..

After long research and looking at second hand chinese bikes etc. I kind of stopped taking that into consideration.

So if you want a number plate you have little choice in Thailand it seems. It´s either Kawasaki KLX/D-Tracker (change wheels) 125/150/250 OR Honda CRF 250.

The question now is: should I take a 150 or a 250cc. The latter is heavier and not as mobile..

For Hua Hin I am gonna use it in the street also. For Isaarn I am gonna use it mainly offroad. So I will probably have to get 2 bikes...

any recommandations for cool offroad motorbike trails near Hua Hin??

I have tried the following bikes BTW:

Keeway (china bike) - no good

Lifan (china bike) - no good

M Bike (china bike) - good, but too junky, especially the frame

China bikes have great prices and come with thai number (made/assembled in thailand), that is the only advantage

Honda Sonic strongly modified - good for a Sonic (which is no good unmodified)

Kawasaki KLX 250 (made in Thailand) - excellent

any other recommandations for motorbikes with official thai number other than Kawasaki KLX 250? Suspension of Honda CRF 250 is supposed to be not so good but I am sure for me a Honda CRF for a start would do..

I want a number because I want to use the bike also for riding in town in Hua Hin..

thanks..

I am sure there are a lot of great places to ride..

I will stay within Thailand just in case anything happens..

are you in Hua Hin area?

Hi,

I want to get into off road motorbiking (trail biking) in Hua Hin and later in Isaarn (Bueng Khan) where my wife is coming from.

I do not have my bikes yet.

What is the best way to start in Hua Hin?

I have been to the Kawasaki shop in Kui Buri.

I have checked out everything on internet.

And of course I have checked out the motorbike shops in Hua Hin.

For Hua Hin I need a bike with number. For Isaarn a bike without number will do.

With number: Honda CRF or Kawasaki KLX (125, 150, 250) seem to be the only bikes available if new

no number: I am trying to get a Honda XR 250 or equivilant

Does anyone have a good used bike for sale? Kawasaki D-Tracker 250 would be ok, I can change the tires..

Can anyone recommend a shop or people who do reasonable work/tuning on motorbikes?

Are any of you guys teaming up for cool off road rides in this area?

Hope to hear from you!

Felix

thanks for all the precious pieces of information..

especially jungle biker and issan aussie..

it makes absolut sense to me TO TEST the soil first BEFORE you buy the fertilizer or do anything else..

as we are not living in my wife´s Isaan village but only send money and try to control and advice from "outside" we have huge additional hurdles to get over..

so I will have to advance step by step - I hope we will be able to reduce the amount of artificial fertilizer which will help to save money.

I will try to find a lab that can test the soil as you have one in Khon Khaen. What is the name and the address of that lab?

I am in the farthest north-east of Thailand near Bhung Khan and Seka. City of Nong Khai is about 2 hrs, Udon Thani about 3-4 hrs away. Nakhon Sakhon about a little less than 2hrs. Does anybody know a lab in those cities? Khon Khaen is 4-5hrs away.

the most important factor from what I hear is the pH-factor of the soil which you can check out yourself with a gadget that cost around 1000 Baht..

Anyway it seems clear to me that in addition to NPK artificial fertilizers you need some organic fertilizers as well and there might even be some important elemts like Boron missing in the ground..

But first I will go check the ph-factor.

What can you actually do to balance the ph-factor? Wasn´t the traditional method to mix the soil with calcium carbonate if the soil has too much acid which is normally the problem??

But isn´t this too expensive and way too much work and money?

If the soil is bad anyway - is it not better NOT to put anymore artificial NPK fertilizer and thus save the money for it?

last question (for comparing in the future): how much rice (yes we also have rice fields) and how much rubber do you guys get per tree or per rai a year?

Rice: is it 300, 600, 900 or 1200 kg rice per rai at a time(per 1 time harvesting)??

Store the bags on wooden pallets in a dry covered area and it will last thru the year. You may have a little caking if held longer, but just drop the bag a couple times and it will break up.

thanks for the storage advice..

we bought 100 bags today and we put it onto something like pallets in a dry house..

NPK formula seems to be:

before tapping rubber: 20-10-12 (about up to 4-5 years)

trees being tapped already: 15-7-18 (for Nongkhai/Isaan ground: "sand with sticky")

old trees (20years and older): 20-8-20

it´s amazing that not only most of the Nongkhai farmers but also the farangs here seem not to be sure of the necessary NPK mixtures..

20 8 20 for the older rubber, yellow bag with a crown on it, VIV, some call it superman !

I paid 880 a bag today, but its going up and with the libya crisis all fertiliser will skyrocket, perhaps even to 2008 levels of 1400 a bag, so it might be worth buying the whole years supply now. Thats if you have somewhere cool/ shaded and ventilated and safe to store it.

thanks for this..!

storage:

this is the plan to store the fertilizer if possible and buy outside of the main season - but how sensitive are those NPK bags and how long can you store them..?

we do not have an airconditioned warehouse of course but the storage place will be in the shadow

I have watched an official movie about Rubber Tree Cultivation made and distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture Thailand.

Their recommandation for fertilizer is N-P-K 20-10-12 for up to 6 years.. the movie did not mention the years after. But I guess it is the same.

This seems to be the only mixture you need (as Chang35 was hinting in his supershort message).

No reason for all the rest except that every company wants to sell something special and they are keeping to make up new formulas.

Kasetsart University seems to make excellent independant research. From what I hear they have a very good reputation.

The movie´s info was based on their research on rubber trees as I understand.

So far I found only LungArun Brand that has 20-10-12 but I do not know what quality they have.

Quality is a big factor.

The offer is 850 Baht right now for a 50kg Bag - small or big quantity same same.

Prices for other Brands with different mixtures vary between 850-1000 Baht (Katai, Kasethip, Yara)

Can you mix N - P - K yourself? It should be easily possible. Any useful information?

Where are the thai NPK factories? Are there any or is it all import?

any other recommandations, brands or ways to get those rubber trees to do really well?

I can buy 300 bags NPK fertilizer right now. I need at least 100.

long live Beung Kan! Congratulations for at least give it a try!

I hope they will not only make good roads but also a new BRIDGE between Thailand and Laos..

this would be one basic move towards their goal to become an important place..

the question is only how long it will take until corruption will overshadow their aspirations..

now that they are free they might loose their focus pretty quickly..

have you been to Beung Kan?

Aren´t some of those roads way to huge?? it´s almost a joke- not sure they have a master plan..

yes and my biggest wish is that they will have a Tesco-Lotus there very soon!

Tesco and mobile phones is what really changes life in Thailand!

I am all for it. Let Beung Kan become an alternative to Bangkok!

NPK 20-10-12 for rubber trees.

C35B

20-10-12 is only for young rubber trees it seems

any other useful (please) input here?

Jim, thanks for the answer.

I am trying to convince my wife to convince her sister to go to the local Amphoe Office..

that is kind of an ongoing effort right now;)

Is there only one Amphoe office? Is it the same one that handles birth certificates???

I will try to get this brochure. We are not in Isarn but maybe I can get it in Hua Hin also?

I am sure the vast majority of thai rubber farmers have never studied that book.

do you mind to give a quick outline for young trees, middle age and old trees - which fertilizer to give?

here with attachment:

NPK 20-10-12 for rubber trees.

C35B

thanks for your answer!

rubber trees any age -same fertilizer??

is this the company (see attachement)? this place seems to be in Nakhon Patom, near Bangkok? this one has 20-10-12...

any alternatives? where do you buy?

NPK 20-10-12 for rubber trees.

C35B

thanks for your answer!

rubber trees any age -same fertilizer??

is this the company (see attachement)? this place seems to be in Nakhon Patom, near Bangkok? this one has 20-10-12...

any alternatives? where do you buy?

I have read through the rubber topics here but I have not found a discussion about the different brands, ingredients and prices for rubber tree fertilizers.

Except that a rough estimate for a 50kg bag is about 1000 Baht.

I heard some poor thai farmers in my wife´s village are buying the fertilizers and sometimes they do not even work. The seller says: I cannot do anything about that etc. and they just accept it.

Following Brands seem to work or to be ok although they differ greatly of what ingredients they contain:

Yara

Katai (Rabbit brand) with following ingredients: 15% N - 15% P²O² - 15%K²O - 3,5% CaO

And there is supposed to be organic fertilizers from Malaysia that are less than half the price and they are supposed to work as good. I am suspicious of that.

What ingredients for young and old rubber trees do you suggest?

How much right now is a 50kg bag of for example Yara or Katai or a similar brand?

Do you have any suggestion for any brand and how to buy it? through which channels? What has worked for you?

Right now I have offers for 50kg bags of different brands starting from 830 to 950 Baht including transport or 810 Baht without transport in Northern Isaarn.

I want to buy 50 or up to 500 bags of 50kg each and I need a good source and a good product.

How long can you store these fertilizers? Years

And last but not least: what is your experience with fertilizing 2,3 or 4 times a year. Is 2 times optimal for expenses/return?