rehctub, There is a local manufacturer near here who makes 4 wheel farm tip trailers retail $1,700, I;m sure he could beat your price. He makes ute bodies and specialist trailers. His labour costs $90 p/h.

I'm about to ask you all a rather silly question, so please indulge me for a moment if you will ?

How is it, a country like Germany able to build a huge manufacturing base, involving all manner of engineering. From automobiles, through to white goods, even down to small mfg'd items, like cameras and watches etc ?

Hasn't Germany got a similar demographic to us ? A larger population to be sure (circa 84 million), nevertheless aren't we just as clever as the Germans ? Germany must also negotiate through the 'Union' minefields as do we ? So what's the problem, why can't we build and maintain our own automotive industry ? Something's very wrong somewhere ?

o sung wu, don't forget the Germans own their car companies. All profits generated anywhere in the world have been, & are now still repatriated to Germany. The same thing goes for Japan.

We on the other hand had a foreign owned industry, where profits, when they still existed, were repatriated to the country of the owners.

The Germans build almost as many cars in the US as they do in Germany, but as Johnny come lately, they did not inherit the ridicules labour agreements that almost destroyed the US industry.

Without the union forced labor agreements of the US companies, the Germans, [& the Japs] do very well in the US. In fact BMW have announced they will build their new factory there, attracted by the low energy costs from shale gas development. It appears that the yanks are smarter than us. Their auto unions aren't going crazy & destroying this new chance for jobs with foreign owned car makers.

We on the other hand destroyed our natural advantage of the lowest energy cost in the world, first by state governments robbing us blind with electricity profits they extracted, then with a carbon tax.

Beattie extracted the best part of a billion dollars from the electricity in normal & "special" dividends, using it to pay his blotted public service. Other lefty governments did the same. The only thing left to show for all that money, is empty factories.

All of this adds up to a country that has priced itself out of almost everything, & is trying very hard to price itself out of mining, it's last prospect before collapse.

Hi there HASBEEN...

Thanks for that ol' chap. Of course Holden is GMC and Ford is 'Ford'

Before I go on, I'd already typed my reply to you, and before I had the opportunity to preview it, I somehow lost it in it's entirety ?

I don't know mate, perhaps it's time I left this FORUM for good !

I'm sorry for failing to provide you with a proper response - gee's I get jack of these bloody computers.

You to o sung.

I had a really great post, [my opinion anyway] on another topic, & did not like what spellcheck wanted to do.

Somehow going to another site to check the spelling I lost the thing.

Yep I hate computers too, particularly in my cars, it is bad enough having an exotic typewriter [computer] telling you it won't do what you ask, but I won't accept it from my car.

Don't give up mate, some day some smart bloke will actually tame the damn things, rather than make them more complicated, & harder to use as today.

THE TRICK IS TO USE PREVIEUW
BEFORE EDITING..i NOTICED..the new updates have hyper activated the curser[NOW WE WAve accros..something..it highlights chunks of text..and TYPING ANYTHING DISAPPEARS IT

THE OTHER THING..is some BUTTONS[like top left..somehow disappears the page[butoccasionally taping it again brings it back

thing is..there are a few buttons like this
IT GOT SO BAD AT ONE STAGE..I PUT POWDER..om the keys
that showed up the troubLE BUTTONS AND I REMOVED THEM[THEY JUST pop off]

lets face it us simpletons just need an alphabet..mouse and a shift key[but making simpleton key boards just for us..not anyTIME SOON

WHAT I REALLY HATE IS THE PAGE FREEZE
YOU CANT COPY IT TO SAVE IT..and must eventually just turn it off and start aGAIN

the good news is the security agencies recorded us typing it
they have it on record..so i force my self to rewrite it..so i recall it.

anyhow..for the rest of you the key sHIFTS ARE A BOTher
me too..they stuff up the flow/thinking process.

YEP THEIR A PAIN..BUT ITS a pain we can avoid
by posting..previeuw..a few extra times.

MY TROUBLE IS EVERY RE-eDIT..adds more corrective text
that alloWS MORE RISK..OF PARtial deletion

your right oh song..its just too much
but talking redirects the anger..[on the stick/stones and hurt bones principle]