Yet another Cirencester Arb Show thread ('10)

[xdarkknight]

Heyya,

So, as I'm moving from the US at the beginning of June, I'm planning on going to the Arb show in Cirencester on June 11-12 ('10).

I am hoping to pay the vendor's way and buy a bit of kit while I'm there. As well, I'll be needing my NPTC certs for the UK & will peruse the training vendors.

 

As far as all that goes, I really like the look of the Haix Protector Extremes.

Are there any negatives I should be aware of before I pay out 200 quid for em?

 

How about Chainsaw trousers... I'm thinking I'll just go for a full Type C, just for the heck of it, but what's good for summer whilst retaining it's protective & durability qualities?

 

I'm sold on getting a Stihl 260 (maybe pro) with an 18" bar. but, Where in the UK do people take their saws to get "the treatment"? we call em hot saws. Saws that have been bored out and the 26 cc opens up to about 28-30 cc, as well as all the other crazy serviceing they can provide.

 

Do I really need a chainsaw jacket? I mean, REAlly??? Not a bad Idea, but... really???

 

Where is there a school that does an Arb program that I may be able to take part time? is the Horticultural Correspondence College actually a good school? would I learn what I really need to learn in order to "succeed" in the arb business? Is anyone willing to simply hire me into training? discounted employment rate till trained to proficiency (by about 3-6 months)?

 

Would it be entirely crazy to just go all out and finance a stump grinder, start my own side business grinding stumps for local tree crews?

 

So, that's like my own personal mind puke. I'll get to the mop & bucket once I'm done reeling from a particularly crazy day.

[Frank]

No you don't need a chainsaw jacket mate.

[Ben90]

Isn't there a US equivalent of the CE mark that you'll need on kit to use over there? Also, isn't all kit in this country ridiculously expensive compared to other countries?

[ArbjobsNick]

European Kit is more expensive than American kit because of the more extensive and rigousous testing it gets to meet EU safety standards. As a climber you should be wearing type C most of the time. Make sure the kit you are buying carries a CE mark and an EN number their are non conforming products around that look very simular to a tested item but do not conform to CE safety requirements and have not been tested properly (note to UK industry) if it's cheap their may be a reason for it!

 

We also have LOLEr over here you may not have come accross it yet but to ensure your kit is fully traceable keep all your recipts who ever you work for should aks to see your kit list and add it to their LOLER schedule.

 

Hope you enjoy the show.

Nick

[xdarkknight]

Hey Nick, True to some extent. We DO have UL Cert (Underwriters Laboratories) which does pretty extensive testing Underwriters Laboratories Inc..

Interesting note about EU versus US cert on Chainsaw trousers (or US Chainsaw "chaps"): EU Certification requires that the protective gear only keep the user from being harmed. UL Certification requires that the chainsaw actually stops dead within a certain number of milliseconds.

 

As far as kit price goes, It's about the same across the board. In fact some items are CHEAPER! crazy, eh? Stretch-Air trousers are a little less expensive and (because of the lack of UL certification) most "chainsaw trousers" are almost impossible to find. You can't buy stihl, sip, or husky protective chainsaw trousers here. It's chaps, chaps, or chaps (which are hot as heck, but great security.)

 

I'm really looking forward to the AA show. If anyone wants to meet or network there, please... let me know!