Pete Mctree

50 minutes ago, Rough Hewn said:
I’d rather an 881 than a 661 for big wood.

I can tell you don’t climb! An 088 in a tree is brutal & to be avoided whenever possible.

It will sadly be the norm, especially roadside. I am ready to start my 2nd summer in a row of ash tree removal on footpaths etc The decline within a growing season, especially of the younger trees is very dramatic.

If I can take a top early, I will - especially in conifers.

The damping effect of leaving a few branches on below your topping cut is not to be underestimated. They really help dampen the motion of the tree, which can sometimes be more extreme than we would like. 

A simple demonstration is If you stand with your hands in your pockets and someone pushes you, chances are that you will move and or stumble. However if you have your arms out horizontal and someone pushes you, then the dampening effect of your arms will allow you to retain better posture and position.

Sadly, I know many climbers who I would never trust with plastic cutlery near my ropes, never mind something sharp.
I would never entertain a backup device that would leave me unable to  self rescue and so far I have not seen anything that ticks all the boxes for me.

Doing some scrub clearance off a really steep slope above Runswick bay. Nice views but a crappy job.

Nice. 
 

Did the fires kill a lot of gums where you were last year?

Pay a local forester a few beer tokens and learn. 

I’m removing this because it was too personal and insulting 

If you are cutting Paddy, you will also have a lanyard & this is what will do the damage until it fails, subsequently loading your 2nd anchor, so again lack of experience.

Have you have ever rigged anything near that weight? The forces are unbelievably massive.

Like Matty, I’m out of here as it’s like listening to a Trump speech - the bestest most brilliant one ever too !

5 hours ago, Paddy1000111 said:

Like you said, the lines can take ~ 2.6tonnes. depend how strong the anchor is... If you have them clipped into the same ring/bridge you might be in for a rough ride but I'd rather have a rough ride and cut a limb free than get accelerated towards the ground by 1 tonne of wood and fall 50ft 

A 12 year old will tell you that a tonne in motion will generate significantly more energy than a  24kn climbing line can cope with, that’s without any deductions for a splice or a knot. So, If it’s attached to you your fecked at the best as your harness would probably squeeze you so hard that your innards would prolapse out of the nearest orifice prior to something breaking.
Your limited experience has just got you hurt, so at this point you cease to be worth listening too on this subject and hopefully no one else will either!

Paddy, you might be a safe climber, but are you safe and economical viable? You need to be both...

Your background will be an advantage, however I still think you may struggle hands on. I hope it goes well for you 👍

I think you may struggle to fulfill the role with your limited experience. Having a few years using and abusing kit teaches you more about its functionality than anything else. 

Agreed Mick, however sometimes people only learn when presented with hard and brutal evidence. 
 

Experience taught me & I use a rope that allows me to hit the ground for the same reason Dave

Only done it on older 3 series saws sorry.

As a point of caution, some husky saws come with a heated carb option too. Easy to cook a saw with that so I have always disconnected it (apart from the time I removed the wrong wire & killed the saw on a nice warm summers day, when I had accidentally knocked the switch on !)

Great things, dry wet gloves on your hands, help prevent circulation problems and switch em off if you get too warm. Worth every penny for me.

So you don’t have to use a pushing chain whilst making your felling cuts - which can be an issue on steep ground with big saws as it is often difficult to stand at both sides of the tree.

Nasty - glad your OK Johny!

Flag is Texas

19 hours ago, Matt swift-sewell said:

Hi guys I’m wanting to start up Doing LOLER inspections on the side of being a full time climber. Any advice on where to start would be great as I’ve never set anything up like this before as I’ve just passed my exams. 

Have you just passed your LOLER ticket or your climbing tickets?

If the original id has worn off, then I insist on the kit being remarked, with either the original one if practicable or a new one which can be cross referenced in records. The whole process is about traceability back to the manufacturer

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& a rare pic of all three of them together 🤘

Typical action shot of Cooper 😆

Over the last few years, I have read countless articles about the usage of biomass as a fuel. A few from government and the power providers shouting it's praises and describing it as both carbon neutral and sustainable and some from others pointing out the negatives e.g. Unsustainable harvesting rates of timber and increased CO2 production when burned when compared to coal or gas. I have even heard rumours of ships full of raw timber being imported and chipped at the dockside.

I have always thought of it as a viable option for smaller users e.g. Individual buildings or homes, but I cannot see the long term (or medium) sustainability of the current level of consumption and production of CO2.

I, like many others here send a significant percentage of my arisings into biomass and I see no harm in this, as we are often limited to other avenues to get rid of bulk chip.

This is a link to an article from the Guardian I read today and It seems to agree with what others detractors have written and puts some salient points on the table, albeit with no solutions.

'Carbon-neutrality is a fairy tale': how the race for renewables is burning Europe's forests | World news | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

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Wood pellets are sold as a clean alternative to coal. But is the subsidised bioenergy boom accelerating the climate crisis?