Marc

Yes you can its called riging and lowering much easier and quicker, i flipping hate cut n chuck. Looked a nice job though.

zing it with 8oz and 10oz is what i use and a cube for storage.

I really like it, its light, low stretch, packs up small due to its flexibility, has been wearing well for me and the orange is is easy to see in the tree. In its size range only the Poison Ivy is its rival thats a very good rope too.

The quickest way is srt, with srt you don't have to isolate a single branch you can have it going over a couple. If you don't have an srt system then just a thought with the throwline if you can set it over a couple of branches and its secure, use spare climbing line pull it up and over then using an alpine butterfly clip in a pulley put your climbing system on that using the spare climbing line pull it up into the tree and tie the spare line off at the base of the tree. Just and idea hope it makes sense.

thats a really cool idea never thought of that, i've tried spiking a wellie and just found my flip line gets stuck on the plates of bark, its almost impossible to flip in one go over 5m of line, you kinda got to whip with the right then the left using a kind of sawing motion to advance it hard hard work. I remember reading about Gerry Beranek rec climbing big Seqoias in California, some of those trees it would be almost 100ft to the first branch, it would take him a day just to get there by spiking, then set a line and come back tomorrow to climb the rest.

http://www.treemagineers.com/downloads/hitch_climbers_guide.pdf This pdf from the treemagineers website covers pretty much everything you can do with a hitchclimber including the v rig.

Doing those wellies out of a mewp would of been slower than climbing and dare i say it impossible to do properly, for instance its not always possible to get the basket close enough to the stem through the branches to do a proper cut. Also you'd more than likely need to fold the whole platform up and move it to do the entire crown. Yes platforrms are easy all you do is stand in them, i do use them they have there place. If you read the start of this thread you'll see that the platform was used for access and the wellies were climbed. I could probably deadwood those trees quicker, to a higher standard and with higher profit by climbing there is also a lot to be said for climbing, your closer to the tree and see things within the crown closer.

Platforms are the devils work there just not natural, i'de rather be in the tree anyday.

I can see your point, this is probably the case for a lot of climbers. The best teams though and this job is one of teamwork not a solo one where the climber is king! should be able to work effciently almost telapathicly together, the climber should have confidence that the groundcrew can read whats happening aloft and react to the situation appropiatly.

Now where is the fun in that? 5 minutes of glory then half a day of clearing up. Sometimes i think climbing is the best option even if you can fell it, i would of cleaned them pegs off and cut everything in managble chip'able bits. Other than no spikes and the pegs looked a good job and the climber looked relaxed and enjoying himself:001_smile:

You should of posted pics, so others (who obviously never pruned balck pops) could criticise your effforts and say you should of got out further to better get those targets. I had to prune one not long ago, the spec was to reduce the lateral by 6-8ft or so sounded easy,,,,, it wasn't.

I can't believe this thread has made 3 pages, jeez! Personally i never fill my oil to the brim, if i get close i burp it then put the cap, i hate groundies that overfill the oil on my saw and turn it into an oily mess! If i ran my own buisness it would be part of the days trail, if you brimed it you would not be asked back, you got to leave at least an inch below the top to pass! If this thread reaches 4 pages....... Your all as sad as me!

Rads is just basically another srt system, it uses an Elderid Eddy or Petzl ID, 1 handled ascender with footloop and a micro pulley, its probably the least effcient/slowest srt system, yet it has its advantages like being able to ascend and descend making it a safe system to work off, its particularly good for Pines, Limes and major dead wooding, just work your way up then come down no need to change over to a conventional system. As for using 2 ropes, i don't see the advantage on a daily basis more of a hinderance really. Only usefull to me on rare occasions.

No idea what DRT is i'm guessing D'dRT that we use day in day out?? RADS is where it at! Rapid Ascending and Descending System i think is what it stands for, i'll try and post some pics its an single rope system. Thats what a I use daily for access its a good system you can work off it on your way up to the tie in point, or even do the whole tree off it, thined dead wooded and lifted a single stemmed Scots pine with it today so quick and easy. Only problem with RADS system is its not the quickest or easiest for ascent, i prefer to be close to the trunk unlike other Single Rope systems

I tend to carry a lot of kit with me, i can never be bothered to take on and off what i need so i carry it round all the time and barely notice it, nice thing about the treemotion is you can place all your gear where you want. I carry: 4 Revolvers, 2 i use for non ppe stuff, revolvers i use as a redirect as well as many other uses. 2 different length dyneema slings. 1 snap gate krab 1 HMS krab, for using a munters with (far more usefull than a fig 8) 1 nylon tape sling non ppe. 1 mini prussik Ropeguide. 9m long lanyard stuffed in a hip bag No silky can't stand carrying a silky on my harness flops about and get caught up.

Its all the little details that count, they all add up to make our climbing life easier, more productive and our careers as climbers longer. Some ideas may rarely get used in day to day climbing yet to know them and use them when appropiate is what can give you an edge. Visit treemagineers and view the hitch climbers guide for some more usefull tricks and tips.

Heavy ol reduction that, should stabalise it enough. Not sure on the life expectancy of a Robinia, though i have seen many around the 100yr old mark with similar splits sometimes multiple, it amazes me how they stay standing, then you look closer and realise its been like that for years even decades. Trees are amazing things, i think we can all be guilty of looking at them like man made structures so that when we see defects we assume fell is the only option, only they are not man made, and can grow and adapt to weakness even when left alone, in the urban enviroment though sometimes a human hand is needed, if only to prove a duty of care,

There are unscrupulous rogues in all trades!! The rogue element is not a big problem. Although i love my job and still very keen, I believe i should be rewarded for the skill and professionlism with which i carry out my job, unfortunatly the playing field is not level nor is the view the public have of us, we are not looked upon as skilled craftsmen worthy of a high price.

I think your missing the point a little, easy to do, i think the ropeguide is possibly one of the best things to come out of the ART stable. Its more than just a pulley, its an adjustable pulley allowing more possibilities like griping a stem, on top of the advantages of having a pulley. Its a qauility produced bit of kit thats been tested to meet all required standards. The problem with just adding a pulley to your cambium saver is the chance of misconfiguring it, ok it will work buts its just not ideal. A purpose made ropeguide is fit for purpose.

Tree planting and delivery, a nice old Beech riddled with Gano and Ustilina, left to do its thing.

just some random pics, one seriously big London plane, site clearance Heritage style, and heritage tree management, a mature beech me and qtip sail reduced by upto 30% over a year ago due to Ustilina, it was also mulched and a beech that will be its eventual succesor planted.

Shame the tree had to come down looked a beut, but hey ho i would of done it, can't take nothing away from you and that fantastic rig you have:001_tt1: top job!

I don't see how heated handles will help rsi in your arm? I always assumed it was to help prevent vibration white finger by helping to stimulate the bloodflow in cold weather. I'd go for a 361 over a 341 if you decide to go that route same weight better power to weight ratio equal to a 441. I find the 361 is slighty better than a 260 vibration wise, generally though bigger cc saws give out more vib so maybe thats why a 260 feels like it gives out less? As the 361 has superior AV.

Sycamore can be a real pain to reduce effectivly, crappy growth points in inner crown, the wounds you end up leaving are often larger than the sub branch you went back to, reducing the secondary growth points you've pruned too is a pain etc etc. Pictures are so misleading, but i'll just throw this out there (i'm no expert can only go on my experience with tree like that Syc) you could reduce that big heavy limb over the wire maybe not as hard as the one over the road unless there are splits in the stem amongst other major defects say 30%, I always think of it like the tree has coped so far with that weight and sail through all kinds of weather for its safe to say a fair number of years, sometimes less is more! and is just as effective in reducing the risk. You could then thin/reduce the top by drop crotching by 20-25%, its easier to do on an Acer, i prefer though to then reduce the secondary limb you reduce but thats the trick bit to do nicely.