RC0

Dean, I value and respect peoples opinion's, in work and life, but I am rarely influenced and always do my own thing regardless. I think the risk is about as high as someone tripping over and gouging his eye out on one of my LDs, one of the fairleads perhaps. Having said that, I dont want people to feel uncomfortable with the products in any way, or thereafter feel obliged to start making modifications of their own The stakes are made of 16mm round bar with a rounded end, the ones in the vid were actually a small box section made out of some off-cuts that I had lying around. If its no trouble I'll ask the engineer to fold the ends of the bar over so its like an upside-down U.

I can tell you, hows that. Draw the trolley upto the chipper, pull out the stakes on one side and just roll the brush off into a heap. Thanks

Rupe, you're a mate and your post's are always productive and written with good intent....but when you see it in the flesh you'll realise that it's just not threatening at all, there are no spikey bits and the anles all favour the safety of the operator, perhaps the video shows it different. I watch down at guys working in and around suspended limbs with chain-saws while others are pulling and yanking on them at the same time, all within feet of each other, saws at full pelt, my beautiful ropes caught up in the mess somewhere....Sometimes I just have to look away....but when the dust settles everyone and thing has survived the situation and ready for the next one. Just a snapshot of an average working day. There will always what if's. What if someone tripped fell on on someonelse's running chainsaw.....doesn't bare thinking about, personally I'll take the spike over the saw. Should we train people how to walk without falling over? Rupe, come to the show, see for yourself. Thanks

Thanks again all Rupe the one in the video is the one I made at home, a prototype yes. They'll be two proper samples at the apf next week. Consider the nature, activities and machinery involved with day to day treework then I think the risk of someone hurting themselves with a trolly is comparatively low. Even a total imbecile would do well to come unstuck in that respect....if you're going to be at the show please come and try it out. Thanks

Nice avatar Making the video actually came about over a normal week, while making the Lowering device videos took considerably longer as I had to wait for the particular jobs that would give me the footage I was looking for. The difference being that we are dragging and carrying every day at some point, but not every tree needs to be lowered down. Consider also that I work with plently throw-back-Neanderthal types who like nothing better to show you how strong they are….but when one commented “this job just doesn’t need all of us here now”, that was good enough for for me! Thanks again

Hey, thanks:thumbup1: Stevie, with a sling you dont need a longer handle....that was the theory from the start and it works well. I really dont know about the price, the logistics of it is little challenging. Hopefully we'll know something by the ApF next week where they'll be a couple for you to look over. Thanks

This product really works well. I’ve used it with several tree-companies now and they all say the same thing “why didn’t you make this years ago?....to which I have no answer. Similar designs have been brought to my attention in the last week or so, which have kind-of stole my thunder a little, but that can’t be helped....I am still pleased with what it can do. Thanks [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4Tt34MRSGI]YouTube - Stein arbor-trolley[/ame]

I actually made one about a year ago back Dave, but getting a steel core to coil up small is not that easy so by the time I'd finished the whole thing was way to big to be worth anything.

Ted, as I recall I had a sling/pulley set up at the top of each log to hang from while I set up the rigging each time. Although the pulley would have been positioned at the back of the lean to stop me swinging out too far. Thanks Stevie. Catweazle I didn't notice anything at the time so no I dont believe so. Thanks

It runs well, but doesn't oil fast enough and is a poor cutter:thumbdown: Dan its just a basic WalkieTalkie kit. It gets the job done but I have to stop what I'm doing and hold it to my mouth whenever I need to speak. It does have a head-set but I haven't tried it yet and it looks like it'd quite easily fall off my ear. I wouldn't like to pay the extra for a good one unless it was waterproof. Thanks

Never attended, or even watched a climbing competition on the net so have very little appreciation or understanding of whats involved. Having said that, Ms Hedger must be quite something! Congratulations Jo, No1 in the world, unreal:thumbup1:

I realised a couple of missing words upon returning to the thread but it appeared I had run out of time to edit. So Ive highlighted the missing words where they should have been, so there's hopefully no misunderstanding.

Sorry I missed that, about 21 years. Thanks

Ukminch. Cranes can lift a little with but that’s not to say they’re imminently going to tip. It sure is a warning when it happens though but there was no need to panic fella. Step-cuts have their place, when working well with the WLL of the crane, or perhaps if you’re not familiar with the operator, or where there’s a real threat of something hitting you stay with the cut. Ideally you want to chase the holding wood to the outside of the log so peels open gradually rather than go suddenly as is with the majority of step cuts. Usually when you get to ¾ of the way through the cut something should be happening so you have to decide at that point whether the crane needs to make any adjustment while the log is still attached. Logs and limbs can still twist though at that point caused by the crane deflecting as the load increases, the limb orientating itself relative to the sling and/or hook positioning, and then there’s the wind....which can be a real PITA. With all these things considered, sometimes you are left with no choice but to pull the saw out and come in from the other side to avoid getting the saw trapped. Ukminch, I realise its easy for me to say as I did my first of many crane jobs about 18 years ago now, so I probably take a lot for granted in that respect. Lots of crane vids on my youtube account: YouTube - Recoates's Channel If you have time you’ll hopefully get a clearer idea of what I’m getting at. Thanks Brendon a 10 minute vid running at 2.1mbps usually takes me about 1 hour 30. I think the vid was about 160+ MB. I think its the file size and your connection speed which does it. My CS is pretty slow I think. Thanks

This is a willow removal we did earlier in the week, a previously pollarded tree. There was no access except through the house so the crane was the only practical option to get the stuff out. We were down to 500kg max load capacity at times and on uneven ground with the crane, hence Ross the crane op got spooked early and was rocking on two legs a couple of times....nothing too scary but he later told me that his confidence wasn’t what it normally is throughout. He is 27 I believe. Conservative lifts on a messy tree. Thanks Part 1 [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPxt1LLHDtU]YouTube - Willow tree Crane removal part 1[/ame] Part 2 [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ03UMN4qBI]YouTube - Willow Tree Crane removal part 2[/ame]

Thanks The song was by Aussie band Crowded House, Distant Sun. You never know with youtube whether it'll get blocked until you upload it. While quite a few of mine have, others, while still an infringment of copyright allow you to run it but advertise the track on your vid via Itunes. The crane was about 28m away, or there abouts, give or take.

That'd be good Ben:thumbup1:

Some poplar trees we removed just recently. Not all the trees on the site could be craned as we couldn’t quite reach the furthest ones. The techniques are pretty standard stuff. The wind might have been a real problem had we not had so much air-space, and the fact that it was blowing the limbs only to the side and not away from the crane. Yes I know about the left handed stuff in the second vid, but sometimes the safest and most stable work position outweighs the other. Thanks Part 1: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mbvpIfAs_I]YouTube - poplar tree crane removals 1[/ame] Part2: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tBtmQwFLZY]YouTube - Poplar tree crane removals 2[/ame]

Cant really speak for Loler people Rupe but having since looked it over and watched back the footage I'm happy with the rope . And the cedar?

Rupe, any further with the Big cedar we discussed? The LD or other Steel hardware was used to make it easier and quicker to tie off mid-line. As well as, its much friendlier on the rope at that point as the impact loading can be quite severe and unpredictable at times with 300kg logs. With knots you run a higher risk of scorching which wouldn’t be great mid-line of new rope….but if there was no other way then a clove-hitch would be my choice as you don’t get the 90 degree bend where damage is otherwise most likely to occur. The sling/slide-line configuration was set up in a way that the 3:1 pre-tension applied at the base was transferred directly to the slings up top to make it easier for me to fold the logs in the direction that I wanted them to go. So the ‘dip’ you refer to occurred only after the pre-tension/LD combo had served that particular purpose. Cheers.

Tim the logs are obviously drawn to where the device is positioned so I put it where I thought would land the logs at a safe distance from the fence and still afford them to bounce around a little. Had I positioned the device any further around I think the fence would have taken a hit. And like I said earlier, I wasn't so much worried about the device, more the attachment sling. Thanks

Ian I needed to pre-tension the line using a MA-pulley. I dont think I even have a figure8 and wouldn't know how to pre-load it if I did. Ideally I'd have had the LD anchored to an adjacent tree and attached a big D-shackle as a re-direct at the base of the tree being removed. There are lots of combo's that would work just fine Ian, relative to the location and the size of the logs being cut....this was just my take on that particular day. Thanks again.

It sunk on the three times that I used it, so had to be pulled out and re-positioned. I even struggled to open the gap wide enough with the lever because all the bark and cambium area was just breaking up. Ah well!

Stood at about 50ft and totally shot at tension side of the butt, we weren’t so much worried about the ground impact of the falling logs....more them flying into the fencing there after. Plus the tree was a leaner so I didn’t fancy trying to wrestle back the logs up top while further hoping they’d stay put upon landing. . The lowering device was in place to make it easy to tie/tension and untie the rigging line....although I would have much preferred a redirect but there was nothing near to otherwise anchor the lowering device to. The Stein 2000 LD is built tough, but I was still a little concerned about its attachment-sling getting wacked by a log; thankfully we got away with it this time. I used two tennex slings to tie off each log which were linked to the rigging line by a D-shackle. The orange ratchet strap set at the base of the tree was to stop the shackle hitting the Lowering device. The last 15 ft was absolutely riddled with metal, the worst I’ve ever had to deal with. Just a short vid this one. Thanks [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aojgo83VXrA]YouTube - Controlled free-fall (Vertical speed line)[/ame]

You are welcome burrell. I am glad some good comes from them.