RC0

Hey what’s with the UPPER-CASE and red pen….is that supposed to have some kinda extra impact? I’ve come across many Arborists who have more ticks in the accredit/certification boxes than do I, but the majority of them were pretenders or fairies who couldn’t make the grade under pressure….and that’s the Gods honest truth! I had my accreditation boxes re-ticked about four and a half years ago now….managed to drag myself back down to the level of semi-conscious skill needed to meet the requirements, handed over my hard earned cash for the privilege, and don’t you know it’s nearly time that I’m supposed to repeat the process! I’ve never once had to prove any such certs or credits to be taken seriously in a work environment….I’m pretty sure I’m not alone either, so you ought not to assume you’re speaking for everyone in such context. I can well appreciate that people have to make a living, but I’d personally stop short of taking money from my fellow workers in such a way as these refresher-course-exercises:thumbdown:

Trainers, assessors, either or both is what I meant. Someone is advising the HSE, who is it?

With answers like that (Bold) and the rest, I would question the judgement of those who endorsed your apparent natural aptitude to communicate! Or perhaps like us, you also need a refresher, if only to keep you in touch with the folks you are trying to influence….how about this week? we have some big stuff lined up for any such assessor who is willing meet the challenge. Let us see how adaptable your teachings are in a Commercial Tree-work Environment. You simply take over my role while I observe and tell you how you did thereafter….and the beauty is, I won’t even charge you for it! Also So you and the 300 other assessors had no say nor influence in this desire whatsoever? Thanks

Ive worked for 60+ companies over the years so have also mentored many climbers and groundworkers along the way, but primarily it is for money and not simply for the love of helping people. I'd like my questions answering if its not too much trouble....here they are again. Thanks:

If these refresher courses were free, then I don’t think there would be so much resentment from the people who have already paid for training and certification in the past….but the fact is that it sticks in one gut that some people are going to make money out of the workers as a result. Speaking of which, were any such non-related workers ever consulted about the changes? Where do we recuperate this time and cost in an industry that is already starved of profit and choked with red-tape….pass it onto the customer, in a looming depression? Do any such considerations even enter the running? Are there any assessors/trainers/consultants who are voluntarily involved as such? If that were the case all round, I wonder then if assessors and trainers alike would still be so insistent on pushing for the 5 yearly refresher courses! In becoming an assessor/trainer, would either one or all of you like to declare where lays your primary incentive for this direction in your respective career? Thanks

So long as the line enters from directly above, it pops out easy enough. Thanks

More photos and info here: http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=161156&page=0&fpart=2&vc=1

The job is only as hard as you make it. Some of the best production climbers in the world are 50+ Having the mental toughness is where many fall short....the words 'I Cant' are all too instinctive for some people, regardless of age. I say yes, its a great opportunity. We spend the best part of our conscious lives at work so you at least oughta be looking for something you'll enjoy.

I think it would be hard pushed to lift that piece up in the air on the left hand barrel, without extending the length of the tensioning-lever. However, you can position a micro-prussic or shunt to the lever in line with the RH barrel for increased power….it would obviously be slower, but would lift that log easy enough if you needed to. I can only estimate at this stage that the retail price will be around £500. Thanks

Thanks Giles, Tom I wouldn't describe it as a cam. The pictures I have are not very clear, I'll get some more.

Some pictures of the device to be produced by Stein and should be available in time for the AA trade show in the summer. I'll get some video before then. The incentive was produce a tool that’ll fall somewhere in between the top-end and budget devices on the market. This one will most probably retail somewhere right in the middle. The device is attached to the tree by a 10 ton ratchet strap which can be sufficiently tightened by one person. However, in making allowances for foreseeable misuse or unfavourable trunk-taper, the device will facilitate a choker (see photo’s) to be set below the ratchet strap…. as similar such point-to-point strap set-ups obviously do not choke! As you can see the device has two barrels, so is not only very convenient for setting up speed-lines but can also accommodate 2 separate lowering operations at the same time i.e. for load transfer between 2 adjacent rigging points or perhaps to lower/cradle large limbs in their entirety with total control and reassurance. Either barrel will take up to ¾ inc rope. The left side barrel also has a pre-tensioning option. I haven’t worked out exactly what the lift ratio is yet, and while its power is not comparable to the likes of the Hobbs and GRCS, it does have speed and convenience in its favour i.e. pulling down on the lever gives an instant hit on whatever it is you’re trying to raise. The tensioner works a little like an anvil in its means of gripping the rope. It also has an adjustment screw on it so to accommodate ropes of different diameters. The device and all of its key features are Patent Pending 0902165.0 Thanks

Precise and very stylish Tim

Get a grip fella, this is a discussion site, what would it be without questioning?

Let it out Chris, I'll be your puchbag:ohmy: Thing have been tight here too....in fact, there are guys around here who would probably fight over a similar such conifer job right now! Thanks for asking. Ive actually waited in this morning for the delivery of some related documents which now dont look like turning up:mad1: Other than that I would hope to at least post some photos within the next week or so....although dont expect too much, its nothing fancy!

Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that stage Chris! We would be hard pushed to fit anymore credit into this thread, even those posts that make reference to the height still acknowledge a job well done. Well it appears at least a handful of us who have voiced an opinion about it, not to metion the guy who added the text to the video. It’s not wrong to take an interest in the height of a tree or how an estimated height was determined. I don’t know why people are getting prickly about it….its just an extra dimension to the discussion, nothing more. Surely a thread is allowed more than one talking-point! In fact, tree heights are also being discussed in the thread ‘Highest Tree’….and while unfortunately lacking in any kind of reference material (photos), it appears lots of members have been all-to-happy to swap and share each others experiences in an objective manner. Which begs the question: why is a very similar talking-point in this thread being received so negatively?

Buzz, my suggestion that the trees were not 100 feet does not also imply that the achievement of your team is in anyway diluted, far from it….but you wouldn’t be the first person to overestimate or even exaggerate the height of a tree on an internet forum either. That said, having just read through some of your posts you do come across as a down to earth fella, so I don’t believe for a second its case of the latter. However, I do believe like many others you underestimate how tall 100 ft actually is! Now don’t go off on one about having 15 years behind you etc, that’s not the point….people’s perceptions of how things appear (scale and dimension) just interest me personally, that’s all. It’s not meant as a put-down so just be cool. Here are 3 pictures of trees that I know were around the 100 ft mark as we were able to measure them by the rigging lines. Through my eyes all 3 appear at least 20 ft taller trees than those conifers. What do you think? Not that it matters at all now, whatever the height, we’ll never know exactly. That did look a tough job to haul out all of that volume and stay within your budget….although I think the title ‘job from hell’ would better describe the horrific task facing both the paid and volunteer fire-fighters’ down in Victoria right now. Kinda puts our so-called hellish tree-jobs in perspective!

With respect guys they dont appear to be 100ft to me either:confused1: At 2.20 the climber looks to be about 60 ft. Go back to 1.30 and and he's there at that same height with about 15ft of brush above him? I just dont see him needing a 50m climbing rope to reach the floor by the looks of those shots. anyone else?

Well this thread had a real calm ambience about it…..and then you showed up! Re: the first vid - Every time? How come? It wasn’t until the camera switched to the aerial view that I could fully appreciate why a speed-line was used at all…at which point the shrubs/trees around the base became apparent. Might it have been possible to sneak a crane in there for the same money? Not that it appeared you were stretched but it still would have saved a lot of time and effort…. 110ft, get out a here, Eric! Second – What happened at 2.40, too heavy? Always a pleasure Rog:001_cool:

Thanks Yeah same here, maybe twice a year at best.

Thanks Ajarb/Tom Tom you need two means of friction at the bottom of the tree and you also need to be able to tie them off so the operator doesn’t have to keep hold of them both at the same time. The friction device controlling the actual speed-line ought to have some kind of mechanical-advantage/lifting option….as that’s the line which will pre-tension, raise or lower the load if so desired.

Andrew and Will (groundworkers) had never used a speedline before, so nothing too adventurous on this occasion. Andrew controls both lines from the base of the tree while Will unties each branch at the landing. Neither Andrew nor Will could see each other, so clear communication was imperative. A leaning Corsican pine, not a lot to it! [ame] [/ame]

Tom, considering the extent of decay it made more sense to sacrifice the extra rigging extension you refer to in favour of maintaining the main stem under as much direct compression as what was achievable. I could have further made things easier by also pushing the rigging point a little higher up, but again it was safer to keep it low and just make the best of it. As you know, when dealing with hazardous trees it really comes down to an individuals experience and intuition in deciding upon a strategy….that of which to achieve ones objectives in the most logical order. Obviously the safety of the workers is paramount and should always come before efficiency and convenience….but I think its pretty clear in the video that things went easy enough anyhow, only I just had to do a little more cutting than what I would have preferred. Thanks.

Frank/Nick, used all but about a metre of 60m lowering line….so the height would be half of that measurement + whatever was above the rigging point. Tim, we used a 12mm lowering line for that tree. The beech, which has again now been put back until the end of Feb will mostly have to be rigged….although I’m optimistic about being able to free fall that last remaining 70ft or so of timber. atree, it appears that some lowlife from one of these forums has been reporting me for breach of copyright in regards to inclusion of such tracks on some of the videos…so I hope you don’t mind me holding back on that one. Unfortunately the internet and especially the forums are safe havens’ for all kinds of cowardice and this is but one example. Steve, if I could have just turned the tree ninety degrees to the right, a slide-line would have been far more favourable. If I’d had the option of taking bigger sections then that would’ve have worked out quicker than conventional lowering also, as there’s only so much a single guy can generate on a pull line after-all…..but such was the amount of apparent movement down at the bottom that Sean (groundsman) was already a bag of nerves, so I didn’t want to add to that. Carl, the incentive to retain that trunk was more to do with conservation rather than aesthetics or even retaining a live tree….but consider that the tree was already backed on to a couple of acres of mature woodland then it didn’t seem as meaningful. I’ll bet its still stood up though when I go back at the end of Feb. Thanks again

A lime tree hanging over a lake. Badly decayed at the base and some newly planted trees right underneath, the rigging is conservative but also neat and accurate. To better explain my poor attempt in explaining some rigging restrictions in the second vid…..The rigging and climbing ropes were almost on top of each other affording me very little angle the send everything preferably to my right, especially those particular branches leaning to the left. I still cant explain it right.... Never mind, enjoy the vids, about 20 mins to watch both. Part 1: [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vCIGJMe7FEc[/ame] Part 2: [ame]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-I2lr14nTY[/ame]

I see, well done again!