stevenson

Thanks - you're a gent. Maybe I'll get some DIY suggestions. s

The rubber tube on my Big Shot is cracking (perishing) and it's only a matter of time before it goes. I vaguely remember someone on here replacing the tube - really don't want to buy the whole thing :-{ Any ideas chaps (yes, I did use the search function....)

Yep - A Tanaka climbing saw performs like a moped with a fat bird on the back.

Don't - they are just not practical. The air filter housing fills with sawdust after 30 seconds. It is not much fun when you drop the cover out of the tree. It is the moped of climbing saws.

Coolie - Not a good idea to use acetone on polyester - it will make the fibres swell up and weaken them. Not to mention ruining the UV resistance. But if you like the smell, what the heck. S

Might be OK on a pole, but on rough bark? It would wear quickly, be tricky to inspect (you have to remove the sleeve to see if it had been fitted to a worn strap). A buckle type adjuster might cut through under shock loading. Surely it is more difficult to flip over a stub on a large diameter stem? Do the Aussies use them because Eucs have smooth bark?

Cobra is polypropylene and will begin to fray more or less straight away. It will look hairy within a few uses and break soon thereafter. Its poor abrasion resistance is why you use a sleeve where it goes around the limb when bracing. Furthermore it has no stretch (for shock absorption) and will give up the ghost with no warning whatsoever - to provide stretch you have a separate, shock absorber insert in bracing setups. Bottom line - bloody dangerous, so no.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7263535.stm

Wire core, ~14 mm diameter, French made, Maxiglisse camming adjuster, works OK, could do with a swivel at both ends, rather than just at one. It's unhandily stiff. I usually get the carabiner at the adjuster end incorrectly loaded and have to sort it out amid much swearing. Haven't touched it with a saw - yet. Perhaps I'm in no danger with these toy saws? stevenson

Because if I'm dismantling and not rigging, I will cut several limbs one after the other with a quick reposition in between. For a safe start, the lanyard adjustment is usually different from the adjustment I use when cutting. (No I don't usually cut one handed.) So, it takes longer and is more fatiguing to cut, reposition, start, adjust lanyard for cut, cut, reposition, start, adjust lanyard for cut etc., than if I can reposition and cut straight away. Moreover with this problem, a flooded saw takes more than one pull to start. Unnecessary fatigue threatens safety. Luckily, I work far away from people who may be annoyed by my saws idling, and it would involve an air ambulance if I had a saw accident. I forgot to mention that I am 52 years old, and try to be both energy efficient and safe. Constructive answers are also welcome!! stevenson

Morning all - I have only used two climbing saws, the aforementioned cr@p Tanaka ECS3301 and the better (I think) Husky 338XPT (this year's model, much (!) improved). No matter how much you adjust the low speed jet on these saws, and the idle, they will either stagger or cut out after they have been idling dangling from a lanyard for a few minutes, and you bring them to the horizontal. I like to start saws in the tree as little as possible, so this habit annoys the hell out of me. The Husky did it straight out of the box. Questions: 1 Does anyone else experience this? 2 Does anyone agree that it is caused by fuel condensing in the crankcase whilst vertical and going somewhere inconvenient when brought horizontal 3 Does anyone have a suggestion as to a cure 4 Do the Stihl climbing saws ever do it, and if not, why not? And yes, this is my first post, so go easy on me. Stevenson