arbogrunt

I did my little toe a few months ago doing Martial arts training. It depends on how bad the break is, and where it is on your toe. I found that if I buddy-strapped it to the next toe and did my chainsaw boots up extra tight (and popped a couple of paracetamol a couple of times a day!), I could climb on it. I was limping about for a week or two and it was ok. Those tight forks hurt tho!

ha ha!, second the big ladder Mark!. I've got one of those plastic folding buckets for carrying water when you go camping..about £4 in Millets. Throwlines are a pain in the Arris, but they are indispensable. Every time, before you use it, run it right out and give it a good stretch, it'll take the 'memory' out of it. Also, it your using it on rough ground (eg in the woods) throw of a plastic sheet to stop it tangling on the ground. Right, wheres that ladder......

Hello fellow Arborists! Myself and 25 other ex-Para's are doing a 50 mile walk, from Southend to Colchester. We are raising money for the Parachute Regimental Association and Help for Heroes. Anyone who wishes to support us by sponsorship can do so online on D K Smith is fundraising for The Demo Charity - JustGiving. The walk will be held over the bank holiday weekend..28-29 August. Thanks folks!

can't means won't...and won't means JAIL! (one from Aldershot about 1986!!)

Looks like a Knut (I like to call it the 'Viking expletive' knot!). I've been using this for about a month now, it self-tends nicely with a good weight of rope under it if you tie it right. Nice!

I agree with some of the posts in the thread so far (and disagree with some others). Remember, becoming an assessor is a time, money and effort consuming thing, if your not going to earn out of it, why bother jumping through all the hoops in the first place?. As to whether Brushwood Chipper training is necessary...I'm a Chipper assessor but I spend 90 per cent of my time on the tools as a freelance climber. I see chipper operators putting their feet and hands into the hopper all the time, I've even seen people working on running machines!..... if training wasn't necessary, we wouldn't have to do it!. There seems to be a 'Trainer/Assessor bashing' element on here, I don't see what they're beef is, we all have to reach some sort of standard don't we?. I take pride in my work, I do my best on every job I undertake (as I'm sure most people do on here), The training side of things is no different, passing on experience to new people coming in the trade is a rewarding aspect of arboriculture, so don't blindly knock these blokes for doing it guys!

I've been wearing stretch airs for 6 years now (and I just got my 3rd pair at the AA show). They ARE overpriced, but they are so much more hardwearing, you get your money back twice over in the long run. With regard to the zip, make sure your do the fly up when you wash them. The first pair I bought 6 years ago (the red ones) are still my spare pair, they are looking tatty and the pockets are shot, but they are still good to use.

I was told by my dealer to use low smoke 2 stroke oil in my new 357XP. I do anyway, but now and then I use someone else's bog standard 2 stroke and its a barsteward to start. They said the new carbs are designed for the bio mixes. My saw starts first time every time and runs perfectly, best ground saw I've had in 15 years.

Today and yesterday were real killers in the heat. I've worn cat c up trees for the last 15 years and this week was my first in cat a - well timed!. I use a cambelbak and have frequent short breaks, I rehydrate as much as I can in the evening and get to bed an hour or so earlier and get a good nights kip in. Most people haven't seen the result of heatstroke or heat exhaustion, as Dean says, its bad. I've seen a couple of lads nearly die of it. Slow down and take it easy fellas, its a bloody hard way of getting a sun-tan!

A pair of stretchair gladiators (update that risk assessment!), one of those fantastic little chainsaw tool thingys, a 'roller' krab for 'M' redirects as seen on here last week and a Lockjack. Scared the crap out of myself on monday up a big Lombardy Pop with the Lockjack and a ropeguide (mental note to myself...let go of the wooden toggle when you want to stop going DOWN! ). Not as busy as the last few I've been to, but a great day out:001_cool:

Well said mate. I wish more people showed the respect the lads deserve when they bring them back home. I've got a few mates who are still serving and from what they tell me there are a lot of wounded blokes coming back they need the support of the British people. I'm doing a 50 miler for the 'help for heroes' charity in August, when I get the sponsorship sorted out, I'll post it on here. I just feel I should do something to help these fellas.

I know a bloke who's been doing treework for 15 years, he asked me 'why the hell do you cut everything twice?', I realized he'd never seen a step-cut, when I explained what I was doing he said he just cuts straight thru all branches!. We all like to thing we're professionals, but there a lot of blokes out there hacking bits of tree out on a daily basis!. There has to be a standard out there, and I guess NPTC units are it, like it or lump it fellas.

Hourly rate for me. Whatever I'm doing I just do the same rate. Its easier to underprice a conifer hedge job than any other in my opinion.

I've got one of those Coleman stoves. I run it on 2 stroke mix and can get a brew on in 4 minutes flat, in hurricane conditions, whilst under effective enemy fire!. The fumes are unbearable if you brew up under any form of roof, but outside its the mutts nuts.

Blimey, what a drive!, he should get a medal for that. I did Lancs to Essex a couple of times in mine, it was an ordeal!

I wear Berghaus t-shirts, they're made of that stretchy stuff and have lasted me 3 years so far, not bad for £20.

'Ha, brickies are on 55-60 a day in these parts, the building bubble is well and truly bust' blimey, site brickies are on about £130 a day now, dropped from £150-170 before the recession took hold (this is in London area). Saying that, its a lot easier than shinning up trees for a living and you don't have to fork out for the amount of tools, kit, ppe, training we do. I'd rather be up a tree though!

oops, misquoted there Huck, meant Marc.

sky huck said; 'Arborgrunt you charge an extra £50 a day to climb on your own pli? jeez my pli works out to about £2 a day. I work for an AA approved contractor they like to see him using subbies with there own pli, it works well for me as i also do my own work at the weekends which goes a long way to paying it off and then some. I have it anyway so for me there is no need to burden anyone with paying it for me its part of my rate.' Fair one mate, but I rarely do any of my own private jobs, I just think its unfair to expect a bloke stump up insurance cover on a job someone else is taking the profit on. __________________

I got a bad wrist break 20 years ago. It healed up ok but has now come back to haunt me!. I've got traumatic arthiritus and my tendons are giving me gip. The only way to deal with longterm injuries like this are ; 1. make sure your fully recovered before you get back to work 2. do all the physio you can get (privately if you have to) 3. use more ergonomic climbing methods - cam saver, rope guide, self-tending hitches etc and rig instead of throwing stuff out. 4. strap up the joint when you climb and put ice on it when you get in from work or 5. get a job in a florists!! Hope you have a speedy recovery mate!

Yep, I buy my own climbing/rigging/PPE gear, pay for my training, have no paid holiday/sick pay, have my own accident cover. When you deduct all of this, you normally end up with about the same pay as a climber who's 'on the cards'. As for dropping my rates.....treework is'nt exactly the way to get rich as it is!...if I can't earn the rate I'm asking for now, I'd pack it in and do another job thats easier and pays more. I also hold £5 million PL, one of the requirements for one of my clients, for them, my day rate is £50 a day more because of it. When I work for tree firms, I work on they're Pl (unless they say they want me to work on mine - then its £50 a day on top). I do tree work because I enjoy it and because I'm good at it. I could earn a lot more money laying bricks!

A mate of mine was going to fell a lovely old oak a few years ago. Just as he took out a couple of the lower limbs, an elderly couple came over, both in tears. He stopped work and got down to see what the problem was. It turned out, they had both played in the tree when they were children. He packed up his tools, went home and got a TPO put on the tree 'What else could I do mate?' he said. It cost him a days money, but his concience was clear!

good post Mick!, I love real ale (but not when I'm drinking it all night, I usually go for a John Smiths or another bog standard bitter then). I have a glass of red wine every night with my dinner and I'm also partial to the odd glass of Port. In fact, I think I'll go and pour myself one now......cheers!

I've only worked with one woman on site in 15 years. She was small, but she could drag brush and logs all day!. She was a bit slow climbing (mainly because she was a bit of a perfectionist), great at doing fruit trees. I miss her little face going bright red during the joke sessions at tea-break!