arbogrunt
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Everything posted by arbogrunt
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I'm a freelancer and I've found the firms that have been ringing me over the last several years....are not!. They do mainly domestic work. So, I've been doing council contract work (read-street trees!) in addition to some other contract stuff. It hasn't affected me financially...its just different work. I have, however, noticed the required work rate pick up over the last 2 months, I've been working longer and harder than I have been (and sleeping better for it!).
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when you get in the bath and a piece of Leyland Cypress floats out of a place you didn't know you had:ohmy: .....when you buy a drink in a shop and hand over some change, you hand over a load of sawdust with it. When you hit 40 and all your mates have got beer guts and you're the same skinny barsteward you where when you were 21!
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I'd say a 25% crown reduction, a couple of braces. What are the targets?. They could always be moved and footpaths re-routed. We should work a bit harder to move things around trees like this, that split has been there for years.
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My first aid kit, yep a CAT tourniqet and about 4 Israeli bandages, a couple of nasal airways, a pack of Quikclot sponges, a sam-splint, some clingfilm (for burns) an epipen (I'm allergic to Asprin!), some eyewash shots and some other bog standard first aid kit stuff. I was told that the Quikclot should only be used if direct pressure and elevation didn't stop the bleed. It also is capable of generating a LOT of heat when you apply it, care has to be taken (in a demo, a cup of blood had a sachet of Quikclot poured into it, it congealed ok, then the cup melted!). I haven't had to use any of it except the plasters, touchwood it stays that way.. It goes in a grab-bag that goes in my climbing kit bag.
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How about a rubber flap around the front attachment point of the top handle - to stop those wires pulling off their spades/breaking off?
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I've posted this before, I did a remote areas first responder course with these blokes http://www.ex-med.co.uk. Its an ex-military medic training company in Hereford with shed loads of experience. I did first aid ad nauseum in the Army but this was the best training I've ever received (and the only time I actually enjoyed doing it!). As a result, my first aid kit is totally different now, also, I always carry a shell dressing/Israeli bandage in my chainsaw trouser pocket.
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I use a cambelback on a hot day too. I also take more frequent, short breaks. Lay off the tea and coffee, it'll make you pee more!. Get your helmet off in the shade of the crown every now and then. If you make a fist and it feels weak, you know its too late - you've already dehydrated!. Sharing the climbing with a second climber really helps too. At the start and end of the day get plenty of drink in you (but don't go on the lash the night before!).
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Basil!, you got it then. How about a nice Schliesing 400U or 500U front mount?, you could then pull a nice timber crane/chipping trailer without an extended draw bar. I like the avatar mate, anyone would think you go around wasting small furry animals!
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done:001_cool:
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Shop 'em!, if your worried about come-backs, do it anonomously.
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I must say, I'd rather see this species of bird over London than some of the types that were seen 60 odd years ago......
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To Coronet or Not to Coronet, now that is a question
arbogrunt replied to David Humphries's topic in Tree health care
We're back to the 'right time - right place' answer again. The work I do is quite varied, working on wildlife trust reserves - coronet cuts, street trees - very BS3998!, in private gardens - I might ask the customer which they would prefer (especially in a woodland garden situation). Incidently, I recently went on a 'bat awareness' course. Whilst talking to the bat expert who was instructing, I discussed what sort of cuts would benefit bats in particular. He said horizontal cuts that wouldn't be accessed by much rainwater would be best, especially if they were borning cuts going upwards into the tree. The more open 'fracture' type of cuts would still be of benefit to other beasties of course. I had the pleasure of watching a Kestrel using one of my pollard - coronets as hunting perch last week - now thats a bit of job satisfaction!! -
second the martial arts route!, wrestling gives you all over fitness and strength - great for climbing!
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My tuppence worth; you can't go on a course and rock up on site as a tree-surgeon!. I've worked with a lot of guys with tickets and qualifications who have been as much use as a handbrake on a canoe on-site. These tickets are just a mark of competance...nothing more...the real learning has to done during the acquisition of experience by actually doing the job. Some lads roll out of college and expect to be on a full rate of pay (and are always disappointed as a result). Treework is a craft and as such you have to have a bit of experience under your belt before you can call yourself an 'arborist'. That said, we all have to start somewhere and the current units are it!. I would like to see a grouping of units which when attained would go together to form a separate qualification - similar to the 'tree-expert' thing the NAA do in the states? - and more money to got with it!
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Have your chain a tad tighter than you normally would, or apply your chainbrake before your remove the bar from the cut, (you can't have the chain moving as you remove the saw from the kerf). Try and relax, get a comfortable work position and LOOK at the cuts as your doing them. You've got plenty of time so just take it easy mate - good luck!
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I've found personally that, if climbing irons hurt its because they are not fitted to your lower leg size. If they are too long, they cause paid in that boney bit below your kneecap. Too short and they hurt your shins. I use an old pair of Bashlin forged ali's with 'stay-put' pads and they are comfortable for me. If I've been in them a few days running and they start hurting, I put some of those velcro elbow supports around the my shins and they're fine.
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From what I understand, retailers are obliged to sell MS200T with the Stihl ramped safety chain. The best thing to do is take if off and get some Oregon 91VS on there instead (as some one rightly said). The Stihl stuff is horrible on smaller cuts and doesn't leave a clean cut....in short, its about as much use as a carrying handle on a Unimog.
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Poor little bugger, hows he going to lick his gonads with half a tongue?!
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Gents, try googling 'combat application tourniquet'. I've got one of these in my crew first aid kit (hope I never need it - touches wood!). You can put it one one handed if you need to.
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I think when you do a CS38 course you should go through as many rescue scenarios as time permits. You're going to be assessed on an 'A' rescue anyway, but the other 3 should all be practiced by the students. Some people think that practising a pole rescue is too risky for students. Bowlarks!, the 3 man and 2 man pole rescues should both be practiced. If (nightmare scenario) you had to do a pole rescue, the first time you ever do it should'nt have to be for real!. Make sure you get your moneys worth from your instructors, then practice with the blokes you work with and the equipment you'll have to use on the day.
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I'm a freelance climber, I carry my own PL and personal injury insurance. The way I understand it is that if I'm injured at work, I claim on my own insurance. If I damage anything or injure anyone else, its on the company I'm contracted to's insurance. In this case, if the bloke is qualified (and his tickets are in date), insured, competent to carry out the task required, his kit was LOLER'd and there was a risk assessment in place - the employer should not be liable. (I suppose someone will tell me its not this simple now!)
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He wasn't wearing chainsaw gloves was he
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We all like to think that we'd self-rescue ourselves (and hopefully that would be the case). The accidents I've personally seen have almost always resulted in the victim going into some form of shock, this would be enough to require an aerial rescue. We should practice aerial rescue avoidance - safe working practice, rescue rope left in large/hard to climb trees and practice the 4 rescues with the kit and teams we work with.
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Check this link out; http://www.exmed.co.uk I did their 5 day remote areas first responder course (you get a FAW ticket too). I've done quite a bit of first aid training over the years and found most of it boring, this was the first course I actually enjoyed doing!. Its worth the drive to Hereford, the instructors are all very experienced ex-SF medics and the training facilities are excellent. My first aid kit now contains Israeli field dressings (why soak up a pint of blood with a British field dressing when you can stop the bleed with one of these?). I also carry a CAT tourniquet. My first aid kit goes in my climbing bag and so goes everywhere I do.
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I always thought a fixed price quotation was a 2 way binding contract between you and the client. you agree to carry out the works according to the spec, they agree to pay on completion. I'd just send a letter saying 'pay up or you go to small claims court'. None of us need customers like that:thumbsdown:. Reminds me of why I'm freelance, do the job and go home.
