Lancstree

bought some UV protective goggles from a motorcycle shop today. They are really light and having a wraparound elastic strap rather than arms they should be snug under the earmuffs. They are also vented so they won't steam up hopefully. Will try them out on monday and let you know how they are

I had to appeal also, was on the same wage as litter pickers and got well fed up with it. The trouble is once you work for a council you want to continue to do so to get your good pension etc. Luckily for me our tree gang was reconstructed and its a career based thing now where there is one arborist, one senior arborist (me) and a team leader. Unfortunately the arborist is on the same wage as litter pickers still. I reckon for future purposes it might be an idea to pool our thoughts to create a list of duties, responsibilities and exposure to danger etc, so that when we are faced with job evaluation again we are armed to the teeth. What other gang setups do you guys have? I feel the team leader position should require climbing so that its not left to the two dogs to do all the barking.

I didn't know the plugs had a higher rating. I used them when I was working in the states but I found them a bit annoying to take out when someone says something and when they fell out of the tree. Then I think of the old saying you shouldn't put anything bigger than your elbow into your ear! Can they cause damage putting them in a little too far?

I know its a bit early to be talking about this but by midday today I was down to T-shirt. Its like a mini summer we're having here. Wearing chainsaw trousers in the summer is mostly unavoidable for me but I alternate between vests and issued polo shirts. Even when its a scorcher I like to wear something wicking beneath my works polo. Its good eye protection I struggle to find - the visor is good but when the sun hits it vision is reduced. Glasses don't fit under the earmuffs well but I reckon there should be something suitable and it would reduce the weight of the hard - hat a bit too. What do other folks prefer?

Send up someone fresh - sounds like a good idea to me

I'm interested to know how many arbtalk members are local government employees? Has anyone had to go through the job evaluation and appeal in front of a panel etc?

We've been doing a lot of coronet cutting this year - I've not had any sort of training on it and was just given a sheet of paper with a rubbish black and white photo on it. My coronets have been far shallower than these though. Work position is definitely an issue here and I've been in a few positions where it didn't feel good. Any tips on how to carry out awkward coronet cuts? I find it a bit of a pain to do at the end of a laborious removal.

I reckon you'll have no problem finding work abroad if you have arb qualifications. Even if you have limited or no experience there would be many companies that would be willing to take you on and train you up. I did one year in chicago when I was 18 but it was semi-sorted through college and it was a great experience. I've got a few ties now but I'd still like to go and work abroad again for a year or so. If you get lucky you might find a job where they provide cheap accommodation near base. That would be wise because its quite daunting starting a new job abroad as well as trying to set up some decent digs. Try asking lecturers at your college if they know of any such positions and if that fails try ringing up other colleges too as they tend to have lists for those that do gap year ND courses.

A couple of my mates worked for bartlett in the US and they got treated well and gained good experience. I saw they were advertising a post in York city for a team leader a few weeks back. Its a big company and there's probably good chance of promotion and the ability to move into different areas of the industry,.

I bought a scuba undersuit for this winter and have only worn it a few times because its not been cold enough. It feels good having that next to your skin though and I bet it would work a treat if it snows here. The only limitations are going to the bog for a bizz means you have to strip, plus with all but the most stretchy undersuits it can be a bit awkward bending down into the correct lifting posture. When its pretty cold I always wear women's tights under my chainsaw keks. Cycling skull caps can be thin enough not to be a pain under your helmet. I also like those really versatile stretchy tubes that you can wear on your neck as a scarf or your head as a balaclava/ half balaclava. Parmo do a really good base layer shirt for about 25-30 quid.

I was off for four weeks over Christmas due to a driving accident and couldn't do much exercise so I went a bit hell for leather on those spring grip things. I went back to work really soon after using them and after a day or two of climbing and ground work I noticed my left arm was painful. Over the weekend it got worse and I could hardly do anything with that arm and this continued for a couple of weeks. The worst part of it was that I could hear my arm making a creaking noise when I clenched my fist! My advice is don't go nuts with things like this unless you are sufficiently warmed up and make sure you warm down after doing it too.

I footlock from time to time and find if you don't do it for a while its really knackering - gets you extra fit though which is a bonus. When footlocking on a double rope always plan and be aware of how you are going to change system once you have reached the top of the rope. If you don't have an eye splice in one end I would recommend tying a stopper knot on the end that clips back into the carabiner, the reason for this will follow.. I tend to look for a decent branch or crotch that I can stand in then get my strop around the stem or big limb. Next advice is to slacken the friction hitch sufficient to allow you to pull the working end of the rope up until the eye splice or stopper knot zooms up and hits the hitch. Make sure you don't have too much slack in the hitch or it may slip through and you're stuck up there without a life line. Then all you need to do is set up your normal system and remove the footlocking hitch. Where changing over systems may be difficult I opt for the lazy man's footlocking, which is actually quite fast when practised. Have your normal setup and do maybe one or two thrusts to get off the ground. Put one hand on the life line where it meets the carabiner and the other hand below the friction knot then footlock on the loose end of rope and you can relax anytime. If you had a self tending setup and a petzl pantin I reckon you could ascend a tree almost hands free! Sounds a bit awkward though.

We normally do hang them up when wet but I wasn't there due to the car crash. Has anyone used these hand held rope washer device things. I saw them in a caving shop once but never really looked properly?

I've been off work for a few weeks due to a driving accident and I opened my climbing bag today to a damp harness and rope. The rope had some sort of fungi on it that was white and fluffy and came off easily when the hand was run down it. This is no doubt due to my gear being stored while wet and left in the van locker which is dark. Has anyone seen this before? I wonder if it causes any harm to the rope?

count me in sir

Thanks for checking it out. I'll get some tickets online myself

It should be ok then. I was just a bit wary of doing it before I saw the 's' because everytime I've purchased something online or given my details I've seen the 's' first. The 's' stands for secure.

Steve. When I go to the link provided to make a donation I'm a bit worried because the address is http and not https. I always check that when I'm putting important details on websites. It should also show a padlock symbol in the bottom right hand corner of my screen to show that the site is secure. Am I correct here or is there something I am missing?

Thanks mate. Sometimes when taking out large sections I find the best position is got by staying on the life line to make the gob. I shiver at the thought of not remembering to take the line out before making the back cut. You were lucky that piece was roped. Thanks for posting that. All the best

Santa probably gets a severe beating from the kids round here when the festive weeks are over! He won't take up much room after that.

Snowman 1 - Santa 0

http://www.treebuzz.com/articles.php You'll find plenty of knots here

I've played around quite a bit with setups like this and I also find the main limitation is the gap between the pulley and the hitch. Do you use it with a cambium saver? I do like the icicle though. I tried it recently and couldn't fault it. The one I've liked the best however is the knut and I've climbed on it in all situations. I'll try and find a link to a page where these knots are pictured and described.

I agree. There are too many of us that put up with sub-standard gear and poorly maintained gear. On reflection I should have refused to use the faulty 020 until it was seen to properly. Being only two weeks into a new job I was keen as mustard so thats why I used it - albeit poor excuse. My attitude has changed somewhat from that now and I'm H+S mad.

Thats a hellish cut. Took me a few sweeps of the mouse to get the bravery to look at it! Has your hand recovered mate?