jomoco

Oh yeah, and it's the dirtiest little industry secret Peter and the good ole boys have. Yu see, as long as the chipper mfr can claim whoever was feeding their chipper was not following safe operating procedures? Then their liability is limited. Care to guess how much ad revenue TCIA rakes in each month from Morbark, Vermeer etc? To this day, Peter insists that solo operation of a WTC is just fine and dandy by him and TCIA. Climbers workin solo performing dangerous tasks? Oh no, they'll write rules against that! Create aerial rescue events and practice them assiduously to keep the precious mistake prone climber as safe as possible on the job! But groundies feedin WTC's solo? Most embarrassing aspect of this biz IMO. Industry sanctioned death on the job for mistake prone groundies. Jomoco

It may be of interest to a few of you that the number one OSHA recommendation to prevent these gruesome woodchipper fatalities from happening again and again? A two man minimum rule for operating large woodchippers! But the so called safety experts at TCIA, namely Peter Gerstenberger, are against adopting OSHA's recommendation, regardless of how many treeworkers get dismembered in this cruel and unusual form of death on the job. I believe this makes 56 dead groundies via woodchipper operations to date. If you give a hoot bout groundies dyin alone in this manner? Give Peter a call. Adopt your own two man minimum rule for chippers over 12 inch capacity. Look for the next issue of TCIA to give another lame wood chipper safety pep talk, yet allow this untenable situation to continue on unabated till who knows when? How many more dismembered treeworkers before you feel inclined to do your job Peter? 50 more? 100? Jomoco

Ask me why do all good things, have to come to an end? I don't know.... [ame] [/ame] Jomoco

And she's lookin out for you... [ame] [/ame] Jomoco

Mary, though passed some five years now, still visits me on occasion in dreams, young alive and vibrant, singin to me.... Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time? [ame] [/ame] Jomoco

If she can still live in my dreams, young again, with bright mischievous eyes? [ame] [/ame] Jomoco

While fantasy novels can indeed be intriguing, real life dreams in which a widower's wife lives again, young and vibrant, can get an old man's heart rate to race before awakening! Real life spooky, no professors needed, no magic ring, except the one that can bind Mary so vividly to me all these years after her passing.

Let me guess, Moreton Bay Fig? Jomoco:biggrin:

So what's your preferred method of bracing yourself way out on a lateral branch with a good upper TIP August? You're gonna butt hitch the very tip and catch it. You know you're going to take a fairly serious dynamic ride. Do you grasp and hold onto the catch limb your lanyard's around? Or push against it with one or both hands in an effort to create a stable triangle that moves as one until the branch quits moving? You'd be surprised how many hold and hug, and how many push to triangulate. This is something that'd be cool to illustrate in slo mo in a removal vid mate. You a pusher or hugger August, when takin extreme rides? Jomoco

What's the best felling cut to use on a fat hollow conifer? A box cut? Something about more flex area in the face of both sides allows it to hold onto the stump longer? Jomoco

I just find it interesting the LA Times would go to Bixler's home to get his take on a grisly whole tree chipper decapitation in his neighborhood. I've known Bix for a few years now August. He's expressed some rather bizarre views on chipper safety, to put it politely. Bix's a big boy now, with a following. But I seriously doubt he still thinks preteens operatin woodchippers is a good idea! There's a grisly side of this biz that doesn't bear close scrutiny from either side of the pond. Not extending to woodchipper operators, particularly those feeding whole tree chippers, the same safety considerations afforded climbers at work on the job. What makes blokes who climb for a livin one bit more precious than a fellow treeworker feedin a WTC on the job August? Bixler, anybody?. What's all this aerial rescue about when Martin died alone, without breaking any industry rule except makin a mistake performing a hazardous task? Climber's are industry sanctioned prima donnas who look silly in tights anyways! There's a bloody aspect of this biz that's kinda hard to ignore if you do it long enough. Personally I like a lot of groundies better than most the climbers I know! I found the Bix interview vid frustrating on the one handing issue between the two of you. It's never done without reason by a pro. Which means he was performing some other vital task with the other hand, catching a branch, maintaining an upright orientation by holding onto your upper TIP bodyline? Lots of valid reasons to one hand a saw under certain circumstances aloft. Bix is a greenhorn mate, but he's gettin better, and less outrageous with age. Jomoco:001_smile:

Just old groundies eh August? Jomoco

:biggrin:Optional decompression valve site. Jomoco

Bixler's tempting fate by not comin clean bouta whole tree chipper fatality he was interviewed about, on the job. Do right by your fellow treeworkers Bixler! Every climber's nagging fear is to brain a groundie below them. Jomoco

Interesting thread. I attend monthly exotic plant society meetings, held at a hilltop church, that has very old trees. One of which dominated the main entrance area of the main cathedral, a cal pepper or Schinus molle. Had a 4-5 dia base, covered with ivy. The northernmost side of the tree was dying and pretty much defoliated. A closer inspection of northern base revealed a huge fruiting body almost 3 feet long, one contiguous mass of brackets, possibly Ganoderma. I felt duty bound as a practicing arborist and citizen to bring this potentially hazardous situation to the groundskeeper of the church's attention, and did so. Tree was gone at the last meeting. The grim reaper's blade properly sheathed before use again! I did feel a bit guilty bout the ole tree's demise though! Place ain't quite the same without it... Oh well... Jomoco

Yu gotta be an old timer to remember this Japanese billboard hit in 1963. Beautiful tune even in Japanese. Jomoco

It's about keepin crud outta your fuel tanks n carbs. So you guys are the pro crud crowd that slips past the filter or somethin? CO2 bottles rock when the inevitable flat tire with a nail gets plugged n inflated in 5 minutes too! Cleanliness is next to godliness guys, particularly from a manufacturer's pov. CO2 also powers a mean pneumatic throw bag gun! [ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MBW0a6OcPk[/ame] Jomoco

What's ee expect? Runnin a chain that bloody loose? Ee's lucky ee only got scratched! Jomoco:biggrin:

So your groundies caint carry a CO2 bottle or somethin Joe? You know, lightweight, portable? Jomoco:001_smile:

The 365's really are Special, as are the 394 XP's! Or didn't you blokes know that? Jomoco:001_smile:

Why compressed air each time you refuel? Ask how many saws of yours have 10 years plus on their original top ends? CO2 bottles pay for themselves by increasing the lifespans of your saws, across the board. Tax deductible too! Jomoco

You Brits never heard of a CO2 bottle? Kept my saws clean n fit for bout 30 years now!

I liked the smell of SoCal native chaparral, mostly Sumac bushes, that my brother and I took great satisfaction from beating into the ground in splinters with baseball bats! When you're ten or twelve years old you need an outlet to vent your frustrations on! Perfectly natural really! These days it's Ritalin enforced conformity and homogeneity for each child's age group. No wonder I grew up to be a tree murderer for hire! Jomoco:biggrin:

But this bloke almost pulls it off. [ame] [/ame] Jomoco

Danny Kirwan's guitar licks ain't easy to replicate yu know.. [ame] [/ame] Jomoco