kipperfeet

Hey spartan, where did you work in Leicester? Thats my old stomping ground. I used to work for a few people around there before i decided i could travel with the job!

Not alot of choice but to work in the rain up ere in Lancashire, if it starts whilst working then we'll stick with it but if its lashing down before starting i'm getting a bit reluctant to start nowadays. I worked in Austria for a while and for a week over the winter in got down to -20/25 deg c ! The ropes froze so we had to thaw them on the van heaters before climbing, then whip up the tree super fast to warm up then get back in the van quick and drink tea. Great fun and i much prefered that extreme to the dreary constant rain of the north.

I have been to both the APF and the AA trade fair for the last 10 years both as a visitor and an exhibitor and thought that this was by far the biggest yet. What a massive amount of things to see, just a shame that those paying had to pay on each day to get in even though they needed two days to get around. Lads i know went to buy machinery and there were four of them, for two days thats £120 just to get in! We had a bus load of students go (50 +) and they wouldn't give them a discount unless we booked well in advance and payed on booking. At that time we didn't know how many we would get going so couldn't book. I Thought that that was very unfair to people who are starting their Arb career and buying PPE etc to get stung so hard without any leneancy. Its hard enough for people that are new to the industry spending so much on PPE. No where near enough toilets for the size of the site and the food was rubbish as has been said before. Having said that, the weather, the people we met and the massive amount of stuff to see and learn made it the best i have been to for a long time. Good to see so many Europeans kicking around both as exhibitors and visitors to.

Very cool. Nice to see a Makita saw being used too - those ds5000 are torquey little munkees and not bad bits of kit for a change from the norm. Like the way they do different events from the trade fairs as well. raisung the peofile in all sorts of arenas.

Depends which ones you have but i always used to say the original ones with the foam formed soles were like the ballet shoes for tree climbers. Really comfy and supple for climbing in but not so hard wearing for ground work. These soles have changed now but they still look really comfy. Eltons were the first to develop boots that are more user friendly than the stihl clumpers used to be. There are a few different level of Elton boot now so i guess they are suited for different applications. Can't say for sure nowadays as i like my Haix. By far the longest lasting boots i have had apart from the Meindl but the haix are comfier for my feet than the Meindl. Also tried - Husqvarna - stihl - oregon - elton and aqua duct over the years and was lucky to get a full year of battering out of any of them when i was climbing five days a week.

Looks good stuff deerman, i had a look at there stuff awhile ago, they do a ventile jacket which is pretty good. I'm playing about with ventile at the moment as its fantasic stuff and would be great for tree work but very expensive. possibly a bit to much for tree work. I also have some water proof fleece stuff that has a lamitate membrane in the middle of two fleece layers but you are right, its a bit clammy for working in and the exhaust has melted it quite quickly. Although it is pretty good with thorney stuff and very hard wearing. Swazi stuff is good to but again, quite pricey.

I've done quite few dead and dodgy trees in my time and i always think that the quicker you get it done and the more weight you take off the less likely it is to fail. Am always very wary when rigging and try to avoid any shock loading of the system, although if there is any doubt mewps are cheap to hire and if the access is good then use it. Comes down to personell confidence and your own risk assessment really but work at heights regs are in place nowadays so although climbing can sometimes be quicker and easier and, arguably safer, they do have there uses. Might also be worth doing a quick core sample before pricing a dodgy job so you don't get caught out when you come to do it. I reckon, time spent getting it right at that stage can save time and scary moments later.

Apologies folks and the Ed. I wasn't trying to get in a cheap sales pitch there as thats not what this great forum is about. Just thought it ineresting that that he great waterproof debate for tree work still goes on. It's a little interest of mine that got carried away and i now look at fabrics in the same way i look at how to do a tree job - lots of different ways to do it but which one works best. I am becoming a bit of a performance fabric geek having found so much technology that goes in to it. The myth of breathability and how the fabrics need to work in conjunction with each other for it to work. and how, doing a job like ours, cold bridging is going to hamper the breathability of if not used correctly. My old, german army gore fell to peices some time ago and was never really right for climbing in so stuck with cheapies and realised that i spent 5 days a week in it and working in the rain. Got to be comfie and works if spending all day every day in it i reckon. Won't use this forum as a catylist for my own needs again i promise. Only to learn and be learned.

We had the same problem and have had for a while so about 18 months ago i went on a small mission to make one. Tested them, tried different fabrics and different designs and sent them out to various people to destroy. Got the feed back and carried on testing until we were happy. Figured that if they are good enough for us and the lads who wanted them i would put them in to production. Best of all, the fabric is made in Lancashire and the tops are made in Lancashire so all kept local and not in small sweat shops and flown around the world. It also rains alot in Lancashire! Dissadvantage of keeping it local is the price. Minimum wage and running costs mean we simply cannot compete with the big boys of the game who disregard the ethics for the mark up they need to put on. And beleive me, there is some mark up. Just put a web site together, well, my Girlfriend did! Have a look and let me know your feed back. If you want to try then trees unlimited will have them on there stand at the APF but you can also contact me. I'm not trying to get in a cheap sales bid but i do beleive that most tree surgeons wear the wrong clothing for the job and suffer for it. After all, we do spend our entire life in the elements so making work comfier must make it safer and more enjoyable to. Also i try to dispel some common myths about "breathable" waterproofs and how it works and when and how it will never work! http://www.treetopclothing.co.uk

Oh yes, well spotted sky huck. Looks like the normal negative feed back of anything to do with the HSE then. For the ones that thought it was to stop a visit from the big baddies, and shut them down for not wiping there bottoms properly and washing there hands before eating their butties, the truth is, they only have one person in the area covering both arb and forestry and agriculture. They have been very "reactive" to deaths and serious injuries as apose to "proactive" in trying to prevent them. With the fact that minimal people have the time to update or practice simple safety issues (their words, not mine, but apparently true on the day) they wanted to do something for companies to come together and to get people thinking about things, but not teach them their job. It also gave them an idea of how many would turned up out of the invited to gauge the interest in something like this happening again as voluntary as appose to mandatory. Not all working in the industry are as up to date about the job as the people on here. Tricky one for the instructors to do as it was always going to be a snake pit. Every one wants answers and no one likes being told what to do! From experience, if you tell someone they have to do there job "this way" they will tell you to "pi@@ of because i've been doing it that way for 20 years" It was also tricky because there was no idea of content or the level to aim it at given by the HSE. The instructors were left to decide themselves how to approach touchy subjects in front of 300 people potentially already negative because they have had to take a whole half a day out of there busy year to be told what they can and can't do. The problem is - Accidents just don't get reported because every one in this industry is scared that they will get shut down or another silly piece of legislation will come out to make the job we all enjoy even more difficult. In fact, because they never get reported, questions, simply never really get answered properly. A work related DEATH on a farm in Cumbria not so long ago went unreported to the HSE! It's a shame that it was a wasted oppertunity for a proper forum really because it is very unusual to get that amount of contractors in one place at one time. But time is money and all that. I think the HSE wanted a nicey nicey approach as apose to "we are b@st@rds and want to make your life as difficult a possible" which is what they are sometimes perceived as by some. Arb and Forestry has, again become the most hazardous job to be doing according to statistics so it's not surprising that the HSE are wanting to make sure that that the good people of the tree world are keeping them selves as safe as is possible. Still, the food was ok and it was nice to see so many faces that haven't been seen for a while. Feel free to discuss!

Hi all, did any one here attended the HSE day at Myerscough on Tuesday 2nd sept? There were over 100 companies represented there so maybe someone did? Just wondered what any one thought and if it was usefull? It was a pilot day to bring as many companies in the north west together as possible for a brief overview of health and safety issue's within the industry. An amazing turn out with over 100 companies looking at key activites that we do every day with 25 minute slots for each. not designed as teaching but more reminding and updating Arb companies of a few basics as well as other areas of the job that we might not of thought of. let us know your thoughts if you were there?

When you go into tesco on the way to the job cause you've forgot your lunch and come out with a 2 litre bottle of water and a tray of flap jacks! When you go to the pub with fellow workers and say "no shop talk" and three pints later you are talking about how the strong wind helped the pop tops fly over the fence so elagently! Good thread, wet myself a few times reading what is so true!!

Some people advise to put them in a pillow slip and wash them in the machine with cool water and non bio powder but never been a fan of that. I use a rope cleaner which attatches to a threaded type tap. it is a t - shape tube with very small holes in the pipe that force high pressure water in to the rope as you pass it through. Dead simple, cheap and really good!

Not sure that jumping down peoples thoats is something i have seen before? I would like to see it though, the thought of a fully grown man, literally, jumping down a throat would be something worth seeing visions of disapearing people! Sorry, harness' oh yes.......

oh, the joys of working in the Lancashire weather!

Hi bushbaby, i have quite a few harness' that we use at the college i work at. Buckingham masters seems the one that we usually use for smaller people and kids if we do a taster day. the petzle go small and the edelrid tree magic go small. If you want a well built and bomb proof harness though, i would go the buckingham way for small fit every time. Most of the smaller ladies we have had on arb courses in the past liked them the best. Am in Lancahire so if you wanted to try a few first we have around thirty of differing sorts. Although the apf would be a good place to try as well.

Wow, must be a very good tree officer to get that past the developers! Not like here in sunny Lancashire where the developers usually gets his way after a lot of bickering and money spent. Depends on the consultant that is specing the job i guess. Nice job for you too, makes a change doing a different job with some thought gone in to it to see a good outcome. Got any piccies of the tree when it was tied back, it's something i could use to show students what could be done instead of boshing. (i have lots of boshing pictures so don't need them!!!) I have a mate working in Dorkland at the mo, will pm you as i gave him your details about a year ago for possible work but not sure if he contacted you.

Having said that about the husky arborist helmet, the chin straps are really only there to hold the helmet in place and not that great for side impacts which is more likely in the tree. I stand by my Edlelrid in the tree and husky on the deck!

Used many things in the past, including: a plastic dustbin (great for chucking kit in and in the van but kept dropping logs on it and breaking it!) A wheelie type suit case (great because all the kit stashed nicely and i could unzip the entire top and get what i needed easily. Looked very silly but always got comments from customers about if i'd come here on holiday!) Small shopping trolly (lasted a day and decided it was just too silly!) Large plasic trug (got sick of saw dust filling up in it, although i now use it for rigging ropes) Now i stick to the normal and use my old bergan army rucksack. Absolutely bomb proof with loads of room and i can carry my climbing kit, helmet, saw, waterproofs, and anything else on my back to the tree and still have my hands free for holding tea! 7 years work use and 9 years travelling use before it got demobbed as a wardrobe.

Try Christian Nellans in Munich. Also know that a couple of companies in Vienna are looking. PM me if you are interested and i'll get you the details.

Hey monkey boy, shouldn't have a problem with your trusty husky helmet so long as it has a chin strap. The forestry ones have a long peak to keep the rain off though, and this restricts vision apparently! The arborist one has a cut down peak so is fine. Two years on these, so just as its getting trusty, its time to get a new one!! I use my husky for on the floor and and the edelrid when climbing. maybe i'm ust spoilt having a helmet for each job i do. i have coats for all applications too, usualy never leave home without about seven or so just in case!!!

We used to spray for these little blighters in Austria and Germany about 10 years ago. The lads still are i think but not as common now as the chemicals we used worked but only if you got them at the exact right time and didn't seem to make much effect as we still did it the following years. Dimilin seems to banned from use in most countries except Austria. A good month of serious overtime that was, we litterally sprayed thousands of Aesculus across the whole country. Good giggle after a visit to the Cheq border for chaep shnapps!

Thought i'd jump on this one as i have tried lots. i used to use and Edelrid one in Austria during the winter but it was a bit battered for use here so bought the petzle vertex when it first came out. I found it a bit slidey on my head and it really got on my nerves, the ear defenders kept popping out too so i ended up screwing them in. After a month or so i went straight to the Edeldid importers and got an arblight set from them as i spent more time shifting the helmet on my head than i did cutting! Suits my head much better and alot more bomb proof in my mind. Outdoor ed. centres use them for kid because of there robustness. I struggled to get one from a retailer but i'm sure someone does them? I would advise students or anyone who hasn't used a vertex to try it first as the she sizing doesn't go small enough for me and many others i have seen.

I went, thought he was fairly relaxed to start with but i could see he was itching to get going on the hardcore maths stuff! If i he had another couple of hours i guess he would have let rip with it all. I was surprised to see ow many people were there, good to bump in to a few known faces, enjoyed the catch up as well as the lectures. First time i've seen him talk, so good to see how well he lectured. I think it would have been more use to me if we went looking at tree's to.