Taupotreeman

Interesting thread this. I have two wire core flip lines and we have no LOLER inspections in NZ (at least as far as I know) so only your own inspection to go on. I'm looking at my flip lines, I have no idea how old they are as they were supplied to me by my last employer and who knows how long they were sitting around in the supply shop/store room. Neither can I see any rust spots but I'm wondering if that now counts for nothing and I would just be better off getting replacements.

MMMMMMMM sticky sticky. Bet your gear and clothing was well gummed up after that job. Plenty of old school style there but choice vid all the same. Primo view.

Were there actually any gob cuts in those or did you just threaten the tree with the chainsaw

Drew, you after a couple of tasters or something? I've got access to a couple of good pear trees too so might have a crack at Perri. I can't believe there's a pear tree growing in the middle of Taupo CBD (hardly a CBD but that's what they call it) and the fruit is just going to waste. The tree looks like an old one too and is full of fruit. What a waste.

Massive kudos to all the emergency services, search and rescue teams and general public helping out down there etc but arseholes to the pricks who thought it was a good idea to go on the rob while everyone is suffering. I know what I'd like to do to them. Just couldn't get over the volunteer spirit and all the help that has been forthcoming. Here's hoping they can rebuild Ch'ch better than before.

Cheers for all the replies guys. This forum never ceases to amaze me as to the information and help that's forthcoming. Thanks to county4x4 I now have plans for a press and also thanks to bretonboy, the book is ordered. I'm now busy perusing the rest of the links and info that's been posted so here's hoping for some decent scrumpy. If my chutneys are anything to go by it might take a couple of goes to get it right but should be fun trying.

Think I've been watching too much of Hugh fearlessly eats it all and after being T total for several years I have regained my thirst for good cider. Unfortunately we don't have a large choice in NZ and much of the stuff here is that awful very fizzy diamond white tasting stuff. Cider presses are few and far between so figured I'd get someone to make me a half decent one, something like that one in other thread or powered with a bottle jack. County 4x4, PM on the way. Cheers

Well, I seem to have an abundance of wild apple trees growing here there and everywhere so I've decided I'm going to have a crack at making cider. Problem is, I need to be able to press the apples but don't have a press. I've tried the whole google search thing to get some ideas but can't seem to find anything simple to make. I'm hopefully enlisting the help of a mate who is pretty handy with building stuff so if anybody out there has any simple plans or destructions for a simple press it would be much appreciated. Also, anybody tried making either Rowan Jelly or Haw (hawthorn berry) jelly as I'm interested to know what they taste like. Just something else I'm thinking of trying.

I worked with an old fella when I first started out. He started when it was all axe and crosscut. Anyway, he suffered badly and always told me to use ear defenders because if I didn't I'd suffer badly later in life. I've always remembered that and I have my ear defenders on nearly all day, (even when raking up although I can't see the rake making much noise) because of back ground noise, traffic etc. I usually use an MP3 player all day but am careful to keep it turned down. If I can't here the music over the chipper I don't turn it up to compensate. The wife also suffers badly due to too many concerts when she was younger. Either that or she has selective hearing........like most women

Likewise bro. Nice to see the cantab spirit kicking in down there but still very very sad.

Me too.

Old school rigging. Didn't get too many of the rigging unfortunately but none of these fancy blocks, pulleys etc. Just a wrap around the bottom of the tree and some nice callous's on the hands at the end of the day.

The example I posted actually says climber on it in brackets at the top. This means that the guy was in the tree. OSHA only did a brief outline of the incident for training purposes. The LV still has to reach earth, or should I say the climber needs to be earthed if he is to get an electric shock. If he is in the tree there are really only 3 ways he can be earthed. Phase to Phase contact, earthed through his climbing rope, which is unlikely as most ropes, if clean, are non conductive and the third is earthed through the tree. That's why all trees must be cleared from the MADs with non conductive tools before climbing. I know there's plenty of examples of trees in power lines around the place that people walk past everyday but it only needs the right set of circumstances for the earthing to occur. All the power companies I contracted to in the UK, Oz and here have never indicated that earthing will not occur below 1000v and have always insisted we treat any tree within the MADs of Lv as live. Personally I wouldn't take the risk. I got a buzz from a Beech that had grown around the lv and that was enough for me. Direct contact means the cutter actually contacts the line with some part of his body. Indirect is via a tool, branch etc. As for Ivy on poles; hate the stuff. Had one guy in the paper here telling someone else to cut Ivy off a HV pole with a bowsaw and loppers. I had to email the paper quick sharp to prevent him from doing this. Apperently the Ivy was wrapped around the conductors too. Some dangerous peole out there. If I have to deal with Ivy I usually just get the line shut down. Saves all the hassles.

One of several examples.

Just got home and checked my emails. My whole inbox is full of earthquake reports from Ch'ch and most measuring 4.5 or more. 27 since 7 this morning and there's a few at 5+ so it's not over for the cantabrians yet. The after shocks are likely to continue for some time which could bring down more buildings. People have been evacuated from the area but there are people being pulled out alive from collapsed buildings so here's hoping the toll of dead and injured doesn't continue to rise.

Sorry scottythepinetree but I have a book from the US here full of fatalities within the arb industry and line clearance. 351 in total and some are examples of low voltage earthing through trees. The book was colated by OSHA in the US. Most are direct contact eletrocutions but this means that the LV line has to earth through the tree in order for the worker to be electrocuted unless it was phase to phase (which it wasn't). To add to that I have had a belt from 230v earthed through the tree and have worked with a safety training officer who has documented several incidents of LV electrocution through direct or indirect contact while in a tree. Just because you haven't heard of it happening doesn't mean to say it doesn't. And I would also suggest that if you haven't had a tickle yet while cutting stuff that sounds like you should have, then you're luckier than some; unless I read your statement incorrectly.

If you're going to apply from the UK better off sorting out the time difference and ringing up. A lot of applicants just send an application letter or email but to be perfectly honest most of these are ignored. Ring and ask to speak to the area manager or who ever is in charge. More chance of getting a reply that way.

You're right Lorry. Ventricular fibrulation can be caused by a minor shock which means that the heart is caused to have an abnormal heart beat. The person affected can feel fine right up to the point the heart stops. Other signs are pale skin, clammy skin, sweating, general feeling of being unwell, weakness or absolutely no ill feeling at all. Electricity can arc through the air so the tree you are working on definately doesn't need to be touching the conductor in order for you to get a shock. I've had a belt from th static charge around a 500KV line. The static charge alone can be over 40,000 volts. And 240v CAN earth through a tree depending on how much sap is flowing, what type of tree, how dead the tree is etc. Believe me, I speak from experience.

Oh Man, that's bad. Glad to hear your folks are Ok though.

Managed to knock off at 3 today and been watching quite a bit since then. Way worse than the september quake. Looks like it's only going to get nastier too. If this was just an after shock there could be a few more in the pipe line. GNS is saying that there's been a couple of 5+ after shocks so far.

So the poor buggers in Christchurch got dealt a massive blow today when they got hit by another big quake. First reports show major damage to buildings and multiple fatalities are being reported too. Ch'ch looks like it will take a while before it is anything like back to normal and I would imagine that the numbers of dead, injured and trapped will only increase over the next few days. If you peeps out there can just take a moment and spare a thought for those affected as this will be pretty devastating to many.

You get used to what they can and can't do but generally they have plenty of grunt. Mine will take a 25 foot chunk of Oak six inches through at the butt end no worries and it's 16 years old. When I worked in Oz we'd have competitions to see who could through the longest chunk of wood through but it ended up that you couldn't lift a bit big enough to stall the thing. If you try and put something too wide through it spits it back out at you. There's heaps of V8 drum chippers for sale in the US for next to nothing but most people I know don't like using them because they are percieved as dangerous. Most drum chippers have heaps of torque so will chew up whatever you throw at them. Poplar, Birch and Gum are especially good.

let me know of your plans. See what we can sort out. I have a guy just moved back to Taupo who might be interested too.

Hmmm coffee time then.

Yep, I use an old chuck and duck. 6 Cylinder 4.1 ford petrol engine so just a baby. Will take up to 8 inches if needs be and we can't feed it fast enough. Those guys in the first vid are just playing about with it. You're better off feeding nice long limbs in to give you a chance to get another branch ready. Small stuff is a pain in the backside cos it's gone in a flash. Not sure if that was a shovel they were using; we were always taught to use a wooden tool to shove smaller stuff through rather than leaning into the hopper, for blindingly obvious reasons. The chipper cost me less than a third of the price of a bandit and does the job just fine. Easy to fix too because there's no hydraulics etc. You should see the V8 versions they use in the US.