Taupotreeman

What type of Palm is it? Cordylines will come back, just leave something green on it but I'd like to know what species it is.

Definately not Liriodendron. Looks more like Acer.

Glad to see Health and Safety is a high priority, yeeesh. Apparently the Belmont Tower in Lincolnshire sways 6 feet at the top in wind. That's 1276 feet up I think. Not sure I'd wanna be free climbing with that kind of sway and at that height.

If it's anyhting like NZ i'd take your climbing harness and more expensive bits and bobs and also take chainsaw pants. I'm not sure if you have to use chainsaw protective gear when climbing (it never used to be compulsory) but the choice of chainsaw clothing was pretty poor. Very much the Clogger type of gear and I've already had a saw cut straight through a pair of these so if you've got good stuff, take it. Wouldn't bother with anything like type c though cos you'll melt if you have something that's too thick or has a heap of layers.

Can't speak for the UK suppliers but I'm pretty sure I've seen them in the Wesspur catalogue. They're based in the states but the service is pretty good.

Never mind the timber, good job he didn't run into the mog. When I worked for Asplundh carrying out line clearance using an EPV we had heaps of people trying to ignore the stop go signs or walking through the taped off area. A small chunk of wood thrown from the bucket usually sorted out the problem. Never actaully hit anyone but certainly gave a few the hurry up.

Just had this problem with my Stihl pole pruner. Turns out that the gearing splines were worn out through trying to cut more than hedges. They're not overly expensive to replace but if you pull the head apart you should be able to tell if the gears are cream crackered.

I have one too but they're no good on concrete (if it's the same type I have) and they can still be unstable if you lean too much at the top. Still good for fine pruning on the ends of branches on smaller trees though.

Geoff Mackley was in Turangi a few years ago and I've been kicking myself ever since that I didn't take the time out for a yarn with him. I reckon he's got one of the most interesting jobs going. i truly am jealous of you going on this trip. Hope you guys have an awesome time bro, really looking forward to seeing the pictures etc.

Boy, do I now have a dose of the green eyed monster. That would be a trip of a lifetime. I still remeber seeing Geoff Mackley going over the erta arle or however you spell it. Thought then that it looked awesome. Can't wait to see the pictures.

What's the female equivalent of gonads of steel?

Well, the guy who did the deadwood dinosaur has been busy again. This is his latest sculpture.

Volcano trip? I hope you don't mean up Ruapehu. It's persisting it down at the moment.

I see a lot of posts that say the lines are insulated but a lot of them aren't they are just weather proofed. Also, it only takes one point of contact from a branch or part of the tree to rub through any insulating cable that may be around the line to render it useless. People working around so called insulated cable are more likely to get a belt because it seems safer to work around them. The only stuff that works well is a neutral screen which is wrapped around the actual live conductor. If you have no skills or experience with powerline work then leave it well alone or get it shut down. I've seen too many horror videos and worked with too many people that have had to deal with fatalities from cocky arborists who didn't show enough respect. Sorry if I've offended anybody but I'm more interested in saving lives.

Useless info;The Pine tree is the one used for the name of the U2 song One Tree Hill (off the Joshua Tree)

I don't have a website link but you could do a web search for details of the lone pine on One Tree Hill in Auckland, NZ. It was attacked twice by some nutcase with a chainsaw, the second time he got about half way through before the tree sat back on the saw. The guy was arrested but the tree couldn't be saved and was taken down a few years ago. It was an iconic land mark in Auckland but (and I might not have my facts correct here) it was a bit of a sore point with some local Maori. The tree hasn't yet been replaced due to arguments over what should be planted. Anyway, enough waffle. You could also do a search under the Maori name: Maungakiekie. Some of the other NZers on here might be able to help out or I do have the details somewhere for the guy that did all the reports and consultation for the removal.

Stihl Hi Flex. Seem Ok so far but took me ages to find the velcro pockets. And yeah, the backside does seem very thin. Not sure how long they'll last.

Stephen, interested to know if you tell all your customers, on acceptance of the job, that your terms are strictly cash etc and have you had people opt out of the job because they don't want to deal with cash. Also, do you get many that accept the job under those terms and then start with the excuses thing once it comes time to pay or have you weedled out all these eejits and now have a reliable customer base that you can trust? I like the idea though and I have to say that I'm not usually that worried about not getting repeat work because I have had to chase money. If they much around with paying first time then they are likely to do the same next time and I'd prefer to do without the hassle because of the stress.

That's one of the worst things about bad payers. Getting your knickers in a twist and then spending all day in a bad mood and fretting over how to deal with the bad debt. I've been told by some people that I shouldn't worry about it and that the debtor will pay eventually but that isn't the point. Job has been done, payment required. NOW. Please!

I've done a couple of trees like this with a big back lean but I have the use of a 12 ton forestry forwarder with an eight ton winch on it. Even with that I don't think I'd have risked it with the live lines behind. It would only take one thing to go wrong to risk bringing the lines down. Live lines on the floor (if the fuse didn't blow) is not a scenario I want to have to deal with not withstanding having to explain myself to the utility company. I think I would have taken the extra time to dismantle with the EPV and saved myself the prospect of soiled undies and some serious explaining. Isn't that what an insulated EPV is for? To make the job safer and reduce the risks?

Agreed. If they say they'll pay in 60 days and they pay on that date at least you can budget but I don't think I could make it for 60 days. Most Larger outfits here have a 30 day policy but my wife's boss has debts that have been outstanding for over 6 months and because she hasn't chased them she's probably got two hopes of getting paid now. The worst ones are those that, no matter how many nasty letters you send, still don't pay. Just had one I did through an estate agent. The house owner was desperate to get the work done but once the job was completed they cut off all communications with the estate agent. The estate agent had to pay from funds held in bond for the property. Does anyone here worry about sending reminder letters to overdue payers in case you lose repeat business? Or is it a case of once payment is overdue it's a risk you will take?

Just a couple form an old job but it looks like you've found what you're looking for.

Used to do 6 monthly first aid and electrical awerness refreshers but haven't done one for a while. Never done any form of climbing refresher but was always learning new stuff when the new guys came on board with more up to date techniques. Since I've been out on my own the only learning I do is either from web videos or things posted on here or from mistakes (learning the hard way). I don't think they run too many refresher courses in NZ as such and if the electrical awareness stuff is anything to go by they'd be pretty expensive. Some of the bigger outfits have their own in house training but once you've past your exams etc there's nothing after. Just a case of getting on a crew with guys that have experience in various aspects of the job, e.g. moving from a utility crew to a municipal crew to a land clearing crew. Some of the cross credit training here was a bit of a joke whereby guys that couldn't even climb a tree had their quals endorsed with tickets to do crane and helicopter work.

Any drill holes in the trees? People in Taupo don't give a monkeys if someone notices. If it ruins their view its out with the drill and roundup. Other than that, check to see if the soil around the trees smells oily like others have suggested.

Not long after I fist started out I was working with the bosses original climber on some treesa round a cemetary. We were removing limbs overhanging an old victorian (original) wrought iron fence. I asked the groundy (ex climber) several times if one particualr limb needed roping and he was adamant that the branch would miss the fence. Yeah Right. Cold day, wrought iron fence vs large limb equals 1500 quid bill and a very unhappy boss. That's probaly the worst, apart from busting my leg when a limb I was rigging got caught by the wind and came back butt first into my leg. Four weeks on crutches and a bruise from waist to little toe.