Taupotreeman

Harden up Mr Blair 😄 meanwhile I will await your contribution. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Gnome, the link didn't work but I'll search for the thread, thanks. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Brian Peterson, exposure solutions. Boring no? Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Local fella here, most definitely no arborist, spent a week taking down a big ugly Leylandii hedge. Bit by bit and loaded on to his little truck and off to the tip. Took all the wood away as part payment. He told me how much he charged for the job and it was just slightly more than I charge for a day but he was happy with what he earned and the firewood. Some of us just need or want more than others. I should also add that the finished job looked no different than if I'd have done it with truck, chipper and two guys going for two days. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

cheers spud. The one I remember most was my utility training. A line worker in the states got a 13KV shock through his right hand, exited through his left foot. He filmed himself in hospital (yes, he was that concious) of what was happening to him. The electricity basically killed the flesh between the entry and exit points. Gangrene set in and the hospital had to amputate first his toe then his foot, lower leg and eventually his entire leg. They couldn't stop the gangrene spreading and eventually the guy's internal orgnas failed and he died. We were shown the photos after each operation until eventually he was too sick to continue taking photos. That was 20 years ago and I still remember the silence in the training room.

Eggs, some of these guys did their chainsaw courses over 10 years ago and have never had a refresher since. The chainsaw course thay have done is nothing like to the standard you would do in the UK. It's a basic two day classroom theory of maintenance and H&S standards and requirements followed by 1 day practical of pulling the saw apart and putting it back together, refuelling and then basic cross cutting. I had one guy who did the course but couldn't start the saw. Others wave the saw around like it's an axe. Darn scary to say the least. None I have seen so far understand tension or compression. Part of the refresher will be, I think, to weed out just who shouldn't actually be anywhere near a saw. To be fair, I haven't done a refresher for a long time but using a saw every day you keep your hand in. Reading about incidents on AT reminds me to just slow down a tad and think about what I'm doing. I'm fairly convinced a lot of our guys have no idea just how easy it is to come a cropper when using a saw. I definately won't be jumping in to showing the photos though. Don't need a clean up crew on standby

Gus, email is fine thanks. I think my email is available somewhere. Eggs, appreciate the sentiment and I'll kinda test the water first. Maybe horses for courses so to speak?

Perfect. Pictures are good. i should explain why the refresher training. We had one of our staff members (mowing or gardening crew) walking backwards with the chainsaw running and no chainbrake on. He stepped in a hole and fell over with the saw landing on his leg. I believe there was no injury but the incident was reported. Problem is, most of the guys on the lawn/garden crews have had only basic training (maybe a two or three day course) on how to use chainsaws and then they're left in the field to chuck one around whenever they feel like it. No refreshers EVER. Well, now there's been an incident and I have to run them through some basic training again. I find that pictures stay longer in the memory tahn words, hence the request.

Thanks Dan. First one to go hunting for tonight

I have to do some chainsaw refresher training with some of the staff here at work. I'm looking for a few gory photos and/or near miss photos that i can use as part of the training as I still remember the ones I saw when I was starting out and every time I think about taking a short cut those same pictures remind me not to. If anybody has any photos or links to such that they wouldn't mind sharing it would be much appreciated. I have plenty of written incidents but not much in the way of photos. A short explanation of how the event happened would also be appreciated, for those that wish to share personal incidents. Hope I'm not breaking any forum rules either, asking for this stuff.

Ugly job. Three Macrocarpas and two Liquidambars blown over at the root. Took out a whole heap of smaller stuff underneath and got hung up in trees further back. Wouldn't have been so bad except that they were covered in a grape vine and another species of vine, one of which was thicker than my forearm. Also found the remnants of an old asbestos shed underneath the whole lot. To add insult to injury, I got hung up on a sprag from the winch cable. Took me five minutes to work out which way it had gone in so I could get myself back off the cable. All is good thou; 14 tonne digger coming in tomorrow. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

You'll get different answers from different people on this subject but a college education will certainly help should you wish to head over seas at any stage. Many countries require two or three years of college ed such as a diploma as part of the entry requirements. Just something to throw in to the equation. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

I prefer to spend 10 minutes trying to decipher what Mr Plogs has to say rather than someone who writes mainly in text speak. I also find myself short of breathe when someone doesn't use any punctuation. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Shawshank, Gump and Love Actually. Incidentally, The Shawshank Redemption is the most repeated and requested film on American network tv I believe despite being a bit of a box office flop. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Spent a day in Arlington cemetery recently and managed to see a laying of the wreath ceremony. I can't remember the last time I had to suck in the big ones in order to keep the lump in my throat from rising any further. The sea of white stones is instantly sobering. Having said that; just across the way is the holocaust museum and a reason for all those white stones. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

For $26k surely you'd have a look at a Bandit? You can get a pretty decent machine for that in NZ. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

I have an iPhone 3GS in an Otterbox. Yep, it's old technology but all I use it for is the basics so why pay out $1K on a 4 or 5 when the 3 does all I need and, if I do actually break it, a new one is only a couple of hundred bucks. And on the subject of breaking them; I dropped mine once too often in the Otterbox the other day and the screen cracked so the Otterbox isn't totally idiot proof.

Hmmm wonder why it died. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

I still reckon they're safer than people think. That one in the vid has had a good feed of steroids and looks a bit demonic; mine is nowhere near as stupid as that but fast enough to be efficient. You can actually stop stuff going through the chipper if you give a good enough yank on the end of the branch. If you're gonna feed stupid stuff through it you're going to damage any chipper. Local contractor has had the winch rope go through their 18inch three times and we had a pitch fork go through our twelve inch. Worst I've had go through my chuck and duck was an electric fencing stay. It bounced around the feed table but didn't actually get fed through. The worst injury I've had from mine is being slapped around the back of the head by a length of Pin Oak. If you get wrapped in something that has feed rollers there's definitely more panic because you can feel yourself being hauled towards the feed table. Funnily enough, stuff going in the chuck and duck generally tends to whizz past you if you stand your ground. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

I fancy the look of that as the new company vehicle. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Beautiful crystal clear evening here Jon. Days are warming up and some trees are in blossom even though its still winter. Took this tonight. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Black flash hunter's camera just purchased. 10mp, 24,000 photos on one set of batteries. Going in the tree Monday. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Latest victim. 50 foot oak with over 40 drill holes in it. This is the second time this tree has been attacked. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

There's something not right with that chipper TCD. The feed tray is too high for a start. You should be able to walk the brash in and carry on past. It also looks like its mulching too fast as well and the drum is slowing too much. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

I tried one on. Nice helmet but there's no way I could justify the extra spend on it. I just can't see where there's that much benefit over a vertex vent.