Rupe

Pursuade them that spending money on a Eucalyptus (in the situation you describe) is going to be a never ending process with no good end result.

Yes. Thinking about it I've never used a timber hitch for a pulley, cos before I knew what a cow hitch was I didn't know what a pulley was either!! We used to timber hitch on a topping strop, but that was a bit different and a whole lot more scary!! I remember having to hide behind stems, and tuck my toes and fingers in, while big bits beech would come swinging back at me cos the wraps round the tree were too many and it wouldn't go away!! Life is a lot less stressful these days!

Its a good knot! A timber hitch would suffice, but the cow hitch is betterer.

Yes Paul but that "labour only" makes them employees for the day, as described in five of the points in the list you posted, and as such they would need to be covered by EL and therefore by PL aswell. This thread is more to do with public perception of proffessionalism, or lack thereof, so I don't want to derail it towards a different topic.

The point that I was making earlier was that people go with door knockers, not for the price but because they think thats all there is..

I have actually cow hitched both pulleys and then half hitched down the stems, but yes your right. Half hitch it all the way to something stronger if you want to. Then try not to break the rigging point but if you do it should hold lower down. You wouldn't want to risk that on the bit your tied onto of course! So the main rigging point (yellow pulley) needs to be bomb proof for all the lowering you are going to do, and the blue one is just a helper. I'm just lazy mate! Thats why the pulleys go down for the groundies to remove. The blue one goes with its limb at 4:12, then gets sent back up and tied on below the yellow which then gets sent down still attached to its bit of tree, taking care that the inversion won't allow it come free, but not likely in this case cos the half hitches will hold it. I don't know if 8's "should" have wings, but if you were going out to buy one then it wouldn't hurt. I have both but prefer my little neat one, plus in this instance I'm using it, its so well backed up by the climbing system that it doesn't need wings, in fact I could just come down one leg of the access line using an italian hitch on a krab if I wanted too, safe as houses with the back up. Not nice without!!

Not to save it necessarily, but the rope was getting a bit sticky and the hitch locks up too much, so a smoother ride down. On some cords that are less heat resistant it is definatly a good idea for long descents, but can be doen by just putting the 8 under the hitch.

We didn't have much choice as to where they would go! I put the second pulley as far out as I could and we cut a hole in the yew trees below. We were lucky it worked! I think the wide angle of the cam makes it look taller than it is, but it was tall!! I have 50+ meter rope and I could only just get tot he ground when on my highest anchor, so its around the 100ft. What I noticed was how much longer it was taking to get the end of the rigging line back up each time! So yes taller than most.

Very helpful!! There are five points there (includign one major one!!) that confirms what I've been trying to explain to people for ages.

Yes, but I'm not talking about sub contractors. I mean people who are in for the day working with a company. They usually call themselves "subbies" but they are not sub-contractors.

Machine mart. About a 15 quid. Clarke CSV4E 100mm Steel Bench Vice - Machine Mart

I don't think anyone is saying that expensive gear is a direct link to proffessionalism. Right gear for the job is important though, but so are skills and standards of work and proffessionalism comes from all of those things.

Whats windows live thingy?

Not too bad. A bit sticky, but ok. Left the trunk in a 25 footer on the ground, not my problemo!!

But your editing from MP4 on windows movie maker?? That won't work with mine!

Erm, mostly its just using up the spare rope. They are quite long. But, it can also be so that if the rigging point should break it might hold further down, which is useful if you want a secondary rig point way out on a limb. Tie it off and bring the rope back along the limb with half hitches.

I know a guy who set up ages ago, stopped now though. He couldn't climb to save his life, no tickets etc but had watched a few climbers, me and a few others and helped us out here and there. He was a woodcutter so good with a saw but that was all. Anyway, some lady asked him to take a broken branch out of top of cedar. Massive tree. He ummed and arrd and said it would be really difficult to get up there! £400 quid! Yes please she says! It took him all day to branch roll up this tree and get the one limb down which smashed the garden to bits! She paid him £450 cos of the immense effort and bravery! And then she paid a gardiner to clear up and put the lawn right etc. I know the tree. Throwline/footlock/ lowering line/capstan/ 2men 2hrs tops including a cuppa, no damage and all removed £250... she would have gone mental at £250 for 2 hrs work!!! But if she had known it was worth gettign another quote she would have done. So what I mean is....people still think this is a really dangerous job for unhinged folk who don't care about HSE. ANd they will pay cos they don't know there is an alternative. Everything we do to be proffessional is actually making the job look less expensive not more! Its only the few customers that have the nouse to get someone trustworthy in, and that "nouse" is usually learned from past experience.

I hope no one weed on it the last time it was frozen!

You'd be surprised! In my experience some customers expect crappy/scruffy expensive tree work! If the company is doing with no PPE, they think its really dangerous and pay through the nose for it! I (we all) make it all look safe and (relatively) easy and they wonder why we charge so much!!

Bit of a scratch or smudge on the lens. If thats all thats wrong then no worries, I have cleaned it off now. I think I got smoked salmon on it at lunch time!

Yes. Timba!! He keeps well out of the way, usually in the truck or car. But he knows when I'm on final ascent, even with chipper running and if he can't see me! Imn secure places I leave the car door open and he comes running out everytime.

Hi Paul. Any body working on the job, on the books or not, should be covered by EL insurance no? Hence all "subbies" (hate that word) that are in for the day should be covered by the main contractors EL insurance?

Actually its not that difficult to sort out ouselves. I just made a spreadsheet with all my saws, bars and chain types on. Then looked each one up on your site and pasted the part number for each chain and the price onto my spreadsheet. I can take that list to work and put it up on the wall!! Simples. I can see that one of each of the chains I use (ten in total) would come to £176.00+ vat! Thats pretty good, as it includes 2 for the 880! Then I can replace any of them as required. Any changes to the cost can be updated on the spreadsheet easy enough.

So how does that video compare in qulaity to other X170 films posted on here?? Anybody think its worserer or is it just me?