treequip

Pan is the Greek god of shepherds Bacchus is the roman god of wine, If they had had Stella I imagine they would have bent a knee to that as well Andy

or Bacchus perhaps? Hic.

I can see where you are coming from with this but there are better techniques. It is possible to put “Ears” in and if they are deep enough, parallel enough and properly lined up with the felling cut they will man there is less material for the saw to shift when it comes down to the gravy and a faster moving saw will mean less chance of a barber chair. It would need some pretty accurate carpentry though. Andy

A driving licence is required by statute and carries a tariff of penalties enforceable by a court of law. The competency for tree work operations is not required by law, but is mandatory because the HSE says it is. Any enforcement usually falls when a company comes to the attention of the HSE but often it will be dealt with by an improvement notice. In short it doesn’t have the teeth is ought to have and the HSE doesn’t have the resources to police the job. Andy

Like some others here my carer pre dates these competencies. It was a bit of a rude surprise when I came back from my “Journeyman” period and found NPTC omnipotent in the UK (Can’t leave anything alone for 6 years can you?) My point is, how did we differentiate between the Pro’s and the numptys, before we used “NPTC qualified” to wave the banner of professionalism? Another point I would like to offer for consideration is this, since a competence is mandatory why are we shouting about it. (“NPTC qualified arborist” seems to be on every advert) I notice bus companies don’t use the same tack. All our drivers have PSV licences. Of course they do, it’s mandatory. If a driving licence for a chainsaw is all you have why shout about it. Andy

HaHaHaHa Best idea I have heard in ages. A newby (ND qualified) once filled all three combi cans with.....Derv. Deep Joy:sad:. Could that be part of the test too please. I can see a new thread here...go for it Andy

Always best to allow drainage for the more extreme symptoms of disco leg or Elvis knee syndrome.

Don’t you just love these silkys. I know I do but I curse them every time I loose blood to one. Yup go see your GP. Wounds near joints can be problematic. Infections in the synovial make movement painful and can be hard for your body to shift. Andy

I think a lot of it is the immediacy of the internet. Time was I wouldn’t have heard about an accident a few miles away and here we are discussing an accident at one end of the country with the world and his wife. Andy

You shouldn’t be worried about the height, you should be busy WORKING. Andy

And another unfortunate acident. http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Tree-surgeon-fell-chopping-rope/article-409117-detail/article.html Lets be carefull out there

The saw has a very small reciprocating mass so it’s unlikely to have done itself any terminal damage. I have seen quite a few drowned saws and they have all survived the experience. Drop the fuel out in case it’s contaminated. Remove the plug and drain any water. Assuming the piston is now free give it a liberal squirt of WD or similar Pull the cord till no more fluid vapour comes out. Replace fuel and plug then see if she lives. Andy

You can run the chain through polly hose to stop it chafing the tree. Once installed you can always get an annual inspection contract Andy

I prefer the idea of a catch chain because it means you aren’t messing with the trees current state or its adaptive growth. For chain I use the biggest galvanised chain and shackles I can find. Andy

Difficult to prescribe a course of action without a site visit but here are my suggestions. In order to prescribe a course of action we need to look at the mechanisms that would cause the “crack” to propagate. That’s likely to be oscillation or torque moment, or a combination of the two. Thinning doesn’t have as great and effect on wind loading as the degree of work deserves. A minor, and I do mean minor reduction would be more effective at addressing the oscillation issues. Reducing any large laterals will reduce the torque loading. I have never been a fan of bracing, I did a lot of it during my time in Germany and didn’t see any tangible benefits on trees that had been braced in the past. Bracing is akin to structural engineering and even if you were to “do the sums” when you install, the tree is dynamic so you would need to go back on a cyclical basis to check the tree. I would prefer to see a mechanism for stopping the limb causing damage if it failed. A “catch chain” or similar perhaps? So much the invasive issues. My preferred option would be to remove the target. Has anyone looked at that? Andy

Here is the problem. None of the law covering this subject is statute so there is no act of legislation you can print off and show. All these issues are covered by common or case law. Chris Skellern on AIE has most of relevant cases cited. Your take on the stand of things is spot on except for the amenity value part. Statutory protection notwithstanding, there is no legal obligation to maintain amenity. Back to the boundary means back to the boundary. There is also a school of thought that the health issue is debateable. The problem is these issues seldom get above magistrates court so don’t set a precedent. Andy

For international I would go with ISA certified treeworker or certified arborist. The CPD requirement means that if you travel to another geographical area your qualification updates relevant to the location over time. Andy

I am a leg man myself Andy

As an individual you are free to engage in activities that are ill advised dangerous or downright suicidal. In a commercial environment, possibly in control of the activities of others these freedoms are regulated. Much of the regulation comes from the HSE, whose remit only covers the commercial. Andy Oh..... smoking is legal because it was widespread before the rule of law......Er no wait that’s not right, it’s because it brings HUGE amounts of revenue

I like the dark, it is my friend Andy PS Nice tree ya got there

Ha Ha Ha Yup Been there done that, my effort came out in a shower of sparks one dark morning. Andy

That exhaust was a seriously useful bit of kit, you could take the filter out and clear the gauze with the exhaust fumes. It kept your hands warm while the groundies cleared up and it was invaluable for defrosting vehicle doors after a minus 12 Berlin night. If anyone needs them I have a few top handle covers (they got broke a lot) The handling power thing isn’t the real issue. The issue is getting sued by an ambulance chasing lawyer, or prosecuted by the HSE for offences under PUWER. Andy

That’s not a bailer, it used to be a forage (silage) harvester. They are surprisingly similar to chippers. I have seen a couple of machines all converted in the “murder death kill” spirit of engineering Andy

Well it’s like this When your machine arrives out of the box the manufacturer certifies that it conforms to the PUWER regulations. (or you shouldn’t buy it). If you modify it in any way, it no longer conforms to the regs. The issue of end of day working was addressed in the last cut syndrome and while I accept that a lighter saw means lees fatigue but a light saw with up rated power and the longest bar it can run also carries and increased potential for kickback. In the event of an accident where a modified saw is found to be involved any EL insurance is going to have all the excuse they need to drop you like a hot spud. The HSE aren’t going to be happy either. Andy

You dont need to do that Pete said so Stihl do make saws less emmisions strangled then ours I had a 44 from ZA that was a brute. The fact is porting reduces the back pressure and increases piston speed. Then people adjust the carb. You chaps seem to have the necessary skills. Many don’t the saw lives a short but glorious life. A hard lesson. Anyone got any thoughts on PUWER. Andy