Mark Bolam
-
Posts
29,488 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
326
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Classifieds
Tip Site Directory
Blogs
Articles
News
Arborist Reviews
Arbtalk Knot Guide
Gallery
Store
Calendar
Freelancers directory
Everything posted by Mark Bolam
-
Ha ha. Would you consider taking a park set in part-ex?!!! Don't know if I can make Capel yet, Justin, but could always get Ross (Old Kent Road fire brigade groundie) to pop in and collect it when I have scrimped and save the necessary dollars. And convinced the wife it's another 'must have' purchase which will make me rich by next year!
-
All good points fellas. If we all carry on doing a thorough and professional job I reckon public perception will change eventually. Our kit is getting better all the time. We now have Arbtalk. Window cleaning ladders aren't getting any longer...
-
What am I looking at for a set Justin? 4x6' hollow poles, 2 pulley lopping head, hook and silky blade adapter. You can pretend it's 4pm on the last day of a show if you like....
-
For example if i'm in a broad tree and i have to work my way down one side starting from the top i'll install a pulley or revolver by my friction saver put the tail of rope through that, then make sure my tail follows me as i work my way down, then when i need to go back up to redirect myself to work the other side of the tree i have a 3-1 pulley system to pull myself back up which also tends the hitch for me. Didn't have a clue what you meant here at first, but tried it this afternoon and I love it! Not for use all the time, and uses a lot of rope, but for re-ascending it's fantastic. All brush down? Instead of chogging cord down on top of it and getting everything in a mess, come down, help with the chipping, then simply get groundie to pull you back up to the top of the spar while you do very little! Genius, and everyone gets home early. Top tip, Marc. Thanks.
-
Thanks Chris. You have just increased my proposed spending by at least 150%! Don't suppose there is a chance that the Sandvik lopping head is compatible with the Jameson poles, or is that simply being ridiculously optimistic? Dammit I don't know what to go for now! I don't need any electrical protection 'cos I don't go near the stuff now. Apart from the kettle, obviously.
-
Hardly ever use the saw head, but it has got us out of jail on occasion. 4 poles on the park set is 20'. Using the lopping head is a two man job at this length. Could 2 men make the odd cut with 4 Jameson poles ie 24'? Most work would be 2/3 as you say. Is the Jameson pruning head as manly as the park set one? For those odd times you need to take stuff up to about an inch? Thanks for comments fellas.
-
£34.something + VAT for the 10oz (summer weight) canvas. Went for khaki, which may have been a bit light in colour as they are now covered in bark slime from a goat willow! Looks like it's the leather trousers for the pub tonight then...
-
Just received my new 'summer is here' treat, a pair of Arborwear trousers (ordered yesterday from A&F Warehouse - fast delivery through Royal Mail) and I'm well impressed. Big, deep practical pockets, cut well and really comfy. My only gripe is they are so smart I want to wear them to the pub tonight!
-
I'm sick of wasting hours screwing together/unscrewing my ali pole set, so am thinking of getting a 6' hollow base and 3 x 6' hollow extensions with pruner/hook/silky blade adapter. Any comments on these would be appreciated e.g. do they really just clip together, do they bend crazily when using 4 poles trying to prune a 3/4" limb etc. Thanks.
-
Thank God Thatcher didn't decide to close down the arb industry after that little gem!
-
YOU BASTARDO'S! Iya justa trying tua maka leeving!........
-
How are those Pines coming down Theocus? Sunshine and heavy showers in Kent. The kind that soak you before you can get back in the truck!
-
New Series - Customers from Hell!
Mark Bolam replied to TimberCutterDartmoor's topic in General chat
You got paid mate, and on the same day you did the job. She does sound totally barking, but I'd rather have ten of her than one 'sane' customer who has 'lost' their cheque book! We'd be bored if they were all the same! Fair play for keeping your cool. -
Er... That wasn't a removal, was it? Unless the Yanks like really high stumps....
-
One Darwin Award coming right up.....
-
Thin road or not J, I guarantee on that first job the only rope used would have been the one I was climbing on!
-
That was one chunky monkey Dave. Awesome. Although I prefer cutting them into wafer thin rings for about a fortnight myself.
-
Horses for courses. I've been lucky enough to work with Scott Forrest aka Gumpy (British and NZ climbing champ) and would easily be prepared to pay someone with his ability £200+ (gross) per day when the occasion demanded it. Which would generally mean a big tree. The difference in productivity between the keen youngsters and the top dogs is massive. Not simply in climbing speed but also in speed of thought and decision making. I also feel that EVERYONE in our industry makes about 50% of what they deserve when compared to other less arduous, much less dangerous trades.
-
Used my Petzl Sequoia for the first time today. Awkward takedown of horrible multi-stemmed 60' crack willow with everything lowered. Was a bit disappointed that I didn't notice my new harness at all, climbing from 8.45 - 4.30 with a few tea breaks. Then it dawned on me - I hadn't noticed it like you don't notice the ref in a good match - because it was brilliant! Light, comfy, quick to slip on and off, loads of bling loops and the leg loops and belt stayed put all day, unlike my ButterflyII which self-adjusted to the 25 stone climber position after a few minutes of every use. I can't rate it highly enough.
-
When it get's really hot I generally slip into my Speedo's. I guarantee it improves your work positioning. Seriously, this summer I'll try and get on the deck as quick as possible then switch from Hiflex (which I think are at the thinner scale of Type C's) to shorts and semi-legal NZ chainsaw chaps. Easy for me as an owner though. If I was a balls-out contract climber I honestly don't know which choice I'd make. I find on those days when it does get really hot it's not possible to go hard all day anyway.
-
Good choice John. Great investment. All of the above tips, and the frictionless gliding around motion may feel a bit weird at first. Retrieval is a bit dodgy if choked too tightly so give it a trial retrieve whilst setting it. Don't set it in a tight v then have to climb and retrieve it by hand on the wrong end of your rope on a Friday afternoon when all the lads sit in the truck bursting to go to the pub and refusing to help you 'cos you told them it would make everyone's life much easier.
-
I bought the book and it's top notch. Totally agree about groundies - I rely on mine massively and don't agree with employing job seeker types just 'cos they are cheap. Could be the last mistake you make. It is a bit worrying that one of the co-authors was killed when a takedown went wrong!
-
Superb book. It is odd that they keep saying Steve Sillett suffers from vertigo. Free climbing 70ft to leap into lowest epicormic of 300ft adjacent tree then free climb that? I wish I had vertigo. I'd be rich! Great contrast book to Jerry Beranek's 'High Climbers and Timber Fallers'.
-
Defo Saturn. Think they have a deal on at the mo for TW150 blades. My last set from them seemed to wear better than the originals. Matty has a good point though. Avoid the real cheap stuff.
-
Must admit I hate chinstraps, but do use it when I deem it necessary. Red Squirrel - that's a top effort with a Silky, mate. Hope you get it down for good price. Reckon one of the North West lads on here could help you out. I've heard one of them has got a crane.....
