Mark Bolam
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Everything posted by Mark Bolam
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After 6 tons of the f**ckers I was happy every time I found a big ball of pigeon sh**e to break the monotony. Excuse my French, but this is clearly an emotive subject for me. Mick - you're right. If the job had been for slobs in a less salubrious environment the only thing I would have topped would have been myself!
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Aaaah! But why is it any different in use? Looks nice mind. Cost?
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You fellas have been watching too much Ray Mears. I like Leylandii sap, me.
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Therein lies the problem, Dean. I inherited the job from a bloke I sub for, and I reckon he got Stevie Wonder to look at it for him. I don't like doing it now at all, but if I do quote for any I turn up dirty and climb into them to see what the crack is. Avoids finding any nasty surprises the gypo's have left when they did them the time before! The point is, Leylands are fine as a standalone 100' tree or maintained as a hedge. It's this constant topping/forget about it for 15 years/topping/wider and wider/topping malarky that I can't be doing with any more. At least we got to fell a few of them today, which was actually deeply pleasurable!
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Quality shot of that head coming off Danny!
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Thanks Reg. I reckon we could have cleared the site by 1.30. The following week... Good tip about leaving the slings attached as well. I reckon there's more to this crane malarky than first meets the eye!
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Thanks Garth, but forgot to mention the drag right round the house and down two sets of steps! Aaah the bliss....
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I didn't say I didn't like working on conifers. In fact, I love that thud when the butt hits the ground. Help is available james. You are clearly a sick man...
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Stevie I've had my spikes on for the last 3 days! 6 tons of top out so far. At least we're felling some tomorrow...
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Does anyone seriously want to do this? Currently wading through a bunch in Tenterden, Kent, which I inherited as part of a subby job without seeing them. 50' reduced to about 35', but the spread is about 20' across the tops. All been done years ago, so anchors are all skinny regrowth about as thick as my man hood. All in all, about the worst I've done. Luckily, the client is really nice and open to suggestion, but I'm hampered by the fixed rate I've agreed (or I could fell half off them). Wish the bloke who 'bought' the job had climbed into the damn things first! Any ideas for throwing lumps 20' from back to front and avoiding crushing prized Magnolia much appreciated. Does anyone actually enjoy doing them? Any answers containing the phrase "bread and butter" will see the culprit tracked down and killed. Horribly.
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Run the 24" with a 66. Wish I'd bought bigger, but only had a 44 at the time. Still, it'll be be enough to make up some stuff with my Leylandii tops!
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How long start to finish, Reg? And at what point do you decide a crane is viable? Ta
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Blue telecom nylon for me every time. Dirt cheap from B & Q, and so many uses. You can even use it to tie limbs back on that you have removed by accident. Seriously, try a few if you can, mate. IMO you need two, a long 'un and a short 'un. Nowt worse than having to pull through 40m of slack when you are doing a pi**y little fruit tree reduction.
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Deffo try before you buy, and quick release buckles will save you loads of time over the life of the harness. Clunk click, harness off, tea with two. Lovely. I like my Butterfly II, apart from the stupid piddly elastic straps coming undone / pinging my butt cheeks in conifers, and the complete inability for the buckles to remain where you set them for waist / leg loops.
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B***er! I love my carbon fibre Geckos. I can honestly say I can wear them all day without any discomfort. Would hate mine to go the same way. I'll get the lads to carry me to the base of every tree now to avoid any excessive wear.
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I've seen a job done with a crane years ago, but I didn't know enough about climbing then to understand how easy it made it all. I am at the same stage as Sciadopitys, and would love to help out on a job with an experienced crane-savvy dismantler. Doubt I'll need one myself, as we havn't got the plant for really big dismantles, though I've done a few as a subby. How do you work out the point at which a crane becomes viable? Is it purely financial? Also from reading various threads I take it that it is not permitted to 'ride the ball' into the crown? If not, why? Surely it's a lot safer than some of the crazy-a**ed stuff we get involved in. You are working with something with documented breaking strains etc. Any thoughts appreciated.
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Love the way everything is so smoooth. Got a medium Beech dismantle next week, and I'm determined to move away from my swinging, crashing, shock-loading style of lowering and incorporate more of your techniques such as double strops and lowering points etc. Always a pleasure to watch Reg. Ps - that Poplar burr would make a really freaky snowboard core!
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Apart from those situations of course! I actually enjoy crawling out to tricky tips now and again, as I think it is a true test of climbing skill. I'm not very good at it mind. Which is probably why I've convinced myself that very light reductions are a waste of time! Local TO down here spec'd a 5% reduction and thin on a LOMBARDY poplar a couple of years ago. God give me strength! Or the cash to by a MEWP.....
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Cracking mate. Especially like the wafty uprights at the back. You've just given me the incentive to dust my Alaskan down and start milling again. I'll post some pics of the first thing I make with the Leyllandii tops I seem to be wading through at the mo!
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Amen to that, brother!
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Just found this thread. Great looking lid. Think I'll go grey with smoked visor and stencil 'Maverick' on the brow. Reg - re original pic on p1, if your spikes are in that stem you must have size 97 feet! You were stood on the ground with a kids playhouse behind you, you old fraud, you!
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That is one cool duck. Personality disorder accepted... Never seen the like.
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Formative pruning accepted, most reductions on mature trees are not done for the benefit of the tree, are they? IME they are done because Barratts have built some new houses too close to the tree. I would favour a reduction rather than a fell, but that's only because it's a lesser of two evils thing. Unless it's a Leyland Cypress....
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It does make sense John, and I've never thought of doing it before. Doesn't it bu**er up your option of a quick descent when things go wrong though? I haven't been to the pub. Drinking indoors is the new going out. Hic.
