Stephen Blair

It was a great job, warm and dry when it was blowing a Gail and pouring up top the whole winter! Most of the time it was big spiral stair cases so you just kicked your way down clearing the way for the loader driver to get to his machine they had lowere in when there was only a few hundred ton kicking about the corners. Climbing the ribs were good, they were slippy as hell. Certainly got me strong but at 20 it's easy to do, it would be a different story now ha ha! I didn't know what a cafe was back then

I'm going to my safe room now Matty, hurt feelings and all that!

Climbing 100ft metal dusty ladders in the coal boats with no harness and using a shovel in 1 hand and holding on with the other in the dark certainly helped my strength! I was like a racing snake I'm just naturally an angry stubborn rageing maniac that's got a cute aim to please smiley shell. Can't let the tree win, it's was Matty, war I tell you

You are jumping right into a world of hell playing with a big shot, you need to serve your time and get into the woods and practice by hand. I've never used a big shot and don't plan too. Anything that high I wouldn't trust from the ground. Throw lining is great practice for spikes for rageing retrieval!

Ha ha I bet I know that 360 and driver

I never groudied, straight in as climber, I'd been playing in trees since a kid so adding a rope and harness made it easier going down but slowed me down going up so I usually just free climbed to the anchor point and a chainsaw instead of a bow saw was a dream! I'd bought a harness and spikes and just climbed everything , never had a rope. Just unclipped at limbs and monkeyd around. The worst climber in the world can be a very good groundie the 2 roles are not linked unless you want to be a drone employee. Not everyone needs hardship and punishment to succeed! When I was a labourer I had my own fabricated spade! I kept breaking the bought ones. I was rarely liked by my colleagues also, never cared about that I always knew what I wanted. If you want to be a climber, own your own kit for practising in, if you get a job they should supply it and you can choose what you want to wear. Personally if you have just done tickets with no experience I'd just tell you to climb up a tree and cut something off and offer you what you were worth and up your pay as you improved. I wouldn't be leaving you to lift 10 ton of rings out a garden to put hairs on your chest, I'd rather you kept your back good and take you round the next jobs for a heads up leave the donkey work to the donkeys. This job isn't as technical and wow as a lot make it out to be. Cut a tree down, carry it out and process then onto the next.

This is ok for normal grab and rotator, I think Johns is fixed so won't work on hammer lines.

I think there were 3 between you and I Huck.

Most are all gone, hopefully Lidl catch on though

If you can afford to buy out right do it. If you need a new vehicle and want to keep your money in the bank lease it. If you want to keep your money in the bank and reduce your profit , finance it.

If we are going down the echo route might as well use handsaws and ride a horse to work. If you like your lungs, buy Aspen.

Great view of it! I wouldn't go up in a wee tracked picker, big truck 1 yes. 1 of last weeks jobs [ATTACH]222423[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222424[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222425[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222426[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222427[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222428[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222429[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222430[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222431[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222432[/ATTACH][ATTACH]222433[/ATTACH]

Jensen, simple to fix with a shifter and a hammer!

Great price! Do you have the email of your man in Stirling?

I like it when work goes on at night time close by, it's cool to watch. I usually go and have a chat and offer coffee.

You charge what the market allows! If it's for a mates granny and you are feeling bad, charge less. It's not a race to the bottom guys. £40 per hr minimum for anyone using a saw self employed doing their own work.

Greens green!

They haven't pollarded stuff up here in decades . Locals went bonkers by the 3rd tree, councillors jumped on the band wagon and the thinning tickles began. Residents usually keep on top of epicormic and trees get picked off here and there.

Nice! My dad sent me this pic tonight, its about 13 years ago.[ATTACH]222119[/ATTACH]

Helping a mate bust up some big beech rings. That's about a third of the size of the largest ones[ATTACH]222080[/ATTACH]

Awesome!

Very cool!

:thumbup1:

Ha ha. The younger generation eh!

As the title says! Any ideas?