gibbon

Yeah, I sometimes use one hand, but thats when I'm being sloppy. I hate seeing it and don't think threads like this are a good idea. I'm sure a lot of seasoned tree slayers are confident that accidents will only happen to other people, but please think about all the less experienced people who might read this and think one handed is ok cos it aint. Cutting and holding in my opinion is un-exceptable. When I started, cutting and holding was the norm as long as you didn't cross your arms over the chain. If your good with your step cuts your not going to be working any slower with 2 hands on the saw. I'm not happy to see anyone working on my jobs cutting and holding, frackly I see it as a lack of skill doing the job safely. Using the saw one handed to free fall sections isn't so bad but does increase the risk of kick back. 2 hands is best. Accidents happen because people use the saw one handed. I know several people who have cut themselves working this way and using the saw with 2 hands would most likely have prevented the accident if not reduced the severity of the cut. What ever way you look at it, one handed use of a topping saw is more dangerous. If you do it as a matter of course (especially cutting and holding) you need to brush up on your technique. Please feel free to tell me how great you all are and how in control you are of every situation life throws at you.

Oldy but a goody

I spoke to dave at listen last week about a part for the same machine. Are you sure you got the right number?

I’m getting a bit bored of this now, but since I started it I’ll respond as best I can (in red). Perhaps so. I wrote “bottled” because that’s how I felt about it. In years gone by I would have gone up there thinking that I’d rather die trying than to admit I couldn’t do it. I had a perverse sense of needing to prove my abilities to myself and my peers. I don’t have this anymore. Because of this drive to push myself I've worked on massive trees here in the in Rainforests overseas. When faced with the last 5m of this tree I was thinking of my wife and 2 daughters and felt genuinely scared. To put some sense of perspective to it I thought chances were it would be OK.I also thought if I climbed it 10 times I would expect it to fail once. If I’d slipped and swung underneath it a would have been scarey and shocking the stem by doing this would have been dangerous. On balance I thought, no thanks, there a couple of hangers in those Redwoods over there so I’ll make the day up by doing that instead. I don't expect everyone to agree with me and don't really care if they don't. I like my job, but I'm begging to realise the reality that it really is something that might kill me. I can't always put this too the back of my mind anylonger and frankly don't think that its something any of us should do (except maybe Skyhuck as he seems to be the exception to every rule), roger, over and out.

Most of my work I price before had. I'll make a decision on how its safe to do, if I change my mind during the job then we do it differently and if it costs us more so be it. A fair bit of our work is also contracted in on day rate to a variety of clients, usually following a survey. Some day rate work, like this job, I don't know what were doing untill we turn up. If it looks like a job needing special plant then its up to the client whether or not to go for it. Its not worth the expence of the mewp for whats left on this tree. I feel like I owe the client to do my best. Maybe I could have gone further, but I just couldn't. In the past I pushed my limits way past what I (and plenty of others) thought safe, to impress big clients and for purely for the thrill. Maybe I'm just growing up at last.

I have never claimed to anyone that I'm a great climber thanks. I've no idea who you are and you don't know me, so don't tell me what I think about myself. I can tell you that I have some experience and I haven't been shy to post my recent work and even mistakes on here, wheres yours? As for not finishing, I bottled the climb, yeah so what, I'm neither a fool or a magician. Its not that it can't be done, I've just made the decision that its not worth the risk of climbing.

I have had branches tear out on me numerous times and for the record I'm 11stone. Mostly during branch walks but I've lost my anchor piont before. Once my anchor snapped out it was the same situation but at 15 feet. Yeah the branch took my weight, but when I snapped a step to chuck the branch out the extra weight of the branch snapped my anchor. The height isn't just something to mess with your mind. At 10,15 even 25feet you might think " OK chances are this will be ok, but the worse that will happen is that I'll take a tumble and be sore for a bit. Taking that chance at 100feet is different. I'd also like to ask the guys who say they'd do it, how may Northofagus have you climbed? are you even familiar with the species? Brittle trees full of included unions and prone to branch failures. Yeah this limb has taken some winds but I climbed past tons of old wounds on the way up so plenty of others hadn't coped. Its true that the vast majority of tree surgeons are macho nutters high on testosterone with egos as big as they think their balls are. But infact the best climbers I know have been quiet, modest guys not the chainsaw heros. I've climbed for 11 years but I can bet that I have more experience with large tricky jobs than many guys who've been at it twice as long. I've also never met anyone who has climbed larger trees than I've been lucky enough too. Up untill this job I'd re-thunk a few but never bailed, on this occaison I'd say the risk to the climber was far from acceptable so why do it? Some comments on here have beed daft and some food for thought. Saying some one is a great climber and quanitying it by saying they cut themselve twice is daft. How does chopping yourself up make you good? Skyhuck says he almost never riggs to reduce risk. We almost always rigg for the same reason. I think rigging involves less cuts often means better positioning and gets the job done safer. Not saying he's wrong at all. Maybe for us with the gear and staff I have rigging is safer. Maybe others with a slightly different set up chose a different approach. I believe some people have never bottled it, it must be true because plenty have died trying. I don't feel like I've anything to prove, but perhaps this thread might be a good place to post some pictures of you not bottling it and show us what you can do.

That means nothing unless you can show something you didn't bottle

I'm sure you would have got out there Drew. After climbing down a volcano it would be a breeze. But for me, putting slings lower down to catch me if the top 5m breaks out, whilst its attached my side strop then danging 100feet up isn't what I'm looking for in a days work. If thats what I need to do to get the job done then I'm not interested

Nothing wrong with the spec. There is an included union and decay at ground level. We wanted to get some weight out. Its an important tree being one of the 1st Southern Beech to be planted in the UK. I have a lot of time for the guy who inspected it, most other people would have had it felled. If it looked that bad from the ground I would not have climbed it so how was he to know. The question was always aimed at the experienced guys as I think the vast majority of learning climbers will pull out when challenged to far too soon. Interesting who says "yep I bottled it", I respect people who are honest about there abilities who are not ashamed to admit that. Especially so from the guys who have been able to show evidence on here of impressive work.

was tied to the other limb but that had an ugly union. That upper folk had a tear out wound on the underside brittle stuff too. Not going back up, like reg said i know what its like. Some times you got to realise that doing the work is a higher risk than not doing it at all.

Going to leave it for now Reg. I got enough wieght out where I could to reduce the risk. One side looks a little odd but its up to the estate how much money they want to spend on it. Speedline was a thought but I didn't have my long ropes on site. Also tensioning the line enough to clear the chestnut would have been just as scary

Na, that a special chestnut right beneath it and dropping bits on it is out the question. It would need to be thown out over the tree in pieces.

This is the tree and about how far I got. I've worked on lots and lots of big trees. Some much bigger than this, but I couldn't bring myself to climb up past and old tear out to get to the top. A mewp that could get to this tree would be mega bucks.

Asking the experienced climbers, have you ever bottled it? I did for the 1st time today. Had a 35+m twin stemmed Northofagus to reduce. The tallest stem has a lean over some other specimen trees so needed to be rigged out or climb out to the very ends and cut and chuck. I reduced 1 side then couldn't reduce the other. Couldn't climb the last 5m as it felt just too sketchy, I was sure it would break. Couldn't finish the job. Ever happen to you? or too tough to admit it?

Got a call today from a lady with a "fir" tree. She wanted to know how much I would buy it off her for. Can't even fell them for free round here, you got to buy the things from the clients

Was caught up in a 7.2 in the middle of the night 1999. Lasted 50 seconds and shook my book case straight out the house. Bed sliding across the room, girlfriend screaming sound like thunder coming out of the ground. I thought it was awsome. Once you know how it feels you might notice it again. I felt a small one in Sumbawa, my mates didn't notice it but the next day it was in the paper so I knew it was another.

tree work radically changed my direction in life. In my teans i worked as a labourer on site to save money to surf. By the time i was 20 i was living in central america rehabilitating then releasing and radio tracking neotropical wild cats, being paid well for it and getting my residency in costa rica. I left to see more of the world so got the 1st job i could to save for a trip to indonesia and that 1st job was draging brash. Always did tree work after that. Some times i wish i'd stayed in latin america but the uk is cool too

Had hoped to break up last week. Just got in from another call out. Did have work stacked till late february, but there is broken branches all over as we have never had real snow here before. Anyway time for a beer. Merry xmas cyber geeks.

Have fun and don't bang on about how do things a bit different in England. Other countries have different ways and thats the fun off travel.

I think the PTI is classed as a training course and although it is assesed is not recogised as a qualification. That was information I read whilst tendering for a similar contact recently.

thanks tom. I'm sure i could do with an extra set of hands. I'll give you a call when i next get a good one.

There were people snowboarding down the streets here. I can everyone being very busy for some time this side of Haldon Hill

Tons of the white stuff down here. Trees aren't use to it so absolute carnage. I can see all of January spent clearing, never seen so many broken branches. Had to rig the crown out of an 80tf Monterey Pine today which was heavily leaning over a house and had already taken out the conservatory.

So you should be.Cool.