morten

I wrote to Stihl's public relations dept, with a reference to this thread, and I have just received an email from Stihl on the issue (see below) Stihl clearly acknowledges, that they have had (and still has) a problem with the twist-lock oil caps, and they are "working ... for a solution". Good on them!

The 361 is too heavy for a primary groundsman saw. My preference would be Stihl MS 260 or Husqvarna 346XP with a 15" bar.

I really don't see any advantage in having a water proof rope bag! If you climb in the rain, your rope is going to get wet, and I wouldn't put a wet (or even moist) rope into a water tight bag. Within hours, it starts smelling like old socks, and fungus growth sets in within days. Obviously, you intend to take the wet rope out and dry it properly, but if you forget it's much better to have a well-ventilated rope bag. SherrillTree used to have a mesh rope bag from Buckingham, and it's still depicted on their website, but I don't think it's available anymore... That would be my preference.

Skip-tooth or semi-skip chains require less power from the saw (as there are fewer teeth), thus allowing for longer bars.

The only thing you don't get for free, outside the UK, is the domain name xxxx.co.uk, all the rest is freely available from Google using this link: http://sites.google.com/ And although it can be a bit daunting to register a domain name and pointing it to your Google site, it won't cost you many $'s My site (Danish) is set up in Google Site too, and is available on Forside (omkap.dk Træfældning)

I am using the Kolibri (and Petzl Sequoia). The Kolibri is excellent, but in my view has two weak points: 1. The elastic ribbons that hold the leg loops connected to the main harness come loose very easily while working. I guess you could tie a knot in them once you have established the right length. 2. Itøs near to impossible to mount a Petzl Caritool clip to the harness - that sucks big time!

When the lifeline is under tension while beoing knicked by the saw (handsaw or chainsaw), there honestly isn't much difference between 11mm and 13mm rope. They both snap easily. So I don't think safety comes into it at all. Where 11mm and 13mm differ is: 1. Ease of handling (larger diameter is easier to pull) 2. Weight and volume.

Figure-8 should have ears for two reasons (the figure-8 without ears are aptly named "Deaf-8", whereas figure-8 with ears are also called "Rescue-8"): 1. The ears removes the risk of the rope loop slipping out of the stem of the figure-8 and locking up - not desirable if doing an areal rescue with the load of two people on the rope! 2. Most figure-8's without ears are designed for 11mm ropes, and shouldn't be used with 13mm+ ropes. The larger firgure-8's with ears can take heavu rigging ropes. But note that steel should be used for rigging, rather than aluminium.

I agree that the caps on the MS 200T and the MS 260 located the same, but there still is a difference between the angles of the oil resp. petrol caps. And I see NO REASON why this is so. And there is no denying that many people have problems with some oil caps. And I find it a bit arrogant to claim that there is no problem with the oil caps. Not all caps exhibit the problem, but some clearly do. And Stihl should fix the design and/or manufacturing/quality problem no matter what, if they want to keep their otherwise good reputation.

Well the idea is OK, but the implementation is C**P! Firstly, as many has pointed out, the oil cap is difficult to fit when... 1. filled to the brim - and with the automatic shut-off caps of the stihl combi-canister, that often happens. 2. Sawdust and other gunk has accumulated on the cap and its surroundings. Secondly, for reasons only known to Stihl, they have chosen to make the rotational position different between all models of their saws, and also between oil- and petrol caps. That is just downright idiocy! Why on earth not have chosen a consistent insertion-angle for both caps on ALL stihl saw models. Yes, they have put tiny markings on caps and saw-body to indicate the right angle, but in bad lighting, and with accumulated gung and a non-20-20 eyesight, that is no help at all. There is NO EXCUSE for the inconsistent angles! Have a look at the different angles of these caps: MS 200T: MS 260: MS 361: (this is really bad!) MS 440: (as bad as the 361) I guess the German design engineer, when deciding on the rotation angle for a cap, threw two dice, multiplicated the two numbers (1-6), and multiplied the result by 10, thereby coming up with a random figure between 20 and 360 :-D

By far the most rugged phone is the Nokia 3720 Classic. I have used and abused it for 4 months now, and it has been subjected to water and dust. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxRwEtIOumE]Entertaining abuse of the Nokia 3720 Classic[/ame]

Well, in the workshop, I prefer the wooden handles, but in the field, I really like Husqvarna's plastic handle, that can easily be switched between the four files I use regularly (4.0, 4.8, 5.5 and flat). That way they take up much less room in my little toolkit.

Sorry for misspelling Prusik

I have used a wire-core lanyard with a Skylotec ErgoGrip adjuster for a year, now and I am generally quite happy with it, but I would like to know your experiences with using mechanical adjusters on wire-core lanyards. I know that the standard-setup is using a prussic/distel, but pine-sap is a problem with that setup. Possibly, I should give up the mental comfort of having a wire-core in my lanyards, thus giving me a lot more options on positioning devices/rope grabs. Or should I just go back to using a Prussic/Distel? Several rope-graps exist that will work with wire-core up to 13mm diameter, but only a few allow lengthening under tension, as well as single handed shortening. I only know two devices that satisfies the above criteria: The Skylotec ErgoGrip, and the ART Positioner (although I have seen different statements wrt the ART Positioner whether i can be used on wire-core lanyards). The Skylotec ErgoGrip, unfortunately, is riveted together, and must therefore be bought as part of a lanyard, or mounhed before the lanyard is end-crimped. I have also tried the Petzl Micro-grab, which works OK with a flexible 13mm wire-core lanyard, but obviously does not allow lengthening under tension. Another issue that must be taken into consideration when using most mechanical devices on a wire-core lanyard is to ensure that the device often needs to be mounted to the carabiner using a webbing-sling, to avoid an "all-steel" lanyard that does not allow it to be cut with a knife in rescue situations. For reference, I have included a few pictures of the devices below: The Skylotec ErgoGrip: The ART Positioner

Could you post a picture of such an aluminium crimp? If it has a cone-shaped end, it's fine, but with a flat end, it too could get stuck on the ring. I'm not claiming that the device is a revolution in cambium saver retrieval, but it has made my life easier, so...

I don't know what price it's going to go at, but I reckon it will be around £15.

I used that for a while, but the on one occasion, the prussic got caught on a branch on the way up and slid off the end of the climbing rope. Mind you, that could possibly be rectified with more wraps on the prussic.

The Gold Nugget is attachable (or removable, if you prefer), see images below, or on this link Gold Nugget (omkap.dk Træfældning)

Sure, a ball stopper, mallion, dog lead clip, chain link is all fine, if you have a spliced eye in your climbing rope. Without a spliced eye, you have the choice between using an overhand knot or ... the gold nugget. Am I right, or?

One of my danish collegues, Benjamin Skovmose, has engineered a little device that eases the retrieval of Cambium Savers. He calls it "Gold Nugget". I find it really useful, and choose to present it to you to get your comments as well as to get your opinions of the marketabiliy of such a device. Below, I have created a series of images that show the Golden Nugget in use. If you are interested in the Golden Nugget, please contact me, and I will put you in touch with Benjamin. Retrieving traditionally The traditional way of retrieving a Cambium Saver, is to make a simple overhand knot in the climbing rope, but frequently the knot gets stuck on the big ring (as shown on the picture), and you have to struggle quite a bit to retrieve it. The "Gold Nugget" The Gold Nugget is made from a solid nylon block, and is easily attached to the end of the climbing rope, and can be mounted on ropes with diameters ranging from 10 to 13 mm. Retrieving a Cambium Saver using the Gold Nugget Retrieving a Cambium Saver using the Gold Nugget is very easy, and there is no tendency for the Gold Nugget to get stuck in the rings. For more pictures, please see my home page

Am I the only one who regularly gets burn marks from the Stil MS 200T exhaust on my forearms, when I move the saw, lifting it in the saw-strop, from my left to my right side? I also have partially melted spots on my favourite climbing jacket from the exhaust. Ideally, I would like Stihl to provide a flange (or similar) in the plastics surrounding the exhaust of the MS 200T so direct skin/clothing contact becomes less of an issue. Alternatively, Stihl should consider embossing a mirror-image STIHL logo in the exhaust, so the burn marks would be "cool" ;-)

I have found that the shortest possible locking carabiner is this one, developed for maritime use, typically available in stainless and brass/bronze: I don't know what the name for it is. Anybody knows? In the other end of the lanyard, I use a dog-leash carabiner, as available from Sherrill Tree, in brass/bronze, which is easier to snap on/off using gloves, but doesn't open unintentionally:

In Part 2 @ 2:00 the limb seemed to swing around too much for comfort. Shouldn't the rigging line be attached to the limb near the top or the bottom, to avoid the balance-point uncertainty? Hope you understand my point.

I am getting tired of having to shout to get heard! To ease communication between climber and groundies I am considering investing in three sets of the Peltor Lite Com Basic hearing protection with integrated intercom system, that fits on a standard Peltor helmet. But the high price makes med want to hear other arborist's experiences with the system first. Anyone using it?

Hi, I am considering investing in the Stihl KombiSystem, and am looking for experiences with the Blower KM-BG as well as other KombiSystem tools like the Pole Pruner and the Scrub Cutter.