Dilz

If you want durable, weaver wins hands down, the only problem being the bridge cant be replaced, if you nick it or it gets damaged some way, I still have my weaver, its now 8 years old, so i cant use it but i have no doubts that its still up to the job. The Tree motion is handy because of the replaceable parts, its comfy, light and well thought out, once you get it set up right, and i think that puts some people off, it took a while to get mine right, but its there and its like wearing an old slipper, although after less than 2 months the stitiching on the padding for the leg loops is starting to wear, but it hasnt been an easy two months, i must say when i opened the booklet and it said the harness could last up to 3 months with hard use i started to have regrets, will see how it looks in another months time....

Was it just a mistake with the ash, or does the kid really not know how to identify them? Everyone makes a little slip up every now and then. What grade did the lad get in his ND? did he just pass or get the full tripple distinction? thats the differece between a D level student and A*. Also if he went straight onto the course at 16 and had never worked then they may not apply themselves as much. I have heard in more then one college teaching ND level arb that the instructor had finished the course, worked in the world for 1 year then gone back to teach the ND. That is stupid, and will lead to students not getting the best insights in to the industry, and after 1 year not many can say they can tackle any tree, have observed tree structural defects for real, and that real world isnt as black and white as text books. - Of course the colleges are going to glamourise the course and the job and say there is tonnes of work out there, the more students they have the more money they have got. At the end of the day the ND is a good thing to have but it is up to the individual undertaking it to get as much as they can from it, and with the market as competative as it is and getting more so every year, the newbies will have to work hard to get the and keep the jobs that are there or work for less money - i know of one guy who got laid off being told there was no work, who then found out that with in a month two new guys were taken on who were nearly half his wage, - and the bloke in question is a good climber and crew leader.

i was too lazy to read all of the posts, but i like the idea of this thread, and wish to add my 50p's worth, There are studies, beliefs etc that tree have an ability to communicate, one thesis shows that this is enhanced by microrizzhoal ~(i cant spell it but you know what i mean) networks. The tropics are a good place to look for these kind of things, many trees flower in a sporadic fashion (i.e not the same time every year) yet it is noted that trees of the same species will flower at the same time. Yet scientists are not 100% sure how they co-ordinate these flowerings. Also a tree is a living thing, all living things contain an energy...the 'spark of life' there is a distinct difference between a living thing and a dead thing, regardless of what it is. Sentient means feeling of emotion, emotion could be put down as vital for survival, we fear, so we flea or fight to save our ass, we feel lust for the opposite sex to reproduce, we feel hunger and thirst so we seek food and water, etc. Trees do the same, but if they feel emotion the same way we do, then they aint letting on, but they do react, check out holly, and thorns, after they have been trimmed, flailed etc, they grow back twice as spiky to defend - this is caused by a chemical response, but then humans dealing with say - the nasty bloke in the pub is just a chemical response but played out on a different record. Also - all living things like i said before are powered by energy, energy creates a magnetic field, run a current along a wire etc... Now if our thoughts result or are the result in an alteration of chemical levels, and thought ( which trigger thousands of eletricla charges and impulesses through our brains) then is it not possible that this can effect the magnetic field we produce - or the vibe, we call it 6th sense - walk in to a room know something isnt right, or feel good because every one else feels good etc, then this could in effect have an effect on things around us, though it is hard to tell, especialy seeing as only other animals can really display any immediate reactions but these could be picked up by smell or body language ( the smell of fear) pheremones released could reveal intentions, so say the thought of a violent act results in the release of chemicals in the body to prepare the person for commiting said violent act, this change in body chemistry results in hormones being released in the sweat ( to expel the excess and perhaps to notify others to be on their guard). who is to say trees cannot pick up on this - though the flip side who is to say they can.... also for those who go on about grass, grass has evolved ( or was created for those who believe in creationism) to acttualy benefit from being grazed or cut short, you aint killing it, you are simulating it being grazed. Trees are important, always have been, always will, for those who get the pleasure ( and it realy is) to smash them down in big pieces and give a whoop whoop when doing so, we also have a duty of care to protect the trees that need protecting and do what we can to protect and preserve and make the existence of those things we use and rely on as good as possible, all i need now is a camp fire and some rizzlas the length of a roll of andrex.....

for a momment i had thought i'd shat myself because of the smell...

I aint talking about our Pete causing all workers to withdraw from the van with haste, (and thus braking the second rule of tree work) but an oak i climbed today, included codominant stems starting from about 6 meters up, chogged it down the fork, on the last chog, after it hit the ground, the tree made a cracking noise and the included union opened less than a cm from the released tension, also a crack appeared radially across the top of the cut, it smelt bad, i mean really bad....

If people in stockholm are willing to work for 120GBP a day then thats their problem! i came out and started on over 2000sek (200gbp) a day paying uk tax, free accomadation, albeit in a flat, with no windows, wiring that could kill and not much else. Stockholm is now getting quite competative in my opinion, lot more companies now than even 2 years ago, I charge for subbing 350sek - 450sek per timma, but taxes and expenses and unreliable work, winter, july when every one buggers off!!! mean that you have to charge that sort of money to live through the quite times, For those who read this wanting to come over, its all about getting to right contacts, and a little bit of luck, dont try looking for work out here form october till about march, as the season really winds down, though some people will still look to replace those who cant hack the winters. alot of guys, swedes included are what i'd call cutters not arborists, good climbers mind but kommunes are now wiseing up, which is a good think for me. When i rented it was lots cheaper than when i lived in oxford, and i gave up the sauce after the first 6 months - honestly any one who is interested in comming to sweden to work, be prepared, a quite few after work will probably cost well over £50, a good night out in stockholm once cost me just shy of £300, and thats was mostly on just me, £5 - £8 pints, and the spirits.......well its enough to make this old rum head weep. I stopped drinking and took up rock climbing, again lads and ladies, it will save you loads of money, its good fun and the indoor climbing gyms in stockholm are great to hang out and meet healthy athletic memebers of the opposite sex. Now i think about it i started on £35 a day dragging brash........... Jarnii i'm down in Smaland at the moment, about 40km from Kalmar, (no known climbing gyms round here:( ) but will be heading towards Halland province over winter and next year, i'm now on a traffikverket project and will be heading up on a stretch that way. My mate is moving to your neck of the woods soon i think, if so you guys should meet, he's a keen climber, ice climber fell klattra etc, and not too bad on the rope and saw, top bloke despite his mullet.

also i was told you need to have employee cover which costs a bomb for small one man bands to cover subbies without there own insurance. A subbie with his own insurance is classed as a bonfide sub contractor, labour only requires employee liability.

not sure about personal health....my mate over here has an american policy, hes rom the uk, works all over europe, costs him 60quid a month and they pay out with no issues and can be used on top of other insurances as well. Can also give info on getting public liability cover for uk based in europe if needed

stat oil coffee, or from the Q8 station with the blonde who is cute all over.

know what you mean jarnii, the uk chaps undercut all the swedes, which screws people up in the long run if they want to stay... i worked near falkenberg but not in gotheburg, stockholm indeed isnt for everyone, myself included but its a good place to get a foot in the country. jarnii is you gf f-skat??? if so it would be best to point out that as f-skat you give not quite but close enough to 50% ( i think its 47%) so out of the 200quid you get to keep a little over 100 and giving the extra living costs (it costs me nearly double in food bills than in the uk and the price of a pint is a joke). If some one is employing her at that rate as a groundie can i have their number????

what the!!!! crickey, how many people does it take to get a cat out of a tree???? bloody too lazy to haul their own ass up there.....though i think i will be trying that....looked bloody overcomplicated mind, also was that a throwbag cannon???!!!!! gimme gimme gimme!!! SMART = Smug Martys to Animals, Rubbish at Treeclimbing. I was earned the title of the Cat Whisperer in Lincoln city for my uncanny ability to get cats out of trees with my eyes still in place.....Old Joe went to rescue one, it ran to the top, it was blowing a gale, he cut the top of the tree out with the cat in it, landed on its feet but bust a leg, turned out it was stray, he got it fixed, kept it and called it lucky.

Had another good test run on it this weekend with a tricky maple over a house. The groundy has really got the hang of pulling in the slack when i had to drop some high stuff, handled some bigger lumps really well, the 14mm polydyne is awesome, we only had to put one full turn on when the chogs got more than about 130-150kg, really looking forward to getting a bit more on it.

First i find out Stihl have brought out chainsaws with a usb port built in them, computer software, for rigging??? angle measurments? got to love modern technology....though what ever happened to 'Are you sure this going to work?' 'I'll just cut it and see' Top stuff mind.

are there any climbers with out silky scars???

tradmastarna in stokholm are looking for climbers, they should give you a two week trial Stockholm is the best place to look for work in sweden, it has the most companies and highest population density of Sweden.

thats rail work in sweden!!!

how mature? i know two climbers who started in their 40's by no means the fastest but still far from the slowest. - i fancy harvester driver .....in the winter...those finks in their nice heated cabs munching sandwiches listening to the radio all day....air con in the summer, wearing shorts! they are fat though.... Lots of other options, surveying and such. What qualifications if any do you have? and or experience?

ah yes i see...nadgers!! though i agree a little competitive pricing could be in order.

I was just about to do a thread about how i enjoyed today, in fact the last week or so has been great and this looks like the place to put it. Last Monday after a quite period my phone rang 3 times from other companies needing me asap. I'm now looking at being flat out until mid November. I drove from Malmo in the south of Sweden upto Stockholm, its 650km, and a nice drive if you have time to stretch your legs which i did. I crashed at my mates house with his small army of dogs and worked with him the next day, ate food watched bad movies, next day worked with a mate whom i used to work with back in Oxford for nearly two years and who i havent seen in about the same amount of time. Next day worked for another company up in Stockholm, group of brits there working and a swede or two, met up with some old faces from last years season, went round to another mates house who i havent seen since February, Back to chill out with my mate and his dogs and make plans to take over the world, the friday drove back to Malmo, helped out a woman who had wrecked her car, and waved traffic around (hi vis in the van) till the firebrigade and ambulances showed up. got back to my missus in Malmo to find my shiny new rigging kit had arrived, and my new laptop Chilled out for a few days, did some quotes in Malmo and now i'm in a place called Emmaboda just shy of 300km from Malmo working for another company doing rail clearance which involves being out in the forests and having an easy time of it, playing with my new rigging kit today, found the lower jaw of a wild boar by the rail road track ( the missus is a dentist and loves this kind of stuff) and then got to my cosy house where i'm being put up (best digs i've had when working away for a long time) to find this e-mail in my inbox.... the translation will follow. Hej! Tack, äntligen någon som vet vad han pratar om. Jag tycker detta låter som en bra plan för trädet och priset låter också rimligt. Boka gärna in oss när det passar dig. Jag är mamma ledig och nästan alltid hemma, vill gärna träffa dig och lära mig mer om trädet den dagen du kommer. Tack på förhand MVH Ellen in english it translates roughly as Thank you, finally someone who knows what he's talking about. I think this sounds like a good plan for the tree and price also sounds reasonable. Please book us at your convenience. I am a home mum, and almost always at home, would love to meet you and learn more about the tree that day you will come. Thanks in advance MVH Ellen In short I like the travel, new towns and places, working for different companies and different places. I'm my own boss, I can choose whom i work for. I enjoy a customer who appreciates that i'm not just some bloke with a chainsaw and a ladder but some one who is a professional. I enjoy all the aspects of running my own company, from moaning about paper work to getting out there and getting the job done! When i put on a t-shirt with my company name on, i feel good. I couldnt work inside full time ever again. I like looking in the catalogues at all the shiny things that i can spend my hard earned money on. I enjoy the fact that tree work has almost a sense of community, a lot of people know a lot of people, and these forums where people offer help and advise and you can also help and advise others. You never really know what the day is going to throw at you and getting through the day and getting home. Its all good. I've rambled enough...but when things go good this job is the dogs nadgers!

i was thinking we could train him....

i bought the Treerunner 500, My gear gets shipped about alot, and also budget was a constraint so price and weight were an issue. I gave it a test run today on an oak tree, using a 14mm polydyne lowering rope and ISC pulleys of various sizes. The groundsman was not the most experienced of riggers but had no trouble using the tree runner. The fact that there is no slack when using a capstan was very noticeable, also when firing the tops off the groundsman was able to pull the slack in as the pieces fell from above the pulley and then let it run again with no problems just reducing the shock loading of the tree. I have thought about attachments on the top for lifting fiddler blocks and i have a few ideas in mind, though i dont know how much these parts are rated for. I sat down and worked out the loads every thing can take, and to be honest the jobs i do at the moment in no way require something with the capacity of the stein3001, or the jobs that the extra load would be useful would just mean taking smaller pieces. I also got a very very good price on my tree runner making only a little more expensive than the stein2000, but with no need to purchase extra ropes. I believe 14mm was a good choice for the set up. The groundy found it very easy to tie and untie, and it didnt create too much friction on the bollard as sometimes can be the case when using thicker mm ropes on not so heavy pieces. Setting the treerunner 500 to the tree took a little longer than would have with a capstan but that is just getting familiar with the kit. On the whole i'm happy with how it has performed though perhaps the largest that was dropped on it to day was only a touch over 100kg. I will continue to test it out and i'm looking forward to dropping some bigger chogs on it in the near future.

of course David would need a wingman, in case he got in to trouble so you would have to book a flight for me also........ Sounds like an awesome project! Two other reasons i would say climbing the trees would be a preferable option is that you can ensure that material is collected in a way that will have the least negative impact on the tree, with the tree you mentioned being so old and big it would be a shame to damage them needlessly with bad cuts and bullet holes. The gun method however is probably the fastest, but will result in excessive damage to the tree. If you intend on climbing them your self i would strongly advise going on a suitable training course and if possible never climb alone, have some there in case something goes wrong.

weird.... i got a fair amount on my polydyne.

fiskas or wilkinson sword pruners are the dongs nadgers, for tip thinning and reductions, the wilkinson ones are a bit tougher. dont be put of by the price, can be around 100 quid for the telescopic sets, mine have a 6.9 meter reach, and i love them, perfect for brining in tips, thining etc, only down side is they dont take very wide diameter branches but then if the branch is too think for them then you should be able to climb out no problem. I agree with a proper crown clean will open up the crown a lot. The illustrated guide to pruning is worth a look, although it deals a lot with nursery trees it has good pointers, and diagrams. If you do a proper thin, you shouldnt really be able to tell you have been in the tree after you have finished unless you take before and after photos, same for an artful reduction. One boss told me to leave all the branches at the bottom of the tree till the customers sees it. as for odd growing branches, the trees try and make the use of as much light as possible, and by removing to much you expose the trunk, which can lead to sun scorch and even encourage more epicormic growth. On tree where epicormic is natural leave a bit on, such as limes and oaks, remove all of a group but leave one for example.

just invested in 60meters of 14mm polydine, not tried it yet, but it knots well, needs a fair bit of milking though.