Dilz

all that is missing from that vid is the jack russell.......

is this another case of captain topper and his pet dog lopper? personaly i wouldnt bother with a harness mate, cost too much money and over rated - triple bow line is what you need.

me babbling and pretending i know what i am talking about on Swedish TV news, the tree that i topped could have been felled or taken in a bigger lump but the camera crew wanted a tall tree topped high for effect........ enjoy!! Här trädsäkras järnvägsnätet - Smålandsnytt | SVT Play

is it me or is this like searching for the holy grail... a hitch set up that works like a lockjack?

they dont half look sexy, yeah the small one is rated nice and high and its tiny in comparison though they are costly, again never had problems with rough edges but man look at it is sooo shiny and smooth!! as for it not looking the part - i started off my rigging kit with a 1.5 tonne rated pulley i got for redirecting winch lines, and an old isc swing cheek (the type used for friction hitches) and often just a steal crab through as sling and though never ever blocked down on it but had a few......this is never going to hold moments but it always did.....As any one seen one of the big blocks fail, not the anchor point but the block its self?? a pal just bought the small impact block, he loves it and i think the bigg one has a hole in through the main pulley you can set it up so it wont twist and such,

also another neat trick is ( i cant rember what its called but i shall describe the best i can) tie a marlin spike but up side down if you get me, tie it some way along the rope when its about to be pulled up, that way the knot will sit in the pulley stopping it from running through and because its tied part way alon there is a nice long tail which is easier to reach and means you dont have to haul right back up, and to untie the knot you just have to pull down on the end of the rope.... Also teach your groundy how to send up the kit when you are setting up - i like it ready assembled so i can just tie on the block and go,

i agree i will pay a groundy who can kick ass on the rigging as much as a climber on the jobs where i need good rigging, as a climber all you do is tie on the piece cut it (well its a bit more tricky than that) but the grounds man has to know how to control the piece (helps if the climbers says how he wants it as well (hold the hight and then let it run etc), as well as knowing that he or she needs to get the rope up to you asap so you can start settin up the next piece. One of the hardest things is judging the weight, and how many wraps on what ever you are using, different ropes and capstans bollards etc create different amounts of friction so it takes a while to get used to different kit. When i'm on the gorund i have no issue of letting go of the rope all together when i want it to run - i.e youve held it so its swung away from the obstical and its over your drop zone, let it fall, its quick and smooth and stops stuff swinging back - i love rigging - the art and science is top, and like every one here keeps saying start small, and keep an eye on what can go wrong, check to see if there is an escape route and if applicable i dont use a secondary strop so i can jump out of the way if it all goes tits up, and when your groundy says he is ready just double check he actually is, i will mention no names but in case you read this mr x i mean you the ass head who said he was ready whilst holding a slack rope and texting on his phone

bah - those tails look fine to me - use a similar sort of set up but with a sling when i got a long haul just clip the sling to the harness and then to the bottom krab of the hitch climber....its been ages since iv used it, and infact forgot all about that little trick till i saw that pic

is there any rope that is pine sap proof? mind you the XTC holds up rather well to it there are times i cant use a cambium save - when i just have to take the tops of tall spruce and pines i usualy cut a notch across the top and run the rope through that, though these new fancy rope save mebobs like the art but with out the price appear to be able to be chocked on a pole is that right? if so i have a feeling all those off cuts of rope i stash in my kit bag are going to see day light soon enough....

at the mo 80% of my work is spruce and pine, no rope stays clean for long!! i use VT at the mo as i can tie it quick and like the way you can adjust its performance by changing the configuration, but planning on giving a knut ago just because it looks like it self tends really well, already have a hitch climber, investing in another for a second system when i have to climb on both ends of my rope. and coz the one i got just aint shiny enough no more ..Does the poison ivy need milking as much as the blaze?

Good point, I was looking at a Pet' Sequoia as i know a lot of lads with em, and they are mighty cheaper than the Tree Motion, but cheap aint always best, I've priced it all up and left the spider jack alone for now, as i want an DMM impact block instead, those beauties look slick!! so my rope choice for now is going to be the poison ivy with OP though not sure if 10mm or 8mm would be best... any one used OP with the poison ivy?

its the thickness of it that appeals, i played on my mates blaze and hated it! also the weight is one of the reasons i'm not going for the xtc again even though i think its an awesome rope, too many plane rides where every gram counts, though the rapid shortening of my current xtc is solving that problem (keep gaffing my bloody line - which is what has almost won me over to buying a tree motion with the nifty way you can clip a crab on to the leg pad and run the rope through that)

the new huskys have fuel primers on them because of so many complaints that they are a pain to start even once warmed up - a swede told me this - i then told him husky saws were a pile of poop, i then had to run....

i agree, when employed in a professional manner it is your professional responsibility to identify any dangerous issues, much like a doctor has duty of care to give a correct diagnosis of a patient. As soon as you have informed the owner of the tree of any safety issues then the duty of care is passed on to them, and if it is a real nasty dangerous looking thing then do it in writing so as to cover ur ass should it all go wrong, but as for identifying something that you notice when not working is just doing to decent thing and I dont believe you have a legal duty of care for that tree, but will sleep soundly at night. I would be exactly the same.

and if you dont already have one, get a hitch climber,

so tempted with a spider jack

time for new kit including a new rope, have used XTC for ever, bar a short stint on a cheap marlow rope, fancy a change, like the look and spec of the Poison ivy, any one had any experience with this? also toying with the idea of a spider jack.....but love my hitch climbers

i have a eye to eye tibor on yale xtc tied as VT 3 coils and 2 twists with a hitch climber - if you dont use a hitch climber get one they improve the self tending qualities of your knot, the 3 x 2 combo i use scares the poop out of me but its slick and quick but naff on big take downs as when your hanging cutting through a big branch you tend to creep ever so slowly down.... self tends a dream though if i add another coil its much safer and grabs better but doesnt self tend as well even with the weight of the XTC - verdict tibor prussic isnt so great with XTC..

ah a fellow Landmark shopper eh? i have yet to find another abies user - good harness but with a major design flaw, mines had 18 months of use and where the leg strapps join on the shackle to the rope bridge gets pinched and rubs and wears through and is soon in a state where a LOLER inspector will fail it i.e 18 months, tried to adjust it but there is nothing i have figuerd out and for the price its a real shame, my first harness was a good old weighs a tonne weaver and its 8 years old and i'd still be happy as larry climbing in it

in reference to the bit about using your climbing line, and a running bow line as a back up when chogging down, this is best practice and belive it or not wire strops ARE NOT CHAIN SAW PROOF! though some what difficult to cut but as soon as you start waiving bigger saws around there is a risk, i know a couple of people who have sliced through their flip line and an old boss nearly got through one of the big old swedish stops using a 660. i dont do the back up all the time, but it offers a quick escape should things go wrong as well as making it easier for you to be rescued, which i hope never has to happen

i can tell you a hell of a lot about the safety on the rail clearance work in sweden if you are interested, its the only work out here i have come across that even mentions health and safety!

just a note - any one interested must send copies of their certs, just your CV isnt enough as powers much higher than myself have requested proof of qualifications. Cheers.

One day left to get in your certs to be considered for the work - we are not asking for commitment just a show of hands for those interested. We have had a good response already but the more the better. cheers and all certs and cvs to be emailed by the end of Sunday 24th of April.