Dan Curtis

Ime, they're pretty poor build quality. We had one snap in half on the a frame. Then on further inspection it had done it before about 6 inches further back. Horribly balanced on the axle so it was a pig to tow compared to others. They chip Ok, but unless you're being offered an amazing deal I'd try to go for a different brand Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

Thanks. I got it second hand from another contractor. I don't know where he got it from. I saw some similar riko trailers at the show last weekend, they look the part if you can afford one! Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

I should be up there Thursday to Saturday working again. Be good to see some of the faces

Have you considered recycling them? This company will do it, they have depots all over the country Tree Guard Recycling from Agricycle

Beech takedown yesterday then getting all the wood out and loaded into other trucks and trailers this morning. Just made it off site before the rain started

Hahhaaaa Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

Four days to go until the competition. Work is already underway for the 10th year of the competition. Hopefully lots of new faces coming to join the fun

To continue the pickiness, you can't have a decimal place on an imperial measurement

If possible, move any moveable targets, heras fence the whole lot off and wait a few months. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

Rig as normal generally. The only thing I find different is if you're redirecting your own line and the rigging line. It's just a case of working it out at the time Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

Charles Hill in Lincolnshire used to have a lot of old stock parts. They'd be worth a try Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

As in 3:1? You can do that with the ring too, one of its many perks

I'd go for Sorbus. Took a lot down doing la contracting and they often had that orange colouring Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

Yes, but without unfavorable loading on anything. I know all the things about ropes braking before the krab would but the ring is there anyway so I use it

Oh, I thought it should be viewable. It's just a bit quicker the the standard......Standard was cutting in around 4.25 seconds. Ported with the special bar and chain is around 2.65 seconds. Happy days!

Oh yeah, I take my spikes off once I've got an anchor point

Where to start.... Most dismantles I do these days are for a structural reason with the tree. Because of this I walk up on spikes checking the way the tree feels, looking for decay/weak spots etc. Also, it's a much less strenuous access method than climbing rope. For this I have a ring spliced into the end of my rope, I can do changeovers by passing the ring around the stem, pulling a bight through it and clipping a revolver into the bight. This gives me a bail out option at any time and means no tying/untying of knots to changeover. Once I get to my final TIP, I can tie in. I'll then get my kind groundsman to pull a couple more metres of rope from my bag and tie it to my rope. This extra gives me an allowance for redirects (more can be added at any time). It also means that I can easily move the tail of my rope to avoid dropping things on it. Work the tree like normal but with a thought to redirects you may need to keep to get to a certain part before smashing the canopy off. Back to the stem I swap over to the ring and revolver again, gives you the bailout option if needed. Others tie retrievable tie ins so you can descend a couple of metres before taking the system down and knocking a length off. Personally I don't bother, I just unclip the main line and spike down, resetting it when I'm at the next cutting point. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

No worries. I don't know about masterclass but I can show you a thing or two Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

There used to be a lot over the Fens, alongside the A17. There haven't been as many the last few years though. Maybe someone who drives the road regularly could tell you

I thought you might be interested in this Spud, one of yours

Bit of comparison

If a 550 doesn't break chains there's hope for this then, good to hear. Dime tip...I think I've got the terminology wrong there, I just meant it's a little tiny nose sprocket, compared to the usual. 18"on a 200 sounds an interesting combo. If you need anyone to test it out for you...

Yeah, you can leave the base anchor attached but top anchor in higher without worrying about extra forces created by the base anchor. I usually carry 2x anchor rings, 2x revolvers, 1x 30cm sling and krab. I rarely use more than two redirects at a time and with those peices I can have 2/3 static redirects and/or 2 static and one dynamic. In the picture, to get on the tips of the lowest branch, DdRT you'd ideally need to be in the dark blue anchor point. Srt, you could be on any of them, and use redirects in the branches to give yourself a more secure work position. If you imagine there's 6m between the dark blue and light blue anchors, and you've thrown the light blue on a base anchor. You could get up to it, lanyard into the next limb, climb up, set a dynamic redirect, swap over to your lanyard again, put in a static redi, work the top of the tree, then as you come back down take the dynamic redirect off to use later and go about your buisiness from a static, single loaded top TIP, with base anchor backup. You can still come out the tree on the base anchor once you've taken the top part off and retreive your rope easily. Does that make sense? I know it seems complicated and a bit of hassle but in practice it's only a minute or two's work.

I met a guy a few years ago who was running the bar and chain from a gyspy stick on his 200T. Mine needed a new bar so I thought I'd give this combo a try out. It's a Spud ported 200T now running an 8 pin 1/4" sprocket, 12" dime tip and 1/4" chain. This could be amazing, though I'm fully aware of the possibility of snapping chains and trashing nose sprockets. I really wanted the dime tip having had my 150T for over a year now, it's so manouverable in the tree and so controllable with bore cuts. Early tests are looking good, the next week will be a good test for it. Stihl don't recommend this setup, and I may be barking mad trying it, but I wanted to try it myself and see how I get on.

I don't really have a problem advancing a top Anchor on srt. 90% of the time I'll climb on a base anchor and just use redirects to get where I want. The climbing is nothing like DdRT, so you don't need to have the main tip right at the top most anchor point. If I do need to make it higher, I generally swap over between redirects and lanyard, then set a static redirect at the desired height. Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app