scottythepinetree

Just got my dyneema kit in the post. First impressions are it fits a lot better with the well thought out engineering on the rest of the product. The whole unit looks a lot neater. The old velcro was quite tatty and seemed to be stuck on there as an after-thought. Pity it wasn't picked up on from the start but well done for getting it sorted. Just one criticism though. The wee rubber bit on top of the sling would probably be better if it was sewn into the sling somehow. I can see it getting lost during change-overs pretty easily. And easier change-overs seem to be the main benefit of the sling in the first place. Anyone else who have had this kit for a while still have their rubber bit?

Fair play to the guy reporting it. Just got my dyneema kit in the post. Will keep an eye on it.

Age old story, and seems to be the same everywhere you go. Had a bloke today ask us to take down a line of trees for a cup of tea and a sandwich for the lads. "As you're here..." Thought he was joking at first, right by a busy road, 10 or so medium size sycamores, a few of which were leaning out onto the road. He wasn't joking, as he reckoned it would only take a couple of hours. He had a '12 reg M5 in the drive and a sporty looking toy car in the garage. I've learned to see them coming, I can tell the ones who are happy to pay for a job well done on the phone, and the one's who think you should do the job just for the privilege of working for them. The former get a fair price, the latter get the mick taken, just to cover all the "could you just"'s before the start with them.

I stand corrected. You can still check for sure. Follow the line. If it goes back to a transformer, its definitely LV. Either way if there's stuff closer than 4m, especially one rubbing the line, you'll need a shutdown anyway. If I saw it, chances are I'd probably do it live. Bundle is rarely switched out over here, but I couldn't make that call without actually seeing it.

We use them fairly regularly in work. Line clearance. Lot of hedges and regrowth, so for our purposes the 101 is a PITA. It's reasonably reliable and will cut small diameter stuff, so will do what you want from it. But if you have a lot to do the 131 really is a lot more powerful in practice. Not sure of the hp of either of them, but the difference in practice is very noticable. If you are getting a good deal on it than go for it. Never pass up a good deal.

Don't get the 101, spend the few extra quid and get the 131. The 101 is underpowered for the weight of it. The 131 is a little heavier, but much harder to bog down, meaning you won't need to carry that extra weight for long, as you'll be finished whatever you're doing much, and I mean much, quicker.

Probably 3 phase LV, but still LV. You can't have actual High Voltage (11kv) touching in a bundle fashion, even insulated they would cross phase to phase.

Its an insulated cable, which is LV. 4m away is far enough to do most things without a shutdown if you know what you are doing. BUT, and I can't stress this enough, go ahead with the shutdown if you are not 100% certain you can do it without dropping anything on the line. Short of actually touching the cable, it is hard to get a shock from ABC, but not impossible. What do you need to do to the trees (fell, prune, section fell)? Can you get a photo of the site?

Is there only one cable up there?

Reckon the other climber was a bit of a plonker not to back you up, considering he had his doubts also. Cope one over those lines and you'll never work in line clearance again. Over here, the company may never work on the lines either. You need to be 100% sure. You weren't sure and clearly did the right thing. You'll prove yourself to the company in time, by turning up every day, on time, working hard and not having any accidents. That's all you owe them for your wages.

Wouldn't go further than offering a day or two free as a trial or you might get the mick taken. Should get your foot in the door somewhere.

What you doing now? What attracted you to this industry? 35 isn't too old if you have an aptitude for it, and a decent level of fitness also helps. If you don't have these things, 18 is too old.

.... all of Top Gear is staged. All the races are choreographed bar the odd one or two that just work out that way. Its entertainment. Now Bear Grylls wants a slap.

That's the best solution so far!! Family discount, £150 with 12 months warranty!

Looks like mechanical damage initially, just a guess as cars can get right up to it. Would have thought removal straight away myself, if its fine for now, at what point would you make the call to remove it? I do realise you do what you're asked to do, but just interested. Always very wary of leaving something like that standing.

I have exactly that thought every time I climb a tall skinny one, especially if they're covered in ivy.

Stick it on e-bay, be honest about what works and what doesn't. Then use the money to buy a brand new one, plus a holiday, and a new car, and maybe something lacy for the missus. Bit of an exagerration, but they go for crazy money on there, no matter what condition they are in. Can't figure out why.

Sorry, should have said the number of wraps and braids in itself won't make it more sporty. I personally, find that the length of the hitch is more important. The extra length gives the wraps more room to loosen, thereby giving less friction, but less likely to grip. I have 2 lengths of cord in my kit bag at the moment, one is set up for a very short 2-2, and the other is set for a long 3-2. The 2-2 is way more reliable grip wise and won't loosen as much on descent, where the 3-2 will act as though there is nearly zero friction once I take the weight off it, but needs to be set sometimes (I take care to set it every time). In practice the 3-2 set up is far quicker. I could go with a 2-2 set up a similar length and this would probaly be faster, but I'm not a huge fan of friction burns.

I don't think the number of wraps to braids make it any more sporty. I climbed for quite a while on 2-2. On 3-2 now as the small wrap area caused a few burns, but made it a little longer and its actually a bit quicker. Obviously 6 or 8 wraps will create more friction, but the longer the knot is the looser it can get when you take the weight off it and this determines how quick it is. On a SJ now. Now that is entertaining. Just given it a few weeks of solid climbing for the first time recently, and well over the jerky stage. Loving the control. If I can just adjust my habits so I don't have to use it left handed, will be laughing.

Aah... the "bring your cosy life with you approach". Wonder if your Sky+ box will work there...

Wouldn't dismiss the sauna so quickly, during the day it's actually not an exaggeration. Not much better at night. No doubt you will have a ball though. The whole place is alive, and does you good to know, at least once in your life that if you pick a direction and walk for half an hour without paying attention, you may never be found again. Puts our cosy life here in perspective.

Went to Peru in 03. Was amazing, spent a week in the jungle on a tributarie of the Amazon. A place called Peurto Maldonada. It was a real eye-opener, the town where we started off was a logging town. 2 shops in the town (both selling chainsaws/ huge Stihl bars hanging outside) and 2 restaurants, an openly working brothel, and a couple of guest houses/bars. Real frontier feel to the place. The locals despised us until they realised we weren't American. Can't say I blame them, as the only "gringos" they usually meet are doing their best to exploit them. Don't think I'd want to spend longer than a week in the jungle though. It's the most intensely uncomfortable place I've ever been. Like being in a sauna 24/7. Lost about a stone in that week. The ground is literally alive with crawling stinging/biting things and the noises at night were pretty unsettling. Great experience though, and I'd love to go back again with someone who knew a bit more about the trees there than our "guide", who I'm fairly certain was a sneaky drinker, whose command of the English language all but vanished after a few bevvies. Got attacked by hornets, and a little lost under his guidance, but was still a cool trip for all that. Spent 6 weeks in Peru all together. Cost €700 for tickets 6 months before, then saved about 2 grand and would have come home with loads of it left, except we rented a RV and went on Surfari along the coast for the last 2 weeks.

Ditto the know your limits comment. Never be afraid to bottle it. If it doesn't look right, it probably isn't. That said, you wouldn't have taken it on if you didn't think you could do it (I hope), so best of luck with it. Less haste = more speed.

Don't worry about too many wraps. I found that the shorter you can make it from the bottom of your braids to the top of your HC (without your rope being bunched up between the braids), the more reliable it is to grip. 3 wraps or even 2 will do it, with 2 braids. You shouldn't have it so that you forget about setting it though. Good to always either watch it or give it a little nudge as you put your weight on it.

The amazonian trek isn't as expensive as you'd think. Nothing to spend money on over there. A couple grand would cover it easy. I've spent more money on kit in the last year than that.