scottythepinetree

Glow-in-the-dark mushroom rediscovered after 170 years | MNN - Mother Nature Network Pretty cool.

Whatever, about landrovers/hiluxes, Stihl make far better saws than Husqvarna....

You get used to it, a good pair of grippy gloves helps but not necessary. Some people can manage it some can't. If it hurts or you feel strain on tendons etc the cons outweigh the pros and you're better off with a thicker rope. Either way the SJ is an awesome device.

...so crown clean/deadwood and a light thin, and leave it at that? I've reduced one about 6 or 7 years ago in Tipperary. Quite a ways from here, but if I'm in that area again I'll pop by and get a photo. Would be very interested to see how it got on. Had no idea they responded so poorly to reductions. Hit it about 20% (according to my old boss), this being an Irish council 20%, which is more like 30-40% by 3998 standards. Armillaria doesn't seem to be so prevalent here. Only come across a handful of "confirmed" cases. That said, Armillaria doesn't really get a chance here. Once a tree gets big enough and is close enough to a target the general attitude on this side of the Shannon is "chop it in half". Our litigious nature demands a better safe than sorry policy most of the time. Thankfully the recession seems to be sorting that out a bit. The cost of removal being a bit prohibitive. People seem to be a bit more responsive when I price to get a pruning job, as oppossed to putting a normal price on a removal.

Just get a Hilux, can't be beaten for reliability. And tow like nothing else (cue the Landrover crew....). This is being advised by a Saab owner so should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Aside from a reduction, what would you recommend for Red Oak, in this instance? Reckon a few of those cuts are around the 6"+ mark, one at 5.30ish for one example. I probably would have gone ahead in much the same way Daniel did.

At least a bottle, 2 is better. Boil up some 7up (the sweetness helps it down). Add some cloves, 4-5 per cup. And some brown sugar (as above). If it really is a flu and not a bad cold, you'll need someone making them for you. It's important to drink them hot as you can take as this helps get a sweat going. Keep drinking, no matter how hard it is. You'll feel better in the morning, by Monday you won't know you ever had a flu. Only had a proper flu once in my life, arrived just before I arrived home from college for Christmas about 10 years ago. Hit pretty suddenly, like a ton of bricks. Couldn't even sit up. My dad followed the above instructions to the letter. By the next morning I was literally fixed.

From what I know of climbers and their rope preferences. If you like poison ivy you'll like it with the SJ. I reckon 11mm feeds easier into it, but thicker ropes don't need as much below it to self-tend. Try it, as soon as you've gotten used to the SJ you'll make it work well with your rope. At the end of the day, it's just a rope.

Nice tree Daniel. You get a before and after shot? Reducing big trees from a bucket is one of my favourite jobs. Really like being able to swing away and get a good look at the tree as you're working on it. I always get a better end result that way.

If you don't climb very often, I'd say that's more of a reason to buy a slightly thicker rope. You'll ascend much quicker on 12mm(ish). Also creosote on it can't be doing it any good. I'm not certain of what creosote will do to a rope and until you find out, I'd suggest not climbing on it. If it turns out to be harmful, then take the hit and cut it up. You'll get a decent climbing rope for less than £100. Worth as much as your life?

Make the VT as short as you can without bunching your rope between it and the HC. This will make it grab more reliably. The down side is, it will also make it a little stiffer to tend. As you get more used to the knot, you can increase the length a little. You really need to develop the habit of setting the knot after tending your slack 100% of the time, but the fluidity and ease of movement are worth it.

Having read the previous posts I don't think anyone is running new arbs down, purely because they aren't tarring them all with the same brush. There ARE heaps of numpties coming into the industry with "all the gear, no idea". They take abuse from employers and get heaped with a larger share of the donkey work, and this helps weed out the ones who aren't cut out for it. Good workers, who are determined will stick it out long enough to get better and before you know it become competent, and finally skillful. It's not brain surgery we do, but it does require a level of awareness and common sense. That said, I think the same can be applied to nearly every profession. To get good at anything takes time, the right attitude, and perseverence. The right guidance helps a lot too.

If you can play by ear without people running away covering their ears, and enjoy it, you're a musician mate.

Spiderjack won't make a lot of difference to your elbows if you're already on a VT/HC. A pantin will though, makes long ascents a breeze.

Alder won't rot under water.

If you have to ask then probably best not to climb on it. Climb 50 or so ft up a tree on another rope, look down, and then ask would you trust it up there.

Played guitar since I was 8. Hard to believe if you heard me, been on and off. Pick it up religiously for a few years then drop it for a year or so. I go through phases of not having anything new to keep me interested then find something that will rekindle it. Have played in bands, anything from metal to traditional Irish. Last few years been really into acoustic, John Martyn, Dave Matthews, Nick Drake etc. Love being able to just get up and carry a tune on my own. Time constraints make organising multiple musicians a bit too tricky these days, especially with a nipper on the way.

I've worked for a couple of companies that undercut (even themselves. ie. go cheaper than they were initially prepared to) as a means of winning work, and know of a few others around here that do the same. They all have one thing in common - they cut corners to make up time. This means they either work unsafely, or do an untidy job. Your reputation in this industry is everything. The cheap companies do seem to last but never expand or get into bigger and better contracts. The company I work for now are a pleasure to work for, most of the time. Jobs are priced to give you the time to do them right, without killing yourself. Everyone works as hard as they can, and the company makes a reasonable profit. This is where my satisfaction comes from. Take that away and its just a job like any other. Let the cheap and the desperate to their own devices. They can have the jobs I don't want to do. To the OP, keep at it, perseverence will get you there in the end if you are up to it.

Also, what sort of experience are you hoping to get from companies that don't own a chipper?

Treemotion, Petzl Sequioa, Komet are all good. Not a big fan of the Skylotec though I've been using Treemagic for the last 4 years. Just to add another one for you to try. My personal favourite. The real truth of it is though, is that they are all tried and tested. Whichever one you settle on, you will get used to, so you can't really go wrong. I find all the other ones (all very good harnesses incl. the Skylotec) just don't feel right, as I'm so used to where everything is on my own harness. I reckon you're really only trying them to make sure there is nothing you really hate about one of them.

For what it's worth, I enjoy your rants. You have added a perspective to Arb that I rarely brought to clients before spending some time lurking on here. I'll admit though that I tend to filter out the "preachy" element and take in the substance of what you are saying. That's the beauty of words on a screen. You'd probably get right under my skin face to face with a few pints on . At the end of the day though, I (indirectly thorough my employer) am being paid by a client to provide a service. Their needs come first. If I don't like it, I should start looking for a new profession, as you are in the process of doing. How you getting on in your search for a new career a year on from this thread? Would love to see that passion poured into something you believe in. May even follow you down that road in a few years when I can't keep up the climbing anymore.

A woman cooking in her kitchen was listening to her son play with his toy train. She heard the train stop and the little boy yell "All you sons of bitches who want off, get the hell off now, cause we're going down the tracks". The mother went nuts and told her son, "we don't use that kind of language in this house, now I want you to go to your room for 2 hours, when you come out you may play with ...your train but I want you to use nice language". Two hours later, the son comes out of the room and resumes playing with his train. Soon the train stopped and the mother heard her son say "All passengers who are disembarking from the train, please remember to take all of your belongings with you. We thank you for riding with us today and hope your trip was a pleasant one. We hope you all ride with us again soon". She hears the lil boy continue "For those of you just boarding, we ask you to stow all of your hand luggage under your seat. Remember there is no smoking on the train. We hope you will have a pleasant and relaxing journey with us today". As the mother began to smile she heard the child add "For those of you who are pissed off about the 2 hour delay, please see the bitch in the kitchen"

That's got to be the worst I've seen yet. Bent the whole house.

100% agree. Have used both and Greenmech are far nicer all round. More reliable, and easier to maintain.

I'm in, if the offer is open to all takers. Taping my velcro closed but is a bit messy.