jamesd

I had some good and bad experiences when i was at college with spiking. First expereince was great, i dismantled a 60ft larch tree no problems then it went downhill lol! I kept on slipping on a tall and skinny spruce tree, i eventually dismantled the thing but it knocked my confidence a bit. The next time i used them was in the wet on a sycamore, absolutelly terrible experience couldn't even get up 6feet! but then the same day i spiked up a largeish conifer 50-60ft to put a pull line up no problem at all! I think it was partly down to using very poor spikes the college provided and a lack of confidence/experience. (trees with softer bark also make spiking easier imo but that maybe beacause i am very light) The one thing i did struggle with was keeping my legs staright and i still do i have a tendancy to bend my knees when spiking which i thing is incorrect???? I'm still very unexpereinced and havn't used spikes since college but i think a new, sharp pair of spikes that you feel comfortable in would boost your confidence a lot and practice! If i get the money i will buy a pair and practice loads with them! Hope my ramblings have helped a bit! James.

Cheers for all the responses i shall be ordering some merino socks, and gloves and maybe the coat if i have enough £££ The other things i need really is some waterproof trousers. I'm the same as little tree they seem hard to get a decent pair. I don't necessarily want them for climbing as i find chainsaw trousers keep me reasonably dry and i always seem to tear the water proofs when climbing. I'll be using them for groundwork or when we do landscaping jobs and hedgecutting etc So anyone got any ideas for what's a good pair to go for? i see clarke have these: SIP Tempest Flexothane Rain Trousers | Clark Forest : Waterproofs anyone used them? (May as well get stuff from them as i'm ordering the gloves and that from them anyway lol) Thanks again! James.

Lol on the leggings! i was thinking about getting some long johns if the weather gets really bad! I am now very tempted by that jacket looks good and its good a few of you have had good experiences with it! Anyone used theses socks? Woolpower 400g Merino Socks | Clark Forest : Base Layers theres a 200g pair and a 400g pair i presume the 400g pair mean they are thicker/warmer?

Its either that or Stein Evolution all-weather jacket, grey | F R Jones and Son Just this stein jacket which i'd use just as a top layer if it starts to rain!

Been looking at this jacket: http://www.clarkforest.com/shop/safety-clothing/jackets/cutandclimb-arb-jacket Looks pretty good they have another one on there which is more expensive but this one looks reasonable anyone had any experience with them?

Cheers for the info guys those gloves are called Tegera Thermal Grip Gloves from clarke forest. I might get those and some showa's to see which are the best Where do you get your base layers from?

Just wandering what everyone wears when it gets chilly outside? I normal just put on lots of layer but that gets a bit too bulky IMO. Is there any good thermal shirts that are good for keeping you warm? Also what do you guys wear on your feet and hands? i suffer with cold feet and can't seem to find a decent pair of socks that will keep them warm! Atm on my hands i wear thin wolly gloves then a pair of gripper gloves on top which seems to work well. I have heard showa thermal gloves are good but can't seem to find them any where to buy them! Any info would be great! Cheers, James.

Ok thanks for that! i will if i get stuck James.

Ok cheers. Do you know where i should start with the 010av? carburettor, spark plug etc? and is there a repair manual around that i could use as a guide? I have tried pulling it over put there is nothing so i guess the spark plug would be the first thing to look at? The side casing is also damaged at the bottom so i would need a new one of those any ideas where i could get one? (its the casing on the bar and chain side not the one with the starter cord in) James

I was going through my dads shed today and found to old husky 50's and thought i would try and start them and after a few pulls they were offf . I was amazed they hadn't been started for about 2 years! the only thing that was wrong with them was the stop button did not work, does anyone know if this was a common problem with these saws and how to fix it? Another saw i found was a stihl 010av which did not want to start. I am thinking of sripping this saw down completely and rebuilding it. Has anyone done this on this saw before/ is is doable? All advice would be great! Thanks, James.

Cheers for that just took a look on honeybros and they have the distel ones like you said with velcro strap at the top and leather at the bottom. Still a bit expensive at 195 ex vat. Will have to save up or find another cheaper pair, or a second hand set lol

I've been looknig into them as well, but they are more expensive than the geckos although they do have the leather strap at the bottom and velcro at the top which i prefer.

I am after some climbing spikes i have heard that the aluminium geckos are a good buy but i'm not to keen on the lower velcro strap they are also a bit out of my price range atm! Is there another pair out there that a a bit cheaper or has anyone got an old pair hanging about teh ywan t to sell lol Cheers, James

Cheers for the replies guys, most helpful. The tree in question has already been topped before at about 6-8foot high and this has resulted in a lot of epicormic growth (therefor making it a multi stemmed birch not like they are usually with one main stem) which is probably about 12foot high from where it was previously topped. And the customer wants this reduced by probably at least half which seemed very drastic to me lol.

Anyone got any pictures of silver birch reductions before and after. I have one to do and the customer wants it done quite heavily and i wanted to see a few examples of a good reduction first. Cheers.

I was just wandering how everyone climbs? i don't know any other way than using a prussik. I know the hitch climber is now very popular and seems a good system to climb with. I just don't want to be stuck prussiking all my life lol! James

Thanks for the replies guys! As i was aware the new england hi-vee was a very popular rope. Yale ropes seem to be very popular as well but what is the main difference between blaze,fire and xtc? they all seem very popular what are your views on these? Cheers, James.

out of interest what does everyone think the best type of rope is? What is your 1st choice of climbing line and why what characteristics make it your 1st choice? James.

ok cheers i reckon i'll go for the blaze, anyone know the best/cheapest place to buy it?

Yeah, it will just generally be for small tree work, conifers, fruit trees etc

I prefer a thinner rope as its easier to throw and they tend to hold thier knots well i get on well with the N/E tachyon as my longer rope. But i thought i'd give a yale rope a go as everyone seems to like them. What are the differences between the two yale ropes apart from thier diameter?

I'm looking to buy a new short rope around the 25m mark. Just wandering what suggestions there are? I was thinking Yale blaze or Yale xtc Fire they seem to have got some good reviews.