Paul Jenks

I was taught the fishermans when I used to sail. The reasoning is that it offers a flat surface to the pulley. On a yacht if you've ever tried to get a figure eight out of a deck mounted pulley at 30+ degrees being washed about the scuppers you never use it again. Also taught to leave at least 12-18" of tail so that if it does get jammed you can get several hands or another length of rope onto it.

Ignorance is no longer a defence. Tree owners have a duty of care to ensure that their trees are in a 'reasonably' safe condition where there is the potential for them to cause harm to third party person or property. I think, that for the average householder the idea of reasonable is different than for a corporation, estate, housing association, LA etc. Though I've yet to see that tested in court. There is a case where a tree owner has been found guilty of negligence when a tree failed and killed a man. The previous owners were also found guilty as the tree was so obviously dead and they had not done anything about it. There is a case where a housing association was found guilty when a defective limb crippled a man, £2.6million. And an LA that was found not guilty when a school girl was killed by a limb as they had had taken reasonable surveying measures. Once a tree owner has had a survey and the surveyor has professional indemnity insurance(which assumes the insurer deems the person to be competent), the exposure to risk is transferred to the surveyor's insurer. If any works are recommended, the works need to be carried out according to the survey within the timescale stated on the survey schedule. If they are not and a tree or section of a tree fails and it was recommended to be worked on the exposure is back with the tree owner. If whoever carries out the works does not carry out the recommended works correctly according to the specifications the contractor carries the can.

It is as much to do with the breaking capacity of the vehicle when fully loaded as it is the springs being able to take the weight. Anyone in the business knows a 3.5t will run all day with MGVW of 5 or so tonnes. Whether it stops in time or pulls to the left or right under harsh breaking is another thing. As has been alluded to historically on threads, when overloaded one tends to drive just a bit more carefully. Looking for both the idiots that decide to pull out in front of you and the stripey cars ready to pull you over for being low to the ground or having few of your trailer lights working. The disturbing factor for us as a company is that we spend £1000's every year to ensure our vehicles conform, are not run overloaded and our guys are qualified to drive. We look at their,(the guys), safety, protecting the company, our clients and other road users. Yes, the threat of VOSA is one of the sticks used to change our culture. The really annoying thing for us is the number of other operators that run only or mainly 3.5t vehicles. They are significantly cheaper to run and anyone with a licence can drive them. It puts us at a major commercial disadvantage as we either have to run more vehicles to a site or bigger ones. I can understand 1 and 2 operations running only smaller vehicles, but anyone with more staff should be ashamed if they don't aim to abide by their legal duties as both a road user and an employer.

Banana's are herbs. Maybe start out on some coriander and build up to it.

IOSH suggest that PPE is the last thing to consider after all other controls have been implemented. I guess their legislation and enforcement is different. Culturally they're generally happy to have guns around,(not meant as a dig and I know it's a sweeping generalization. It's just an observation. And before the UK gun lobbyists start having a go I'm using this as an illustrative metaphor.), so I'm guessing they're more at ease with the hazards associated with the great outdoors than our little island. Our HSE culture tends towards over-protecting and the Americans maybe less so. However legislation, PPE and hazard controls are put in place to protect the worker, there has to be a culture of use and acceptence within the whole organisation to make it work. It would be interesting to see realistic accident statistics from the States. FTR and IMO The over-sanitisation of the industry in the UK is a bit of a turn-off for a lot of people within it.

Keep hands warm and use anti-vibe gloves. I used a newish Stihl strimmer with a loop handle yesterday for about 90 minutes. Reckon it must have had about 10+m/s/s vibration. As was said before, this degree of vibration in a modern machine is unacceptable. Even with gloves and a fairly mild day my fingers felt like they were strumming a guitar.

Should be fine, though, as said above, awful to grip. The prussik will have to grip on less surface area, so as it glazes it'll be less effective sooner. Also, the prussik will have to bend around in a smaller diameter and so will be slightly weaker. The calculation for the resulting loss of strength I don't know. Generally, as long as the rope isn't bent around another that has a smaller diameter you should be ok.

If you're having trouble sleeping try a herbal product called 'Dormeasan'. My wife got me some last week as my hea was all over the place and the lack of sleep was impacing on my day to day life. You put a few drops in a little water and drink before bed. It's very good, though it tastes foul. You may still wake up in the night but it stops your mind whirring away so you can drift of to sleep again. It's made from valerian root and hops. And I'll repeat, it tastes foul.

Good Karma from doing good deeds for others, especially those in need is very valuable. It re-inforces the community bond around you, something sadly lacking in most places. Endeavour to do at least one good deed a day. It makes me feel better. Keep up the good work.

If it's by the motorway you'd have to wait until the contractors remove it, and remove it they will. Even on minor roads we have to be careful where we leave wood as folk stop to cut it up and throw it into the back of the car. This can and does cause RTI's and whoever left the wood there gets the blame. I'd start by ringing the Highways Agency in that area as they are the ones who oversee all the works. They should be able to give you the detail of the main contractor.

Are we in danger of slipping toward the realms of cartels and price fixing here? One of the fundamantal differences between us and other 'professional trades' is the public perception of the legislation and how it applies to them as well as the tradesman. A person using a plumber has Gas Safe, (formerly Corgi), an electrician has NICEIC approval. They also have a better understanding of the direct risks to them and their lives/property if the tradesman screws up. I.e. gas explosion or electricution. They, the clients, are generally not as well informed as to the value of using a reputable tree surgery company. As with other trades, the less competent often get away with poor work practices and standards without issues arising. Often the value of using someone reputable only becomes apparent when something goes wrong. Of course, it's a bit late then if they have opted for the less reputable, (not always cheaper), operator. Also, a big snotty takedown in a restricted back garden will cost as much as a new bathroom. The client will appreciate the money spent on his/her bathroom every day. Once the big snotty tree has gone the only reminder is some sawdust in the borders and a big hole in their bank account. Back to the thread. We use all of the aforementioned type of tip sites as well as blowing the stuff roadside when possible. If you have to pay for your yard space then collecting it to sell on is often not viable. If you work from a farm you might talk to the farmer and use a silage clamp and he can sell it to the biomass folk. Also, there are a number of older threads on Arbtalk covering this stuff so you might want to do a search.

Just on this particular point. I think there is some legislation about charging for quotes. I may be wrong. A few years ago plumbers started to charge for quotes and some enterprising individuals thought up a business model that involved just quoting. They never did any plumbing just quote high prices and got paid for the quote. As for parish councils, I think it depends on the council and their culture. We work for a few and most are absolutely marvellous. Some are rubbish, of course. As with most clients, if we can build a co-operative relationship with them rather than an attritional one that is what we strive for. If a client or potential client has asked you to quote several times and you've lost the work to someone else it's time to question whether they are worth the effort. Question them or question yourself. Simple, not easy though.

You'd need really big forearms when using the saw one handed with a 16" bar too. On the rare occasion that this comes to pass, of course. All our 200's have 12" bars. It means that the ground saw gets passed up sooner so less wear and tear on the little ones. Personal preference I suppose. nicer balance IMO.

I quite like Hermione too, but for other reasons.

It does seem a bit stupid. The unions, by law, have to give 7 days notice of any strike action, so we should have fair warning and time to prepare. It may not come to a strike if ACAS can get some agreement. IMO pretty poorly managed PR by the government. I was wondering about using cherry too if it comes to that. Happy to pay the duty,(well not happy as such, but you know what I mean). The challenge we face is the lack of resilience in our supply chains for most of our day to day needs. One hiccup and the shelves are empty.

Of course he would, (no pun intended). If he'd had a smaller gob he'd have had more wood to cut through making the back cut. QED he'd have had more time. Unless, of course you feel that he has the ability to cut through more wood in the same amount of time as less wood.

You are correct, Skyhuck, moving the hinge back would make the centre of gravity easier to move over the hinge and therefore cause the section or tree to fall more easily. (An over centre gob is a good way to fell big wide monoliths.) My point was and still is that a smaller gob would have allowed the cutter more time and control as he and his ground crew quite obviously haven't the skills of you and your crew. In this instance I would not have used wedges, notwithstanding the rather tight slot into which he was attempting to get the section into and the narrow diameter of the stem. You seem to me to be getting fixated by my mentioning wedges. I was using the example of wedges to demonstrate the leverage principle. If you didn't or don't understand this principle I apologise for not clarifying it in enough detail. I commonly use wedges on big and medium fells as I feel it gives a much more controlled operation. This is just my personal preference, possibly as a result of the huge amount of respect I had for the chap from Lantra who taught me some years ago. Had you and your crew or, I dare say quite a few of the others on this site, cut such a gob as demonstrated in the video, I reckon the section would have fallen precisely where you wanted it. However, in the case in question, with the cutter and ground crew in question, I still maintain that the gob was too big and he was too greedy. If he'd cut a smaller gob he'd have had more time and more control.

Fasciation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Of course it has significance. In this instance he should have cut a smaller gob to allow for a thicker hinge, not wider, as the tree diameter is quite small. The guys pulling it would have had more chance of getting some movement in the section prior to it actually breaking the hinge. As you can see from the calculations I posted a smaller gob, (i.e. depth into tree), doesn't appreciably reduce the hinge width whilst still giving a good amount to actually act as a hinge. Cutting further into the tree gives all the operatives less room for error. If the tree starts to fall, in the preferred direction, with a smaller gob, the cutter can accelerate his cutting to ensure a clean break as the gob faces meet. (It should be noted that a shallower gob might have been used to make it break and come down horizantally and he could have knicked below the hinge too.) With a larger gob there is less capacity for the cutter to react to the rate of fall and therefore the groundcrew to adapt their rate of pulling. I too use all manner of gobs to acheive all manner of results. When it really counts, and I think that gobbing out a fairly large top into a fairly tight slot counts, I revert to basic principles. To pick up on your point about the pulling rope. The pulling rope was installed. It wasn't being used. Had the cutter given himself more time and stability, by using a smaller gob, he might have been able to instruct his groundcrew a little more effectively prior to the tree giving way.

If one cuts a gob 1/3 of the way into the tree the actual width at the back of the cut is95.8% of the diameter. If one cuts 1/4 of the way into the tree the actual width at the back of the cut is 88% of the diameter If one cuts 1/5 of the way into the tree the width at the back of the cut is 80% of the diameter. Hence we are taught to cut 1/5 to 1/4 of the way into the tree for the gob as, allowing for the depth of the hinge, (patently missing in the example we are debating), the width at the back of the hinge should be 85 and 95% of the width of the tree. To cut any further into the tree may de-stabilise the structure prior to the felling or back cut being started and during the first phase of the back cut for very little gain in hinge width. To cut 1/4 to 1/5 into the tree as opposed to 1/3 gives a significantly better moment when using wedges or a jack, which, I think is an appropriate way to tip over a tree in confined space in a controlled way. FYI I prefer g-strings not panties and if the knot is in the right place it's quite nice.:001_tt2:

What a load of piffle. If the gob had been smaller he would still have had a hinge. Seriously though, why shouldn't I criticize the arborist. He royally screwed up. If he'd have understood the 'rules' as you so patronizingly put it he may not have ended up with the result he did. If you want to have a go at Brit bashing pick another site. If you want to have a go at me bashing come to Blighty and we'll talk the subject through over a cup of tea. Perhaps you can demonstrate felling principles on a scone. If we have a selection of fruited, plain and cheese you'll be able to show how felling cuts behave with inherent structural defects.

I think that over simplifies the debate a little. There are opportunities to learn in all sizes of companies and it's not just learning how to do things. Often one improves working for a bad company, though typically when one has an instinct for their own welfare and can recognise poor practice and learn how not to do things. How many people on here have worked with/for bad bosses/managers and worked out a better way of doing something? There is pressure in most companies to perform. Wherever you move to, Nathan, keep sight of your goal and use the experience to progress. It takes time to develop and learn the skills in this and most other trades to become profficient. I'll agree it is usually easier for a larger company to absorb the costs associated with bringing newbies up to speed. Sometimes a smaller business will invest too if they see a committed worker that doesn't cost too much, (here I don't mean cheap, just a little less than the normal rates.). Turning up on time, being a willing and consistant hard worker and not whinging are as valuable as a suite of NPTC certs. As an employer we have and have had our share of bloody good workers and shirkers. That's the chance we take employing. From your side you take a chance stepping into employment. Some bosses are bloody good some aren't.

Must take a day to fill out the daily check sheet and a week to LOLER. How do find the time to climb?

I think you'll find the infeed rollers are the blades. Dickie Robinson used to have one back in the 90's. 65hp caterpiller engine. Proper chuck n' run. The only safety mechanism was they key to turn it off.

Visor every time. Squint if you're concerned with a bit of dust. Glasses steam up and get scratched. A visor will keep the big, high velocity, damaging stuff away. I've been cut in the face a few times from stuff exiting the wrong way from a chipper and from branches in a tree even when wearing a visor down. The damage would be a lot lot worse without the visor.