xdarkknight

So I've been working in an Arb job as a glorified groundie for a little while now and in the Natural Area Management & Maintenance realm for a lot longer, so I should know at least a little of the jargon, right? well, not so much. What are Sallopettes (sp)? When people say they can "graft with the best of em!" do they literally mean they "Graft" in the purest sense of the word? The converse of that is: When using a chainsaw on the ground, I wear "chainsaw chaps". What are they called in the UK? There are way too many more to recall them all and put them on here! SOOO, Please stick in your 2cents worth! I'm looking forward to a few responses!

Hey Nick, True to some extent. We DO have UL Cert (Underwriters Laboratories) which does pretty extensive testing Underwriters Laboratories Inc.. Interesting note about EU versus US cert on Chainsaw trousers (or US Chainsaw "chaps"): EU Certification requires that the protective gear only keep the user from being harmed. UL Certification requires that the chainsaw actually stops dead within a certain number of milliseconds. As far as kit price goes, It's about the same across the board. In fact some items are CHEAPER! crazy, eh? Stretch-Air trousers are a little less expensive and (because of the lack of UL certification) most "chainsaw trousers" are almost impossible to find. You can't buy stihl, sip, or husky protective chainsaw trousers here. It's chaps, chaps, or chaps (which are hot as heck, but great security.) I'm really looking forward to the AA show. If anyone wants to meet or network there, please... let me know!

Heyya, So, as I'm moving from the US at the beginning of June, I'm planning on going to the Arb show in Cirencester on June 11-12 ('10). I am hoping to pay the vendor's way and buy a bit of kit while I'm there. As well, I'll be needing my NPTC certs for the UK & will peruse the training vendors. As far as all that goes, I really like the look of the Haix Protector Extremes. Are there any negatives I should be aware of before I pay out 200 quid for em? How about Chainsaw trousers... I'm thinking I'll just go for a full Type C, just for the heck of it, but what's good for summer whilst retaining it's protective & durability qualities? I'm sold on getting a Stihl 260 (maybe pro) with an 18" bar. but, Where in the UK do people take their saws to get "the treatment"? we call em hot saws. Saws that have been bored out and the 26 cc opens up to about 28-30 cc, as well as all the other crazy serviceing they can provide. Do I really need a chainsaw jacket? I mean, REAlly??? Not a bad Idea, but... really??? Where is there a school that does an Arb program that I may be able to take part time? is the Horticultural Correspondence College actually a good school? would I learn what I really need to learn in order to "succeed" in the arb business? Is anyone willing to simply hire me into training? discounted employment rate till trained to proficiency (by about 3-6 months)? Would it be entirely crazy to just go all out and finance a stump grinder, start my own side business grinding stumps for local tree crews? So, that's like my own personal mind puke. I'll get to the mop & bucket once I'm done reeling from a particularly crazy day.

We had someone leave us for another tree company back in December. I never really wanted to be near him when he had a chainsaw in his hands, when he was driving any vehicle, or when he was doing anything really. It was only a couple months later that Boss came to the jobsite with a pic on his phone of a guy missing one and a half toes. (Soon to be followed up by a guys knot "slipping" and him plumetting to earth for 35 horrifying feet & breaking his pelvis/hips). Goes to show, you can never be too f'n stupid. PS:also, the only color I entirely hate... f'n stupid.

That's actually some pretty good advice, Tom! I'm looking for a college course to jump into when I get to the UK! Is it possible to work AND do this course at the same time?

I'm game... How much???

Here's what we've got. I'm partial to the leaf detail. I'd stick something like this on Beechwoods killer Warrior truck.

Goood . . . . Lord . . . .

And your company name is...? ...Rambo's tree service maybe? To drive that truck, you would definitely need a gun rack on the back window (like in the country in the US) with the gun that Arnold Schwartzenegger used in Predator (where he blows the b'jebus out of the forest w/ his commando buddies).

Nice Kit! Keep it dry! Make sure you take it to the park regularly. If you can't get to the park, a quick walk around the block will keep it from wimpering!

No, that's not "too many". Because what today may be too many would, tomorrow morning, NOT be too many! Oh, and thanks for the donation!

Those are some incredible pics! Keep updating with any more good pics you find.

We use a few 3-strand ropes for our basic rigging operations. They are cheaper if they are burnt or need to be cut, etc. They are spliced (without a hard thimble) at both ends. The 3 strand also is incredibly easy to splice and therefore doesn't require it to be special ordered with a splice. A splice in any rope for rigging purposes also keeps the rope from "milking" (the core sliding up the cover). The use of a Carabiner in Rigging operations should be heavily monitored. Equipment that has been used in rigging operations should be kept only for use in rigging. Once used in rigging, never again use that item in a life support operation. Steel Carabiners are designated for Rigging and are much stronger (40-50 kn vs. 22-28 kn) and heavier than typical life support Carabiners. VULCAN | Petzl Positive Locking Carabiners for Tree Climbers: ANSI Compliant A Running Bowline is fine for rigging and I use them all the time. However, breaking strength of a knot (40-60% strength) vs. breaking strength of a splice (90-98% Strength) must be considered in larger/heavier wood extrication operations. Such operations necessitate the use of a steel Carabiner. ok... poor ole decomposing horse has been flogged to a pulp...

I think this question has been answered pretty damn sufficiently, but... I'll toss this in. You climb up a static rope using ascenders and such and are lowered from the anchor point or using a controlled descent or belay (abseil) device. This method is used in Tree Climbing where isolating a line is difficult to nigh impossible (and in 6.Aid Mountain Climbing/ Mountain or Climbing Rescue). You never want to take a big fall against a static line. It's like falling against a stair-rail, except the stair rail is your saddle. Dynamic ropes are almost entirely used in rock climbing. They stretch to take up the energy produced in a long fall. They are also very "slippery", water resistant (ie: "dry rope"), though not as abrasion resistant to constant rubbing (like in a tree crotch). Semi-static ropes are necessary for tree work. materials used are much more abrasion resistant than rock climbing lines, while maintaining the flexibility and energy dispelling qualities of them. They also maintain the user in place in the tree in the way a static line would. Also, many knots have difficulty staying in a very dynamic line. Many Rock-Climbers (that I've known) use only 2-3 knots in their climbing line. Also, you can't use a climbing hitch (prussic/vt, etc) for very long on a dynamic line as it will glaze the rope.

Where is this taken? It looks like a place about an hour away from me in the Cascades of Washington!

UPDATE: 5 DAYS left of tree work in the US! 18 May: shipping most worldly belongings to UK (only to wait 2 months for them to arrive). 19 May: Clean apartment (flat) so as to get deposit refunded back. 20 May: travel to parent's to visit w/ family before "the big move". 2 June: Fly. 3 June: Arrive in UK... 4 June: Get Mobile contract & contact everyone looking for employment/direction for employment. If you are looking to expand or boost your company in June and you just so happen to do business somewhere between Bristol & Swindon, send me a PM or an email! I'm looking forward to going to the Arb show in Cirencester, so perhaps PM me & we could set up a good meeting point or at least exchange Mobile numbers. I have sent my "resume" (CV) to a good dozen arb co's in Wilts/ Gloucs/ E.Somerset with 1 thoroughly encouraging reply. Thanks to you GW! You've actually made this move much less stressful & daunting!

That will NOT happen with american UL rated "chainsaw chaps". which are required to stop a saw's motion within a fraction of a second. CE rated "chainsaw trousers" are only required to lessen the possibility that the user is not hurt... I take the old kevlar chaps, thank you very much. but they are friggin hot and only have back protection for the calves. I guess I'm ok with that. I don't like a saw running behind my thighs anyway. any thoughts?

Hey, here's a side question on places designing Carabiners... Does anyone design a Self-locking "Twisted" Carabiner? I know there's one by Stubai (Inner Mountain Outfitters) but I like options and 1 option is not enough. Also, the Gate is a screw gate lock, not a tri-act spring lock. I'd be using this to attach my flip-line's rope-grab to my saddle. Otherwise I'd use a twisted shackle, but as I said, I like options. My trainer has a virtual library of gear, but one thing he lacks is the twisted carabiner.

He needs to set up a very basic "marketing" website that showcases his work. If you set up a free account with www.Etsy.com (a crafty sales site) you can get stuff seen and sold in a heartbeat! DO IT! That stuff is spectacular! If he set himself up in the right way, he could have some comissions for people. His stuff is that individual!

Yeah, my head climber has one of those with the secateur holster on the side. It's great as long as you don't decide to saw into it at some point or another. It'd be great with a couple of loops at the sides. one left and right at the top, one left and right at the bottom.

Hey, So I was just reading through the book "On Rope". The section about Carabiners (Karabiners) mentions something about a twisted Carabiner. The only one I can find is one by Stubai called the 3d... something. Actually, I lied, I found another one, but I closed that web site and can't find it again so I can't recall the make/model of that one. I would like to find one or a supplier of them as I'd like to use one to attach a rope-grab to a saddle. And I'd like to gift them to my coworkers. Thanks!

Haha... yeah, We've got a few "Hot Saws" runnin around up here. I grew up going to the Deming Logging Show in, funny enough, Deming, WA. They have all kinds of crazy logging events and shows, etc. The one that was always pretty friggin cool was the hot saws. They get a BIG log (48" across) and turn on the saw and time it from top to bottom. The coolest one is the saw with the Nitrous Oxide boost.... Don't know what to tell ya. It's better than Sturgis Bike Week! (and louder too!) For all of these they have a wall of logs opposite the operator... So that WHEN the chain breaks, it is thrown into the wall of logs, not into spectators or who knows where. All in all, it's a blast. It doesn't hurt that my uncle's uncle runs a major Logging company in the area, so I see some of the show that others might not.

The jobs no longer posted. No longer looking. I called Westonbirt who directed me to the Edinburgh office. They JUST (last friday) got down to the short list and, darn it, I'm not on it.... }

Your groundie seriously left his laces undone? was this on day 1 that he twisted his ankle? I'll bet he insisted on wearing an extra-long silk tie around the chipper and chainsaws, too, right? His logic was...? you've got laces on your boots for a reason fool. Common sense! "Act AS IF...!!!" ~ D. Stice

Awesome pics! I saw some horse looging in Leavenworth, WA recently! are there any days when you'd welcome visitors to watch and learn a little about the use of horses?