Old Mill Tree Care

It's a strange thing Worcs. Several months ago I climbed a tree DdRT and it seemed like a pain but returning from the long skinny branches was easier. Then a few months ago I did DdRT again and it was beyond awful. It appears that as I've become more proficient on a single rope I've grown away from doing it on a doubled rope. Something I never thought possible. For the record I'm not slagging off a doubled rope. Last week I got into a little Birch started on DdRT but had to switch to SRWP. I've just become a creature of habit. Anyway, I'd better get back in my trench before Ewan starts firing volleys at me again. This is the third time he's witch hunted me:confused1:

Seen it all now!

I don't see why it would be a problem. Years ago I worked with a guy who was around 5ft tall and he was a lightening climber. It's more about attitude and how you use what you have.

It does the same job as every other friction device on the market, it just does it differently. Every device is different to another therefore each one does it's job differently.

Nobody has ever stated that it would. On the contrary, Dmc and I both stated that by holding the rope down (below the HH), the HH can be slid easily up the rope in the direction you are travelling. You haven't used a HH have you Ewan? I don't understand why you are argueing with me on three different threads about HH tending technique. You know, it's not a Lockjack, Unicender or Rope Wrench and it isn't a Wraptor either but you're giving me grief about why it doesn't perform like all of them rolled into one. IT'S A HITCH HIKER!

No nobody quoted that. The hitch, dog bone and steel karab are what provide the friction on the HH. If you substitute one of those components for something else, the friction will be applied in a different way and wont work as designed. It's all irrelevant anyway as the dogbone must be held securely in place by the hitch cord. I said this earlier.

Airstreams work fine with my old cheap spikes.

Blimey, Ewan's got it in for me. He's after me on every thread!

No I wasn't. Just stating what it does and that the refined technique with a HH is not to tend the rope in a upward motion, HC style. I'm not saying the HH does things other gadgets don't. I was saying the technique is different. The technique for different devices is different. Simple.

I suppose it could work instead of the hitch but why. Anyway, the dog bone is attached to the hitch and the dog bone applies pressure to the climbing rope. To use a LJ you would have to attach it to both ends of the dog bone and the dog bone would not be held in place securely enough. My comment that the HH is a self contained unit, i meant that the metal parts and the hitch cord are designed together to work without anything else. Anything else introduced to the system would corrupt the design and functionality.

Nice one mate. But don't refer to me as a wise man, you'll ruin my image:lol:

Apparently he uses it DdRT but doesn't seem to like telling us about it. I've asked a few times. Time to spill the beans Pete, wherever you are.

No it doesn't need anything else, It's a self contained device. For example the RW relies on a hitch to work on a single line.

Just read this by DMc. He puts it better than I have: I very much agree with Old Mill on this. Ergonomics is derived from two words: ergon, meaning work, and nomoi, meaning natural laws. So it literally means the science of work and a person's relationship to that work. Most climbers have been born onto the pulley tending systems, so have no reference on doing things any other way. Not so for me. Most of my climbing career was spent on a tail-tied system. For slack-tending, say in returning from a limb walk, you would pull on the rope with both arms then slide the hitch forward. This movement accomplished two things: introduced slack was never more than that created in a single pull, and all physical effort was applied in the direction of travel. The weight of the tailing rope was an asset. Now let's look at the ergonomic differences while using a pulley style advancing movement. You can go fast by taking 3 or 4 pulls, then hold yourself in position with one arm while pulling slack with the other. Or you can be slow and careful by pulling with one arm while removing slack with other. This even sounds awkward to me while typing it. With pulley-style tending, whether a pulley is used or not, at the very least, energy is spent that does not assist in directional movement, and at the worst actually pushes against the direction of movement. With the exception of tools like the Petzl Rig and I'D that require the rope to change direction, all our hitches and tools are designed to slide straight up the rope with almost no friction ( when set properly ) and then grab as needed. This straight through design is facilitated by the weight of the tailing rope. It makes far more sense to find a way to utilize this feature than to waste energy lifting it. Think about it, there are ways. The Pantin is a good example. It works great strapped to your foot utilizing the falling rope weight to assist in upward progress. Yet place it loosely on your bridge so it falls out of rope alignment and that may not happen. Would it make more sense to advance it by adding a pulley and lifting the tailing rope or spend some time in figuring out how to get it to once again work with the tail weight? Dave

What kind of trees died and how big were they and why did they die?

I had a great day today. Kept on target, not too strenuous and got home early. Filmed the first tree with the GoPro and emailed to the (quite tasty) client and her kids and husband were delighted by this. Happy days.

This is terrible clutter on Silky's thread guys. There have been dedicated threads on this subject. Haven't you noticed that Silky Fox isn't involved in the squabble. Yes, I realise I contributed too but now regret it. Sorry Paul.

Try a few pairs on and because you're not using them in a professional capacity, consider the prices and make a decision. Just trying them on will make 90% of the decision for you though.

Get a Hitch Hiker, that'll be a great help. sorry guys, couldn't resist:blushing:

Look who's talking! :001_tt2:

Another video trying to show how the HH slides/glides up the rope with almost no effort, in the same way a Unicender does (I have not used a Uni). You have to look closely because the I haven't tilted my head down enough but you can see my hand advancing the HH up. By holding the tail of the rope with a hand or the Pantin, the HH can be slid up the rope in the direction of travel. Ergonomically superior to pulley derived hitches. This is not a slagging off of the HC based system, I'm just trying to answer the question posed by a few people. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0GHcxSxRuQ]Hitch Hiker SRWP - YouTube[/ame]

An advantage that I doubt anyone has thought of is arm fatigue. I prefer to switch my saw off when climbing around. Saves fuel, communication is easy and I just hate the noise. Of course, this means that pulling the starter cord dozens of times a day jerks all parts of the arms. I'd prefer to just press a button. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Sugar and lemon juice with a pint of Special Brew. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

Yes! Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App

If I was going to buy a new top handled saw now it would be the new Husky electric saw. Details are on FR Jones' website. Sent using Arbtalk Mobile App