Mr0zero0

Just arrived in Sydney and need work asap so I know which area to look for more pernament accommodation. Experienced climber with UK tickets up to cs 40, utility experience and HGV licence. If anyone can point me in the right direction it would help a lot. Thanks

Thanks! Only just seen your reply. I came to the same conclusion and have a kit bag ready for posting on standby

Will be touching down in Sydney in march and wonder if any helpful guys on here can recommend any good company's to contact for work once I am there. Don't mind domestic or utility work. Any leads or advice very much appreciated.

Decided to take the plunge and spend the next few years working abroad starting with 6-12 months in Australia. Would like to travel about a bit first before i settle into work and hoping some guys on here have some advice on taking any climbing gear with me. I would prefer to take no gear at all since i want to explore first and want minimal luggage so would a potential employer provide everything or would i be expected to have certain things of my own. Not expecting to leave until Feb/March time. Any advice much appreciated.

I'm interested in any temporary, part-time, self employed or on-going work available. Been on the tools since 2002 working on utility contracts for Hi-line and Glendale as a team leader or second climber and also as a freelance climber. Qualifications as follows N.D countryside management N.V.Q 2 Estate skills CS units 30, 31, 38, 39 and 40 Electrical units 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 Manual handling First aid Class 2 HGV Towing license Am comfortable undertaking any sort of tree related work from large dismantles to processing timber. Can provide all my own climbing kit, ground saw and tree saw if needed. Available straight away. Thanks Steve

Qualified and insured. Nearly 10 years climbing experience. Available from beginning of May onwards in mid-cornwall. Also rest of cornwall and west/mid-devon for the right money. Please p.m me instead of replying to thread. Thanks

I was only looking at paying £450 for a 346xp. Im not sure the luxury of warm hands is worth the extra £100 but i may think differently when i next feel like my finger tips dont exist

Talked to my usual supplier today about a new 346xp but they only have one left in stock and it is the xpg version. I choked when told the price difference to the xp. Said they would do it for £550 though. Dose that sound like a fair price? Like the idea of helping gloves stay dry

Would make a nice camper that could be parked on a hill.

Thanks for the response. Just what i needed to hear. Looks like i will be getting a shinny new 346xp this weekend. If it lasts as long as my old one i will be happy!

Thanks Float. Thats the sort of thing i am worried about. Being a new saw there might not be enough experience with them to fill me with confidence to buy one. Maybe i should stick with what i know. I have always liked the 346 as an every day saw for its power to weight ratio.

I have read some posts about this being done but i need to replace it quick as it was my main groundsaw i use on h.v work so cant really wait. I have been expecting it to die for a while now. Will probably keep it as a spare though if i can fix it as im quite attached to it but could do with the confidence of a new one for now. Thanks for the idea. I will definitely consider getting it done in the future.

I have used and abused my reliable 346xp for about 7 years without ever having a problem (Been dropped out of hedges, into rivers, borrowed by others but only ever had routine maintenance) but it seems my old friend has finally decided to retire. I need to replace it quickly and always thought that once it had died i would simply buy another. However after reading some good reports on the new 550xp i am in two minds whether to stick with a 346 or go for the 550 with all its fancy new technology. Im concerned that being a more complicated machine there might be more to go wrong and it might not stand the test of time. If anyone has used a 550xp for a good amount of time (and a 346xp) and can reassure me with its superiority it would help me very much with my decision. Cheers

Just need to know whos available at what rate really. I had job offer last week that i turned down. I usually just climb for others but it would be nice take on my own work when it come ups.

Its definitely a nightmarish thought to be in a tree when it blows over. Have considered escape options before and all seem a bit risky. When it snowed a couple years ago some trees came down on a main road in okehampton. I went back for 5 mins to get my camera and on return another had fallen! Unlucky i wasnt there to see it but also lucky i wasnt there for it to land on me!

Is there any one offering man,van and chipper services between bodmin and truro?

Looked at a very large leaning ash tree once with the intention of removing it the following day. I didnt like the look of the tree and decided it best to do on a still day. Turned out to be a very good decision as the next day in high winds it fell over!

When someone says to me 'you cant polish a turd' I like to reply 'no but you can sprinkle glitter on it'!

I had know idea it could be related to climbing! I used to get the falling dream sometimes and freak out and wake up suddenly. I practiced for a while to intend it to happen out of curiosity, and a couple of times i had the dream i just went with it. It was a very weired feeling to feel your falling yet know your safe in bed. When trying to do this sometimes i ended up being awake but my body being asleep! This i didn't really like.

Following on from my original post i would like to say thanks for the advice and thanks to anadromous for a good couple of days last week. I have also managed to pick up basic ground work for the next 4 weeks so thanks for that too! I would like to re-introduce myself properly as my initial proposal was a little vague. My name is Steve Delany and up until a few days ago i didn't know this forum existed! I did a n.d in countryside management then did the 10 week merrist wood course in 02/03. Have done mainly utility work since then. I'm sure there must be someone on this forum who knows me?? Im now available as a freelance climber based in Mid-Cornwall! I have Elctro arb, class 2 lgv, towing and mewp ticket. Plus full kit and saws.

My first year climbing i used the back-handled equivalent of the 020. I think there is benefit to learning with a back-handle saw in a tree to encourage good cutting technique. If your cuts are bang on then you don't generally need to use one-handed. The only real gain is speed. However i would definitely say in some circumstances where cuts could potentially fail from inaccuracy or wind perhaps i would probably use one-handed. For example if cutting small branches and a free fall drop is not an option (power-lines, greenhouse ect) it feels safer one-handed then doing your cuts, lowering your your saw gently with the hope it hasn't blow off before you get hold of it! I know we can use slings etc but not always practical. So in general use i think one-handed use is a bad idea but occasionally is a safer option. I use to be quite confident using one-handed for a long time until i caught my fingers resulting in tendon reconstruction and physio for 8 weeks! I wouldn't go back to just a back-handle in a tree but it has definitely made me more aware.

The way that news is worded makes me want to sign up! However the work is still very much the same. Do you think i am un-wise to go self employed when there's plenty of employed work available???

I could go on all day about it! Its shocking work and im over it really. When you cut the same branch off you did a few years ago you know its time for change. Its amazing how fast things grow! No more high voltage limbo for me!

Ive done lots of h.v and l.v work for Hi-line in Cornwall. They don't have as many circuits as silvanus down here but enough to keep 4 or 5 teams going, mabe more now. They got that contravertial contract for the 33kv lines for the south west. I was involved in that down here and elsewhere. Dont know if it is stilll going on or all finished by now. Most of the big trees within falling distance of the lines have been removed completely. I would have liked to have seen the lines moved in cases as some lovely old trees came down. I have worked with hi-lines private teams. They are based in their exeter yard and have done jobs in cornwall and have got plenty of kit to play with! I think Silvanus will always go for the tenders in cornwall. Most of there tree work is utility. They used to have many teams in devon, more then cornwall. now its almost the other way round! I know they want more private work in cornwall because they asked me to help make it happen. Most of Silvanus's work is actually landscaping and maintenance compared to hi-line who do purely tree work. I know about these company because they are the only company's i have worked for in both their devon and cornwall yards. While i was with Hi-line they pretty much doubled in size. I think they would take on all the work if they could get it!