Pedroski

I won't price nowt cheap. Don't climb with a saw meself, but will always subcontract someone who is a properly insured pro who will do a pro job. I'll price the job for what I think it's worth and make sure I make ok money out of it, otherwise it just isn't worth bothering.

It's the money making side of it - don't mind paying for first aid training and it's something that everybody should have access to, but if courses end up costing a prohibitive amount.... hundreds and hundreds like the CS courses, then surely that's just more grief!

Made proper use of the DCS3501-40 for snedding and logging today and it was flippin' brill. I took the stock low kickback chain off after whacking a nail the other day and replaced it with Oregon 91 VXL, and it was cutting a treat. No slowing down at all as it was going through 12 to 18+ inch poplar logs - pretty chuffed for 35cc and 2.1hp. Nice to handle, really easy to start, 12 month commercial warranty, made in Germany, proper good saw for £280 all in. Would recommend it.

We hired a 120 the other day..... and found it only made it to 10.8m leaving us short. Got a feeling 12m is measure to top of operator's head. Also, slewed round, as you do, went to slew back and the fecker got stuck, wouldn't slew either way, leaving me in a position where I couldn't lower back down because of a roof and another tree! Ended up with my mate having to manhandle the thing round so I could lower. Also, with these, when you're at max height you've got burger all reach. We returned the 120 to the hirer and they scrubbed the invoice for us and we've booked 170 out for next week instead. Make sure you go for a bigger one than you think you'll need!

You can buy Explorer Cases (same as Pelican cases) from SAM Cases, in a good first aid kit size size (305x270x194m) for just over £50. Then stock it up with all you want for not too much money. The idea of arb specific first aid training is good though. Just be careful that it doesn't become a money making venture that ends up as a pre-requisite for work though!

Don't underestimate what it takes to be a decent plumber. Talking about 5 year appreticeships, and if you want to work for a company a lot are wanting 5 years plumbing experience. Same sort of thing for decent electricians. And they don't all get paid a lot more than people like us. All of us in the same boat when it comes to getting money. Including brickies.... hard to get £100-£120/day at the moment for many.

Thanks David.

The type of knot I mean is a mule, just to tie off the descender - that gives you your properly backed up descender. That way it can be undone one handed and the descender used to lower the climber. The descender won't have a catastrophic failure if backed up with the mule. True, you'll only have one anchor around the base, but at the same time you have also only got one rope going up the tree and one anchor at the top of the tree, etc. Perhaps the base anchor should be wire reinforced to be on the safe side, but either way there's still the single rope. Proper safe would be to have the climbing line, and alongside that a back up line with a free running rocker attached to harness by short sling, as in a proper double line climbing system. And have both lines attached to separate base anchors. It's never ending.

I don't think you need to back up the descender with a hitch and pulley though, do you? Far simpler would be to just back up the desender with a knot, then if the descender fails (unlikely) the knot still holds.

Here again, it's the knot I like best for main attachment to krab on lanyard or on climbing line with no eye. MUCH better than a bowline or f8 for this as it cinches down on the krab and helps prevent side loading - when cinched it can't just randomly slide over the gate.

Quite worryingly, though, I've just been reading the symptoms of extrinsic allergic alveolitis, and I tick most of the boxes including the pneumonia and pulmonary hypertension ones! I often wonder about all the bacteria that must be in the compost at the composting facility down here - I've inhaled heaps of dust from that over the past few years, coughing up black grollies at the end of the day!

Ta. I'm taking more care now. Most frightening part was that I was staying in hospital with my daughter who had been injured when I got hit with bibasal pneumonia like a ton of bricks. I ended up being admitted as there was concern I'd had a pulmonary embolism. CT scan showed the pneumonia as well as clots on my lungs. I ended up with Clexane injections and masses of antiobiotics, being told I wasn't allowed to walk around in case a clot moved and I dropped dead, and all sorts. I eventually got discharged on same day as daughter with main cause of symptoms being put down to the bibasal pneumonia (including the clots) and managed to avoid warfarin. I asked if there was any sign of damage from dust on the CT scan, but nothing stood out because of the pneumonia etc. This is why they are now going to do a high res or multi-detector CT scan as this is apparently better for looking for damage that the normal CT scan. To top it all, they also identified that I have a PFO (small hole between left and right heart caused by improperly closed flap) which is something that 1 in 5 people have that doesn't normally cause problems, and under exertion there is a possibility of blood circulating and bypassing my lungs. This may be a cause of shortness of breath being exacerbated by my stupidly high blood pressure! Still, it could be a lot worse

That's what I was thinking too. I'm waiting for test results and, strangely, want them to tell me there is a problem but it's not too late to do something. If they say my lungs are all clear, then I have the uncertainty of not knowing what is causing my symptoms! I also have the problem of alopecia universalis, which has meant all my nasal hair, and quite possibly cilia further down, has all gone, which only makes the issue of dust even worse. P'raps I should volunteer as an HSE case study subject....

Makes sense. Start climbing the rope instead of the tree then the rope is for access rather than work positioning and fall arrest. So then I guess all the rope access malarkey would become relevant.

Over past few years I've been exposed to dust from cutting blocks and pavers with a disc, lime (hydralime), cement, ivy, hedgecutting, chainsawing, possibly cadmium from research work at uni. Sometimes I'd wear a mask to start, get too uncomfortable and bin it, then carry on just holding my breath or making sure the wind is blowing in the right direction. Over past 12 months I've been having probs with shortness of breath, chest pains, coughing and fatigue, and ended up with pneumonia a short while back, and am currently being seen by consultants at hospital for more chest xrays and high res CT scan, after already having had cardiac investigations (anyone had a cardiac catheterised angiogram? Lovely!). There might be a connection between my symptoms and my work! At times I feel 45 going on 95, but then I get straight through the shortness of breath crap and work away as normal. What you think?

That dog of yours is saying "Come on Dad, let's pop out to the hills and chase rabbits!" He wants you to put time in the country where you see and feel things differently on your happy list

If you're working gardens and landscaping at the moment, then you do have an advantage. Don't ever go behind your bosses back, but there is no reason why you can't take on private jobs for other customers by taking holiday and weekends. It's good experience looking at jobs yourself and pricing up and dealing with the customer. Let acquaintances/family/friends/neighbours know you are looking for other garden work as you want to branch out. Then opportunities for tree work open up on your own jobs.

I think that test would be irrelevant anyway. It's not like anyone is going to making a high fall factor drop with the RW as primary attachment point. Actually, I think the only thing that would need to be checked is that the RW doesn't interfere with locking of the hitch if someone does fall.

Big shops like Asda and Tesco do my nut in, as does going into town. Been using local butcher, community greengrocer and farm shop - much better, time for a chat and they get to know you. And also no more expensive than a superstore. Brilliant to see how people are coming to together here Wish you well.

Sure it wasn't just running a bit rich?

Dunno. I bought a new blade for my PocketBoy a couple of weeks back after the previous one had lasted me a few years. Second use and the end snapped off!

S'pose I better say who - seemed to miss it out in my post! THE fella is Mike Putt. He made a fantastic cover for us to go over the cage on the back of our tipper truck, and had it all properly signwritten. This was 3 years ago and it still looks mint when it's washed. His web address is sailmakers.co.uk. He made the sails for the Cutty Sark (not the original ones though, I mean he's only 80 odd!), and HMS Victory, and he's done work for HMS Belfast and loads of other big stuff.

Yes, I know someone.

Cheers Charlie. I went to Oregon in the end, and ordered 56 drive link 91VXL from Chains Direct - £14, all in!

That Kia truck looks decent. But nothing compared with this.... Mega Tipper Vehicle. Diesel one with Kubota engine does 55mph.