Mr. Squirrel

Nice job man. Did you do much in the way of reduction as well? I agree 100%, some fairly simple steps to keep an old tree in the game a bit longer are for more enjoyable, and admirable, than any big rigging jobs. In my mind anyway. Good work ✊🏻

That’s funny, I used the spiderjack for years then tried the zig zag. Thought the zz was really on/off and jerky. I don’t use either nowadays, but the spiderjack is a better built, more predictable piece of kit in my opinion. You can also replace every part of it.

I just used to use any old leather rigger gloves. They're only going to get nakerd anyway. I tend not to bother with gloves these days though. Let the rigging device do the work, it's why it's there.

Black diamond haul bags/arbortec cobra style ones. Can fit rope + portawrap in them easy. Same as Mark my bollard/winch live in boxes and they’re annoying to carry. But they always will be. No point packing a portawrap with a 16mm rope really. If you actually need that rope then you need a bigger device. And it probably won’t park or carry very pleasantly.

You need EL if you're paying someone else. It's a legal requirement. PL is more of a moral requirement, but you'd have to be daft to do our work without it. Premiums are based to some degree on turnover, so if you're only doing bits and pieces the cost should reflect that. You gotta pay to play unfortunately. That's the rules.

I’ve done a load of fiddling with db splicing for hitch cords and come up with a splice that works really well and breaks high. Definitely not in line with manufacturer or any other splicing instructions though... Best starting out on scrap rope, then try a lanyard. Don’t rush it.

Jesus. That’s grim.

Hey, if you're concerned enough about it that you feel you have to use a second system, and you're only wanting to tick the box then it seems a good enough solution. Smoke and mirrors like, but I guess it'll get in your way less.

A positional strop is a no brainer, and I can't imagine not using one. I can see their thought process, but it feels like a great deal of energy invested in the wrong area to me. A couple of recurring themes in those accidents are branches breaking and not having a stopper knot. I imagine that the sort of people who put their main attachment on branches small enough to snap under their weight will continue to find ways of maiming themselves. That said. I wonder if we as individuals are somewhat complicit by not calling out people when we've felt they've been taking unnecessary risks. Eg. I've seen guys lanyard in to a small branch while advancing their climbing line, when they could've just as easily gone round the stem. It's probably strong enough, but why take the risk? Does the general attitude of letting people do it their way as it's worked for them so far let us down as an industry? I would guess yes... I'm in it for the long haul and will continue to focus on safer, more ergonomic methods of working. Two ropes is wallpapering over the cracks in the walls rather than looking at the issue, imo. I don't debate the position we're in legally, but I feel the supporting argument for it lacks substance and insight, and after careful consideration can't adopt these methods purely to maintain compliance.

I don’t understand why you’re getting in such a tizzy about two ropes paddy. On your average job they won’t magically make you any safer. Nor will omitting to use two ropes make your working day any more dangerous. People need to slow down and think about their limits. Safe working requires confidence and composure gained from years of experience and the knowledge and skill that goes with that. Not an extra rope.

I think you've go the right idea there. Certainly with council owned trees, if you aren't annoying anyone or giving them cause to ring the police I can't imagine you having an issue. A friend used to climb in council parks, he'd just chuck some signs out and get on with it.

Doesn't sound awfully positive! I wonder if they've sorted these niggles with the 19/20 facelift, 2L models... I imagine part of it is bad luck. My transit custom has 85,000 on it now and the only issue I've had is the key fob, the battery in which is non-user replaceable. I've met others who passionately hate the custom, so there's always a bad egg. The ordeal you had in getting it sorted though sounds extremely off putting...

Digging up an old on Pete, but how's this been? I've been looking at Rangers then came across this. Ha!

I would imagine costs would be included in the tm companies quote? Whenever I’ve used tm (granted only every needed single lane closure) it’s included informing council and sorting out paperwork and been considerably less than that.

I’ve no idea about the peculiar fitting, pretty sure that went straight in the bin for me. It’s an odd concept though isn’t it? I really easy to use no leak nozzle that you... take off after every use? 🤔 I’ve been lucky and have never really had issues with the auto fill nozzles. Think one of my oil ones is nearly ten years old. But I’m using it myself mostly, rather than employees.

What on earth is he on about having nowhere to put the nozzles? Screw them on, bloody plonker.

I got 3 years out of a visor. It's a decent visor too, and the way it flips up it isn't in the way as much. I was on the fence about the Protos for ages, even after I bought one. It's a good helmet though, and feels far more protective than any others on the market. Not sure what people are doing to them for the muffs to be falling off all the time. It's only been an issue for me if I jammed it in a bag without stowing them away, which is rare.

Sounds like their main mistake there was signing a contract stating they would provide their own insurance, but failing to do so? I had exactly the same thing. I was insured for two years by a prominent provider in our industry, purely for freelance work, about the same price. When I was renewing one year I rang round for a few more quotes and the other companies all told me I didn't need insurance for what I was doing, and so they refused to insure me.

Sure with that many rings hanging off your bridge you'd manage to figure something out. There's spare holes on HC pulleys/zigzag, pinto beckets etc. Also is having two bridges going through a single ring THAT beneficial? If you cut one you're probably cutting the other after all...

Exactly. The only people who will have any clue someone is being non-compliant are the HSE or other tree care firms. I personally would never grass up another company, as it just doesn't seem conducive to positive, safe working environments. I saw that the HSE discarded the case where a peaceful protestor on an HS2 site had her ropes severed by police/security resulting in a fall, as her injuries weren't serious enough. Is that a precedent, where if there's no serious injury there's no cause for fine/conviction? I doubt it...

I flicked through sections of this, and it seems quite disconnected from the industry. A few things come to mind from the questions section at the end. Someone asked about the level of training in colleges and Chalky basically just defended Lantras quality of training and ignored the question entirely. I've seen a similar rhetoric from a few Lantra and NPTC assessors, this party line that their training IS up to scratch. So how are colleges getting away with training students to such a low standard (as was my experience, it was a joke), when they have to pass NPTC or Lantra assessments? Surely this brings us back to these assessing bodies not having thorough assessment criteria, thereby discouraging thorough training. I think the biggest issue with accident statistics in UK arb is that the average technical ability of UK 'arborists' is really pretty piss poor. And yet most of them have tickets. Training standards and qualifications are, in my opinion, dated to the point of irrelevance now. This isn the major issue which needs addressed. Another part I liked was when the HSE representative saying that they have forms to enable us to report companies who they see climbing on a single climbing rope. I've see plenty of local companies doing far worse things than this, and yet to my knowledge none of them ever encounter any intervention from HSE. She was basically asking us to turn on ourselves and start grassing each other up. This in an industry with such poor training that in order to really LEARN we HAVE to connect with each other. I was prepared to be engaged with the discussion, however it came across more as an academic and theoretical exercise rather than the Arb Association truly searching for solutions. Drawing on a wider pool of operators more closely involved with the industry would, I imagine, make for more interesting, relevant and ultimately beneficial discussion.

There was me thinking what a strange thing to steal as well... Just not cynical enough it seems!

You say that like leaving the foul weather gear at home is ever an option...

Nah I think it’s the cobra. It has a cunning vent hidden behind the mesh pocket. I had a big black diamond before this and that was good too. Everything’s together, makes life simple.

I have the big arbortec bag. It’s decent, I can fit a 70m rope, harness with all the gubbins, base tie stuff, wrench stuff and a throwing line in it plus extras. I have fitted all that + a 60m line in too, when needed. I’m the complete opposite to treerover, I’d rather have my kit on my back. So everything in the bag and then I’ve got spare hands for a saw, rigging bag or what have you. If your ropes wet your harness is wet too, so you’re taking stuff out to dry it no matter what.