ClimberGuy

It's not cowardly or chicken, it's common sense, good post.

Thanks, Mick.

Experienced my first big pendulum swing the other day while on a reccy climb branch walking in a very big oak. I lost my footing and took a swing really quickly I must have swung about 20ft and twisted round about 6 times. I always thought I would have time to grab a branch but not this time

I just wondered what others experiences of this happening were. ??

Great thread, thanks for starting it.

I'm not a pro arb, just learning for the last 2 or 3 years how to climb by reading and watching everything I can on the internet. Because I only climb for friends and family, mostly pruning deadwood or hazardous branches, I don't usually feel as though I'm being pushed for speed. My prime concern is to come back in one piece, no injuries. As a result, I don't really do limbwalks in which it is possible to take a huge swing. Call me cowardly. I use two ropes, double SRT. I'll have my main line with a really high primary suspension point, and a second one that I can use to pull myself out to the end of the limb that I want to walk out onto.

I guess I just always figured that it would be really easy to have my foot slip off of the branch I'm trying to walk out onto, and that if I only had one rope, I could take a hard thirty foot swing at high speed right into the main trunk of the tree, seriously banging myself up. So instead, with two ropes, what happens when my foot slips is that I do take a swing, but it's just back and forth over or right next to the spot on the limb I just slipped off of.

So it's like a kid's swing, only with much longer ropes. I hope I'm being clear here. The path of my swing is perpendicular to the branch I'm trying to walk out on. By way of overkill, sometimes I even use a third, shorter rope with a separate climbing system on it, too.

My idea is that with attachments in three different directions, if I tend slack all of the time, it's just a matter of moving in the desired direction of travel, with almost no possibility ever of taking an uncontrolled swing.

I have read some arborist's writings about the strategic use of big, deliberate swings, for speed of covering distance in the crown. Being good at that would be really efficient and powerful, but it probably takes a lot of practice to get good at, and you have to be willing to risk injury, I'd imagine.

In the right circumstance, it might be possible to practice swings fairly safely. An uncontrolled, accidental swing could have life changing consequences, which is why I act like such a chicken.

Multi Purpose Trolley :confused1:

I think it is absolutely a rip off. Some companies spend a good amount of their time doing nothing more than defending their patent rights and collecting the awards from the litigation. If they do not defend it in court, they've just lost their business. Not to mention that the knockoffs may be made to an inferior standard and end up getting people hurt.

Great thread, liking the way most folks think, namely go with what your guts and experience tell you. It is a sad thing when pencil pushers get to tell experienced pros how they may or may not operate. But that is the way the world is getting to be, more and more.

We have OSHA here in the states, which is probably not nearly as ever-present as your government's similar representatives. In more than twenty years of construction work, I've never once seen an OSHA rep in the flesh. I get the feeling you guys have folks looking over your shoulder constantly. In the U.S., in my experience, it is the general contractors that are standing over the worker's shoulders and monitoring safety practices, and that is because it is in their financial interest to do so. The fear of higher insurance rates causes them to be fairly strict with the safety protocols.

Was that a giant redwood? AKA Sequoiadendron giganteum? Also, any idea what killed it? I mean, in California these trees can live to be two or three thousand years old, and appear to be pretty resistant to the bugs that might try to attack them. So it makes me wonder how old this tree actually was, and what ended up afflicting it.

I thought that redwoods could grow about three feet a year or something close to that, but in England, where it is probably cooler for much of the year, maybe it grows much more slowly. Assuming three feet a year is accurate, that would make the tree only about thirty years old or so.

Any answers to my questions that are possible would be greatly appreciated. I just love the idea of spreading the giant redwoods to as many places as it is possible to grow them, and it is a bit disheartening when I hear about one of them dying prematurely for some reason.

Tim

Hey guys! I was just reading a post on TreeBuzz forum in which a guy (Old Mill) posted a link to a swivel sold by Honey Brothers. On that page Honey Brothers also had links to job postings on their website. I'm not from the UK, so I come to this forum less frequently than some others. So please forgive me if this is common knowledge. I just thought the moderators here might want to make access to that other jobs board a "sticky", to make it easy for the members here to find another listing of many available jobs. I'll try to post a link here.

https://honeybros.com/jobs/

Tim

For your own safety, don't believe that unless you hear it from the man himself.

Rich says that Jake no longer uses the RW/LJ combo.

Roger, that. If I did decide to try it I would use it "low and slow" first, as everyone always suggests. I tend to be a very safety conscious climber, and most of the time I climb SRT with two ropes and two systems. I would do the same with this if I ever chose to give it a try, so I would always have a second means of attachment to a solid set of suspension points.

The Lockjack Sport with a swivel costs more than a Rope Runner does, although the Rope Runner is currently out of stock at treestuff.com. I have no idea how much the Bulldog Bone costs. I'm assuming the Bulldog Bone is only available directly from the inventor, as I don't ever remember anyone saying that they purchased one from an arborist supply store, as of yet.

I guess my interest in the Lockjack is because it seems like it has been around for a long time, is a really high quality product with fairly amazing engineering behind it, and because it might be possible to employ it in its intended fashion DdRT, and in SRT also, without the blessing of the manufacturer.

I own the Snake Anchor and love it; I think it's a really high quality piece of gear. So I'm curious about the quality of ART's other products, too.

If I were to go out with the intention of buying one of the newer SRT devices out there (I already own and use the Rope Wrench and the original Hitch Hiker), I think I would have to make my first purchase the Rope Runner, just because I feel as though the entire arb world owes a debt to Kevin Bingham for pushing SRT forward with the Rope Wrench, and that the other devices built on his idea. So, before anyone else, I would like to see Kevin experience success in the marketplace.

I'll throw my money at the others after Kevin gets his due.

The Lockjack is the only exception I think I'd make to this, since according to this article, it was out long before the Rope Wrench.

ART - Honey Brothers Ltd

That's all for now, thanks again for all of your input and advice.

Tim

Hey, Old Mill Tree Care and Rich Rule! Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post, your input is greatly appreciated!

Rich, it is really cool that I get to interact like this with a man such as yourself who worked directly with someone who used this setup for a prolonged period of time and had no real issues with it.

Thanks again to both of you.

Tim

Probably worth fixing a plastic jerrycan under the bonnet somewhere with a (largish!) hose just poking throught the front grill at the right level.

Normal hose would do me.

Sipping straw, here.

Anybody?

ARTs answer: No

 

My answer: works pretty dam well.

 

It works just as well as a knot but will be interesting on how a KN impact is loaded onto it, to see whether the cam severs the rope or does nothing to the rope. Its all about identifying the weak link in the system.

I just thought I'd like to bump this thread I found, which is almost three years old, in order to try to get further insights, hopefully from Mr. Ian Flatters himself.

I'm wondering how long you may have stuck it out with this combination of the Rope Wrench and the Lockjack, and whether or not you remained a fan of it over the long haul.

I guess nowadays the Rope Runner and the Bulldog Bone would both do the same thing as this combination of devices, I'm just curious to know if this combination might be a third alternative that works really well. The reason for my curiosity is a desire to eventually own a system that allows fairly quick on and off of the rope, to aid in establishing a new redirect point in SRT.

I don't usually participate much on this forum, as I'm USA based, so I'm not sure if Ian will receive a notification that I've responded to a post of his or not. Hopefully he will see this and respond. The LockJack looks like a really slick device, and people seem to love it for how easily it attaches and detaches on a rope mid-line.

I would greatly appreciate comments from any and all who have experience using the Rope Wrench and the LockJack together to climb using SRT techniques.

Thank you in advance, to anyone and everyone who chooses to comment on this.

Tim

Or just your nails even - anything but put soap or similar on them.

 

If you get a ring around the bite - like a bulls-eye then it's off to the quacks ASAP for some anti-biotics.

This may have been covered already, because I'm still reading in the early part of this thread. Someone posted a link to a Lyme disease web page, and in there they said this.

"Diagnosing Lyme disease is often difficult as many of the symptoms are similar to other conditions. A spreading rash some days after a known tick bite should be treated with appropriate antibiotics without waiting for the results of a blood test."

Just thought I'd foot stomp this in case it has not yet been covered. Do Not Wait for Blood Test Results.

Thanks.

Tim

My car stinking of Douglas sap at the end of a day doing forestry, being so in touch with the seasons, the privilege it is to climb and interact with such an immense force of nature, the communication with the tree as you navigate a challenging climb, the views, talking b****cks at lunch time, being treated like a celebrity by the general public, being treated like a member of the royal family by generous clients, that rockstar feeling you get at the end of a really good day, sitting at my computer studying the science of trees with a cup of tea at the end of the day... Lot's I like about this job really!

Great post. Thanks for taking the time to express your thoughts. It's fun to read the words of a man who so loves his work.

I logged in today just to write this post in response. I hope to read a lot of what you might have to say on this forum in the future. Take care.

Tim

[ATTACH]183166[/ATTACH]

 

Been on the runner for a bit now and it does get a lot smooth her and easier to release the more you use it, just got some of this sugru to try out, I don't climb with gloves so it just makes it a little nicer to grip

Looks like this Sugru stuff is taking the world by storm. 2nd batch of photos I've seen with a Rope Runner and Sugru.

Rope Runner Problems | Page 5 | The BuzzBoard

Scroll down to post #88.

Tim

https://sugru.com/about

Hey, guys! I do not own a Rope Runner or a Bulldog Bone, I've just been reading about them both on the various forums. I do own and use the original Rope Wrench ZK-1 and the Hitch Hiker.

The reason for this post is to attempt to post a link to a really cool video by a guy who utilizes two Rope Runners and two climbing lines, in a way I've never seen before. He doesn't say much, but his original post was on Tree Buzz forum.

Here's my attempt at posting a link to his video.

[ame]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0ykc0dnzuPE[/ame]

Thanks for your time.

Tim

That's a pretty useless comment Ben.

 

Good point on the bending back on itself, will stick it on the longer rope as you say, looks to be the way forward.

I have to disagree with you about Ben's comment being useless. It is one man giving you his very blunt and honest opinion about things.

I believe he is just expressing the way that a lot of climbers feel about things now that more than one version of the Zig-Zag has encountered the same issue. Which by the way is a potentially life threatening one. Petzl has lost the trust of a lot of climbers because of this issue, and even more because of their handling of it after it happened, I think.

Thanks for listening.

Tim

Hey Guys,

I hope its ok to post a link to another arb forum, as it relates directly to the issue at hand. Here's the link.

Petzl Zig Zag - Latest Version | The BuzzBoard

I think whichever way you cut the cake, it's gonna be cheaper and easier just to go and get the thing.

 

Yes it's a day of travel, but take the wife/girlfriend/boyfriend with you and make a day of it.

 

Set off early, stop for lunch in Warwick, visit the castle. Collect the log and have a look around Bewdley (very beautiful town).

 

Then trog back via Stratford Upon Avon and have some tucker at The Stag at Redhill.

 

Nice day out, log got, everyone's a winner.

That seems like a really well thought out, fun plan. If you can afford it, it's a great opportunity to live life to the fullest. A chance to "stop and smell the roses", so to speak.

Tim

......... OP - they changed the deal on you so the deal's off!

I agree with this. Simple and to the point. The man you made the deal with is not a man of his word.

No excuses are necessary on your part, as you are not the one who changed the terms after the terms had already been agreed to; the other man is the one who did that.

It will probably never happen, but if I ever had to deal with that individual again, I also would want to get something in writing. I've been told in my life, however, that if you are not dealing with an honorable man, all the paperwork in the world will not make him honorable, and you are still likely to have problems. With an honorable man, a handshake is sufficient, and you'll probably never have an issue with him. So, I guess that's my way of coming around in my own mind to not ever wanting to deal with that individual again if it could be avoided.

Tim

Hey guys and girls' date='

 

need some help and advice, had a limb fail a few weeks ago on an oak I was taking down, not high, about 20ft. Was just a normal limb removal, put undercut in, then top cut, limb ripped out almost snapping my leg, got myself down, limped to the van and almost passed out. Went to hospital and it turns out I got away lightly with a hair line fracture to my lower leg. Strapped it up and got told to rest it up.

 

Fast forward 4 weeks and returned to the site the accident happened to re start the job. Started as normal, good mood and laughing and joking with groundie as norm, started to climb and then went to pieces, was getting flustered, started feeling sick, even shaking a little.

 

Any one have any tips or advice for when they've had a fall, know I need to get back on the horse.

 

Thanks

 

Jon[/quote']

 

 

Jon, Tim here. I registered for this forum for the first time just to be able to answer your post. It took awhile for the process of accepting me as a member to work itself through, so maybe you no longer have the issue.

 

I've never taken a fall yet, only been climbing about a year or so. My contribution here is that I took a psychology course a long time ago in which the subject of overcoming fears was covered. People have fear of all different kinds of things. I think the approach for overcoming the fear is the same no matter what the fear is.

 

The phrase that was used in the course was "systematic desensitization". What this means is that if someone has a fear of some particular thing, the way to overcome the fear is to start slow, at the beginning. In your case, I would think this would mean to attempt to climb away from a work situation, in which you might feel pressure to perform and to attempt to go faster than you feel comfortable with.

 

I would say you should set up for a recreational climb somewhere familiar, and have a friend around just in case, for safety's sake. Get your line set up in the tree, and see if just doing that much begins to generate anxiety. Attempt to identify the point in the process of climbing at which you just begin to feel anxious, and then back off.

 

The idea is to try to push the limit of where you begin to get uncomfortable a little bit further back each time. Trying to go in too fast is what will trigger a panic response. You just need to listen to what your own guts are telling you. Hopefully, by pushing and backing off, pushing and backing off, eventually you will resume feeling comfortable in the trees once again.

 

The other thing that occurs to me, unrelated to the psych course I took, is that the event of getting your leg pinned was an unexpected result. I like the advice the other guy gave, about taking smaller bits and fine-tuning your ability to make good cuts. What I would add is that it seems to me that the unexpected nature of the way the limb fell might be a large part of what has you feeling anxious. So, I would say it might help to slow down before each cut and attempt to figure out what the likely outcome of a particular action will be. It's like trying to play chess, figuring out the next move of an opponent before he makes it. Anytime I'm climbing in a tree, I attempt to previsualize the outcome of each move I make. If something happens in a way that I did not expect, even slightly, I feel like I lose points. This causes me to gain experience and add data points, hopefully enabling me to predict more accurately in the future. It also increases my level of focus on the task at hand.

 

I know from the way that you talk about your work that you have a world of experience more than I do. So maybe it's presumptuous of me to try to provide any advice. The main thing I was attempting to impart here was the concept of "systematic desensitization", which might hopefully prove helpful.

 

Best of luck to you.

 

Tim