TIMON

Great question. If in doubt,... the old saying ‘ go small and go home ‘ comes to mind. After all, you’re more than likely going to have to cut a big limb up on the floor anyway. If you’re insistent on dropping it in one go then you could also cut each side of the limb (vertically) in line with the undercut to reduce tension, then a very slighty inboard cut with a quick saw should ensure the limb falls flat reducing the risk of it taking a ‘bad bounce’ on its tip. Not a good situation, especially with a big lower limb. Best advice I think would be take it in small pieces. You’d be getting good practice at branch walking, work positioning and dismantling at the same time as staying safe... Win-win. Good luck.

Could it be that you are still holding your weight up underneath the hitch on the main line? Your technique will need to change slightly to adapt to the new system. Like Steve says, the hitch needs to be weighted for it to grip. Going from Blake’s/prussic to HC set up often throws this problem up. Seen it happen to lots of people, starting with myself. Usually end up sag on your backside looking up at the tree... Giving the top of the hitch a ‘tweak’ will also help it grip especially if the cord is new. Best staying near to ground level until you’ve got it sussed.. (obviously)!

But using ‘taxpayer bought’ kit and resources to compete in the public sector can’t be right. What happens next (and I’ve heard of this happening before) is that the TO turns up to look at a TPO app job with the council ‘tree guy’ and offers their services. The person making the the app thinks to himself (rightly or wrongly) I’d better go with ‘these guys’ or my app won’t be successful....... Stinks...

Classic post.

I remember it happening, grateful you shared your experience on here as it saved us going through the same ordeal. Getting hold of decent saws in southern Spain is not easy... all the hire companies advertise the latest saws but when you go and pick them up...........

No I remember someone else (on here) who got refused at the gate and they just managed, at the last minute to get a courier to take it overland (at extra expense). Nearly missed their flight. I didn’t fancy the same thing happening to me so I double/triple checked with the airlines and CAA.

I go to Spain every year. Get refused taking saws purged of fuel, by the airlines every time. Apparently they aren’t keen on the risk posed by fuel vapours in the hold on a plane and used petrol engines are on the CAA prohibited list. Good luck taking them ‘cos I can assure you the hire machines available on the continent, particularly down south, aren’t up to much. Best to double check as a refusal at the gate could be very inconvenient to your travel plans. Not trying to be negative but this has always been my experience.

I spent years driving telehandlers. I first did mine on the RTITB scheme in the 90’s and that ticket has no expiry date unlike the CITB one I took a few years later that was required to work on construction sites. The CITB/CPCS ticket has now expired, my understanding was that you worked your way through the different grades (can’t remember the colour codes) of assessment much like IRATA guys do. I don’t see how a properly assessed progression through competency levels in ARB skills would necessarily be a bad thing.

I agree Steve, it is a shame, for a number of reasons. CITB do the exact same thing with telehandler operators tickets. First you get your basic ticket, then after 3 years of operating one (and hopefully breaking less stuff) you sit your refresher/assessment which requires a higher standard from the operator and upon passing you get a ‘higher grade’ of ticket. Surprising that this hasn’t been taken up in the ARB industry as there is certainly money to be made from this kind of training/up-skilling. IRATA do staged qualifications too don’t they? Maybe going down this route would inject some much needed value into the industry.

Fabulous collaboration between two great outfits.

Not sure if your referring to the pulley itself or the complete system....If you do use a termination knot rather than a spliced eye, just take care that the knot doesn’t interfere with the top of the hitch cord, preventing it from gripping the mainline. Very useful and versatile system to climb on. [emoji106]

Do we win any kind of prize if you actually pick our suggestion, Mark?

Galvin Green golf jackets have a good reputation. https://www.function18.com/brands/galvin_green/waterproofs.html

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/662167/cheese-maggots-illegal-sardinia-video/amp Same goes for anyone who can get through a helping of this Sardinian cheese. I think I’d have to pass

It just looks like a Mk 4 Zig-Zag to be honest. Once it’s stripped down to its component parts.

Maybe for the same reason you can’t use any rope other than the Petzl rope lanyard on the Zillon....... maybe?

Dyneema is not known for coping with with friction, heat and abrasion very well. I’m not saying a tape sling will fail as a bridge but it’s definitely not what it is intended as If you’re struggling to afford a new bridge you may need to ask your employer for a raise. [emoji51]

Impressive climbing skills Reg, very smooth. You make it look very easy. Obviously got a good few years climbing left in the tank. Thanks for sharing.

Milled up some lovely oak at our place. Still got some big bits left to do.

A mate of mine tragically lost his life dismantling a large poplar about 11 years ago. He made about 5 mistakes which all converged at the same time resulting in him getting ripped out of the tree and being crushed, sadly he died on the way to hospital. He was a new climber, very fit, very confident but unwittingly out of his depth on a job of that size. As you would expect the HSE were all over it The main thing they picked up on was the fact that he had no second climber on site at the time and the employer narrowly missed a jail term purely because the climber made the decision to climb ‘alone’ without the employers knowledge. It wouldn’t have made any difference in terms of a rescue because he was dragged out of the tree but I often wonder whether a second ‘pair of eyes’ on the ground could have prevented any of those mistakes being made? In my opinion having a second climber isn’t just about the possible need for a rescue it’s about having a capable team that can keep each other safe and that the ‘weight’ of the job can be spread across the team. Most of us have done it at one time or another, but if/when it goes wrong you’re on your own in more ways than one.