StirlingArb

Was nice that they could be removed, some jobs I come across people have nailed them in Birch is my favourite too, such a lovely wood, burns well too - Jay

Normally I don't work Sundays, unless its for family, friends and their family, so a nice little bonus

today was a quick £400 on a Sunday, bit windy today so had to rig a few last bits so they didn't fly next door (greenhouses)

First of all welcome! Don't worry too much about the chainsaw PPE side of it now, if you're just starting out save up for that for when you have your tickets. If you're after a harness try the Petzl Navaho / sequoia range, can get them pretty cheap these days, it has everything you need on it and last for years Side strop/Split tail can cost around £30 for 5M x 13mm (thats as long as youll ever need) and £20 for 2 prusik loops Then you're gonna need a rope, most common is 13mm x 35-45m length, try New England/Yale/Marlow, there are more but just have a look round. Climbing ropes | F R Jones and Son You will also need 1 or 2 micro pulleys (you can add one to your side strop & prusik to make it easier to tend, see Blakes/Distel hitch's) about £10 each for the ISC 28Kn ones. Pulleys | F R Jones and Son Also, you may want to get a throwline and throw bag along with a cambium/friction saver to reduce wear on the rope and protect the tree. Once you get used to everything then you can start to progress through better knots, mechanical devices and eventually once the tickets are done you are on the road to becoming a tree surgeon. There are more things like rigging kits/lowering gear but wait till you have all your climbing tickets first, as that is another course -Jay

Nice Video there mate along with the rest, its been a while since seeing things from a groundies view, great take down too!

Ahhh Birch... the tree of life, has soo many uses! Interested in this syrup though, might have to try it!

How does it run with it being a 201? if you decide to get rid when home I might have it off you My 2004 200T is still going strong but could do with another back-up saw, can never have enough - Jay

More the reason to steam it and get it shiny clean, you can always get it dirty again - Jay

For me it started in June this year, at the time I was in the police enjoying my career, but then my parents went through a rough stage and were about to file a divorce, the thought of losing the house, family breaking apart, it was tough on me being the youngest and most connected as I was still living at home. Me, my brother an his friend took a trip to wales to go on a walk and try to clear our minds, have a day away from it all, but things didnt go to plan we ended up walking to a quarry, my brothers friend was renown for always getting into trouble, he ended up playing with a excavator we saw, I should have been the better person to tell him not to but my mind just wasnt switched on, he lost control of the excavator and it went down a cliff, when we got home we were eventually arrested, I chose to take the blame for it all, knowing that he had 2 children he had just been given custody of. 63K worth of damage was caused and now I'm being charged with it and waiting to receive my sentence. It has been hard on me, losing a career, the sleepless nights, eating apatite has gone, most days I cant go without crying when I get in from work, I sit staring at my police graduation certificate knowing what I have lost, thoughts of ending it, I find that I must keep myself busy to stop depression kicking in, but sometimes doing things brings it on more, Its hard knowing that now after making the effort to get a new job, getting my licences, all the equipment and trying to start fresh into a job that is more getting paid to do my favourite hobby, could soon all be lost, thats when it hits me worse, thats when the bad thoughts kick in. - Jay

Its not always about who's got the better price, have you done any background checks on other work both of the companies have done? photo of the work to see their standard? Like mentioned above, they could shave something in order to make a profit, but paying that little bit extra could result in a professional job being carried out, do you know if the other company's crew are all fully qualified, do they have the correct gear or just grabbed a few old climbing ropes from ebay? Take your time and get to know the companies you are thinking of using - Jay