Thesnarlingbadger

Or start swearing.

I’m in a similar situation to you so I’ll be keeping a keen eye on this thread. In the summer I had 6-8 weeks booked in advance with a bit of freelance climbing thrown in. At the moment I have about a week booked up and am hitting my fingernails a bit. I’ve just sorted a new yard so setting up everything there will keep me and the guys busy on the quite days and I am getting everything up together for the busy period. I panic a lot about not having much work but I know a lot of the more established business I have freelanced for and worked for in the past have all and still suffer with quite spells so I’m keeping my head up and hoping it starts to get busy again come February. I think next year I will plan ahead for January and book in work for now earlier in the year.

Hi Bill. Yes this was the one. The 66 was not even half way through the main trunk. So it was lucky I got an 88. It was all 88 work from about 20ft down. Great fun

6243D462-8B33-4A71-8FC1-4B56AC5BACB0.mp4

So here are a few pics of the Sequoia we took down earlier this week. Was a great job to do. Unfortunately I have been told by my doctor that I have a hernia and have to take it a little bit more easy than usual so I had to run the job and let the other lads climb but I did the felling once it was down to around 30ft.

Tax is always going to get on people’s tits, who likes giving money to someone who they don’t know personally and letting someone else decide where it all goes. People moaning about their library closing down because the government aren’t doing enough to keep it open but then kicking off because they have to wait a month for an operation that they don’t need on the nhs, just for the record I think library’s are great but the world is changing and I haven’t been to one in at least 5 years (we have the internet now and if I really want a book I go on amazon and buy it. I do think that the people should have more of a vote as to where our tax is spent. I have no issue paying tax and we do need to but let’s be fair we need more money for the nhs and less being spent on keeping parliament in there 2nd homes. Yes the whole thing is complicated and gives me a headache just thinking about it but that’s what an accountant is there for, yes they will cost you money but they will save you more than they cost and if you get a good one they will teach you how to do there job to an extent saving you more money. All up for paying more tax but not if it’s used for crap nobody needs. And yes I don’t believe you should be penalised for doing well but you pay more after you earn more the multi-billion pound companies owners are still rich people they just pay more to the government. If you are that concerned about giving the government your hard earned cash then stop drinking and smoking. The first of those I am stopping as they can have my money if it gives me a fuzzy walk feeling. I don’t understand it all but I’m happier if I have more work and as long as my family are fine then I am too. Just my 2 pence.

Watch your ropes around that guy. ?‍♂️

Can you get a MEWP to it? I’d suggest getting as much of the ivy off as possible and a 90ft MEWP would certainly give you access to most of that. No need to climb if your clients are happy to pay. I would say pop some hedge trimmers a claw hammer a 150 and a set of headphones in in toe arsenal and go to town. It looks like a absolute nightmare job and by the time your done you’ll be having nightmares for weeks. But works work and if you don’t have to climb through that crap then that will take most the swearing out of the job.

Hi spud sorry my idea of time is way out then. Yes it is a 261 not a 260 I would have got it as one of the first after the change over. I’ll give it a bit more of a going over but I might need to send it your way at some point. The saw isn’t needed but it was a good saw and I’d hate to see it left on the back shelf and forgotten.

Great I'll se if I know anyone with one and make sure its a non corrosive solution. Thanks for the input Ratman.

To be honest I didn't know you could do that. those are the thing they clean jewellery with aren't they? if so I might know someone with one.

I’ve got an old 261 and it have been a little ripper. Unfortunately the piston seized last year because some plonker was using a combo spanner to jam it to remove the clutch (strong words were used). Anyway got a new piston and barrel, all replaced and in good working order but where Has been sat for so long in bits due to me not getting round to it the carb is knackered. I’ve flushed it through with carb cleaner and reset to factory settings but now it just fires up and runs when your rev it but cuts straight out on idle? Problem is I can’t seem to get hold of a 261 carb anywhere L&S engineering don’t have any (my usual go to for parts). Have they just stoped making these carbs? I should just give up and buy another 26 when I need one but this was my first saw I got 10-11 years ago and it has sentimental value plus it was a great saw and much better than my 261C which I always by pass and go straight for the 36. Any ideas where to get one I’ll get the carb model number for you next time I take the bloody thing apart. Thanks in advance people and a happy new year to everyone.

I was just a little bit sick from that last post Mick. Who are they people who think it’s a good idea to spend time making these memes and posing them? I’m with you on this whole facebook tree page crap. I saw a post the other day and it was basically 2 morons just hurling abuse at each other and making fairly nasty comments about each other’s profile pics with a load of derogatory slander thrown in. Nothing to do with trees or tree work. I personally don’t know why people can get away with it if I called some one a gay pedofile face to face I’d be facing charges but on Facebook people get away with it all the time.

Ok maybe saying it’s there fault is a bit unfair their not the ones felling the tree at the end of the day. But it is the responsibility of the person employing the contractor to make sure they are a legitimate company. If someone turned up at my door and said you need your trees cutting and I’ll do it now for £50 I’d tell them to do one. Ok some people are gullible but unfortunately we live in that world and we have to educate people of the problems that can occur due to not checking out a company’s background. I do feel sorry for some people’s house I turn up to to finish off jobs where tonnes of brash has just been left in the garden and they have already paid but at the end of the day most people would pay these vile people until they are happy with the work. I will often do these kind of jobs on the cheep side to help out a bit.

To be perfectly honest that isn’t the rouge traders fault it’s the person employing them to get the job done. If I loose some jobs to cheeper quotes then so be it but I’m not going to loose sleep over it. Some people can quote cheeper because there overheads a lower but then some people quote higher because they have more over heads, that’s life and like John P said I’d be more conserved about someone who absolutely needed qualifications to do what they were doing posing as a professional as opposed to someone who needs to cut a tree down. I’m more pissed off with people who have qualifications and quote cheep to win the work, these are the people keeping the industry prices down, not our travelling friends.

Hi Bill, It’s around 2m at the base on the short side and then a little more on the long side. The 66 will make it through going in from both sides with the 3ft bar on but I’m more concerned about the fact that there is a lot of timber to slice up and my next biggest saw is a 36. Like you said it’s an excuse and if I do get an 88 I’ll use it again at some point it’s just a fair whack for something that’s likely to come out once a year.

The Kids are 10, 4 and 1 so most of the money does on them. The Mrs said let’s not get each other anything but I’m not falling for that shit again. So I got her a couple of bits she should like. Did 90% of it on Amazon but wish I had more time to support the high street, works been to hectic and if you think I’m going anywhere near any shops between now and Christmas you are sadly mistaken.

Cheers Mark, I'll make sure I get some pics. It'll be a fun job but I'm going to have to sort an 88 out for it. The Job will pay for one so I might invest as the 66 just isn't going to cut it, no pun intended. I'm just dreading the sawdust pile afterwords (not going to be able to loose that under the hedges).

Thanks Erik, Yes I will try and get a mill involved and keep the tree in some nice lengths. I'll try and get some pics and vids to put up once the Job is done. Its funny, seeing some of your videos makes the job look so simple but I know after a couple of days rigging that tree down my back and legs are going to be killing. I'm much more adapted to doing light reduction work on things like Ash and Beech. Keep the pics and Videos coming mate they are very enjoyable to watch.

Unfortunately there is no access for a timber trailer as it’s down a narrow lane. It looks like it’s going to have to go for firewood I know someone who will take it from site so that makes life a little bit easier. I may try and get a mate with mobile mill in to slice the 20ft of stem but he will probably want the timber for himself.

I know. I think the guy may have just brought the house and he obviously thought let’s get rid of that first. I don’t blame him it’s a beautiful tree and will be a shame to see it go but I can’t argue with the logic. I’m really looking forward to the job just hope the weathers alright for some pics.

Erik I have just read this thread fro start to finish and there has not been a dull moment. Your work style is very smooth and calm. Your life style is what many could only dream of over here. You have what you need and that’s enough if you enjoy what you do. I especially like the fact most the timber is milled and used. Are you mainly felling so you can mill or is the milling a by product that is wisely used. I’ve been climbing around 10 years maybe a little less but mainly deal with hardwoods over here in the UK and 9 times out of 10 I get called in to take a tree down or reduce it because it is an obstruction in some sort of way so it’s a different kettle of fish. However I have just won a job to take down a Sequoia (my fist one to completely remove) it’s slightly over a house and has a lean towards the house, 6ft at the base and about 80-90ft in height. Any tips you could give? I’ll be fine doing it but if someone like yourself has any advise I’d be happy to listen. Cheers from Eric with a C An idea to show you what I’m up against.

Haven’t snapped one myself (always err on the side of caution when rigging) but I’ve seen it happen. Big beach stem ringed off a co-Dom luckily the peace being rigged dropped butt first and wedged in the ground and against the tree. Again to many raps on the bollard and the 16mm rigging line just snapped like a bit of sting. I can’t remember if it was double brand or not because we were more concerned about getting the unattached stem down safely. I was knocking over some smaller ash down the other end of the garden and turned round to see it happen followed by the climber shouting just about every swear word under the sun. No one hurt and nothing damaged but a heart stopping moment non the less.

I wore Sthil hi-flex for years and loved them but now they don’t make them I’ve gone for the Pfanner gladiators in red because they make me look like a fireman and that is the most important thing really

There is an absolute belter of a dead oak in a field on the M4 eastbound just before Leigh Delamere Services. I’ve taken a photo in the past while in a passenger seat but really want to take a closer look. Anyone else seen it? Even better got a picture. I’m assuming it’s in a farmers field. I’ve got the drive by photo somewhere but it’s in amongst 5 years of phone photos of trees and the kids (needle in a haystack).