Mark Wileman

Hey Steve, yeah I'm happy with the hand over hand, then using free hand to pull the slack through: my issue is it wont bite without me tending the knot, and at that point I've ran out of hands Yeah I think I just need to practice and test the VT a bit more, it's just a very long knot.. only advice has been reading stuff on here.

I'm on marlow gecko too, I'm using 9mm cord for my VT and I've done all I could to wear it in. When I dress it it works fine, it's just when it self tends on the pully it won't bite.

I thought Petzl didn't approve it for SRT?

Literally expected that as the first comment If zigzag was SRT friendly then I would grab one but I like the versatility of knots!

Hey. I really want to use the hitchclimber setup, the benefits are obvious. But I'm just not getting on with it, I've tried a ton of different knots and all have weaknesses that outweigh the benefits for me. I've resorted back to split-tail as it stands, now as a lot of people sing hitchclimbers praises I assume I'm doing something massively wrong. Here is a list of knots I've tried with it and don't get on with (I'm climbing on 13mm line): VT (9mm): When ascending (especially footlocking) hitch isn't tightening quick enough (if it bites at all without dressing) to make it worthwhile use of energy. Distel(9mm and 10mm): Gets too tight and makes for tough descent/slack retrieval. Prussik(9 and 10 mm): Isn't biting fast enough. Also the largest problem is that with the hitchclimber coming straight off my bridge it's all a bit close to effectively thrust up the tree, it's fine for footlocking big ascents but the smaller movements are difficult. Anyone had any similiar problems and have any solutions? Thanks.

+1. Mine are awesome, I bought a pair of Husqvarna Technical Type C for a good price at the Arb Show (so I can rotate through two pairs of trousers) and I've only worn them once because my Arbortec's are so comfy.

Had 9 big pines to fell yesterday and today, houses behind, all covered in ivy with a load of brush growing underneath them. Set up pull lines in each one, without ladders to get past all the shit at the bottom it would have been hell of a fight getting up and would have slowed the whole site down. I see no problem with them for access, I just whacked my flip line around the stem loosely once I started feeling a bit exposed then transferred seamlessly from ladder to spike at the top rung.

Kingswood aren't ELCAS approved anymore, unfortunately.

Thanks TreeEquip, I'll get onto one of the Awarding Bodies and see what they say. I've taught first aid in the Military, it's just proving it that I guess will be the problem! I have PTTLs, do you think I'll need to upgrade it into this Level 3 Award in Teaching thingy?

Any first aid trainers out there? How does it work, do you have to register with the body of the qualification you deliver like you do with NPTC/Lantra?

I can't recommend @LynherTraining highly enough, I've been training with them for about a year. A large part of it depends on where you are based though mate. On the wider subject of getting out, make sure you have a reason to leave and not just a reason to not stay.. if that makes sense. Too many blokes getting out these days because it's shit, I'm happy to chat offline about Army-to-Arb if you like as I'm still in the process. Either way good luck (Y)

Oh, and wind farms and immigration.

Mobile phone masts apparently!

TreeLife and TrainingTree do the level 4 ABC awards,certs an diplomas in Arboriculture. Worth giving them a shout, they do e-learning and distance learning too if you can't make all the lectures.

It's no different to a brick layer sub-contractor doing a housing development that's going to take ~14 weeks to complete?

Unlike your comment :D:D

That's why there are so many consultants!

Tree Surgery is pretty undersold to youth I think, most school leavers are set on either university and graduate jobs or on vocational building trades. Perhaps more promotion at that level will increase the skill-set/employment pool. How many of you have been a tree surgeon since you were 16? Compare that with asking a group of builders how long they've been in their trade? I guess the responsibility for the increase in Arb awareness as a career lies with the colleges and the Arb Association?

In 25 years I'll be telling some new guy on Arbtalk that in my day we only got paid £80-100 a day, that;s if drone-chainsaws haven't killed off the profession by then!

I see what you mean, and you are right, we do expect more these days. I was on £70 a week as an apprentice carpenter and I managed to fund food, fuel and some lodging money to my parents. I'm on 7 times that now and still manage to get through it just as fast

Also I was 5 in 1994, so I'm assuming it wouldn't get you much, £54 certainly doesn't go far these days!

To be fair £30 could get you a lot more in 1994 than £56 can get you now... inflation is a odd game as different markets are affected differently (consider food prices increasing vs rent vs fuel ). Obviously I have no numbers to back this up, but inflation can't really cover all bases.

Thanks Will. I wish double towing was legal, I have a 12ft trailer I can only give it a go, throw it on the services list, after all it's isn't actually going to cost me anything as I'll be hiring once I get the contract I definitely won't be investing in a tipper in the short term, I won't get enough use for it to warrant paying for the insurance/tax and I can't use a tipper has my runaround like I can a pickup!

If you ever branch into Wales I'll be the first to send you my CV!

Not my story but the company I work too had a guy on trial the week before I did some work experience with them. Apparently he had always wanted to be a tree surgeon and had a ton of farming/general rural experience. He had no tickets so all they had him doing was raking up, blowing and dragging brash to the chipper. On the second day he refused to get out of the wagon after lunch, saying he'd never worked so hard in his life and was exhausted To be honest he is probably the only reason I got a job, oxygen thieves do have their place in society after all!