5thelement

This, and the echo batteries are apparently wank, especially in cold weather.

I took care of some trees in a small orchard yesterday. Mostly using a silky and the powered secateurs, one battery lasted all day and I have 5 spare. Used the Felco’s for 10 minutes and could already notice the hand fatigue kicking in.

I know the first point of the WAHR, but we can obviously assume that that horse has well and truly bolted. A decision was made to WAH, was there a safer method than climbing, probably several, but none of them were used.

The decision was made to put a climber in the tree, are you saying that I am wrong to suggest a mewp would have been a safer option, if so, why?

Better than climbing it though?

Well I haven’t seen the video and I wasn’t there, so don’t know what machinery was on site and why the decision was made to climb the tree. But the decision to climb was chosen and using a mewp could have removed the situation where a climber is attached to the tree and gets badly injured.

I didn’t say a tracked mewp is the safest way to deal with a hung tree, just safer than making the decision to put a climber in it.

Hitch climber?

The first thing HSE will need is a thorough explanation as to why a tracked mewp wasn’t being used to dismantle the tree instead of climbing, costs overriding safety will never be accepted in a courtroom.

The Stihl Gta40 is my new favourite toy. I have been using it constantly on re-pollards, tight crowned reductions and fruit tree pruning. The best part of it is the light weight combined with the narrow profile as it hangs on the harness, the small batteries provide a very well balanced machine. Although it is intended to be used with both hands like any other top handle saw, it is really good for reaching out and cutting one handed. The only negatives I have found are the low chain spread doesn’t deliver as neat a finishing cut as my Echo 2511 and it tends to judder a little when using the pushing chain to cut. It’s purely a light pruning tool, if I want power I have petrol saws.

The standards are at least as good if not better, and they manage to produce super light and breathable garments too, some also designed for extreme cold. They are largely made and distributed for the AUS,NZ and USA markets.

They still aren’t CE marked.

Rob at Chainsawbars.co.uk did a great video about retuning these little echos, complete with low/high tach numbers and settings. You may also need the special echo tool to make the adjustments rather than the little orange screwdriver.

I also brood in silence in the mornings, on the way home I listen only to The Fall.

Incidentally, the transit I bought from him has had the radio removed. 😂