john87

If it was not important to have them hollow ground, timber wolf would not bother, as presumably they want them ground to a set radius as opposed to whatever diameter your grinding wheel has worn down to.. Funnily enough, i have got a proper tool and cutter grinder here. I wonder if i should have a go at doing one myself.. john..

Everyone trying to do things legally will be put out of business by people advertising on facebook selling firewood as an alternative to fly tipping it.. World has gone mad.. john..

Is not 2 cubic metres of wood rather a lot?? What would it weigh?? How will they define 2 metres anyway?? what is to stop you saying it was 2 metres before you cut it up?? What does the law say about that?? john..

Thanks for taking the time to write out your brilliant advice!! I am 60 now and just starting, so i doubt i will ever be "competant" or fit enough to do much more than very little.. You say about; "nothing worse than being out on a long lateral limb with too steep an anchor pulling you backwards and out sideways from the point your trying to work on and having to constantly press your legs into the branch to create equal pressure to keep you in place all while your harness is digging into your side lol.." I am thinking of getting one of them DMM "captain" hook things that should help with that type of problem! I will never be good enough or fit enough to go all over the canopy of a tree doing some of the amazing work you people do. So long as i can take one down safely that is all i am aiming for. I have got loads to practice on too, some very big trees, well, by my standards anyway. Reducing friction would be great too. I know i am making things difficult messing about with blakes hitches, but i thought learn to walk before i try to run. Not keen on "gadgets" either, more to go wrong.. My friction saver seems pretty crap too.. Are they supposed to wear?? Mine has not had much use, but the rope has worn grooves in it.. Surely that cannot be right?? I thought the rings would be hard anodized, but apparently not.. Next time i get one, i will get one with steel rings i think.. john..

Good! Have you TRIED adjusting the carb?? As i said, you could well find, as i did, that a mere 1/4 of a turn makes all the difference. You MUST ALWAYS start with the slow running one first. [Husqvarna are quite specific about this] I suspect you will find a slight adjustment of the slow running screw and it will be perfect. Give it a try!! [Oh, take a photo first, so you can put the adjustment back as it was if needed] john..

I tried that with my lanyard once before and it did not work too well because of the relative lengths of the pulley/karabiner compared to the "legs" of the Prusik. I will try it again though, put fitting the pulley a different way i think.. john..

If you have tried everything else, what about crank seals... john..

What fuel have you been putting in it and has it been standing..?? I bought a brand new husqvarna 522HD60X hedgetrimmer a few weeks ago that was much the same. Turns out that it was too RICH at idle. I would have imagined weak, but i noticed that right after starting it from cold it was fine, with the problems starting when it had warmed up a bit. I turned the slow running screw in about just under 1/4 of a turn and perfect.. Had to order a special tool from husqvarna to do it. All it has ever had in it is the proper husqvarna fuel.. john..

If you buy the stein kit, it all comes in a bag. All you have to do, is to put the 16mm rope in first [to protect the bag a bit] then dump the other stuff on top. It is a good strong bag, you will tire from carrying it LONG before the bag tires of being carried!! If you want to buy the bag on its own, it is called the "Stein Rigger 85 Storage bag"

Fan is definitely the wrong way round... john..

Have you looked at the water pump?? Seen these with the impeller rusted off.. john..

That is really great to hear!! I suppose i should climb as much as i can then. I try to, but the weather is a bit crap now.. I know climbing on a Blakes is maybe making life hard for me, but rightly or wrongly, i thought i should learn to walk before i try to run and get modern gadgets like zigzags..?? I bought an exercise bike about a year ago. I was truly amazed that even at sixty you could make yourself so much stronger and fitter. I thought it was too late for all that.. john..

Wow, that is impressive... got to admit i am not much good at hip thrusts.. Still, not too much of a worry with my foot ascender. As for spiking up trees, i just press the spike in carefully and put weight on it carefully, not just try to stomp my way up.. john..

Millions of pull ups needed then?? john..

Is there any one thing in particular that would be climbers usually struggle with or find difficult?? john..

Well, that is encouraging i must say.. Is a course not too demanding for a 60 year old though?? I mean, i can climb up a tree and back, but i could not do it all day like you would be able to.. Can you look at people and decide in like two minutes either yes or no?? What i mean is, i have a class one HGV, i can watch someone drive a car and in 5 minutes know whether they will be able to drive a lorry or not.. What, above anything, makes a good climber, if you had to sum it up i mean.. john..

Yes, but it would be like your grandad turning up for judo lessons!! [i was going to do that last year too!] Unhappily a rather unfortunate medical condition put that on hold, for a bit at least!! Granted i would learn a lot as you say.. I should make a video of me climbing and post it for you all to comment on what you like and do not like!! john..

Only a few months!! I am 60 so it is hard going and at my age will probably not get much easier. No, i have not had any formal training, too old for all that!! I would look a bit odd if i turned up on a training course with a load of 25 year olds, i would not be physically capable of it either i would imagine.. I just stop and think carefully what the effect will be, or could be, of anything i do, before i do it!! If i am not sure, then i do not do it.. In engineering there is a thing called FMEA "failure mode effect analysis" which amounts to near enough the same thing, basically, "if this bit fails what will the outcome be" I worry more about the tree breaking than the gear failing.. john..

Yes, as i said, it worked ok, but the thing just did not feel "happy" as it were, [to me at least] so i changed it. This might seem like a backward step to many, but each to his own. A Prusik just felt a better job to me.. and I am not the only one to prefer a friction hitch to rope grabs or other "gadgets" I never said anyone was wrong, i just pointed out that friction was independent of area, which it is.. Try your rope grab on a 13mm rope [it will grab and grip instantly and securely[ then on a 13mm wooden dowel [not quite so ready to grab but will grip passably well] then try it on a piece of 13mm silver steel rod [will not grab at all, never mind grip] despite the fact that they all have the same diameter and area.. There you go, area means nothing.. Now, when it comes to climbing, yes, you all have VASTLY more experience than me, so of course i listen to you all, i would not be on this forum otherwise.. BUT, that is no reason for people to resort to insults and abuse.. Everyone had to start somewhere, and i bet they did not start when they were 60 years old either.. I would imagine that EVERYONE on here has more experience than me, but, equally, there are no doubt lots of [non tree related] areas where i have more experience than anyone on here. That does not make me "cleverer" or a "better person" or "superior" or anything, it just means we are different.. What it does not do though, is to induce me to be rude or insult others.. Someone stated that i was "scared" of my gear. Well, funnily enough, i enjoy climbing. I am not naturally good with heights, stuffed would i go up long ladders for instance, but up a tree, hmm, it is just unique i suppose, different in a way. You do have moments when you think "Ooerrr" but anyone that claims they do not is either a liar or stupid or both. Bits of you that are delicate, hurt a lot when you prod them. That is the process of evolution for you. That is the idea of pain, to stop you hurting yourself. There is a medical condition where people do not feel pain, and they suffer serious injuries as a result. So, you have evolved NOT to climb up trees, as what goes up, comes down etc. So it is natural to feel apprehensive at times, it is your brain doing what it was designed to do, AND more importantly, it is what keeps you safe.. Still, i do enjoy it; I like to challenge myself, set goals etc and nothing but NOTHING beats the sense of acheivement when you have been up about 60 feet, [my record up to now!] john..

Ok, do not listen to me, after all what do i know, so you google it if you want, [and discover that you are not as clever as you think you are.] john..

Hi Pete, Not a problem disagreeing with me, i like to hear what people think. Besides, you have used more combinations of grab and rope than i ever will. Best of all, you do not resort to getting abusive either!! john..

Brainless prat.. Yep, i can insult people and be abusive as well as anyone else.. john..

Were not too good at physics were you.. How many times do i have to say it, FRICTION IS INDEPENDENT OF AREA.. john..

I never used as 13mm wire core, just an 11mm one, and that felt borderline to be honest.. Now, you mention friction and that a "significant amount" comes from the line being pressed against the body of the thing. Now, i see what you are getting at, but problem is, this is against the laws of physics.. Friction, is independant of area.. what i mean is, if you had a rectangular body of say 10lbs in weight and you tried to drag it along. It would make no difference as to whether it was resting on its edge, or end, or flat side, as to how much friction there was, so that is not the answer.. The cam obviously contacts the sheath, but also squashes it in, the same as if you squeezed it between your fingers, thus obtaining more "grab" as it were, same as you could pull on a rope harder than you could a steel rod.. john..

The makers state 9 to 13mm.. Thing was though, it just did not feel right.. I think what the issue is, the maximum diameter may very well be 13mm ROPE, as this is squashy, so the grab has no problem grabbing. Indeed, my climbing rope is 13mm and it will grab that no problem at all. Now, when i tried it on a steel core flipline of 11mm, [i think it actually measures a bit more] it worked fine, but did not feel "happy" shall we say.. It was certainly much happier on my 11mm [or thereabouts] squashy rope lanyard. I think the difference is that the flipline is hard and incompressable so the grab cannot get such a firm grip. Think of it like this; If you dangled a half inch diameter rope vertically down from a beam and grabbed it with your hands, you might well be able to hold your own weight. If you swapped the rope for a smooth half inch steel bar [or indeed a wire rope] and tried again, you would have no chance.. Do not misunderstand, it worked ok on the 11mm flipline, but if i went up to 13mm, i have an idea things might not have been too good at all. I swapped it for a Prusik.. It works really well, but it is a bugger to adjust. If i was doing it all day every day like you lot, it would be tempting to go back to the rope grab as the Prusik is hard work.. But for me, although a pain, at least i know for a fact that no matter how much a flap the flipline about, when i go to lean back i will not fall off the tree!! john..