john87

Yes, i loved the Ford too!! It is not my photo, the person that took it sent it to me. Was about 1982 i think!! john..

One thing that does worry me, is that there is a big bulge behind it when the rest of the ground is perfectly flat... I have got a photo of it from last september and i do not think it has moved since then.. I also have a photo from 1980, but it is a poor photo and you cannot see much.. If you look at the rearmost trunk, it was MUCH more upright then.. john..

Forgot to add photo!!

I got a photo of the top of it. I would be all for reducing the height as you say, but since all the foliage is at the top, would it not just be a very tall tree stump for ever more?? I was thinking of removing some of the heavier branches that stick out to the right to try to reduce the overturning forces on the tree.. john..

No matching dip.. I will go and take some proper photos with my camera [and not friends phone] in a bit. If it fell, it would not hit anything [unless someone was to be standing there] I will get better photos.. Did not think height reduction, that is a good idea!! Would it be safe to climb though?? I could test that mathematically i suppose.. john..

Yes, my friend took the phots with her phone and they do not do the thing justice. It is a HUGE tree, scots pine?? and it leans at an alarming angle.. The bulge behind it is not a good sign either!! john..

Hi There! Was looking at a tree earlier and it seems to have a hell of a lean.. The thing i am concerned about is that behind the tree if you see what i mean, is a rather large bulge in the ground. looks to me like the tree is getting ready to fall.. Cannot see any cracks in the ground, but when you look at the height and weight of the tree the overturning moment must be huge. Here is a picture that does not really show the bulge, but you can clearly see the lean.. What you all think?? john,,

Ah I see!! Thanks for that.. I was messing about with it earlier and found a setting where i could sit there in a "neutral" position i think it is called. Not saying you would want to sit there all day like it, but secure feeling and comfy enough despite me having a rather unfortunate medical condition.. Oh, ok, go on then, google "hydrocele"... john!!

Anyone got any advice on adjusting a harness?? At the moment a lot of the time i end up having to hold onto the rope to avoid falling backwards! Other than wearing lead filled boots, which adjustments should i be looking at first?? john..

Exactly right!!! The best thing is a bank transfer.. They can do it from their mobile phone, and by the time you go back in the house and check you bank balance on your PC, you will see that the money is there. It is safe to give them the item then. Careful with cash as there is as lot of counterfeit money out there.. john..

Bank transfer though, you can see the money go in on your internet banking,, Do not think Paypal is instant mind, apparently it is not... john..

Ebay is a joke with all this not being able to give out contact details. Yeah, sure i am going to contract to buy something i have never even seen.. john..

What you mean??

Hi all, Any of you use an electric winch on the front of your vehicle?? Reason for asking is that i have a brand new unused Husky 10 that i was thinking of selling... I bought it as i was going to fit it to my Frontera, but never got around to it. Thing is brand new, complete with makers manual and test certs, never been installed never been used.. All i ever did with it, was, in the makers book, they say that before using it, it is best to run it in, with no, or very light load for about an hour. I sat it on my bedroom floor, connected it to a lorry battery, and over a period of a few weeks, ran it for about 2 minutes at a time, alternately in forward and reverse, whilst holding the drum as tightly as i could with a pair of gloves!! john...

Yes, i am not one for "gadgets" I would not want a zigzag or any of that nonsense to be honest.. Just basic good quality stuff for DRT will do me fine!! I bought a split tail, as it just seemed to make sense to me, but i thought i would ask, make sure i have done the right thing as you lot are all experts at this!! I bought a harness afterwards too, i got an Arbpro tree access 3. Seems great to me, but what would i know, never tried any others, all new to me.. You have all been loads of help though!!! john..

Thank you!! john..

Quick question.. Why would you use a blakes hitch, especially on a split tail, when instead you could use an infinitely neater Prusik on a bit of smaller diameter cord instead?? john...

Yes, i agree.. I would not feel happy at randoms turning up at my house either.. Saying that, when i have gone to collect stuff, i have met some lovely people!! I went and bought a chipper last week. The seller was a multi multi multi millionaire, the house was unbelieveable!!! Turns out they had bought the thing brand new, [timberwolf 13/75] used it once, and then put it in their garage for 5 years. Needless to say the thing is indistinguishable from brand new!! I was well pleased!! I paid with paypal [off my credit card] then went and got it so if it had all gone wrong i would have got my money back anyway.. john..

I have had some brilliant stuff off ebay, other stuff not so good. I often see things described as "mint" but when you look at the photos the thing looks well rough.. There is no need for anyone to get caught.. Never EVER pay for anything until you have seen it or in advance. Never buy anything unless it is at the owners HOUSE and you have seen them go in and out. For example, the £20,000 excavator you are buying from the eastern european bloke that lives in a council flat and the digger is "round at my mates place" is unlikely to be his.. Go on google earth and see if the location looks appropriate for what is being sold.. If you go to look at something and the seller turns out to be more than one person, like a bunch of them, just walk away.. If you have to travel hundreds of miles, twice, then so be it. I have done near 700 mile round trips to buy stuff. Never turn up with very large amounts of cash.. Go and look, and then, if you have internet banking, do a bank transfer.. john..

Just thought i would add.. The jack above.. Great that is!! According to the makers, it can lift just over 2 tons to four feet, and then for the final foot, up to five feet, it reduces to a bit over a ton.. In truth i would say the capacity is more like a ton no matter where you are up the leg of the thing.. It is really well made [it is a genuine "hi-lift" one] with only downside is that despite teh makes saying you should not use grease, you need to grease the upright leg thing unless you want it to "pick up" [ask me how i know] Say with the tree above; How else would you cut the bit in contact with the ground without digging your saw into the earth?? The lifting sticky out bit has an upturned end, so you can dangle a sling off it which would be a better job than what i did in the photo. The thing cost about £120 i think it was, but it is one of the better things i have ever bought!! john..

Hi Doug, I looked it up. It was about £675 all in all for 5 days and the assessment so that is not bad.. Things can always go wrong as you say.. No, i never use the top of the bar.. If i have to cut something where that would be required, you know, where it would be neccessary to start off cutting downwards, followed by a final upwards cut, i reposition the work differently so that i can just saw straight down through it.. I will try to post a photo.. Here i was cutting up a sycamore tree. The way it was laying on the ground, in places i would have had to start cuts at the top then finish off from the bottom, so i jacked the whole lot up with a jack.. This obviously took time, but then the cutting itself was much quicker as i could just whizz along sawing off slices, whic was just as well as i had to cut the lot into six inch lengths.. It is like i said; I do not feel "happy" using the top of the bar, so i avoid doing it, much like i would avoid bungee jumping or parachuting!! john..

Hi There, Noooo, i meant the course as well!! Certainly did not mean that i was just going to turn up and do the test!! Must say though, if you failed someone just because they had not been on a course, you would not be an assessor very long.. Someone can either demonstrate the competencies required, or they cannot. [I was a college lecturer for a short while] john..

Hmm, might have a go at that.. john..

Hi Matty, So basically then, all i would have to do, is to arrange for an assessor to come and see me, or go to see them, and just show them that i can look at a tree and decide if it is safe to climb in the first place, [thing not defective] find a suitable place to anchor to, and get myself up in the tree and down again safely, using the correct equipment, and have an awareness of things to look out for and an awarness of what the risks were and what could go wrong; That kind of stuff?? john..

That all seems sensible enough!! So long as i would not be expected to do stuff i was not happy doing!! john..