pantheraba
More biners!!!
Llllooooonnnngggg drop! 
How'd it go today?
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treebilly
Student of the Jedi. OH-7106A
Some trees are just assholes and won’t give up Jed. I had two sycamore spars today with natural lean, I cut very deep notches, left triangles for holding wood and they wouldn’t go. Got pissed and shoved them over with the skid steer. Of course I had an audience for both. What ever. I was paid a large hourly rate to look foolish so it wasn’t very painful. Love those prevailing rate jobs!
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Practiced up my mechanic skills, and got closer on my loader. Cleaned up my neighbor's shop for him. He's got COPD, and has 'no wind'. Sweeping up dust is no go for him. A clean and organized shop is easier and safer to work in.
After several troubleshooting videos, I was going to try to 'jumper' the ignition solenoid, to test the starter itself on my chip truck. Turned the key on, and for whatever reason decided to try to start my chip truck, and it started right up. I was able to move the whole rig so the chipper was 4' to the right, and lined up to chip, instead of backed up to a tree. Chipped brush from pruning one of my elms over the house from the other day/ week/ could have been the last day of November.
Work is coming in at the pace of I can get it out. Which is great. No pressure. Work to do every day.
After several troubleshooting videos, I was going to try to 'jumper' the ignition solenoid, to test the starter itself on my chip truck. Turned the key on, and for whatever reason decided to try to start my chip truck, and it started right up. I was able to move the whole rig so the chipper was 4' to the right, and lined up to chip, instead of backed up to a tree. Chipped brush from pruning one of my elms over the house from the other day/ week/ could have been the last day of November.
Work is coming in at the pace of I can get it out. Which is great. No pressure. Work to do every day.
@treebilly looking foolish while getting scale is the story of my life 
Jed
TreeHouser
Sure... Pays the same. Man, I do miss me some prevailing wage.
Sean: Good on ya for cleaning up your neighbor's place, man. Dang.
Jed
TreeHouser
That Hemlock stub
give me a hard time today. Watch me try to gobble my corner at the last bit, and gobble my wedge instead.
View attachment 5521FE61-7E4E-4F5C-B900-0289BE9E28FD.MOV
give me a hard time today. Watch me try to gobble my corner at the last bit, and gobble my wedge instead.
View attachment 5521FE61-7E4E-4F5C-B900-0289BE9E28FD.MOV
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SeanKroll
Treehouser
The student helps the teacher. I'm always learning things if I'm over there, occasionally helping him on something he needs (paying him for work isn't helping, it's paying for work).
He commented that nobody (like a magical shop maid) shows up and cleans up the joint, and he's not that good at it, himself. He can get immersed in a project, or 5, and stuff just starts to get scattered, or tools and parts piling up in places that are less than ideal, like the middle of the floor or nearest horizontal surface.
One day a few months ago, he fell somehow. All he knows is he was working on his truck and time-traveled two hours and woke up with blood on the floor and his face, sore as heck.
All day long at work I'm telling myself and employees to Start Organized and Stay Organized, and have a Clear Work Area-Clear Footing, especially after my older friend had his heart restarted a few times as a complication of a stumble in a little hole in the ground and falling against his truck, breaking ribs.
Neighbor's 82 year old mom, another neighbor on the old farm, depends on him checking in on her throughout the day.
One hand washes the other. There are neighbors, and there are people who live near each other.
treebilly
Student of the Jedi. OH-7106A
I take nice days off. If it’s gonna be a miserable day, might as well get paid for it🤪
Jed
TreeHouser
... Yeah, no kiddin. lol at Corey and Rich.Sean: Yer a good man, dude, I'm not jokin.
So................. I got all these freakin old timers (Butch, Burnham, Gary, Corey, 09)... all these freakin guys, ya know, telling me to tie in twice and all of that Davey nonsense... you guys know what I'm talking about. Anyways.... I sez to myself, I sez, "Jed," I sez, "Yer kind of a dumbass." I sez. "Yer always tryin ta make a big impression on folks fer how old-timey you are, and how you don't need any dang new, fancy gizmos, and how the old days were always so much better than the new days." Etc. (Sorry, I'll drop the redneck lingo.)
Seriously: You guys have made a really big impact on me over the years. Willy Ging, SOTC, (Has he been around in a bit, btw?) put me onto this place. "Jed. You've really got to check out The Treehouse. It's on the Information Superhighway
, and it's a bunch of really cool older guys who share all their stuff, and don't blow smoke, etc.".... Dang, that's probably 15 years ago now... ,
Anyways. I was supposed to be doing employee evaluations in the trailer at Eastside this morning, but instead found myself coming uncorked on our production manager (and my boss) for suggesting that my ground guys learn now to "install a 3 to 1, in order to qualify for having attained, "advanced ground rigging."
I just got so stinkin ticked. "This is the stupidest... I cannot STAND a stupid three to one!" "Why would ANYONE WASTE his time... on ever setting up a stupid three to one!" You all can just imagine how that went over with my two immediate bosses with whom I was supposed to be conducting poor Davin's employee evalualuation. I aplologized before the end of the meeting and went out to do my crappy (non GoPro worthy)
, little removals. And it was weird, because at one point, I ended up going up this super tall, snakey little Birch that might have been 70' tall... but I had to go clean up there so that at the highest point, I was probably about 55'. My rule is that I never take a climb line if I know that I can throw all the limbs, and I know that I can finish the climbing bit with one tank of top-handle gas. (Wade Fagen--old timer, and EXCELLENT, veteran timber faller--of Fagen Tree Service in Bend Oregon, taught me that). By the way, if I don't think that I CAN finish the tree in one tank, my new habit is to take a "service line," up with me (a three strand, 8 mill crab-pot, nylon fishing line rated for 2,200 lbs, with me so that I can fish up another tank of gas or a big saw. But I will climb off it too in a pinch, or repel on a Munter Hitch from 120'. When I told my dear brother Chris Maragulia (owner of Henry Tree Service on Whidby Island) that, he just about killed me.Anyway, all of this was rattling through my head this late morning as I headed up that snakey, snot and lichen covered Birch tree, and I thought, "Dang... I told them boys I would try the double tie-in too. Felt super weird and guilty. I just felt like the hughest dumbass for wanting to be so much bigger and tougher than all the new, millenial little babies I am supposed to be training, who are afraid of their own shadow in the tree. I felt like such a freakin loser. Everybody (bosses, I mean EVERYBODY--except for my wife, ironically
--is rather unhappy with me at the moment.) I felt like some dumbass old timer who, just for bravado or some weird, quaint, old-timey ardor, was willing to sacrifice the well-being of his family, and the improper training of the young, just to exemplify some absurdly false conception of bravery. Dang.You guys (I hope) have helped me see the light a little bit. I'm not going to make any vows because, unfortunately, I am too well aquainted with the stinkin weasel that I call myself, but.... but..... hopefully, with God's grace, I may transition into an old man that a young, aspiring tree climber might reasonably do well to model himself after one day; insted of this, has-been-that-never-was, wanna-be-that-never-will, red-neck, risk taker that we all observe, posting endless pics (and now GoPro vids!) of himself on the Treehouse. Thanks brothers. Small wonder I never stop coming around here year after year. Thanks Butch.
pantheraba
More biners!!!
I love how you straighten yourself out....I'm like you...these pros here have been there, done that, and are STILL here offering sage suggestions. Glad to see they niggled their way into your consciousness as you started up that tree today. Lotsa times I have started to do something "my" way and realized it was probably not really a good idea and if it didn't work I would have to answer to the Housers about how I could have been such an idiot. The collective conscience-ness of Houser buds looking over my shoulder has been salvational at times I am sure. Soldier on, Jed...we loves you, bro!!
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Jed, consider a HH2, if you don't have one. Super compact, cheap, simple, durable. Once it's set-up, you can just forget about it. MRS/ SRS without any changes.
I like a steel biner, and depending on the tree, a throw-weight on the biner for advancing my rope up a couple whorls on removals. Don't accidentally drop the weight when unclipping the biner!
I stand in spurs for positioning and active cutting, and hang/ sit as much as possible. Much easier to manipulate limbs and ropes when you're hanging from above. You can still stand in your spurs just as much, when it's needed. Let's your reach out farther for the speedline or lowering line that is just out of reach.
When the ground-crew is busy in the dropzone, and you're standing there in spurs waiting for them, it's an easy time to advance your climbing line a few whorls or more (you could whip a steel biner and weight, on a climb line, a good 15-20' above you if you're trying), and have a seat a minute or 5.
Getting yourself a 120' hank of lightweight rope and a small rope bag (carries little odds or ends), and it will cover most trees, and is easy enough to carry. I carry my climbing saw on my right hip, and my rope bag left-rear, reasonably balanced, with saw or without.
FWIW
YMMV
I like a steel biner, and depending on the tree, a throw-weight on the biner for advancing my rope up a couple whorls on removals. Don't accidentally drop the weight when unclipping the biner!
I stand in spurs for positioning and active cutting, and hang/ sit as much as possible. Much easier to manipulate limbs and ropes when you're hanging from above. You can still stand in your spurs just as much, when it's needed. Let's your reach out farther for the speedline or lowering line that is just out of reach.
When the ground-crew is busy in the dropzone, and you're standing there in spurs waiting for them, it's an easy time to advance your climbing line a few whorls or more (you could whip a steel biner and weight, on a climb line, a good 15-20' above you if you're trying), and have a seat a minute or 5.
Getting yourself a 120' hank of lightweight rope and a small rope bag (carries little odds or ends), and it will cover most trees, and is easy enough to carry. I carry my climbing saw on my right hip, and my rope bag left-rear, reasonably balanced, with saw or without.
FWIW
YMMV
greengreer
TreeHouser
Bit of a tight lay to keep this white pine spar on the stump. This hillside is very steep with a house below, hence everything being roped and chained off. Tall trees in the river valley, between 100 and 140ft. This one was about 120. Two more to go next week including the big boy. We speedlined all the brush over the house and service drop earlier in the week.
"My rule is that I never take a climb line if I know that I can throw all the limbs, and I know that I can finish the climbing bit with one tank of top-handle gas."
Many tree men have worked with that as a guide and not had any problems doing so. Personally, I will take a rope up, with a way to get down on it one handed, anytime I get higher off the ground than I'd be willing to jump.
Many tree men have worked with that as a guide and not had any problems doing so. Personally, I will take a rope up, with a way to get down on it one handed, anytime I get higher off the ground than I'd be willing to jump.
Fully agree, Dave.
Regularly doing things that heighten the risk of an already extremely dangerous profession isn't guaranteed to F you up, it just makes it more likely. You might make it through unscathed but it won't be from skill, it'll be from luck. You have your buddy who you madly respect on Whidby saying it is unwise, you have your innerweb buddies who you've never met saying it is unwise, yet you demur.
Personally, one thing I love about the innernet is that it irrefutably proves that shit happens. Before the webs, I'd be doing tree work in my own little world, rarely even seeing or talking to another tree service, and you'd get lulled to sleep with a sense of 'it can't happen here' simply because nothing crazy bad had ever happened on my jobs. Then, you find out online that in fact bodies are dropping basically every day doing tree work in US of A. Sure, a lot of em may be rookies or dummies, but plenty of others are skilled people who, go figure!!, made a mistake and they had no plan B ready when plan A shit the bed.
Part of your issue seems to be one of production, you think you're going to be the hardcore old timer blowing out the production with no muss, no fuss, just get it done the bare bones way with out a bunch of gay ass safety systems. You're company seems like it might be somewhat progressive, why don't they hire someone like Mark Chisholm to come give a session, he's a guy employing the highest levels of safety and also banging out production that very very few tree men anywhere could match. I've seen it first hand.
On a much more inconsequential note, what do you have against 3 to 1's? You mean like a wall hauler? Lordy I love em.
Regularly doing things that heighten the risk of an already extremely dangerous profession isn't guaranteed to F you up, it just makes it more likely. You might make it through unscathed but it won't be from skill, it'll be from luck. You have your buddy who you madly respect on Whidby saying it is unwise, you have your innerweb buddies who you've never met saying it is unwise, yet you demur.
Personally, one thing I love about the innernet is that it irrefutably proves that shit happens. Before the webs, I'd be doing tree work in my own little world, rarely even seeing or talking to another tree service, and you'd get lulled to sleep with a sense of 'it can't happen here' simply because nothing crazy bad had ever happened on my jobs. Then, you find out online that in fact bodies are dropping basically every day doing tree work in US of A. Sure, a lot of em may be rookies or dummies, but plenty of others are skilled people who, go figure!!, made a mistake and they had no plan B ready when plan A shit the bed.
Part of your issue seems to be one of production, you think you're going to be the hardcore old timer blowing out the production with no muss, no fuss, just get it done the bare bones way with out a bunch of gay ass safety systems. You're company seems like it might be somewhat progressive, why don't they hire someone like Mark Chisholm to come give a session, he's a guy employing the highest levels of safety and also banging out production that very very few tree men anywhere could match. I've seen it first hand.
On a much more inconsequential note, what do you have against 3 to 1's? You mean like a wall hauler? Lordy I love em.
I was curious about the 3:1 hate also. Easy to setup, and makes work easier. Maybe for a use I don't know about?
Didn't do much today. It was raining, so I did a tiny amount of paperwork, played on the computer, and went home. One thing kinda irritated me... I've been saying for awhile I didn't think we needed to asbuilt the creek. The IFB only called for the stormwater ponds to be asbuilt. After I do a shit ton of field work locating the creek, and getting wound up and pissed off doing it, I start hearing that we maybe don't have to asbuilt the creek :bangshead:
If it doesn't need to be done, it sucks that I did the fieldwork, but it'll still take a bunch of stress off me. No one was clear what they needed for the asbuilts, and this thing was super complicated. There's a 0% chance it looks exactly like the blueprints, and I don't need a fight with the county so the client can get paid for the work. Especially for something like a creek. It looks good, the stuff that was supposed to be installed, was, and the water's flowing the right way. Every day that goes by, it's gonna change from the way it was constructed. That's what creeks do. It's pointless asbuilting something like that. I don't want to do it, and it's a waste of time and money. Hopefully, my stuff won't have to be put to paper. It'll make things easier all around.
Didn't do much today. It was raining, so I did a tiny amount of paperwork, played on the computer, and went home. One thing kinda irritated me... I've been saying for awhile I didn't think we needed to asbuilt the creek. The IFB only called for the stormwater ponds to be asbuilt. After I do a shit ton of field work locating the creek, and getting wound up and pissed off doing it, I start hearing that we maybe don't have to asbuilt the creek :bangshead:
If it doesn't need to be done, it sucks that I did the fieldwork, but it'll still take a bunch of stress off me. No one was clear what they needed for the asbuilts, and this thing was super complicated. There's a 0% chance it looks exactly like the blueprints, and I don't need a fight with the county so the client can get paid for the work. Especially for something like a creek. It looks good, the stuff that was supposed to be installed, was, and the water's flowing the right way. Every day that goes by, it's gonna change from the way it was constructed. That's what creeks do. It's pointless asbuilting something like that. I don't want to do it, and it's a waste of time and money. Hopefully, my stuff won't have to be put to paper. It'll make things easier all around.
I am kinda surprised the company hasn't said something. They would be on the hook for the fines if something ever went south. I almost shitcanned a groundie for throwing a large piece on his shoulder rather than using the brand new arbor trolley. Getting hurt on the job, for no reason especially, is a huge drain on a company and on the man/ woman. You guys should see where construction is with safety, it would shock some people for sure. 100 percent tie off over 6 feet, retractables only, daily inspected scaffolds by trained scaffold builders, 100 percent high vis, hard hat, safety glasses (one job demanded fitted foam ones), hell you literally need an up to date ncco signalperson card to signal a crane, without it fines are literally 6 figures. Same with a current rigging cert, welding certs, e.t.c. It's almost insane. Company mandated stretches a couple times a day, steel toe boots, tied off tools, caution taped off work areas, daily equipment inspections, daily job hazard analysis with revisions at lunch, 100 percent gloves, 100 percent long sleeves......
They put up with the extra costs of all of this for one reason only: to keep you safe.... 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 no it's for insurance and the ability to bid work, which is dependent on the company's safety records. But really, that's where it's at. As a company owner if an employee isn't working to the minimum safety standards, I'm ultimately responsible. The professional tradesman simply accepts these safety standards, and still bangs out production. And maybe they are saved by them, because although some may be really dumb, all of them became the standard because of statistical analysis of injuries. Except for the foam glasses, that was some of the dumbest shit I've ever had to put up with Maybe next to high vis while welding, before the high vis welding jackets came out. I remember working in an alcohol plant when they came up with that shit, it was a live running plant and it was raining high vis jackets that were on fire. It lasted a day for the welders hahahaha
They put up with the extra costs of all of this for one reason only: to keep you safe.... 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 no it's for insurance and the ability to bid work, which is dependent on the company's safety records. But really, that's where it's at. As a company owner if an employee isn't working to the minimum safety standards, I'm ultimately responsible. The professional tradesman simply accepts these safety standards, and still bangs out production. And maybe they are saved by them, because although some may be really dumb, all of them became the standard because of statistical analysis of injuries. Except for the foam glasses, that was some of the dumbest shit I've ever had to put up with
Maybe next to high vis while welding, before the high vis welding jackets came out. I remember working in an alcohol plant when they came up with that shit, it was a live running plant and it was raining high vis jackets that were on fire. It lasted a day for the welders hahahahaThings aren't that bad here for highway construction; yet... The worst one I remember was working for Raytheon on a nuclear plant haul road. Had to wear safety glasses(I made side curtains for my prescription glasses(kept them happy)), and I had to clip off on the bridge beams over the creek, and wear a pfd. The beams /might/ have been 6' over the water, and the water was ~4' deep. Not sure what that pdf was supposed to do :^D
pantheraba
More biners!!!
Hit the water unconscious and a good PFD keeps your head up out of the water until you regain Consciousness hopefully.
Land surveyor, with my particular specialty being highway construction. Bridges, roads, stuff like that. Occasionally big buildings. I'm kind of all over the site, and I sort of fall through the gaps. It's just me, so I don't get noticed so much, and don't have rules written specifically for me. I adopt the rules of the trades on site to a point, but enforcement isn't very rigorous for the most part. High vis, hardhat, and clipped off at heights mostly keeps everyone happy. I get away with stuff some other people don't though. Some of the guys will have to clip off on little bridges. I just walk out there, and no one says anything.
Jed
TreeHouser
Wow. I guess I can thank God that I quit construction around 2000.
Thanks so much for all the input you guys. Thanks Dave.
Greengreer: That's some handsome work. Wow, they stretch up pretty tall in there.
Corey: I just hate non-self-tailing rigamarole regardless of how much mechanical advantage can be gained. A guy can pull a ton more off a trucker's hitch and a coupla plastic wedges imho. Plus the 3 to 1's available tend not to pull very far till yer outa rope. I just hate an extra piece of gear that imho doesn't do very much. Dead-weight, truck-box fillers, ya know what I mean.
Thanks so much for all the input you guys. Thanks Dave.
Greengreer: That's some handsome work. Wow, they stretch up pretty tall in there.
Corey: I just hate non-self-tailing rigamarole regardless of how much mechanical advantage can be gained. A guy can pull a ton more off a trucker's hitch and a coupla plastic wedges imho. Plus the 3 to 1's available tend not to pull very far till yer outa rope. I just hate an extra piece of gear that imho doesn't do very much. Dead-weight, truck-box fillers, ya know what I mean.
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