How'd it go today?

Scored a big hydraulic cylinder today. Not sure if I can haul it home in my truck.:lol: 8" bore x 96" stroke, with a 5" diameter rod.:/:
 
Id never dream of doing a wreck without spurs!

I take them the less possible, because I 'm not confident with those tools. I wreck usually all the crown on ropes. When comes the time of blocking the trunk, I go down and take the spurs. I don't rely easily on them but I recognize that they are really useful ... in the right situation. As long as I can hang my rope, I keep my feet free.
 
"Sting and Stay", from a French gear seller and developer.
http://www.elagage-hevea.com/vente-...s-sting-and-stay-ftc/category_pathway-49.html
With the grips bolt under the bottom. Handy to walk on the limbs.
Well made and very efficient I have to recognize.

The reluctance I have is only from my own. And from the first ones which were lent to me : the cheapest on the market, made just with a folded flat stock (smooth steel which bends under load) and only a small strap on top, two thin spikes each side. Awful to wear and scary to use.
 
griffes-sting-and-stay-grip.jpg
 
Live oak TD today. Kind of underestimated it. No biggie. Bid a day and I am a couple hours off. Dang thing was slippery as all get out from last nights rain so it took a little more care bee bopping about in it. Tangled bugger, twisted around a couple other trees as well. Will lead to more work, no biggie. HO impressed as hell. Church let me bomb stuff on their side of the fence and saved me rigging some. Fence was rotten and had to be avoided. No taking it down and don't hit the bugger. I self lowered to Rob and he guided everything over the fence to a little LZ. All good... Start on some black oak prunes after we finish up there tomorrow :D
 
No walking around on the ground with those, for sure!

With these as well. I don't think limb walking is such a good idea either. Someone gave them to me, but I haven't tried them yet. Perhaps kind of useful for gladiator fighting too.
 

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Might take some pressure off the knees, anyways. Crazy.

I've been busy as all get out in the last month and a half. Worked Sunday and Monday in a little border town called Midway. Couple of fair sized pines slayed out there and a real limby blue spruce, good payday out there. I linked up with a faller with his own biz who operates down south, he's impressed as heck with my style(it's amazing how impressed folks are with an uncontrolled zipline when they're used to old school climbers). So, hopefully it will lead to more work, and especially the chance to learn some felling tricks from the old dawg.

Today was interesting, though. I'm in the middle of packing for a trip to Vancouver for the Arb. Canada technical felling course, right now. My morning job included a slice of humble pie. Here's the story....


Bug kill pine near the top of a slope, about a year dead. Tree is no more than 20 inches from a neigbouring doug fir. About 20" dbh and around 100' tall. Leans back to the SW, over a fence and a busy road at the end of the lay that the top would likely hit if it fell that way. Also a significant side lean to it. Pretty much all downhill from the stump. Intended lay is to the NW, though I informed the client that it is more likely the tree is going to break off the hinge and end up falling due W, likely missing the fence. So, I set a pull line with the big shot and I pull the tree off the backlean with a 5-1 attached to a pickup. Since the backlean is dealt with, I intend to use the pickup to pull to the lay. 90 degree retainer line is impractical and would likely end up damaging clients grapes, and would be difficult to attach due to the neighbouring fir. Since there are no targets to the W, I don't install one. Now it's cutting time. Make my undercut, 70 degree conventional...not low because Imma haxor. Bore cut to set the hinge...start my cut from the compression side on the W. Plunge thru and pull the cut back a bit. Pull the saw out (here's where I should have pounded a wedge into the compression side). Go to the tension side to pull the bore cut back to the strap a little further, and it is difficult avoiding cutting into the hinge due to the proximity to the fir tree. I'm not dogged in, have about 6" from powerhead to tree (luckily!). POP! Shit frig! Tree sits onto the compression side (duh!! where's the wedge dummy?!) and saw is pinched. So, I decide to boogie and get the scrench...obviously taking a wide swath around the intended lay. Too late, pop! Tree falls due west, and breaks and rolls down the hill for two turns. I know it did two turns because I'm watching my 66 flip around twice! Luckily, as the powerhead is not in contact with the tree, and the majority of the weight of the crown is holding the butt up off the ground NO DAMAGE! Bar isn't even bent.

After that excitement I pick up a dead 18" x 90' fir off a 5 degree backlean with wedges and pulled it over with a rope that was already installed. No drama on that one. Damn it feels good to be a gangster!

Daggone! Off to the coast for some training...guess I need it!
 
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