Ugly mulberry with some wires, 2 houses, fence, ac, natural gas generator, and pretty patio pavers. Lots of handsaw work and throwing everything into a little bitty weedy area.
I actually had a blast tying into and walking on skinny stuff with no worries. I’m deprived of sound strong hardwoods. I’m so sick of dead ash and goopy spruce. Decent cash and the other guys handle cleanup. I’m happy.
Cooped up in a plant making countertops all winter made today feel like a vacation
Ash (with dieback)removal. Had some photographer friends take some shots, as I need some better quality images for my new website. The tree was at the bottom of my garden so made for an interesting day.
I've been climbing with two lanyards for over 4 years now. I took a good pendulum swing whilst passing a branch on a wet day & banged my head pretty hard. With two lanyards it would not have happened.
Coincidentally, we are now supposed to climb with two ropes and a lanyard at all times in the UK. For those who are interested, this is a link to the new climbing guide, which sets the legal precedent. I fought hard against it, but the powers that be (and the training industry which stands to benefit massively from this) pushed it through despite massive objection from the grass roots of the industry.
Two lanyards are fantastic for quickly and safely passing limbs. Yeah, that mandatory two climbing lines and systems in every tree, all the time, being an accepted safety condition, is messed up.
I did not have enough sense to come up with the 2 lanyard idea when I learned in the 70's. We would free climb up to the first limb...10' or 50'...or until we got "skeered" and then lanyard in. When it came time to pass a limb we would hold on with one hand, release the lanyard, monkey around with it to pass the limb, re-attach the lanyard and climb on. So, we were unprotected that whole time while repositioning the lanyard. And toally unprotected while climbing to our first lanyard in point. Totally stupid.
We weren't smart enough to take our 3 strand manila line and set it in the tree and climb/spur up with that high TIP protection. So glad smarter folks than me stayed busy thinking and finding safer ways to do stuff. That is why finding the tree forums in the 90's was such a big deal for me...I was pointed to Jeff Jepson's book and learned about a blake's hitch using a carabiner. I used to untie my tautline to pass a limb and then re-tie it...countless times. And it was hard to advance. To discover Blakes, eye-eyes, Knuts, distels, etc. What a blessing.
I had some rock climbing experience before I started doing trees...learned basic cliff climbing from Army Rangers in 1969..using plain steel oval non-locking biners (locking biners did not exist then)...learned to rappel with a "biner wrap" where if you screwed up the rope could dump itself out of the biner and you free fall. I always wondered if that could really happen...the Rangers taught that but one of their main goals was to scare the shat out of you as you learned. I fussed around years later, intentionally made the rope do what I had wondered about...yep, it'll dump your ass in a hurry.
Purpose of the above is to say that when I started tree work and worked with the one real tree company of my career, I felt like a betrayer/cheater when I brought my rudimentary rock climbing gear to the tree site. The boss said, "what are you gonna do with that stuff?" I said, rappel out of the tree when I need to get down (I had been spurring down, sometimes without using the lanyard)...he was kind of incredulous about the rock climbing stuff...biners. Shortly after that they taught me the tautline hitch so I didn't have to take my biners up with me...they taught that to me when I was 40' up, shouting how to tie it, me dumb enough to trust them and bail out of the tree. It is a REAL leap of faith to go from all hands on with rappelling where you ALWAYS keep the rope in your right hand for a proper brake...to having to LET GO of the rope to get the tautline to grab. I was not a happy camper for awhile.
10.4 on that tree, Pete. Great pictures...curvy bastid...did not look to be much straight wood to it.
Cory...negative on Ranger. I went thru their week long mountaineering course...f-up and you did Ranger pushups no matter where you were...feet always higher than head. If u screw up on a 2' wide ledge at 50 ' your feet go up the mountain. Handstand pushups. Their intensity makes you get your chit together real quick.
I’ve taken some shit from my old crew since my job change. I had to go out to give them a boost today. That’s the elevator I’m looking down on. Rigged out a 90’ white oak (kinda woods tree growth pattern) and had nothing but a stump in 45 minutes. Six cuts plus dropping the spar. Dropped two more trees they planned on stripping, chipped my brush with the skid steer and left them with the tree that was pictured. I’m pretty sure they’re mad at me now. I reminded them why I’m in the position I’m in
Yesterday, taking down some trees killed by a house fire. Someone lost their airstream, second picture. Pruning a few branches for a new building. Beautiful day!
Trying out some new women's Arborwear pants...$30, not $65. She reports them to be comfy.
My retired neighbor sold his skidder to a friend of his, whom I know. It's the guy who bought my Vermeer 206 grinder.
My neighbor found that the bad mechanic (me), who worked on my Rayco grinder, hooked up wires wrong. He had it fixed lickety-split. Going to replace some wear-part bushings for the hydraulic cylinders.
😁
What are those nice green gloves she is wearing???
Moonrise over Launceston...worked right to 5pm...getting the wisteria out of a pine, 6 hrs and 2/3 done..
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