First time saddle user, please help.

Stihl Alive · Sep 3, 2008

veterans please feel free to flame away, but I have a saddle and need a little help on the correct way to fit my lanyard. I don't plan to climb anything with this equipment until I know what I'm doing. I'm reading "The Tree Climber's Companion" now and I have a new saddle, spikes and lanyard. Will someone who has a lot of patience explain how the lanyard goes through the rings and around the tree?

chevytaHOE5674 · Sep 3, 2008

Sounds like your climbing with a flipline correct?

If so the snap goes on one D on the saddle and the rope grab goes on the other D.

Stihl Alive · Sep 3, 2008

there are 4 rings on this rig. 2 in front (flap out) and 2 on the sides (fixed)

Rftreeman · Sep 3, 2008

if you are using the lanyard in the picture then you place one snap on one of the side D-rigns and go around the tree and place the other snap on the opposite side D-ring. That is an adjustable lanyard, you move the hitch knot back and forth to achieve the length that you need.

Stihl Alive · Sep 3, 2008

Rftreeman said:
if you are using the lanyard in the picture then you place one snap on one of the side D-rigns and go around the tree and place the other snap on the opposite side D-ring. That is an adjustable lanyard, you move the hitch knot back and forth to achieve the length that you need.

thats what I thought, but seemed like it was too obvious. I think I'm over complicating the gear and underestimating the work. I've got a lot of low altitude practicing to do. I hope you guys are accustomed to newbies joining and asking tons of questions.

thanks.

MARCELL8733 · Sep 3, 2008

New Climber

GO BACK TO CUTTING LAWNS, BEFORE YOU GET HURT :clap:

:monkey:

:agree2:

opcorn:

Rftreeman · Sep 3, 2008

MARCELL8733 said:
GO BACK TO CUTTING LAWNS, BEFORE YOU GET HURT :monkey: :agree2: opcorn:

he's got to learn some how..............

Rftreeman · Sep 3, 2008

Stihl Alive said:
I hope you guys are accustomed to newbies joining and asking tons of questions.

thanks.

I've trained 100's of people so a few questions from you aren't going to kill me...............

tomtrees58 · Sep 3, 2008

MARCELL8733 said:
GO BACK TO CUTTING LAWNS, BEFORE YOU GET HURT :monkey: :agree2: opcorn:

do you now a tree man that can help you do not try by your self tom trees

Mikecutstrees · Sep 3, 2008

Be Safe!

always remember the #1 Rule .....ALWAYS STAY TIED IN!

also ask alot of questions, try to work with someone experienced, and stay low and slow. Good luck and stay safe..... Mike

Stihl Alive · Sep 6, 2008

I've learned quite a bit since the first post. I also bought a diferent saddle from a coworker (the kind with just the back, not the seat $25) I'll be mostly climbing pines to top them out so people can get DirecTV signal (my real job). In these cases, do most of you really see the need for a safety rope and a full suspension saddle?

thanks for all the advice.

Rftreeman · Sep 6, 2008

Stihl Alive said:
I've learned quite a bit since the first post. I also bought a diferent saddle from a coworker (the kind with just the back, not the seat $25) I'll be mostly climbing pines to top them out so people can get DirecTV signal (my real job). In these cases, do most of you really see the need for a safety rope and a full suspension saddle?

thanks for all the advice.

what you got from that coworker is a pole belt, it's not a tree saddle, I would stick to the full saddle and the rope, it is much easier to ride the rope down then climbing back down.

taking tops out is not as easy as it looks just to let you know

Stihl Alive · Sep 6, 2008

Rftreeman said:
what you got from that coworker is a pole belt, it's not a tree saddle, I would stick to the full saddle and the rope, it is much easier to ride the rope down then climbing back down.

taking tops out is not as easy as it looks just to let you know

what are the most difficult parts about topping from your experience?

Rftreeman · Sep 6, 2008

Stihl Alive said:
what are the most difficult parts about topping from your experience?

for me, it's getting my fat azz up there....lol

just kidding, the thing is to make sure you can get the top where you want it, they don't always want to go the way you want them too, you may need a helper to pull a rope to pull it over then you have to worry about things under you, should it be rigged and such, tree work is not something you can "just do" I know you have to learn some how & even stated so but don't just assume because you have read the book and can get to the top of the tree that you can complete the job at hand, I really wish you would seek some training local with some hands on before you decide to start dropping tops yourself.

Stihl Alive · Sep 6, 2008

yeah, I'm trying to contact the guys that run a service a few towns over. Maybe they would let me help out on my day off for a few weeks to get some pointers and hands on experience.

My plans are to only do the jobs that are simple and safe. Like I said, this isn't a full time thing for me so anything I'm not absulutely sure about will get referred to the pros. My plans for topping (assuming I ever get MY fat ass up there) would be to tie off as high as pissible, then make a normal felling cut while someone pulls the rope. If there is a house or a shed or a china doll or anything but ground I wouldn't do it. At least not now. I'm really glad I found this site.

thanks for the advice.

Rftreeman · Sep 6, 2008

use some of the simple jobs as practice for harder ones, pretend that there is an object below or just mark a area off and take the top out without hitting the pretend object or marked area but if you can get a crew to let you work and get some hands on then that will help you a lot and you can learn a lot by just watching also, I taught a guy to run a bucket and climb & trim around power lines and he didn't speak a lick of english, he just used his eyes and watched everything I did and turned out to be a very good trimmer, of course he speaks great english now.........

Stihl Alive · Sep 6, 2008

that's an excellent idea. I kind of used the same premise when felling a couple of pines for DTV customer a few weeks back. It was wide open on the side I was felling towards, so I picked a spot where I wanted them to fall and pretended that was the only option. One was dead on, one I missed by about 6 feet. But both trees were leaning over his house so I marked it in the W column overall.

oldirty · Sep 6, 2008

stick to the roof and the dish pal.

you are going to get yourself put into a situation that you have no and i mean absolutely zero idea of what to do.

never mind the fact your not bringing a line up with you.

just because you bought a "linemans" belt does not make you a tree climber.

besides, tell me what happens to a tree after you top it.

reachtreeservi · Sep 6, 2008

Stihl Alive said:
My plans are to only do the jobs that are simple and safe. Like I said, this isn't a full time thing for me so anything I'm not absulutely sure about will get referred to the pros. My plans for topping (assuming I ever get MY fat ass up there) would be to tie off as high as pissible, then make a normal felling cut while someone pulls the rope. If there is a house or a shed or a china doll or anything but ground I wouldn't do it. At least not now. I'm really glad I found this site.

thanks for the advice.

With your level of experience, there's no such thing as a simple and safe job.

And the DTV guy topping trees idea is just ........ wrong !

Do you have tree insurance ?

What are you going to do if you get cut 65 ft up ?

Can you be on the ground from any working height in 30 seconds ?

Do you have wedges, come alongs, arborist blocks, bull ropes ?

How are you getting to the top of these trees? Spiking, footlocking, SRT ?

Do you know what you don't know? Obviously not. Or you wouldn't be in a tree with a chainsaw and a linesman's belt.

You better listen to Oldirty and stick to the roof and the dish pal.

Stihl Alive · Sep 6, 2008

I don't walk roofs and peak dishes anymore. I work in management now (big mistake). But that's beside the point. Like I said, I don't plan on behaving recklessly or doing something I shoudn't. I'm just a novice. I thought this was the forum to ask basic questions to veteransfor "real" advice. Just telling me to tuck my tail and run is not advice. I'm going to cut the trees. That's been decided. I'll learn what I have to and do it. Just like anyone else. I'll use literature, sites like this, word or]f mouth, and hands on training to learn what I need to know, then do what needs to be done.

First time saddle user, please help.

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