Ground Communication Problems

[squad143]

Gonna be sledding through your area the end of next week, whats the snow like?

 

[Paul@Arborworks]

Not the greatest, i live right on the trails acutally weve only got like 2 feet of snow you can still ride as thee is some good spots but down in powassan the trails are patchy with snow and grass.

 

[troythetreeman]

never used radios, once you got your ground guys trained there isnt any need
they know what the job is and can anticipate your need for them, they also need to just be paying attention in general
some jobs i assign one guy not to leave the tree, just move brush into piles for the other guy/guys and be ready when i need you
have all the tools you know you will need at hand before you start
a ground guy idle under the tree waiting on the climber is a lot better then a climber idle in the tree waiting on a ground guy
as for sharpening, i like mine _sharp_ but i dont have a schedule, i inspect them and sharpen as needed, usually ding them before theyre dull from use, doesnt take much, clack them together or a small rock
walk on your toes across pavement and take them off when you arent in immediate intention to use them
some general hand signals are good too
best ground guy i ever had was a mexican, because he didnt understand english our communication was _better_, he paid more attention and didnt get offended when i pointed at something, he just did it
not that i advocate illegals, i also cant fault a man for wanting work and a better life

 

[Iustinian]

radios are nice, but not needed in most cases I think. Throat mikes are the way to go if you are going to use them though. The vibration in your vocal cords helps eliminate the ambient noises like chainsaws etc. so your voice is clear to the others on your channel.

For the most part, its still going to be dependent on the dynamic between you and your ground crew.

I look before i cut and make sure my groundguys are not in my drop zone, and they make eye contact with me before entering it. We usually nod if its safe to enter/safe to drop if we cant hear each other. Mine are smart enough not to run in when they hear my chainsaw, but they can usually tell the difference between when I'm making a notch before I cinch my rigging knot and when I'm making the cut thats gonna drop it. If it's being rigged, I make my notch, kerfs, or undercuts, tie/cinch/set the rigging, make eye contact with the ground guy, he nods letting me know hes ready, and the last cuts made.

When I have a question about whether or not I'll have room to bring a peice down in the available space, I'll making a cutting motion with my hands on the spot on the branch where I want to make my cut and he'll give me a thumbs up or not.

Usually not that damn difficult if you have competent ground guys that have their head in the game and want to work.

Radios are nice sometimes but No amount of technology or radios are going to make up for a lack of experience, intelligence, and work ethic. Just saying.

 

[tree md]

My ground guy has been with me for 5 years and has been doing tree work longer than I have. Albeit ground work. Most time we don't even have to talk. He's usually a step ahead on the ground when it comes to rope work. I very rarely have to tell him to do anything. When we do need to communicate it is usually by hand signals... Sometimes flipping each other a bird... :jester:

 

[mattfr12]

My ground guy has been with me for 5 years and has been doing tree work longer than I have. Albeit ground work. Most time we don't even have to talk. He's usually a step ahead on the ground when it comes to rope work. I very rarely have to tell him to do anything. When we do need to communicate it is usually by hand signals... Sometimes flipping each other a bird... :jester:

usually works out like that for us. but we went ahead and got the ear techs their great. 30% of the time i can't see the operator or i would have to move around to show him a hand signal and its way easier. you know how branches always look bigger from the ground? well i love being able to tell him the pretension through a radio get a lot less sagging loads.

 

[mattfr12]

almost forgot but i don't know how often you guys work along side the road. but i have employees i just call in for flagging that we need because its usually at least 1-2 a week and it works really well to coordinate with the flagmen when your going to be doing something hazardous over the road.

also someone mentioned a whistle i picked an emergency one up one day looking for hunting gloves at ####s and it is super super load wanna plug your ears load before you blow it. it deffinetly does get their attention.

local guy also took my remote for the crane and made one of the buttons put power to the air horns. so i can blow them from 600 yards away. i leave the remote in by my coffee pot in the morning and use it to remote start the truck so by the time i get my boots on its ready to roll.