limb walking....

[treeclimber165]

I just thought of another technique I've used but I haven't seen it mentioned specifically. If you have a long enough lanyard or flipline, you can sometimes flip it under a limb out ahead of you in such a way as that the clip swings up and back to you. Catch the clip and either use the doubled rope to pull yourself out or clip it back on the flipline and choke it back to the limb. Then you can use the single line to pull yourself out while letting slack out of your lifeline.
Think about what angle you are in relation to your lifeline at all times. Think about how you would turn your body or control your swing if you were to slip off the lead. Once in a while you may slip off and you need to be prepared so you don't slam back into the trunk. If you pass the point where you would be safe swinging back on your lifeline, then your lifeline is no longer your primary support. Determine where that spot is on every limb walk and secure yourself accordingly.

Glad to see you asking these types of questions, Budroe. Climb safe!

 

[mikecross23]

This is a little off topic, but Monkeypuzzle took me to the biggest live oak I've ever seen. It measured 25' dbh and the spread was huge! ! ! We played around in it for a while, limb walking, swinging transfers, and just plain monkey'n around. We had a great time.

When I need to get out to the tip of a limb w/ a 45 degree incline, I rely on loop runners. It does take me more time but for me it seems safer and also conserves my energy. A choked loop runner (or 2 or 3 even) provide great handles and foot holds that require me to use less energy to hold on to than the large leader provides. If the slant of the leader is not too great, I've found myself using my lanyard choking the branch and leaning back hard while keeping my feet flat and small stepping upward. It's kind of harry trying to keep your balance on a smaller diameter branch but the lanyard is double wrapped and my life line is taunt so if I were to loose it I would just hang where my conections hold me. I'm not the most efficient limb walker and I'm sure that comes w/ time, so until that time comes, I'll take is slow and steady! ! !

Next Saturday Treeclimber 165 is driving through Tallahassee so monkeypuzzle and I are gonna meet him and do some climbing. I can't wait, and hey, I'm sure I'll learn a lot climbin' w/ these two fart smellers, er I mean smart fellers.

 

[Oxman]

mikecross23: the biggest live oak I've ever seen. It measured 25' dbh and the spread was huge!

Nice size tree !

 

[Treeman14]

Originally posted by mikecross23
This is a little off topic, but Monkeypuzzle took me to the biggest live oak I've ever seen. It measured 25' dbh and the spread was huge! ! !

I think you mean 25' circumference, no? About 8' DBH?

 

[monkeypuzzle]

We didn't get a dbh measurement,but we did get the circumference at just a tad under 25',but she would go somewhere between 8' to 10' diameter.

That is mikecross23 on the left and MP on the right,and don't forget the bigshot. Go buy a bigshot everyone,they work.

 

[TREETX]

Nothing but live oaks here. You can find a 120' spread on a 50' tall tree here.

They are strong, very strong. This ain't no cotton wood.

Being that I would trust my life on a 2" crotch, I would just tie in at the "X" on the pic and go up from the ground. Even better if you can do that and keep the attachment at the original position.

Always hard to say w/out seeing.

.02 Nate

 

[mikecross23]

Originally posted by Treeman14
I think you mean 25' circumference, no? About 8' DBH?

Right on! My mistake

 

[Greg]

It has been mentioned several times about going straight up to your work location, why the limb walk? I find that when working in a live oak it is sometimes much easier to treat it like a bunch of individual trees and do multiple asscents to get the job done. Many big spreading live oaks have way to much spread to try and work from one TIP, and doing all the re-directs that you would need to do is just too time consuming in most cases. I'll be working one side of the tree where we need to remove deadwood or what ever and tell my ground guys in advance that I want a line over "that limb over there" next, that way while I'm working they can throw the bag and have my next line set by the time I'm done on the other side of the tree. Good thing about the live oak is that is is VERY strong and I have no problem working in 2-3in green wood.
Lie oaks are fun rec. climbing trees with the long horizontal limbs you can get a good overhead tie in and limb walk like tarzan somtimes.
Greg

 

[rahtreelimbs]

I've done the multiple ascents only because of my limited climbing experience. A good friend of mine, who has taught me a few things over the past several years, will use several different TIP's. He gets thru the tree quite well. Maybe I'll reach that point. I use whatever seems to be the easiest.

 

[Ryan Willock]

whats the min. diam. limb that ya'll will tie into on say white oak, red oak, sweat gum and maple???

 

[budroe69moni]

1st of all, thanks!

thanks for everyone's help/suggestions
on how to finish up this live oak!!!! couldn't
have done it w/out y'all!!!
here's what i ended up doing......
i set my 1st TIP up as high as i could and
ran it down by the end of the long lead,
just past the upward angle of the branch.
i set a 2nd line towards the tip and ascended
on up. once i reached the branch, i set a loop-
runner and clipped into my 1st line. i was able
to "hoist" myself up onto the lead and lean into
my life line and work the tips!!!! what a rush
for me being able to overcome this obstical!!!
i could not have done it w/out the help of
everyone on this site!!!!!!
thanks again,
budroe

 

[mikecross23]

Sounds like a good idea budroe!

So basically you set a second line to get to the ideal redirect. Ascend to that spot and you are already double crotched and or redirected (w/ a loop runner) making it easier to work the tip of the branch. Then when you're done you only have to come back in off the branch to do the rest of the tree.

Thanks for telling us how it went!

 

[treeclimber165]

Man, I love this site and how we can share ideas in order to work safer and more productively! Many times the solution lies in using a combination of techniques. Glad to hear that you thought it out and applied the right combination of techniques for the given situation.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by treeclimber165
Man, I love this site and how we can share ideas in order to work safer and more productively! Many times the solution lies in using a combination of techniques. Glad to hear that you thought it out and applied the right combination of techniques for the given situation.

Agree 100%

 

[ORclimber]

What is a loop runner?

 

[Stumper]

A loop runner is a stitched webbing sling.

Dittos on the immense value of this site.I still keep learning things after 30 years in the industry.

 

[treeclimber165]

Loop runners

Here's the Sherrill page for slings and loop runners. Most people are referring to the third item from the top of the page when they say 'loop runner'.
http://www.wtsherrill.com/SHTML/sli.shtml#lp

 

[ORclimber]

Thanks for the enlightenment.

Agree with you on the value of this site. In one month I have started using distal hitch, purchased big shot and pantin(forgot handled ascender, oops), and learned lots of other techniques I can't wait to try out.

 

[heartland]

budroe,

I'm trying to picture this one.....

Was the 1st line "aligned" with the limb you were working (target limb) or more to the side?

Was the 2nd line set in the same target limb or above?

Was the loop runner used for foothold or redirect?