new climber here suggestions welcome.

[Moog]

Only other thing I would suggest is a parachute and stack of mattress

The equip I see is highly skeptical. I know good equip is expensive but there is a reason it is. Just taking your strap for instance, just because its bigger and stronger doesn't make it ideal. I would trust a smaller rope gripping the tree better without movement.
I watched a guy pull out a log truck with a pickup and two climbing ropes when a dozer and logging chain wouldn't. Why certain things work best is method and function. Stretch, speed, momentum and grip vs no stretch, no speed, 0 momentum with steel tracks on frozen ground (no grip).
A good mentor, study, ask why. There are no short cuts. The best out there have mentors and us them.
I watch August Hunicke on YouTube "https://www.youtube.com/user/AugustJames2006" and although he doesn't explain everything, there is a reason for every move he makes. I've learned more just by understanding his thought process and methods than any equip or climbing jargon. Watch and get into his head. Just make sure you wade carefully through the Youtube mess. It can be a good tool if used right.
Glad you asked your question!! Keep asking with humility, you've received some good advice here
Make yourself love what you do, and do it with passion

 

[arborist]

Getting up that tree will take literally 5-10 minutes with a set of spurs and a lanyard. That's the easy part. There's no high tech gear required to get up there and set your rope. No one should encourage anyone up a tree like that for the purpose of dismantling it without the direct assistance and supervision of a trained professional. What's required to learn how to remove a tree like that safely, cannot be done from anything anyone types here.
Servere injury and death are far more likely the end result, than success. Even if a novice gets lucky doing it, it will still be foolish.

 

[Urban_Arbors]

For what it's worth and because you asked, listen to what advice you're getting, even if you don't like it. Take a minute and ask yourself why so many guys here with experience are saying they're worried for your safety.

I'm in a similar situation as yourself, I'm relatively new to this work too. I was a firefighter for 20 years before I started professionally climbing trees. I was used to hearing about firefighters dying, we always kept track of every fallen brother all over N.America. What I was not expecting was finding out after starting my new work up in the trees how many folks meet their end too soon because they thought they knew what they were doing, but didn't. Perhaps that's what guys here are trying to tell you. Nobody is doubting your confidence, willingness, or whatnot. We are trying to get you to see the reality that lots of guys have died doing this work while pretty damn sure they knew what they were doing too.

Consequences are high and advice is cheap. I say, consider what people here are saying and if you do still decide to DIY this thing, keep your phone handy, have someone at the site with you, double check everything, use checklists, and take no shortcuts. There's a fine line between confidence and that Dunning-Kruger stuff.

 

[SteveInOregon]

Hello Hello everyone a list of all the gear I have so far I have a left and right hand ascenders, both with foot strap I have a full harness, 5 auto locking caribbeaners, 2 16 strand half inch 150' Perantib climbing ropes, 6' shock absorbing lanyard w/double hooks, ITO rocky climbing gear ascender & decsender, corkscrew is for anchoring my climbing line, and I'm using a tow strap to wrap around the tree.
View attachment 967935View attachment 967937View attachment 967939
Ok so I have a set of ice cleats coming and another climbing rope since the ones I have are to big for the ITO decsender. So question is what way can I rig this so I can use both feet straps independently and when I was just testing everything out and put my weight on the line my feet keep wanting to swing out instead of staying under me. I'm using the SRT method to climb

STOP ! READ ! BUY ! WATCH !

READ every single reply here.

BUY the book they mention.

WATCH the " Bino H " YouTube channel, Bino teaches basic Arborist climbing using industry standard gear.

 

[pdqdl]

EchoRomeoCharlie.. I have foot straps to use with my hand ascenders, and yes I'm using a tow strap around the base of tree to anchor to it has a tensile of 6,500lbsView attachment 968027
And as for the lesh anchor I was going to just use it to steady climbing rope until I got up in tree I was going to tie a simple slip knot and have some paricord attached so I could pull knot out if I needed to move my line around. And no it's not a joke I did say suggestions welcome lol as for what I'm doing I have a post oak I'm wanting to take down and it's around 40in in thickness and around 45-60ft tall lightning hit it several years ago and it is slowly rotting from the top down

I think I have figured out your question and your problem with ascending the line.

I don't see any foot ascenders. That's the problem.
My guess is that you are standing on straps of different length, while your right & left hands operate the ascenders. This doesn't work too good. With your feet anchored in the foot straps, any room to deviate off the centerline of the rope just lets your feet swing out and away, rather than forcing your body up the rope. Get a foot ascender, and attach one of those hand ascenders down by your knee. Then use a little bungee cord to raise the knee ascender.

As to other advice? Lots!
1. Listen carefully to the previous advice by experienced climbers. I'm not so sure that it is essential to work for another tree company, but getting some on the job training doesn't hurt. I never worked for another tree service, and I am entirely self-taught. But I spent a fair amount of time trying carefully to learn from other guys.
2. Get a real safety lanyard. That fall arrest lanyard you should hang on to, but only use it to hook up properly when you rent an aerial device and need a fall arrest harness. It is useless in tree climbing. Consider a nice long lanyard that can work from either end. They are particularly handy on big trees.
3. Forget all that nonsense about using a strap to anchor to the tree. That cheap tow strap belongs in the trunk of your car to help you out someday when you get stuck in the snow. Just tie the damn rope to the tree! There are lots of approved techniques, and none of them involve a tow strap with metal hooks. Something for you to think about: if you are tying a knot to the strap and hanging for your life from it, how does introducing a tow strap reduce your risk of knot failure?
Myself, I just do about 6 wraps with my rope around the base of the tree, and then lightly tie it with a couple of half hitches. No knot is even needed, and if I have a accident up in the tree, my groundmen can theoretically lower me by untying the line at the base and using the wraps as enough friction to control my unconscious descent. Having enough rope to do that might be a problem, though; they better add to the anchored end of the rope...


And... What is that steel cable and pulleys for? I cannot think of any use for that.

 

[pdqdl]

Another very important consideration here: That Ito-Rocky device is only a descender. Despite the description, all the reviews say that you cannot use it for ascending the line. Reviews for the $43 device can be found on Amazon here : Ito-Rocky ascender

No ascender in that rig? You haven't climbed anywhere on that rig, have you? Given that you don't have an ascender, small wonder that you are having trouble going up the rope. Consider buying a Unicender or one of the other devices engineered for that purpose. If it says "made in China", don't buy it.

​

Some of the reviews of your device:​

It’s a knockoff of a Petzl device- the Stop- that never gained traction itself. And no: It’s not an ascender- it’s primarily a belay device, and its braking cam design most definitely is not for ascension. By RS on April 1, 2020 ​

I haven't used to much yet but the couple times I have I realized it held me in place more like a break (stop) and when you squeeze the handles together it "free fall" releases you. ​

No this is a descender NOT AN ASCENDER. It is being mislabeled as such. It’s extremely difficult to ascend on this style device.​

Now if you didn't realize that you don't have a useful ascender, it is mightily obvious to me that you need to get that book (Tree Climbers Companion) that was recommended earlier. And abandon using SRT until you have learned to manage some of the more traditional techniques.

When I am training a new guy to climb, I insist that they do without spurs, use only the rope and saddle, and learn how to hump up the rope using just knots and proper technique. If you really want to climb trees with any skill, I believe that is the surest way to keep coming down reliably safe. What will you do someday if a small piece of equipment fails, or gets dropped while aloft? What do you do if your chainsaw slips and macerates half of your equipment? You need to know the basics just for backup on all the other stuff.

 

[Zachary pepper]

I have grown up cutting and hauling firewood and 8ft posts and mini logs so as for knowing how to use a chainsaw Id say I'm pretty good but anyone can still have an accident no matter how good they are. As for local tree trimming people most of them are all so full of there self it's not even funny so why would I want someone like that teaching me. I stated suggestions are welcome and so far it seems like all I've received is people questioning me about some of the stuff I'm using or just plain negativity I said I was a newbie to climbing and asked for suggestions to help me improve my gear and yes I agree on the stuff that is knock offs but I did do my research before I bought things. I'm wanting to know if there is a setup that I can use both of my hand ascenders with foot straps independently from each other to climb. And as for using the leash anchor to help hold me rope tight to keep me from swinging while I climb I planned to use a slip knot and use paricord to pull the knot out after I get up in the tree. If you know of any better way to keep me from swinging around while climbing please do tell me and don't just go off about what I've bought for gear and here is the tree I want to cut down View attachment 968096

Get USA made high quality harness spurs and pic, or rock exotica carabineers because they are 25kn and reasonably priced, also get a quality steel core flipline and definitely going to need a couple of positioning lanyards or split tail lanyards. Just please stop climbing without the correct arborist gear. Jeff jepsom also has two other arborist bibles that all climbers/cutter's should have they are how to fell a tree and knots at work a field guide for the modern arborist

 

[HeavyKev]

How did this turn out? OP did you use this gear to get up in that tree? If your ever in Nashville I’ll happily give you a crash course in climbing single rope, double rope, and anything else related to getting where you want to go in a tree, then getting back to the ground safely

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Getting up that tree will take literally 5-10 minutes with a set of spurs and a lanyard. That's the easy part. There's no high tech gear required to get up there and set your rope. No one should encourage anyone up a tree like that for the purpose of dismantling it without the direct assistance and supervision of a trained professional. What's required to learn how to remove a tree like that safely, cannot be done from anything anyone types here.
Servere injury and death are far more likely the end result, than success. Even if a novice gets lucky doing it, it will still be foolish.

I think your assessment and the same from others is SOUND advice which is VITAL to the safety of the OP, greenhorns, and any assistants he enlists in doing the processing of this tree.

While there are still inherent dangers in limb removal and taking the tops off trees while using a lift or bucket truck. I know this from first hand experience of the brother and father who borrowed a lift. Sadly the father died because he was not in a safe zone as the ground man. The son was not controlling the limbs he was dropping, so the worst case scenario happened and the dad was crushed to death by a falling limb.

Yet, if the OP is 100% adamant about doing this tree himself, I would suggest that he forget climbing it. Rent or get access to a boom lift/ bucket truck, and a good ground man/crew. If he wants to learn the safe practices of climbing, he should seek education and practice in baby steps. Also, if in doubt about safely operating too close to structures with this tree. Definitely practice on other trees in more isolated and free from obstructions or things that could receive collateral damage.

 

[Howsitgoineh]

You're screwing that into the ground beside the tree, throwing rope over junction or branch, tying the rope to the dog anchor, then climbing that rope?!? If so, please stop immediately and research basal anchor and canopy anchor knots.

Running bowline

I use a double bowline with a Yosemite tie off cause it's extra secure.. and I like to be fancy sometimes