New rope.......& New big shot

[Davidsinatree]

Santa put a new blue streak w/spliced end under the tree for me. I tried it out today, set my friction saver about 45' up. New rope is alittle waxy at first and stiff, but I think i'll like it once its broke in. It feels alot like my yale xtc.

I noticed the rope twists like a candy cane on the static side more so than on the running end side. I cant see why rope wants to twist around like this unless my blakes hitch is causing this candy cane affect. Both my yale & blue streak does this. I dont know why, but it kinda bugs me when I look up and my rope is twisted.
Any one else notice this?


Santa also brought a big shot. This thing rocks !!!!! I already had a 14oz '' I think '' yellow weaver shot bag. I'm pretty accurate with it but I am haveing a little trouble chokeing up for the lower shots around 40' to 50'. I kept over shooting and having to pull the bag back through the upper part of the tree. I may need to get a smaller bag or different brand. I've been lucky so far only having only one bag and not getting it stuck in a tree top and loosing it.
Santa bring anyone else THE BIG SHOT !!!!

 

[NickfromWI]

Smaller/lighter bags will go HIGHER and be less likely to come back down to the ground. If you're hoping to get those lower crotches, you'll need a heavier bag, or a heaver throwline.

I bet that with a bit of practice you'll be able to hit those lower shots. You need that soft touch!

love
nick

 

[MasterBlaster]

I lost my brand-new bullet throwbag my first day with my BS. Har!

 

[Davidsinatree]

I couldnt help but loose a few rocks out of my drive way. I couldnt see where they landed in the pasture, but the last I saw them they were headed towards the moon. AWWSOME!!!!!'' Thats a bad habit to start ''.

 

[MasterBlaster]

You outta launch some golf balls sometimes!

Hint; use the colored ones!

 

[Davidsinatree]

Whats the expected life of the big shot cords? Anyone ever have one break loose? I think it would be werse than being whipped with a willow switch.

 

[MasterBlaster]

This is a good thread, David;http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?threadid=11449&highlight=Big+Shot

 

[Lumberjack]

I love my bigshot. I went from spikes on removals to no spikes until I am working down a limbless spar, and it encreased my speed and confidence greatly.

Carl

 

[Tree Machine]

Ripley's believe it or not

rbtree will probably never believe this, but my Bigshot rubber is 5 years old. I got it when TCI was in Indianapolis, and Tobe had just unleashed this thing on the world.

My question to him was 'how likely is it for the rubber to break?' The anser was something to the effect of me being a gunea pig.....

I went ahead and bought an extra rubber sling / pouch at that time, just in case, and have kept that sucker for 5 years and a month. One might assume then that I don't use the Bigshot very often, and to them I would say, but I am the Tree Machine. It is what I do.

Taking care of the steel and rubber tubed head unit, keeping it away from gas and oil, keeping it out of direct sunlight, don't drop the thing to the ground, stow it away from exhaust ports of gasoline powered tools, y'know?, just respecting the tool....

If you take religious care of the thing, as I've done, you can get 4 or 5 years out of it. At the initial $55 I paid for it, brand new, it has outperformed its own cost many dozens of times, again and again, through all seasons. With the Zing-it line, it becomes an all-weather, all-season tool. -TM-

 

[treeman82]

I believe that the instructions which come with the BS say to replace the tubing every 6 months. I say, that for the $18 2x a year, its cheap insurance. I will back up what Rocky said though... be VERY careful about how you store this thing. I've heard of 2 rather nasty accidents that occurred when the tubing broke due to not being stored properly.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by Lumberjack
I love my bigshot. I went from spikes on removals to no spikes until I am working down a limbless spar, and it encreased my speed and confidence greatly.

Carl

Why not use your spikes on removals?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by Rich Hoffman
Why not use your spikes on removals?

Because he doesn't know better... Yet!

 

[Tree Machine]

Why not spikes on removals ?

I used to ALWAYS use spikes on removals. Then I lost my only set of spikes, never quite got around to ordering a new set, and then, before I knew it, it was a year later.

During that time I only "needed" spikes on two jobs, at which times I borrowed. The first spike job, a monster sycamore with the new set of (borrowed) spikes, I was peeling off the tree, and even though they were on my legs, I wasn't using them much.

The second time I used those spikes, I offered to reposition the angle of the spur. My guy said, "OK" and we took a few shots for you, below. This made the spikes perform more like they should.

There were a number of moments up in trees that I'd have rather had a set on, but it required new ways of thinking, which I found quite challenging, and well worth the momentary frustration or 'time cost' that it took. I must admit, however, there were those moments where I'd have been a safer, swifter climber if I'd had them on.

Now, again, a own a set of spurs. I'd say, better than half the takedowns I do, I wear spikes. It boils down to the particular tree. I might limb it out to the 'firewood-on-the-hoof' stage, spikeless. Come down, clean up. Go back up for phase 2 using spikes.

I would always choose spikeless first because that's what I do day to day, it's what I'm used to , and I find climbing spurs rather uncomfortable and - OH! , my biggest fear in this profession; spiking my achilles tendon. Never have done it, but the thought of it freaks me out.

Those are some reasons why you may choose not to wear spikes on a removal. -TM-

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by Rich Hoffman
Why not use your spikes on removals?

On a huge majority of my removals, I climb to the top (SRT) and cut the top out. Then I come down cutting limbs till I get to the bottom of the next piece of the spar that needs to go, and send it, after reseting my rope. After I get out of the canopy, where there is no place to stand on the limbs, or the limbs are too far apart, I put on my spikes and work the rest of the spar down.

That is the usual for Pines and other single stemmed trees. On live oaks and the like, I find myself fumbling around trying to move around with the spikes on.

Don't forget I work SRT. I don't like spikes till I can't stand on something when I am working down the trunk. I think this is the norm, but when limbing, I am on the rope and lanyard, not on spikes.

Clear as mud?


Carl

 

[tophopper]

I too have had the original rubbers on my BS since I bought it new 4 years ago. I take very good care of it and always store it away from "sharps"
Im reluctant to post this because now that Ive mentioned it they will break next week on a job where I will probably need it most, just my luck.

I too have launched a golf ball from my BS, I was doing work at Hazeltine before the PGA's last year, standing from the t off, I launched it clear past the green and into the midway of next hole on the coarse. Lets see Tiger do that

Also on that day, i got to meet Tiger and he autographed my hard hat when he played thru.

 

[Tree Machine]

Luv 2 SRT

Clear as mud?

Roger that. That is my modus operundi. -TM-

 

[treehugger01]

Why wood you folks take all day to do a remove without spikes.
My theory is the quicker your on the ground safer the job is. No use in fumbing around up there with the tree get it done and get it done safe and quickly. Get on the ground clollect the check be done with it..
No spikes on removal Bah! Get real

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by treehugger01
Why wood you folks take all day to do a remove without spikes.
My theory is the quicker your on the ground safer the job is. No use in fumbing around up there with the tree get it done and get it done safe and quickly. Get on the ground clollect the check be done with it..
No spikes on removal Bah! Get real

Bah nothing. It is much quicker for me to not use spikes than to use them. Do you climb on ropes? If so, I would guess you go DbRT.

Here is my typical take down.
Drive up.
Explain to groundies the job and hazards. 5 min.
Find a good spot to set my rope, show it to groundy and get geared up. (5-10 min depending on how hard the shot is.)
Go to the to the top (2 min or less depending on tree)
Send out top (2 min)
Retie rope and come down droping limbs (if they can free fall less than 10 min if real bad)
Put on spikes while in tree (2-5 min depending on how it goes)
Start working the spar down (If I can free fall pieces then mabey 10 if I have to make 4 cuts to get it to the ground)

Total time: 44 min. Lot of variables. It could be faster, or slower. I tend to work slower so the groundies don't get bogged down. I don't think that 44 min. is very long to get a 90' tree to the ground, including setup.

On a job where all you have to do is limb it and then drop the trunk whole, it is even faster.

Same 10 min to get rope in tree and groudies learned.
2 min to top.
top out 5 min
limbs off 10 min tops.
on ground 5seconds or less. Height don't matter, falling at a little slower thab a free fall.

Total 27 min.


To me spikes are a slow way to get up the tree.

Carl, getting "real" as possible

 

[MasterBlaster]

Carl, I don't know what kinda trees your climbing, but I can't imagine they are that different from what I deal with here. 99% of the time, the top is the LAST thing to go. And another 99% of the time limb removal starts at the BOTTOM and goes up.

You work standing on stubs? How comfortable is that? How often is the stub in the right place so you can make you cut unhindered?

And speaking of stubs, I NEVER leave ANY stubs - ever. Every cut I make is super-flush to the trunk. Stubs don't do anything but GET IN THE WAY. Flushing the cuts to the trunk also helps the ground crew later. My whole goal in a TD is to have nothing but a stripped, smooth pole left after the top goes.

When I see someone leaving stubs during a TD I automatically form an opinion about the climbers technique.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Carl, I don't know what kinda trees your climbing, but I can't imagine they are that different from what I deal with here. 99% of the time, the top is the LAST thing to go. And another 99% of the time limb removal starts at the BOTTOM and goes up.

You work standing on stubs? How comfortable is that? How often is the stub in the right place so you can make you cut unhindered?

And speaking of stubs, I NEVER leave ANY stubs - ever. Every cut I make is super-flush to the trunk. Stubs don't do anything but GET IN THE WAY. Flushing the cuts to the trunk also helps the ground crew later. My whole goal in a TD is to have nothing but a stripped, smooth pole left after the top goes.

When I see someone leaving stubs during a TD I automatically form an opinion about the climbers technique.

I have to second this one. I tried leaving stubs only to find that my climbing line and lowering line always seem to get caught up in them. Also, when you lower out a limb a stub can hang the lowered limb up by getting caught in a crotch of the lowered limb. It is a PITA to have to come down 20 or so feet to free the limb only to have to climb up again. Using spikes allows you to use the bigger muscles in your body. In my experience working from the top down is usually not a good option, too much below the top to get in the way!