power line clearance without spikes/spurs.

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Haha, that Maas sure is a card!

 

[lxt]

clearance, good post sets the picture perfect what most non utility climbers dont realize is the company(s) want x number of trees a day per person x number of spans or mileage in laymans terms more production than one is usually capable of i have done it without spikes & with(i know me bad) but consider this 8 trees a day per man regardless of size you hump air for a few days with no hooks on & production is down now the boss is upset(no bonus for him) and your job is threatened. bottom line hooks go on production is up and all but certain people are happy. not right? but how its done. LXT

 

[Rygel]

This is exactly the type of crew i work for. All about production. We have aguy who use to work for asplundh with over 15yrs exp and said he hasnt even ever seen anyone not spike climb. So where does someone who hasnt ever seen the hip thrust method learn it? anyone around NC use this method?and do you use the same belts/gear?

 

[rebelman]

concede utilities thier spikes. A better cause would be residential companies who spike, Are ladders even used by any one but me? A forty foot aluminum puts a rope climber where he needs to be. I figure a dedicated utility crew could use fiberglass and still make the quota.

 

[Rygel]

They actually laugh at a guy they all know for using a ladder talking about how dangerous it is. Im not to sure on being 40ft up with a ladder not tied in against a tree. But now that i have read a few posts on it i could see it. Still sounds alittle shaky to me.

 

[Redbull]

This is exactly the type of crew i work for. All about production. We have aguy who use to work for asplundh with over 15yrs exp and said he hasnt even ever seen anyone not spike climb. So where does someone who hasnt ever seen the hip thrust method learn it? anyone around NC use this method?and do you use the same belts/gear?

You can always try to find a reputable tree care company in your area and work for them. They should be able to teach you some non-invasive methods for tree entry. Although, the pay might not be what you're making doing line clearance, the knowledge you will gain can pay for itself in the long run if you choose to start your own business.

 

[Rygel]

Yeah i agree. But i have heard and seen some companys around here and they all spike climb. I did meet some guy in the Army that worked up north for a tree company who was gonna teach me some but we lost contact. Guess i can look for some books ,being that i know the basics of climbing in general and have most of the equipment.

 

[Redbull]

There ya go! There's gotta be someone in your area that can climb without spikes? Seek them out and go climbin!

 

[lxt]

rebelman, ladders are used for street trees in utility work and in rear easements(sometimes) but think about carry`in that ladder through the woods up embankments & down the valley`s for the right of way aspects in line clearance along with your gear,saws etc...MY GOD most would be tired just thinkin about it, I dont think production would increase using this method. when the utilities & companies put tree care ahead of production(not gonna happen) then the use of spikes for trimming would diminish!! take care be safe LXT......................

 

[notahacker]

The Power compaines wont pay for spikeless climbing will they?

Yes they do. I worked for Wright Tree Service in Boulder, CO and in our yard we discouraged spikes. I used my throw line every day. If you become familiar with your gear and know how to use it, then you can be safe. I was productive and safe. However, I did see one of my Mexican buddies spike a tree because he simply lacked the physical skill to climb that specific tree.

That doesn't say that WTS is spikeless every where. I know of a city close by where a local city forestry guys have told me of WTS guys spiking.

 

[topnotchtree]

The IBEW local 17 has an apprentiship program teaches apprentices to climb without spikes, using the "set the line with a pruner and hip thrust" method. Only after they learn to climb and position using ropes are they introduced to spikes. I find that most smaller and a few larger trees can be climbed without hooks just as fast as with hooks. It just all depends on how the tree grows. It also depends on the climber and the foreman of the crew. Most older foreman are old school and believe the hooks are needed on all trees and let apprentices wear them when they dont necessarily need to. Other foreman see otherwise and will not let the climber wear hooks. I will say if I am removing overhang from a 13kv, open aluminum wire, with no good rigging options, a crappy tie in, with a rusty tin shed, a garden of expensive bonsia plants, a playhouse, and a dog in the yard underneath me, and an irrate homeowner yelling at me, I will have my hooks on. Again, to hook a tree or not in line clearance should be on a case by case basis, unfortunately that isnt always so. Ok, one more point to ponder- picture yourself workin for asplundh, relying on your job to pay bills and feed the family. Then asplundh prohibits use of all of your new climbing aids, ascenders, pullys, big shots, etc. Gives you a saddle, rope, hooks, pruners, and a saw to pull overhang with. I think many of you will put on the hooks. The point is asplundh banns the use of gizmos that help climb for liability reasons. We are not even allowed to use split tails. This is because they will not pay for proper training of these things.

 

[Redbull]

The yard I worked in at Asplundh would not even allow you to use a Blake. It was TLH only. No one was "qualified" to teach that knot. Spikes were optional once you became a journeymen (some foremen let their trimmer/trainees use them before) but you needed to learn how to climb without them. This depended a lot on your foreman though. I'm glad my foreman made me climb without them, I'm a better climber for it. I will agree though, in line clearance, where production and safety is #1, hooks are acceptable. As much as I don't like it, that's the way it is.

 

[mattmann1972]

I am a first step, the Blake is ok to use now. I still don't know if we can use a gibbs asender yet. GF said no Gibbs, my instructor said thats what he uses.
I like the TLH for repelling but for Hip Thrust it's all about the Prusik for me and my 230 lb frame.

 

[Redbull]

You use a regular 3-wrap prusik to hip thrust? Doesn't it lock up on you when you put your weight on it? Or, do you use a different variation of the prusik?

 

[daveyclimber]

When you are working line clearance hooks are just a matter of life in most cases . I used to work at davey here in north california on transmission lines . You really don't have the option of rope climbing for production sake . Most trees that were being trimmed on a routine basis really didn't deserve to be alive in my opinion and were better off being removed . We are talking about huge white oaks , cotonwoods , mulberry , liveoak , sycamore, willow and such . They have been trimmed for 30-60 years but PG&E would not go through the process of litigating and paying for them to be removed so consequensely you have a butt load of trees that should be massive and mature however they are all suckers and water sprouts which take an exorbant amount of time to trim to get your 12ft clearance . These trees are trimmed in a schedule of 9 -12 months ,tens of thousands of them and only a handful of employees . Not our bad , its the utility company that decides what flies and what dies . You can't justify taking your sweet ass time trimming when your company gets $25 per trim and you need to complete one trim per man hour , 2 man crew (16 trees) 3 man crew (24 trees) per each 8 hour day . And not only are you trimming these trees , you are chipping your brush , fixing or maintaining your equipment , scheduling and permissioning your work , travel time , lunch , ect . When it comes down to it , you need to complete each trim in about 15-20 minutes . Utility trimming does not afford alot of the convieniences that residantial trimming does . Thats is just the way it is , it sucks but thats life in utility contracts . If correct practices became rule there would be many many changes that would be needed and the cost versus the benifits will not be something that utilites will deem justifiable . I would love to see correct practices in place and many many times I have went out of my way to correctly climb and trim a tree that deserved to be treated as such . 50% of my work was removals and hazard make safe and removals . I now work for a local company and employ proper techniques in trimming ,puning and climbing which I can proudly say that we are the only local company that does . :blob5: