question on gaffs

[Abbershay]

oh i dont claim to know it all ... i have seen the trees i have worked on for the past 14 years . I just cut down a box elder the other day ... that thing was toast when i first trimmed it . it probly should have been taken out.... But i cut away the dead stuff and it lived and looked nice The wood peckers finally did it in .... This is common the big peckers cut just like a chain saw.. and box elders are just a weed tree in my oppinion ... but many people still like the shade.

 

[Abbershay]

can you beat my record on cost of fixes, from the work you have done?

 

[NeTree]

Yes. $0...

that's
Zilch.
Nada.
Not one penny.

 

[Abbershay]

well i take my hat off to ya. thats one i didnt expect. How long have you been doing trees?

 

[NeTree]

22 years, all totaled. Alot of them working hand-to-mouth; couldn't afford to damage anything. I had to do it right every time.

 

[Abbershay]

and the truth of the matter is i apreciate any help people give on tree cutting .... even if i dont always agree with it. Tree cutting for me has been a learning experience the whole time. I trimmed back an elm tree about ten years ago it was spilt and biggest part of the tree fell away.. leaving a severally damaged hanging limb. It looked like a small breeze would take the rest of it... they didnt want to pay hardly a dime on that tree and only had me remove the broken part off the roof. I thought that thing would fall it is still standing... and better looking trees have fallen to the wind go figure. Looks just as bad as it ever did.

 

[Abbershay]

the one that caused damage , it was sickening really i went through this whole riggin process to take care of this nasty branch. then i was cutting a branch that had a clear place to fall and bounced off the trunk and flew into the facia on the garage. It was a freak. I suppose if i had cut that lower branch clean this wouldnt have happened so maybe it wasnt exactly right.

 

[Abbershay]

Oops , i forgot about a eves troff i bent.. It could be straigntened but it cost me 40 bucs to have a guy come over .. it didnt take any new parts but that would be considered damage.. that was my fault i should have just lowered it onto the roof but i wanted it to go off to the side and missed it my an inch..

Plus i had a friend throw a piece of wood throgh the rear window of my truck. but i dont think that counts... and i dropped a chunk of wood on my new saw and bent the handle.... lol

 

[njarbor]

if you think rigging is a waste of time, do you use the proper knots? i hate using spikes and dont see how people could wear them when its not necessary. if i were you i would come more up to date. just look at a tree that hasnt been spiked then look at one that has. some homeowners dont know any better and think thats the only way to get up a tree. if you learn new techniques you can make it easier on yourself and keep the tree healthy

 

[Nickrosis]

Originally posted by Mike Maas
You guys are a sucker for a troll!

I was waiting for you to say something!

 

[Abbershay]

yes i know good knots .... i do about 99% of my off the ground trimming from the buck truck now adays. Dont plan it that way but thats they way it has been going. And i surely dont mind.

perhaps i will have give this a try.. any of you guys got a vidieo? for sale.

 

[topnotchtree]

I only use gaffs when needed. We are not supposed to use them trimming for the utility co but it is a matter of safety and time for the utility. Nobody I work with is gonna pull themselves up a 50 foot, or taller, cottonwood tree to pull overhang(limbs over wires) without strapping on the hooks.Some trees are easily climbed without hooks, and some trees are not. I see guys with hooks on all the time in trees that I feel is unnessesary. I know they are abused in line clearance. But not all of us abuse them.

 

[topnotchtree]

Apprentices, or new climbers should avoid hooks at all costs till they learn proper climbing techniques. They need to learn how to use their gear and position themselves using their ropes, and get used to sitting in their saddle, before putting on the hooks. I see too many apprentices taught how to climb with hooks, and are lost when you take them away. Think of how good of a climber you will be if you get good with your saddle and rope, and them combine those skills with a set of hooks. But you still need to avoid them in trims.

 

[Dobber]

rigging

rigging is never a waste of time. once you have tried speed lining or creating a false crotch in between two trees you will wonder why you ever wanted to block down anything. good rigging points is one of the first things I look for when removing or trimming a tree.

 

[wiley_p]

Yes sir, Rigging is never a waste of time. Yet I am always amazed by those who still refuse to embrace the almost limitless possibilities.

 

[njarbor]

its alot easier becuase you can make the tree do what you want if you know what you are doing