Spurring on a lean

[igotwood]

Hey guys I'm new here and I figured what a better way to introduce myself than to plague you guys with the trouble I'm having.

Whats the best technique for spurring on the side of lean? I know you walk on the high side of the lean, however, what if your drop zone forces you to move to the side? I found your body wants to completely swing to the underside of the lean the second you shift to the side. Double wrapping my lanyard gave me some leverage, but I found I was still fighting to stay in position, it was also incredibly awkward and labour intensive to swing back to the high side of the lean to reposition lower down the spar. Any techniques or is this just a fact of spurring?

The only reason I ask is that I've been told that the best position to be in for blowing tops and chunking blocks of wood is behind where you want the wood to go; where you have the most escape routes. That and I want to get out of the habit of using the top of my bar out of laziness.

 

[StihlRockin']

Use two lanyards. One to go completely around for safety and use the other by wrapping it around the tree once then reconnecting to the same lanyard side rope. You shift the lanyard around the tree until you're held into the position you want. One side of the lanyard is attached to the D-ring opposite the side you want to lean, then goes around the tree to attach back to the rope. Shift the rope around until it holds you at the desired position. You can't lean too far or your weight will shift so much you'll lose your spur on that heavy side.

Hard to explain, but a picture could easily explain. LOL!

StihlRockin'

 

[outofmytree]

Hey guys I'm new here and I figured what a better way to introduce myself than to plague you guys with the trouble I'm having.

Whats the best technique for spurring on the side of lean? I know you walk on the high side of the lean, however, what if your drop zone forces you to move to the side? I found your body wants to completely swing to the underside of the lean the second you shift to the side. Double wrapping my lanyard gave me some leverage, but I found I was still fighting to stay in position, it was also incredibly awkward and labour intensive to swing back to the high side of the lean to reposition lower down the spar. Any techniques or is this just a fact of spurring?

The only reason I ask is that I've been told that the best position to be in for blowing tops and chunking blocks of wood is behind where you want the wood to go; where you have the most escape routes. That and I want to get out of the habit of using the top of my bar out of laziness.

I think what you are saying here is, if you want the blocks to go south, you should be on the north side of the stick. If this is what you have been told it is wrong. The safest place to be when blocking down is at 90 degrees to the drop. That is, if dropping south, you should be on the west side. East is also workable but it will mean using the saw left handed which is "technically" a breach of the user guidelines for a Stihl. The reason you want to be at 90 degrees to your saw is to place you out of the line of fire in the event of a kickback.

Looking at my badly drawn example above. The red line is an endless loop sling made of old climbing line girth hitched around the trunk which locks it on. I then attach the snaplock from one lanyard to the loop as shown. Remember to use a second lanyard for safety as this is DEFINATELY not for life support use. For every foot of tree diameter you will need 7 feet of rope to make your sling from.

I also suggest you sharpen your spurs prior to this kind of stick as losing a spur on a leaner is almost guaranteed to be painful!

Welcome aboard.

 

[deevo]

Hey guys I'm new here and I figured what a better way to introduce myself than to plague you guys with the trouble I'm having.

Whats the best technique for spurring on the side of lean? I know you walk on the high side of the lean, however, what if your drop zone forces you to move to the side? I found your body wants to completely swing to the underside of the lean the second you shift to the side. Double wrapping my lanyard gave me some leverage, but I found I was still fighting to stay in position, it was also incredibly awkward and labour intensive to swing back to the high side of the lean to reposition lower down the spar. Any techniques or is this just a fact of spurring?

The only reason I ask is that I've been told that the best position to be in for blowing tops and chunking blocks of wood is behind where you want the wood to go; where you have the most escape routes. That and I want to get out of the habit of using the top of my bar out of laziness.

If you have a neighbouring tree to set a rope up in, that works when you are working on a leaner, just tighten it up as you ascend holds you upright so you don't have to worry about swinging around under. Also an extra bit of security as well if you encounter a soft spot or anything else you may come across. Where in Ontario are you?:greenchainsaw:

 

[Greenleaf]

I use a lifeline choked around the tree and back to a grigri on my harness. It allows you to cinch up the lifeline and if you need to reach around the spar you can have it pulling you the opposite direction for balance. It is really comfortable and quick to move up the spar with your lanyard if any of this makes sense.

 

[Rftreeman]

If you have a neighbouring tree to set a rope up in, that works when you are working on a leaner, just tighten it up as you ascend holds you upright so you don't have to worry about swinging around under. Also an extra bit of security as well if you encounter a soft spot or anything else you may come across. Where in Ontario are you?:greenchainsaw:

:agree2:

 

[pdqdl]

Let Beranek show you how:

Here is a good video of Berenek demonstrating some climbing techniques.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdV8Nr4tEpo&feature=related

He pretty much does it like Stihlrockin describes above, but it is an excellent video, and needs no further explanation.