tree climbing gear

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

husky455rancher

Addicted to ArboristSite
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Apr 26, 2008
Messages
2,905
Reaction score
948
Location
connecticut
i was thinking of getting some gear so i can trim some problem limbs by my house. my dad has some nasty ones too id like to clear up for him. what is necessary to do the job safley? like everyone im on a budget so nothing crazy is needed. i just wanna get the job done. thanks
 
Well, all the necessary gear depends on what kind of job your doing... Trow line, throw bags, saddle, lots of rope, maybe spikes, hard hat, flip line, biners, etc, etc. Doing it on a budget is tough, I have probably $1000 wrapped up in just my climbing gear not including at least 1500ft of various ropes. Plus probably 1000ft of throw line (it comes in handy for a lot, being light and thin but really strong). If you just need to prune some branches, a silky and some poles will get about as high as your gonna need. $200 silky, and however many poles you need is a lot cheaper than climbing gear to get it.

If you really want to climb here's how things will work out.

Weaver Saddle-$100
Hard Hat-$10
Flip Line-$80-$100
Climbing rope-$100-$300 (depending on how much you need)
Gaffs-$250 (If you need them, and don't buy a cheap set, you'll regret it)
Carabiners/Pulleys/Tool Straps/Friction Savers-$60-$200 (again, it depends on what you end up needing.
Throw Line/Weights-$60-$100 (if you need this stuff to rig up a safety line)

So figure at least $400 if you want to get up into the tree safely. You could get a Baileys climbing kit for a bit less than that I think, but I don't know if that includes safety line or not.
 
You need experience or training by someone with tree work experience before you go into a tree.

yup.



and it would cost you less to have someone with the knowledge to come out and do it for you. just because you go out and spend a couple bucks on gear doesnt make you a climber. being in the tree running a saw is a whole different ballgame than cutting up some fire wood.

but if your serious, PM your address and i'll sell you my whole climbing kit and saws for 3500$ maybe some of my working knowledge has seeped into the gear so you should be all set.

right?
 
thanks for the replies guys. its something i would like to learn for sure. when i get interested in something i try to learn/do as much of it as i can. i dont know if theres a class or anything you can take for that ill have to look around some. the way i look at stuff is say i can get a guy to come do the job for (made up number) 500$. but learning how to do it and getting the proper equipment costs double or triple that. if i can swing it id still rather learn it and do it myself. its something new to learn and something i can use throught my lifetime. i try to do everything by myself if possible i just prefer it that way.
 
Husky, Do your homework first! What have you read or watched for training in treework? Have you done any easy stuff to get a feel for the work involved? Dropping a limb off a tree with nothing underneath it is a whole lot different than climbing a 60' Oak and tying off the top of a limb and dropping it into the rigging over the power to the house. Who is going to pay for the damage caused by those trouble limbs when you damage property or worse yet injure yourself or family?
 
i am sitting here looking at your sig line husky and it seems you sold your 372 yet you kept that 455. which to me clearly indicates that you might not have a clue about saws let alone actual treework.

so i guess, feel free to go up them trees man. it'll be a blast.
 
old and nails im not trying to piss people off here. i sold the 372 cuse the wife smacked up her van and i needed the money to fix it. 455s dont bring money 372s do. i have no intentions of topping trees just smaller limbs and such. im just asking questions and looking for info.im not trying to say what you guys do is easy nor do i intend to do this for a living. if you dont want to provide helpful info then just save it im not into the internet pissing match thing.
 
old and nails im not trying to piss people off here. i sold the 372 cuse the wife smacked up her van and i needed the money to fix it. 455s dont bring money 372s do. i have no intentions of topping trees just smaller limbs and such. im just asking questions and looking for info.im not trying to say what you guys do is easy nor do i intend to do this for a living. if you dont want to provide helpful info then just save it im not into the internet pissing match thing.

It sounds like it would be safer/faster/cheaper just to hire someone who has the right equip and knows what they are doing.
 
Come on guys ! Look at the majority of the members here: don't we all try to do things for ourselves? From making our own splices and port-a-wraps, to fixing our equipment, isn't that part of why we come here?

It was a fair question, and gets asked all the time. The guy clearly states that he wants to acquire a skill, not just get the job done. What's wrong with that? Unless I am mistaken, most of the climbers in this forum have learned the hard way, rather than by "being taught".

Why does everybody always try to tell people to stay out of the trees ? Are we that afraid of more competition? Just tell 'em that they are likely to get hurt/dead, relate a few good examples, and then pass out some good advice. Like this:

husky455rancher, you asked in your first post for "what is necessary to do the job safley?" For "problem limbs" some of which are "nasty": a couple hundred feet of climbing rope, a climbing saddle, a good handsaw (old-school method, you may wish to use a chainsaw), and years of experience are needed.

You should be aware that almost all the people with experience know someone in the business who has been critically injured or killed. Myself, I have buried one climber (12 years of experience), another that used to work for me lost his spleen and has had several operations to fix what happened to him. He had at least ten years experience when he was injured, but he was working for someone else at the time. I loaned one of my saws to another tree service, it came back completely crushed by the fall to the sidewalk. The guy running it at the time came down at the same time as the saw when the top of the tree broke off. He applied for work at my business 6 months later, with a medical restriction to lift nothing heavier than 50 lbs. So he could no longer earn the only living he knew. If you climb a tree, you need to be willing to accept this kind of risk, and that risk is much greater when you are starting to learn the trade.

The equipment is the cheap stuff and is readily available online. The experience cannot be bought, on-line or otherwise, and is a commodity that is best hired. That is why anyone who asks questions about how to do tree work themselves gets picked on in this forum. Those that suggest hiring it done may be doing you a big favor.

Get a good pole saw for the easy stuff (already suggested), and hire an expert to do the nasty stuff. It will save you some money and you can watch the expert doing the nasty stuff. Do more when you have learned more.

If you really want experience, follow your local tree service around for a while, and you will probably get some good ideas. Get some books, and spend a lot of time learning. It's not rocket science, but it is dangerous.
 
PDQDL, I enjoyed reading your post - refreshing non-patronising :)

Husky455rancher, on subject of pole-saw....you still need to be careful. Don't cut anything that is directly over your head or likely to fall on your head, and also make sure to wear a helmet "just in case".
 
Here's my bottom line. You wan't to get your work done? Go put your time in as a groundy for an experienced climber like everybody else. If that ain't good enough for you, go dig your own grave.

You need to see some stuff happen, open your eyes a little, only then you think about going up. I will not sugarcoat this subject for ya or apologize the time and discipline it takes to competent in a tree.
 
Back
Top