What do new climbers want to know???

[hobby climber]

Thanks everyone that responded so far. This is the kinda AS.com stuff I like!...Questions, answers and new ideas & discussions. It shows that I'm a senior member under my name but I'm by no means a senior climber nor do I feel qualified to give much advise. I have more to learn and with the questions asked by new members and answers given the the regular members, everyone benefits. Without new members participation to posts, things seem to get boring around here. That said, is there anyone lurking out there who hasn't posted yet or been to shy to say hi ??? Ya don't need to writ a book or anything like that...just the topic you want to see discussed or the area you have an interest in..thats all. Keep the questions coming. HC

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Using a false crotch will make ascending much easier. The friction is reduced to a theoretical zero. Without the FC you have to pull your weight and overcome all of the friction where your rope is looped. Smurf gloves work, and they keep your hands from getting shredded. Your sweetie will appreciate that

Take a look: http://tinyurl.com/5t4ub

Don't go cheap. Spending a few bucks will pay off every day and the investment in yourseld will pay back for years. Doing work in a good ergonomic fashion will keep your joints in good shape. You won't notice this until decades later when your shoulders are worn out. I know some folks who have bad hips from spending years footlocking. Use the Pantin. Don't make long chin-up style grabs with your arms. Keep your hands just above your head, not fully extended. This isn't competition.

A-plex works but the sixteen strand ropes work much better. Using a FC will extend the life of your rope A LOT!

 

[Ax-man]

Tom, the pulley you are showing in your false crotch set-up was one of the first ones on the scene when pulleys started to make their way as a tool for climbing

Did they ever have a rating number on them?? I have a few like that, there is nothing stamped on them.

Larry

 

[Stumper]

Larry, FWIW, the pulley in Tom's photo looks identical to some I have that are rated at 20kN. That is under our 5000 pound gear requirement but since the load is shared by the 'biner on the other side it shouid be "legal"-It is certainly safe.

 

[jason j ladue]

tom, you da man. when i come to visit my brother in breck, i am stopping by your place, for sure. thanks in advance for the invite.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

My oldest one is unmarked. It's identical to the ones rated 5k# now.

Check out the CMI page:

http://www.cmi-gear.com/catalog/pulleys/micro.asp

I can't figure out why climbers buy the more expensive pulleys especially for slack tenders. The RP113 has served me just fine, at around $12 it leaves some long green in my pocket for more important purchases. For rigging I use the nicer ones-RP 102 @ $22.

If anyone, including Jason , is ever going to be near Denver, let me know. Coffee and pie at a minimum. Maybe some climbing!

 

[ozy365]

What size bar are you guys using for general (under 8") pruning/limbing?

Thanks for all of the advice. I am all about ergonomics and I work in Rehab as an Occupational Therapist as a day job. That is part of the reason I first became interested in tree climbing. The machine we briefly park our soul in is built to climb. Keep the advice coming guys....from what I can see, there is not a lot of competition in CNY for climbers. If there is anyone in the area that is climbing, I will trade beer/pizza/labor for some first hand knowledge.

 

[hobby climber]

Hi Ozy, Good question regarding the bar size! Problem is is you ask 10 people what size of make saw to buy...you'll get 10 different answers. Rule of thumb IMO, is use the right tool for the job. But with that comes the expense of all kinds of equipment! A standard length bar is 16 to 18 inches for the average home owner with a 40 ish cc power head. The quality of the saw will depent on your needs,ie- residential or commercial. I only have three saws, ...husky 338xpt w/14"bar) for climbing, cs4400 w/18"bar for the ground, and a husky 395xp w/26"bar for the bigger wood. A good quality bar and chain also make a difference, I am a big fan of the Windsor bar w/speed tip and Windsor chisel chain. Thats just me though, lets see what others have to say about your question. Thanks for posting Ozy, good luck with your quest. HC

 

[treeseer]

What size bar are you guys using for general (under 8") pruning/limbing?

Either a Silky Zubat, or an Ibuki if there was a lot of bigger stuff.

Oh, you meant a chainsaw? Chainsaws--aka boat anchors--are highly overrated. lugging them around in a tree and cranking them up and huffing the fumes and getting sprayed with bar oil and chips--who needs em?

On most prune jobs, not me.

 

[ozy365]

I am thankful for both the gasoline and the triceps/biceps kind of information.

1. What is the rough cost of an Ibuki and what diameter cuts are reasonable with it in something like a sugar maple?

2. General question regarding body mechanics...Do you guys switch arms for activities, IE climb/cut with non-dominate arm/hand? In rehab we see a lot of back injuries because of repetative use of the dominate side.


Bonus Quick test: Measure a fully flexed arm with a tape and repeat on the other. A lot of us can have diameter differences over 20% dominate>non-dominate usually.

 

[treeseer]

I will trade beer/pizza/labor for some first hand knowledge.

All 3?
Come down to NC and we'll work a deal. If not now, then winter.

Amidexterity is the goal; work the off hand all you can.

Ibuki will cut 6-10", Zubat <6". Visit the sponsors of this site for prices.

 

[RedlineIt]

On handsaws:

As my handle suggests, I love well-tuned engines and finely honed machines. To me, the sound and feel of a chainsaw that is pulling its full bar through wood with no struggles is a thing of beauty. A joy.

My favourite pastime is riding supersport motorcycles at speeds some would frown upon. Chucking a big, fast, dialed-in machine through some twisty roads brings me an adrelaline high comparable to dropping a stupidly huge top within inches of perfection.

But I have other hobbies. Camping and hiking the backwoods. Gliding silently across a lake in a hand-built canoe.

So I do appreciate the days when I can work with just my handsaw. This is relatively new to me. Work around the canopy just me and the tree, quietly, even stealthily and so relaxed. Zick-a-zick-a-zick. Toss. Oh, I'll go get that, too. Zick-a-zick. Toss.

Almost a shame when I've put enough wood on the ground that they have to start up the chipper.

So now that I've led you down a little path into my head, my question:

I'm using a Corona hand saw. Very new, very sharp. My employer, also new to me, uses these Corona blades on all their pole-saws and pretty much all of the climbers are using them because they have a blade exhange program where you can take a new or resharpened blade out of stock and turn in your dull one, they send them out to be re-sharpened or replaced on a regular basis.

Edited to add: The Corona sheath for their handsaw was utterly useless from new. Constucted from leather backing with the consistancy of gauze, it would twist around into any shape it desired depending upon wind speed, humidity and the phase of the moon...

For those that know, am I further ahead sticking with the company program, or are the Ibukis, Silkys, Zubats so much better that I'll feel a real difference? I'll go up to 4 or 5" with the Corona, but if I can really go bigger and faster with something else, I wouldn't mind parking the chainsaw for when it's really needed more often.

Thanks.

 

[Stumper]

The Coronas are good but the Silkies are noticeably better. Personally-if there are multiple cuts over 4" diameter then I want a chainsaw. A Silky is fine for one or two five inchers.

 

[jason j ladue]

redline, dont bother sharpening your handsaw blades. there is no substitute for factory fresh blades. get a weaver scabbard. they make 'em fo rthe bigger handsaws too...

 

[Jim1NZ]

I cant say I'm into gloves but if the world champ uses them they gota be good right? Climbing with out a friction saver is like climbing with an extra 20kg on your back especially if your through a tight fork. The ART rope guide is a very worth while investment if your climbing/dismantling large trees all the time, especially if your into body thrusting, its like someone is pulling you up the tree its so easy! I dont see the point in busting your ass if you dont have to a. Defiantly investigate the advanced prussics with micro pullys, and a 16 strand climbing rope is a must. Any rope will last a hel of a lot longer run through a friction saver as opposed to over a branch. Try things on the ground first until your fully comfortable with them.

 

[kennertree]

anybody do any speed lining? i was wanting to learn a little on speed lining and maybe try to use it in a tree that is appropriate for the speeline technique. ive heard of it alot but never seen it done. maybe some diagrams would help or a good picture. thanks alot.

 

[Lumberjack]

Speedlines, like the search function, work best when they are used to the users benifit.

http://www.arboristsite.com/search.php?searchid=94880

 

[jkrueger]

Here goes:

I am new to the climbing biz, but I have been doing my own tree work for 6 years. I live in Central New York with my wife and three kids . My question:

I climb with a dynamic system on Arbor plex with a split tail and have a hell of a time with a body thrust pulling line without wrapping it around my hand and forearm each time. Do I need different gloves, different rope, or do you guys take wraps around you hand and forearm as well? I am using natural crotches. I figure a friction saver may make the pull easier, but does it limit your vertical gain. I like minimizing equipment, but I figure by the end of the summer I'll be SRTing with ascenders. I think I would rather stick with the dynamic system through a pulley or friction saver(or both?). Anyone got some feedback for the noob?

Save all that energy and foot lock the tail, body thrusting is a waste of energy.

Jack
(master pruner)

 

[clearance]

I climb with heavy linesman boots, buckingham spurs and a mechanical (cam) slack adjusting steel core lanyard. I wear the yellow chainsaw gloves with the rubber webbing (about $3) that last for two weeks. Never climbed any other way, but I am a r.o.w. worker so please don't hack on me for that. Hack on me, get it. Works good for us utility guys but spurless climbing is better for the tree.

 

[pantheraba]

anybody do any speed lining? i was wanting to learn a little on speed lining and maybe try to use it in a tree that is appropriate for the speeline technique. ive heard of it alot but never seen it done. maybe some diagrams would help or a good picture. thanks alot.

If you mean zip line here is what I did recently. I have made them for moving people before but decided to use one to move log chunks recently. The video is of a small chunk...some of them were several times bigger.

That leaner I recently took down generated some pretty good chunks. They yard was recently landscaped so I couldn't get a truck back to the cut site. We rigged a zip line, hoisted the chunks up high and walked them out to the curb. I have a 600 pound rope hoist that I would have used but this is the first weekend in years that somebody borrowed it to lift an attic staircase (solo job for him). We rigged the hoist with pulleys...wish I'd had 2 more for the bigger chunks.

The pictures and video are posted at:

http://layton.smugmug.com/Tree+Job+3-30-05

Also, Tom Dunlap gave me this link to how the "big dogs" do it:

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/logging/manual/yarding/yarding.html

--------------------
Gary Layton
near Atlanta