Skinny trees.

ch74

TreeHouser
Joined
Jun 8, 2013
Messages
841
Location
Milton, Fla
My question is to the vets.
Gaff climbing on skinny tree's, If there pretty skinny do ya'll find if easier to grab the tree and take a couple steps, then advance your lanyard?
Or do you still keep your hands on your lanyard at all time, I find double wrap is a PITA.
I was out in the woods today taking down a skinny (9") diam, 40' pine and was about 10 ft off the ground, with my lanyard and hands on it and gaffed out on one side and slid a long way down before i finally just grabbed the damn tree to stop. That has happened before and i keep my hands on my lanyard and just sat back in my harness with my inner thighs on the tree and never slid, what give's?
 
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  • #4
I've noticed gaffing out on skinny trees is hard to apply techniques, compared to something in a larger diameter.
I think ill choke my climb line off above and hike to it then advance it again.
I guess im just asking if im doing anything wrong on skinny trees. I mean I no how to recover from gaff outs on little larger trees but skinny one's have always been my kryptonite. Lol.
 
Yep, take a wrap and up you go. I once skid from around 30' all the way back to the ground. I unhooked my lanyard and walked to the truck muttering I forgot my earplugs.
 
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  • #9
Spurs not the problem, I guess what i am after is to see how the vets do it.
On normal size trees i gaff up tie in and work, but on skinny trees i always get a little nervous on just gaffing up, im wondering how all of ya'll do it. On say 1ft diam and smaller. Anything over a foot i can always just gaff up and tie in and work, and recover well in a gaff out, like MB said just squeeze my lanyard the rest come's natural. Which it has, i know how to work a gaff out .
 
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  • #10
Yep, take a wrap and up you go. I once skid from around 30' all the way back to the ground. I unhooked my lanyard and walked to the truck muttering I forgot my earplugs.

Played off like a genuine pro...lol
 
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  • #11
I have pole gaffs, all i use here in the northwest fl area.
 
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  • #12
At what diameter tree do you pro's not wrap a tree.
I would guess when a wrap becomes a real pita on little bigger trees that would be my answer.
Usually 10'' and less diam. and i get a little nervous so i guess ill start the wrap process.
 
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  • #13
Have a job tomorrow , guys back yard has tall skinny pines i mean 60' pines and 9'' dbh.:rockhard:
Already removed, 14 trees (mixed bag) from this same customer, pin oaks, pine, and small red oaks.
Thanks, all for the advice much appreciated.
 
Not a production climber here, 200lbs loaded up with steel kleins and a reshaped gaff to Burnham's USFS climbing guide, in between a pole and tree gaff. Start to wrap lanyard around 6". I always try like a bugger to fire a climb line up first.
 
A guy line or two will help if you need it.

If I have a section of trunk to hike up on spurs, but want fall-arrest. I hold both strands of the flip-line in each hand, with enough extra slack that it doesnt' grab, acting like its just a 180 wrap.

As I get smaller in diameter, on a vertical tree, I will hold on more.

If you have to take weight out of skinny trees, I've used a manual pole saw to lighten the tree above me, and to make the top small enough for me to snap cut, then quickly "hand over hand it down" until I have the tip. Minimal dynamic loading.

Can you swing tops into other trees using throw lines for setting a rigging line, before or while in the tree, to hang a bigger top?
 
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  • #16
Yea, enough room to toss them about 3/4 way up. I have been firing a pull line over the top then when I get to first branch tie running bowline just under the first branch, kinda like a base tie then, cut a face and toss it.
 
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  • #19
Ok Sean that makes sense, hold your hand in the looped part with slack in flipline so if u slip it tightens (chokes) itself off. That sounds right.?
 
Steel core 5/8s flipline with a wrap, hold the flipline on each side of my body closer to the spar and just step up for elevation, flip 360 degree circular loop up, repeat. Trees too big, maybe over a foot or 18 inches, pinch circle of flipline between fingers where it touches wrap on each side of spar, step up, flip up, repeat. Have done that on smooth barked trees up to 3 or 4 feet in dia.

Longest drop on ripout is a couple of feet. Worst issue on second technique is that you could get fingers involved and pinched in a ripout.


(Oops, maybe this was stated by Sean while I was eating dinner)
 
Almost always set a high tip for my primary especially when it's limbless and the lanyard is only there for positioning and to pull or step against, like you would when wall climbing. Kinda like your back is against the wall taking slack up and wt off at the same time. I strongly recommend always 2 tie ins going up and add a third to hop scotch so there is a back up for your back up. Too too many falls, deaths and injuries during transition. Even a lil slip can create enough injury to put you out of commission for days or atleast slow you down. BasicaLly it's 2 primaries and work positioning lanyard all the time. Limby sections, I consider more like a ladder and tend just go with 2 tips. Happy trails
 
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  • #22
Thanks mate. And of course thanks to the trusty merle, advice in my back pocket.
What about with rope lanyard, merle I hate steel core. Same principle?
 
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  • #23
What about climb line above me choked, flip line normal, and hike to it and repeat?
Anyone do that, or is it always the wrap in lanyard?
 
I have done the climb line above before. if you can chuck it up over a couple higher branches with a monkeyfist it all helps.
 
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  • #25
Ill try the wrap method tomorrow, if its a pita, ill go back to the old running bowline on the climb line. Like I said though, on about a foot or a lil bigger and up, I just flip up with rope lanyard, and use my climb line as secondary lanyard when I get to the branches.
 
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