What is this guy using for his safety rope setup?

Hand saw and practice. Spike/ spur the trees you will kill in time, not keepers, if you so choose.

What YouTube videos of what goes wrong, too.

Be safe.

What kinds of trees and sizes?
 
Robert P said:
When you say "spike down a tree" do you mean cutting down a tree that you've climbed with spikes or getting down from the tree using spikes?
Click to expand...

The latter, I'm sure... although I don't know why that would ever happen. 99% of us descend using a rope.
 
Being a relative rookie climber myself, I can say for sure and certain that Solid fundamental technique with the saw will transfer very well to work at height. If anything, cutting at height is easier than cutting loaded stuff on the ground most of the time. . .

ETA: When you first start out on spikes, going down is a lot harder than going up. You'll shoot 20 feet up in no time and spend ten wobbly minutes getting back down. Start low, and learn to descend on a rope. It will make practice with the spikes much more comfortable and secure if you're tied in nice and high.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #30
MasterBlaster said:
When you say "spike down a tree" do you mean cutting down a tree that you've climbed with spikes or getting down from the tree using spikes?
Click to expand...
The latter, I'm sure... although I don't know why that would ever happen. 99% of us descend using a rope.
Click to expand...

I at least plan on doing what the guy in the video is doing - taking down the trees, so it'll be a go up and come down bit by bit as the tree is being hacked away.
 
All you need is

1) Rope of your choice. I like 1/2" and 150'

2) Hitch cord of your choice. I like 10mm Armour Prus

3) Micro Pulley. I like the Hitch Climber

4) Two Biners. I like the DMM Ultra O, or Petzl AmD's.
 
Horrible technique at around 12:50... tied climbline around small branch rather than main trunk. Didn't put flipline on one stem and climb line around other for balance. Has the saw upside-down, working way too high, having trouble reaching because the bar is on the bottom side of the saw, one handing so as to hold on with the other. Stubs. Unstable. No face cut. Chaps in tree are probably because he's so concerned that he might cut his leg. That's about the last thing I worry about. I have way too much life support stuff and rigging to cut to worry if I might pull a rookie move of cutting my LEG with a top-handle. He needs to put them on his arms!! ha.


He's trying. Its sorta like if you wanted to try to fix your brakes on your motorcycle, then test drive it, without knowing what you're doing. No airbag or steel box to protect your from your own mistakes. Gravity is a B(*&h.
 
Grendel said:
All you need is

1) Rope of your choice. I like 1/2" and 150'

2) Hitch cord of your choice. I like 10mm Armour Prus

3) Micro Pulley. I like the Hitch Climber

4) Two Biners. I like the DMM Ultra O, or Petzl AmD's.
Click to expand...



A cheap cambium saver tube will cut your friction (your climbing effort and wear and tear) considerably on your climbline compared to a dry crotch. I have some leather ones, fine for climbing and rigging, both on the same piece of gear. I don't know much about the conduit tube friction savers (Dan House design, maybe), but they aren't for rigging.

You shouldn't rig on your life-line, btw.
 
Robert P said:
Can you break down the pieces - i.e. essentially make a shopping list for what you have here?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Grendel said:
All you need is

1) Rope of your choice. I like 1/2" and 150'

2) Hitch cord of your choice. I like 10mm Armour Prus

3) Micro Pulley. I like the Hitch Climber

4) Two Biners. I like the DMM Ultra O, or Petzl AmD's.
Click to expand...

^That"s pretty much it.

-Micro pulley

-Lanyard (climbing) rope of your choice...The setup in the photo is a 12' lanyard

-Hitch cord of your choice

-Two biners of your choice

-Chafe sleeve (don't have to have it)

IMG_4590 (Small)noted.jpg

That is my setup for recreational climbing to give me a second tie in point once I'm in the canopy and for work positioning for the minor pruning I might do.
 
I mark my gear with RED electrical tape for RIGGING
LEMON (yellow) for LIFE SUPPORT.

Your climbing line is not a rigging/ lowering line. Sure a 50 pound, top-tied branch isn't going to do anything to your climbline, but some people indiscriminately use their ropes and hardware for both rigging and life support for many heavier applications.


Tree Climber's Guide. http://www.sherrilltree.com/Tree-Climbers-Guide-1473#.U8QAGvldUsp


There are TREESTUFF.com links through the Treehouse. This is your best bet for ordering gear, most likely. Use the "arborist" discount code.

I didn't see this book via the TS search engine. They might sell it.

Put "The TreeHouse Member" in the notes section if you think of it. Shows TS that advertising here is worthwhile.
 
Buy as many books and read as much as you can. You will not understand anything right or wrong in a video until you read the right way to do it. That is the end of my advice.
 
As Sean said, your climb line is life safety. Rigging kit can be exposed to dynamic loads, sometimes severe. Keeping the two separate is your best bet.
 
Robert P said:
When you say "spike down a tree" do you mean cutting down a tree that you've climbed with spikes or getting down from the tree using spikes?

Btw, cool chair.

:)
Click to expand...
I meant spiking all the way down the tree. That's fine if your chunking off pieces as u go or your low to the ground, otherwise I just come down on the rope. Easy, fast, saves the knees a bit.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #43
SouthSoundTree said:
Tree Climber's Guide.

I didn't see this book via the TS search engine. They might sell it.
Click to expand...

Found it on TS under books and ordered it. Used the "arborist" code (thanks!) and got 2.75 off which is already about $10 less than at Sherrilltree.com

Looked online for it, no hits on ebay, found an older version on half.com and a higher price on Amazon.
 
Flipline and lanyard are often used synonymously. The distinctions aren't worth going into at this point. You can have a steel core lanyard/ flipline or just plain rope lanyards. A long lanyard can both be helpful and a hinderance and danger.

Here is just one thing that comes to mind, which may or may not be apparent, don't let tree parts drop along your flipline tail or any rope attached to you that your can't handle getting snagged and loading you. Know in advance how you would get out of such a situation.
 
P.S. There is a Beginner Tree Climber Tips thread, or some such named thread. I'm sure it chocked full of stuff that you will and won't read in an instructional manual.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #46
Robert P said:
I'll also be in the position that I won't have some bossman riding me who's a little more concerned about git 'er done than he is about his crew's safety. If it takes me four times longer to get the tree down because I'm taking it slow I'm okay with that.
Click to expand...

Below is an example of exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of when I made the above comment, from the Treebuzz forum. Particularly post #6

"...During the discussion the boss simply stated, its coming down one way or another, I don't care, so somebody get up there. Who's gonna climb it. That was the point I stepped back. It wasn't about the safest way to mitigate the situation. It was about hurry up so we can get to the next job and make me more money ..."


http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/penalized-for-not-climbing-a-tree.27960/#post-390168
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #47
SouthSoundTree said:
I mark my gear with RED electrical tape for RIGGING, LEMON (yellow) for LIFE SUPPORT.

Your climbing line is not a rigging/ lowering line. Sure a 50 pound, top-tied branch isn't going to do anything to your climbline, but some people indiscriminately use their ropes and hardware for both rigging and life support for many heavier applications.
Click to expand...
Okay, by rigging you mean used to move/lower pieces of the tree as opposed to supporting the climber (life support).
 
Yes, that's exactly what he means.

I paint all my rigging hardware (carabiners, pulleys, blocks) with red paint somewhere, and red electrical tape for ropes and textiles (loop runners, whoopies etc)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #49
GemCutter said:
I'm not sure which brand, but he's using hand ascender. I'm not very experienced, but that would not be something I would use. All you can do to let rope out is take the weight off of it and release it. No way to gently let rope out with your weight on it.

You'd be much better off with a simple self tending pulley and hitch setup.

My inexpensive version...

View attachment 56331

...and the pricey version...http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=296&item=1822#
Click to expand...

So this does essentially the same thing as a Hitch Climber?

Is the chafe sleeve to protect the static/fixed end of the line from the pulley and friction hitch rubbing against it?

Is there any inherent superiority of a spliced end vs a knotted end as you have here?
 
Hitch Climber is several steps better than just a micro pulley for self tending your hitch.

If you use a Hitch climber its better to have a spliced end as it won't interfere with the friction hitch. I know as I climbed with a knot termination and a Hitch Climber for a year or so, I had to adjust which hole the biner was clipped into and I had to keep a close eye on the knot getting too close to the top of my friction hitch and making it slack.
Once I was ready for a new rope I got a spliced end and its is way better, one less knot to tie and one less thing to keep and eye on when climbing.
 
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