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Homelyhusky

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Jan 18, 2006
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Location
Northern NY State
I've done rock climbing and some pole climbing for a cable tv company and at 49 I want to start climbing trees. I heat with wood and have been sawing for 35 years, got 6 saws. Probably the wrong thing to do, but I've been lookin on ebay for spikes and belts. I need some advise from some of you seasoned climbers. The info is probably here in other threads but if you could humer me and give me some advise. There's alot of ads for spikes that say their for poles and trees but I know that's not true. I think the actual spike is a different angle? Give me some help.
 
Okay, where to start? What do you plan to climb and why? What are your intentions? Climbing for fun, starting a business? A few more details will help us send you in the right direction. Welcome to AS!
 
Mainly maple some ash, oak, beech and cherry. Like I said, I heat with wood and want to offer some locals cheap tree removal and take the cordwood.

I've allways liked just climbing. Used to drive through the Adirondacks and stop every time I saw a rock wall and climb it.
 
How about learning to climb for fun first, learn the ropes per say. In the meantime, hook up with a local tree service and offer to take their wood off their hands. Most would be happy to give it to you. Removals can be tricky. I love climbing but I don't think I'd be doing removals for firewood. Not worth the risk involved, especially without the proper training.
But, if you are gung ho about doing this than you can pick up a pair of spikes on Ebay. Even better, buy new, that way you know what you are getting. I have to say though that I personally don't condone people just picking up a set of spikes and a saddle and starting to remove trees.
Do you have any specific questions?
If you like climbing so much, I would really recommend doing so on a recreational basis and there are a lot of recreational tree climbers who are more than willing to share what they know with new climbers. Good luck and be careful out there.
 
Yes, spurs, strip & chunk massacre, I love it, good for you, log it, burn it, pave it. Spurs all the time, gaff it hack it ask me if I care ha,ha hey guys wait till people ask him "you wouldn't mind taking of a couple of branches for me" Put the spurs away? Right, I love it.
 
Sorry, got a little carried away, Brandon is the man to listen to.
 
I'm not sure I get your meaning.

Well Clearance,

The trees are going to come down anyway. If they get put in a chipper or my wood furnace doesn't matter much.
Thank Brandon
 
HH - I was just having fun with some of the arborists here. Pole spurs are way too short for treework. If you get used tree spurs make sure there is enough meat on them. I have climbed a few trees for wood but just to get a rope in cause of a bad lean. You have to get paid something for cutting down people trees, others here have good advice.
 
I think the main difference between pole spurs and tree spurs is the length. Pole gaffs are about 1 and 3/4 inches adn tree gaffs are 2 inches or longer. the angle...? It might be different but I don't know. I bought a used set of Brooks gaffs off of Ebay about 2 months back and i have had fun playing with them. Sounds like you know how to use them and probably how to climb on ropes too if you know rock climbing...you could buy teh tree climbers companion and since you know quite a bit about ropes adn climbing poles already it would probably make a lot of sense to you. Well have a good one the spurs are good tolearn with on dead poles or ones to be cut down anyway but few here will condone spiking trees just to climb them for fun or not intended to be removed.
 
Homelyhusky

from my stand point, i can't understand why anyone here would help you. since your just going to be a guy with a pick up truck taking work away from legit and experianced tree svc. your whole business plan is about getting cheap fire wood.
 
Thats what I was thinking, I was just being nice. Seriously, if you want to climb, do so recreationally and let the legit tree services remove the trees and you take the wood off their hands. Its a win-win situation.
 
2 days ago i was speaking with the excavator who will be putting in my new septic system. he was telling me that his son is a climber, then he told me the story about this big ash tree that he took down. all the other tree svc wanted around 8000.00 to remove it. well we put some cables on it and pulled some of it over, he gaffed himself in the leg and was on crutch's for a month, even on crutch's he went back and finished cutting up the tree. but he used the whole tree for fire wood.

that little story told me alot.........:laugh: :laugh:
 
KF-the story tells me the hoe ops. kid is a good decent guy to finish it off. Also tells me greedy tree serv. 8K??????? They pulled it over with a hoe......8K???
 
clearance said:
KF-the story tells me the hoe ops. kid is a good decent guy to finish it off. Also tells me greedy tree serv. 8K??????? They pulled it over with a hoe......8K???

your thought's and interpetation also tell me alot about about you.
 
Hey, KF you told the story. Other than that thank you. Listen up HH, some removals are very complicated, scary shows that require great skill, some of them are easier than some would have you believe. Go out and have some fun, if they are all really so hard youll never be able to do it,not.
 
Green

I'm new on this site and the last thing I wanted to do was start a war. Like Clint Eastwood said " A man's got to know his limitations". I don't plan on taking the tough jobs. I'll leave that to the guys with the experience. I think I just want to climb and get some heat while I'm doing it. Where I live, getting wood for free now-a- days just don't happen. If I can get some word of mouth from my friends, I'll do it. I'm not going to try to take down a hundred year old tree with branches stretching over roofs. Just want to cut my heating bills. Besides, I'm getting sick of my present job and might end up being legit compitition.
 
Don't let anybody run you off HH. You have a legitimate interest. The people on this site have a wealth of knowledge to share, and most of them share it willingly. In fact, many of them have gone to a great deal of trouble at no personal profit to keep me safe and help me improve. I'm here because I like to climb and I want to do what is right for people and trees. This is a good place to learn about all three corners of that triangle.
 
where

Homelyhusky said:
Mainly maple some ash, oak, beech and cherry. Like I said, I heat with wood and want to offer some locals cheap tree removal and take the cordwood.

I've allways liked just climbing. Used to drive through the Adirondacks and stop every time I saw a rock wall and climb it.
where are you specfically not your street your town. jeez you want to climb where were you in the ice storm had a whole plush training faclity up in northcountry, firewood again where were u in the ice storm we could have set you up.firewood we'll check on, need town, climber training/apprentice where are you willing to go how far?j
 
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