Recommendations for a Newb

[kiteboarder]

Dude, you are killing me!
If we can not talk you out of it,
please video it and post it from the hospital room,,
have your son get out of the way before you start cutting and tell him when to press 'Record',,
tell him to take the ladder with him,,
Jeff

Some of you guys are funny. Even after all my detailed posts you still see me cutting 6 inch thick branches that will come swinging at me and kill my puppies. Man, there are all kinds of "twigs" pretty much sticking out of the sides of all my cedar trees and it would be nice to clean those off. 2 to 3 inches tops and barely a couple of feet long. Same thing with my Oaks and firs.

Thing is I already cut a bunch of this stuff a few months ago using an 8 feet pole saw, a top handle chainsaw (Craftsman that's more than 25 years old from back when they used to make the stuff in USA), some rope and a ladder. All with the help of my son and my dad. I'm still here and at no point was I even close to falling or having a branch take out my ladder. I'm just looking for advice before I proceed with more and in case there are some more challenging cuts. My tallest tree is likely well over 150 feet and I have ZERO intention of even touching it.

Not everybody is daft. I can do dangerous stuff safely. Tree trimming isn't the only thing I already tackle.

I understand you all want to protect your insurance rates, but not everyone is a reckless knucklehead.

 

[kiteboarder]

...


Kiteboarder
I guess I could have taken the safe route and just said "don't do it, call a pro", or the easy route and not posted at all. What I am offering is advice to be able to access a tree with a good level of safety. Who knows, you may really enjoy climbing and do it for fun. It's really cool to explore and experience a world that most people do not get to see.

Thanks. Advice taken. I can clearly see when I'm over my head. As I'm working on my yard and my trees I'll be sure to stop when I see that I'll be taking it too far. Please see the post above. I still have more trees I can work on in much the same way I did a few months ago, but with better knowledge now. Thanks.

 

[unclemoustache]

Did you ever think there is a reason why we use some of the things we do? The tools created for arborist are engineered and tested to safely and efficiently climb trees.

Rock climbing rope is meant to absorb huge amounts of energy when a climber falls and would essentially be like climbing on a rubber band. Not to mention it really doesnt knot very well and will be difficult to make a basic hitch run well.

You said it about top handle saws. "Pro's use them all the time". It's critical to gain some experience and comfort just being in a tree before making any cuts, especially with a chainsaw. The op said he wanted to trim smaller branches so why spend $300+ on a specialty tool and then advocate cheaping out on the stuff that is life support. I.e. any old harness or webbing sling homebrew bs. A decent work positioning saddle isnt terribly expensive. A decent 16strand climbing line isn't any more than a decent rock climbing rope. I'm not advocating this guy buy everything a modern pro would use.
One handing is such muddy waters I am cautious to step into it here. In this situation let's just say pro's do it from time to time but it should be avoided whenever possible. No doubt there are more injuries from reckless one handing.

I am glad he came here for advice on a diy project he wants to handle. Unfortunately he, along with alot of others, have taken the name of this site too literally. Most people on here are not arborists. Most people on here are chainsaw geeks. Nothing wrong with that until they start giving out misinformation that could potentially be life threatening.
I definitely don't want to see the op hurt, or anyone for that matter, not because it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside to offer safety tips, but because everytime harry-homeowner drops a tree on someone or falls off a ladder whilst hacking away at his trees and my girlfriend sees it on the news I have to explain why what I do is safe and how they are morons.


Kiteboarder
I guess I could have taken the safe route and just said "don't do it, call a pro", or the easy route and not posted at all. What I am offering is advice to be able to access a tree with a good level of safety. Who knows, you may really enjoy climbing and do it for fun. It's really cool to explore and experience a world that most people do not get to see.

There we go. Excellent advice. I don't disagree with any of it. Thanks for that.

But a brief rebuttal if I may:

I suggested rock climbing rope because it would be easier for him to obtain and probably cheaper. To be honest, my own main climbing rope is a rock rope. Works well in my Unicender, and certainly doesn't fell like a rubber band. I even used it today to help pull down a large elm.

Yes, a top handle is more dangerous and more expensive, but it's the tool of choice for working in the canopy. If you have a clue and are careful, you shouldn't have a problem.

Whether or not I'm an arborist is debatable. I'm not certified or trained, unless you call self-taught 'training.' I've watched many videos and read many books, and have a significant amount of experience, gradually tackling larger and more dangerous trees. Apparently I'm good enough that one of the local tree services calls me up to climb for them when needed. But it's important to know one's limitations and do all you can to eliminate risks. It seems like the OP has a good deal of common sense, but limited knowledge of tree work. If we can fill in that knowledge gap, I have no worries about him.

As for a pole saw, I got a 16' Echo, and that's the longest I could find. I don't know if other companies make longer ones, but if he can get one, that would be good as well, assuming he doesn't try and cut too thick of a limb.

 

[ksvanbrunt]

There we go. Excellent advice. I don't disagree with any of it. Thanks for that.

But a brief rebuttal if I may:

I suggested rock climbing rope because it would be easier for him to obtain and probably cheaper. To be honest, my own main climbing rope is a rock rope. Works well in my Unicender, and certainly doesn't fell like a rubber band. I even used it today to help pull down a large elm.

Yes, a top handle is more dangerous and more expensive, but it's the tool of choice for working in the canopy. If you have a clue and are careful, you shouldn't have a problem.

Whether or not I'm an arborist is debatable. I'm not certified or trained, unless you call self-taught 'training.' I've watched many videos and read many books, and have a significant amount of experience, gradually tackling larger and more dangerous trees. Apparently I'm good enough that one of the local tree services calls me up to climb for them when needed. But it's important to know one's limitations and do all you can to eliminate risks. It seems like the OP has a good deal of common sense, but limited knowledge of tree work. If we can fill in that knowledge gap, I have no worries about him.

As for a pole saw, I got a 16' Echo, and that's the longest I could find. I don't know if other companies make longer ones, but if he can get one, that would be good as well, assuming he doesn't try and cut too thick of a limb.

Hmmm. I have a 24ft ARS pole saw which works wonders, and as the OP stated, he only has 2-3inch limbs/stubs. I think it was only $180 as well from treestuff. Also, no offense but I would be a little skeptical taking advice from one who uses there main climbline as a tagline to pull over trees. Please correct me if I miss read that part because I'm a little freaked out.

 

[kiteboarder]

I like the idea of the 24' pole saw. Also, I'm pretty sure my local Home Depot rents out that 16' Echo (or similar). I could get a lot done in one day with that thing. That would give me twice the reach of my 8 foot pole chainsaw.

I also have pretty good news... Because of the high risk wildfire area I live in there are local programs that split the difference in maintenance costs for creating firesafe perimeters around houses. That of course includes a lot of the work I'm already doing on my property. I'm going to apply. One of the big reasons for DIY is you can't afford the cost of a pro or you need to save money. If I can get in on that deal I would be able to tackle the smaller stuff myself, and leave the higher up climbing to a pro.

 

[JeffGu]

There's nothing wrong with you learning a little climbing technique and wanting to do more of this stuff yourself. You're going to have to filter through a lot of moosepoop, even on an arborist site.
You don't need to spend a fortune. A climb line setup for MRS/DdRT only needs to be twice as long as the height you plan to climb. You always need a safe way back to the ground, and the ladder isn't going to be it. The safest way is to not work off the ladder... get onto the tree, tied in with both your climb line and the lanyard, and do the cutting. If the ladder falls or gets trashed by falling wood... who cares? They're a lot cheaper than brain surgery if you fall on your head.

There are numerous climb lines better suited than rock/mountain climbing ropes that are also cheaper. There are several low cost options for a harness that won't cost you several hundred dollars. I'll try to put a list of stuff together for you that's worth looking at.

 

[unclemoustache]

. Also, no offense but I would be a little skeptical taking advice from one who uses there main climbline as a tagline to pull over trees. Please correct me if I miss read that part because I'm a little freaked out.

Yes, I didn't word that terrible well. I have a 5/8" bull rope, but forgot to bring it. Didn't need a whole lot of pull anyway- just a bit of help for the wedges.

And I'll agree I'm not the best one for advice around here, but at the same time there are far too many "it's-beyond-you-so-hire-a-pro" kind of people here, not to mention a few "you-should-only-buy-the-exact-professional-equipment-or-go-home" kind.

 

[JeffGu]

A very good 24-strand doublebraid rope for both MRS (DdRT) and SRS (SRT) climbing is All Gear's Cherry Bomb rope... at $105 for a 120' hank. You'll want either a hand-spliced or sewn tight eye on one end only.
Best $300 harness out there, as far as I'm concerned, is Buckingham's Deluxe Master harness. Eight loops plus the side D's give you tons of options, and this saddle is built to last ten years or more, not fall apart or need repairs after two years. I have much more expensive saddles, but this is what I use on removals when I'm going to be in the tree for hours.
Since you'll probably want to start out on a Moving Rope System, a hitchclimber setup will require a suitable pulley, hitch cord, and a couple of carabiners. For the pulley, a red DMM Hitch Climber will serve you well. A 28" Ocean Polyester sewn eye-to-eye, and a couple of red DMM Ultra O carabiners will give you a nice color coordinated setup that works very well together. I'd recommend starting out using a Distel hitch... easy and quick to learn to tie and very reliable. You can learn others, like the finicky VT, after you climb for awhile.
You'll need a climbing helmet. The CT X-Arbor is a very good, lightweight one that is reasonably priced.

There are myriads of other options, but that gives you some very decent stuff to consider. I have quite a bit of slightly used stuff around here, too... and I'm sure many others on here do... which is an even cheaper option.

 

[Griff93]

Jeff gave you very good advice. I'll second the Buckingham's Deluxe master harness. We have three of them. I spent around 6 hours in mine yesterday. I'm really not sore from it at all. They are very comfy and stand up to years of use.

 

[midwestguy1]

Sign up as new member on sherritree they'll give you 20% off coupon towards first purchase. Buy 21ft pole saw
with step ladder or truck be 30ftn reach. Stay safe

Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk

 

[TheGoodFellers]

Man injured from cut limb after receiving suggestions from an arborist forum.. pole saw & hardhat is your best bet.