Call me a Moron!!!

[gitrdun_climbr]

everything has it's time and place

That is a nice distinction Trev. Makes sense out of the whole thing. I'm in spikes on removals about half the time. The other half is on rope pruning and I definitely see more radical positions with the legs to make good cuts while pruning. In spikes you're cutting above the waist, mostly, if you strip on the way up.

Once again the argument for 'time and place' wins out. Spikes have them, saw pants have them, etc. etc.

 

[MrRecurve]

Jim

I think you are more likely to cut your legs on the ground than climbing.

But I do think you are more likely to cut your legs when NOT wearing spikes, ie pruning.

I 90% of the time climb with spikes coz hardly anybody wants pruning in this town. Oh, I dont count palm cleaning as pruning, I call it janitor duties for the arborcultural profession.

Do you clean on spikes?

 

[Ekka]

All the time, I specify on my quotes that's how it will be done. If they dont want it spiked then I can give them other prices and options, but 99% of the time they've been spiked previously.

However, you wouldn't want to spike say Cubans that havent been spiked before, so then you'd give them options and costs.

AS4373 states wearing of spikes for pruning shall be avoided not that it should never be done. You need to weigh up the case on it's own merits. OHS for working off ladders is a shocker, so then you either set a high line and work from that but productivity will drop and the liklihood of an accident will increase statistically as you haven't got your feet secured (even with loops) as well as you do with spurs.

 

[MrRecurve]

When I clean palms, I usually throw a work/bull rope over the tree, then use it to pull up a pulley or cambium saver with my line attached, then tie the bull rope off at the base of the palm. When Im finished, I pull the bull rope out, and "walla!" no unsightly spike marks.

 

[gitrdun_climbr]

Afc

Adjustable false crotch on a palm...clever.

I know nothing about cleaning palms tho.

 

[Ekka]

When I clean palms, I usually throw a work/bull rope over the tree, then use it to pull up a pulley or cambium saver with my line attached, then tie the bull rope off at the base of the palm. When Im finished, I pull the bull rope out, and "walla!" no unsightly spike marks.

Yeah, and by that time I would have done 3 of them.

Recurve, how much longer do you think it takes and what is the cost for say a 30' cocos palm average head not done for 1 year.

 

[MrRecurve]

I usually sting around 80 for a clean on spikes and 100 without. I give people the choice, and you would be surprised how many pay the extra 20. It only takes me half an hour with the false crotch, hardly slower than spikes at all. Very rarely I will have a hard time getting the bull rope out, and that may blow a palm out 5 minutes or so.

 

[Jim1NZ]

Hey Ekka how how have you seen people spikeless cleaning?

I had a go a while ago, throw ball directly over the top as you do for setting a rope, pull my climbing line through, then i tie that end off on the base of the palm. I set my footlock prussic on the other half of the rope and single line footlock to the top. I use a adjustable footlock prussic to get close then laynard in to the stem, i use a climbing line with standard set up to maneuver round the palm.

Seems to work sweet, bit of a mission though. Can do one in about half an hour but think i would be faster with a bit of practice.

 

[gitrdun_climbr]

diversity in technique

Wow, there sure is more than one way to skin a palm it sounds like. So if a palm gets 'cleaned' once a year and the climber spikes it every time, what does that thing look like after 5 or more years?

It seems to me that charging by the hour rather than by the tree would aleviate some of the need to damage the 'cared-for' tree for faster money but again, I've never climbed a palm...sort of a blind opinion I suppose.

:monkey: