Low and slow baby!

[tree MDS]

Stepped off the rim of Stubs (all wheel drive rear mount LR III) with the new saddle and climbing system yesterday to finish off the week. 90 to 100' red oak - all roping, wood too.

I tried the vt and hitch climber out on the first REAL take down. So here I am fiddling around with this thing, and I'm thinking "its all good, I learned it on the internet! what could possibly go wrong?" lol.

I love it! Self tending was sweet with 80' of rope hanging below you. The new saddle (arbormaster delux versatile) is comfy as heck too. The geckos rocked as usual.

Just wanted to update anyone who cares on the changing of my old school ways - and to thank AS for helping there. At least I dont look like a dinosaur to the 24 year old climber I've got. He's still on a taughtline, lol.

 

[Hddnis]

Another one sells out! lol

I keep meaning to try the vt. Keep reading about how good it is and what not.

One day...



Mr. HE

 

[B-Edwards]

Some people dont know what they're missing not trying newer gear. I watch some of the felllows I started out climbing with and they are still using the butt strap saddle and non-adjustable saftey laynard. It amazes me to know how much easier it is on my body using newer stuff and these guys wont even consider it. Whatever works for you I guess.

 

[LTREES]

I'm switching over and getting real comfy with the VT. I can't find any one in my area that is new school. Every one is in a bucket or old school.

LT...

 

[Nailsbeats]

Personally, I'm on the Schwabisch after trying the VT and many others, I have no complaints about it. The VT unfolded too often for my tastes and didn't bite without totally resetting it.

The new stuff is awesome MDS, believe me when I tell you I was totally Old School and thought the new stuff was for gay pretty boys and wouldn't hold up. Well I have been experimenting (with climbing gear :monkey and scrutinizing the crap out of all these methods, techniques and products. My verdict is, it is mint and way more efficient than the old ways. On the plus side, it impresses the heck out of the customers, "wow look at all the nice gear, very professional, here is a bonus."

I took down 2 good size trees today and trimmed 2 more with no less than 4 people watching me all day, totally impressed. A lot of it is the gear and knowing how to use it, the rest is just my good looks in general, lol.

I know you're in the biz and I don't have to blow smoke up your azz, just saying I'm proud of you, you old dinousor azz.

 

[clearance]

The tautline works just fine for removals, for me and many other guys. Check out the 'Tree Climbers Companion' Book, it warns about the VT, I won't even try it with the warnings from that book.

 

[Nailsbeats]

The tautline works just fine for removals, for me and many other guys. Check out the 'Tree Climbers Companion' Book, it warns about the VT, I won't even try it with the warnings from that book.

It works fine, but a closed split tail system will make you faster and more efficient guaranteed. This is of course after some slow time while you figure it out and retrain your checks and balances and what not. This is what scares most I think, feeling and looking like a retard for a year or so, then it all clicks and you are a great white ninja again, only better.

You don't need a VT specifically, just a good trustworthy closed hitch of sorts. So I've learned anyhow..............

 

[outofmytree]

Personally, I'm on the Schwabisch after trying the VT and many others, I have no complaints about it. The VT unfolded too often for my tastes and didn't bite without totally resetting it.

The new stuff is awesome MDS, believe me when I tell you I was totally Old School and thought the new stuff was for gay pretty boys and wouldn't hold up. Well I have been experimenting (with climbing gear :monkey and scrutinizing the crap out of all these methods, techniques and products. My verdict is, it is mint and way more efficient than the old ways. On the plus side, it impresses the heck out of the customers, "wow look at all the nice gear, very professional, here is a bonus."

I took down 2 good size trees today and trimmed 2 more with no less than 4 people watching me all day, totally impressed. A lot of it is the gear and knowing how to use it, the rest is just my good looks in general, lol.

I know you're in the biz and I don't have to blow smoke up your azz, just saying I'm proud of you, you old dinousor azz.

I'm glad you explained what or who you have been experimenting with Nails....

 

[Nailsbeats]

I'm glad you explained what or who you have been experimenting with Nails....

I'm glad you appreciate my thoroughness. Also note that I am very mindfull of maintaining a state of politically correctness as to not be insensitive to a potential group or individual readers or readees in this thread thus far, and again I give you :monkey:............

 

[Bearcreek]

I just recently switched from a schwabisch to a michoacan. I love it. Tightens up right away and releases easy. Only problem so far is I can't figure out how to pronounce it lol.

 

[senechal]

mee - showah - kahn

 

[Bearcreek]

Thanks man. What language is that?

 

[treemandan]

I'm glad you appreciate my thoroughness. Also note that I am very mindfull of maintaining a state of politically correctness as to not be insensitive to a potential group or individual readers or readees in this thread thus far, and again I give you :monkey:............

And thank freaking God for that. Me too.

 

[senechal]

Dominated by the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Michoacán extends from the Pacific Ocean northeastward into the central plateau.

"The Purhépecha language," writes Professor Verástique, "is a hybrid Mesoamerican language, the product of a wide-ranging process of linguistic borrowing and fusion."

 

[Bearcreek]

So, is the michoacan from Latin America? I always thought all the friction hitches were European in origin.

 

[tree MDS]

The tautline works just fine for removals, for me and many other guys. Check out the 'Tree Climbers Companion' Book, it warns about the VT, I won't even try it with the warnings from that book.

I'm not real concerned with the 'Tree Climbers Companion' clearance.

What is that anyway?? Is that like some kind of a beer or something?

 

[tree MDS]

Personally, I'm on the Schwabisch after trying the VT and many others, I have no complaints about it. The VT unfolded too often for my tastes and didn't bite without totally resetting it.

The new stuff is awesome MDS, believe me when I tell you I was totally Old School and thought the new stuff was for gay pretty boys and wouldn't hold up. Well I have been experimenting (with climbing gear :monkey and scrutinizing the crap out of all these methods, techniques and products. My verdict is, it is mint and way more efficient than the old ways. On the plus side, it impresses the heck out of the customers, "wow look at all the nice gear, very professional, here is a bonus."

I took down 2 good size trees today and trimmed 2 more with no less than 4 people watching me all day, totally impressed. A lot of it is the gear and knowing how to use it, the rest is just my good looks in general, lol.

I know you're in the biz and I don't have to blow smoke up your azz, just saying I'm proud of you, you old dinousor azz.

Thanks nels.

The thing I'm noticing is this system allows me to climb more naturally, without having to always stop and inch the taughtline up. The a$$ board thing is comfy too.

 

[senechal]

So, is the michoacan from Latin America? I always thought all the friction hitches were European in origin.

It is not. The Michoacan is a variation of the Blake's, and was originally named "Martin" for "...the instructor [Arbor Master] who had been using it. Ironically, he thought that he had been using a Knut."
- A Genealogy of Arborists’ Climbing Hitches -- Mark Adams

House told me something along the lines of "Martin" being coined by Ken Palmer, while Martin himself chose to name it as a tribute to the Michoacan.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

You don't need a VT specifically, just a good trustworthy closed hitch of sorts. So I've learned anyhow..............

The thing is that the Schwabish and Distal are just closed loop taughtline/prussic hitches.

 

[tree MDS]

The thing is that the Schwabish and Distal are just closed loop taughtline/prussic hitches.

The schwabish was the first one I tried (basically because it looked simple to tie). The vt seems to self losen, so its less inclined to tighten up like the swab, plus the braids seem to give me more knot to hold onto when rappeling.