You're one of the few people I watch, that let their saws warm up a bit. As a mechanic, it makes me grind my teeth when someone starts a saw, and immediately gives it the beans lol
@@alotl1kevegas860 it’s not rare for snowmobiles. They will pop if you push em. Saws not so much. See guys use full throttle to get it warmed up faster. I cringe
@@ericharris893 It can happen to anything really. Snowmobiles are worse because they usually sit outside in the cold. But if someone is that big of a knob, to hop on their machine and not let it warm up for atleast 30-60 seconds, they deserve to have their machine blow up lol. More money in my pocket haha.
Dead trees always scare me because you just don't know what's inside. I sawed a chestnut log the other day that I thought was pretty solid to find out the entire inside was hollow. It's really tricky to tell sometimes. Good video.
Hey George! Absolutely, I've even had a number of perfectly green and healthy looking trees torn out to be hollow in the stump. I like to call them reduced weight logs 😅
@Middlefield Custom Sawmill Thanks man! I haven't been able to spend much time as a viewer on youtube as the season gets busy, but I enjoy your videos as well when I catch a recent post!
A good tip when dealing with dead, crispy trees is to leave some lower branches on to create ballast when dealing with the top of the tree. This helps reduce the sway and increased load on the trunk.
I’ve thought about doing that at times even on healthier trees, and I feel like it could even be a way to help someone be a little less nervous / anxious about taking the top if there’s more bulk underneath than just the spar alone. Just need to make sure you have a clear path for the top so that it doesn’t get hung up, etc. especially if rigging.
Maybe someone already said this but I like the habit of snapping the chain brake on before hanging up my saw, and then double checking it before drop starting is great too. Also might be good for memory to acknowledge those moments where you just don't feel like checking cuz it feels perfectly safe to start it with the brake off in that moment. Cuz imo once you have a really solid grasp of why you've cultivated good safety habits you can bend the rules in really intentional ways. If you're into that -- I know a lot of arborist are split on doing cringy shit vs finding a way to do it without making any OSHA violations. Big respect to both sides
Thanks for you civilized approach Cory. Some folks like to get real aggressive with their criticism. I did not develope a good chain brake habit early on and have been working to correct it. For whatever reason, it has been easier for me to remember to check it before starting than remembering to engage it before hanging up the saw 🙄 I'll make it a solid habit here sooner or later. I believe ANSI equates turning off the saw with chain brake engagement, but that doesn't mean brake engagement isn't a good idea.
Just a couple of notes for you..... you mentioned reading that you shouldn't get above your flip line, but it's fine to do that with your climbing line, which could really come back to bite you one day. With that setup, if you accidentally cut your flip line you've put yourself in a position where you are above your anchor and you're going to be in that scary place with a fall factor 1 or above (fall factor 1 = falling the full length of rope that you have between you and your termination point. Fall factor 2 = falling twice the length or rope you have between you and your termination point. e.g fall factor 1 = falling 1m on 1m of rope, or 5m on 5m of rope, etc. e.g. fall factor 2 = falling 2m on 1m of rope or 10m on 5m of rope etc). If you've tied your climb line by your feet and that rope is tight, you've got yourself a fall factor 2. Anything above a fall factor 1 is where things start breaking..... your kit or your body..... which isn't good! Best practice would be to secure your climb line as high as possible BEFORE making any cuts to prevent any large falls. ** check out the RUclips channel HowNot2 where Ryan has loads of videos that can give you loads of specifics on falls as well as how much force is generated as well as how much force it takes to break climbing kit. It is more of a recreational climbing channel but they are slowly moving into industrial and arborist work, but anything that relates to ropes and falls is the same across the board
For sure, thanks for sharing, Glenn! Petzl has some really good information on this that is specific to tree climbing as well. I've done of my own drop testing on this channel, comparing static and dynamic ropes and the like. I was not aware of that fall classification, but I understand the physics I believe. There is definitely risk in having the climbing line slack. The biggest challenge is just purely finding enough room on the tree to get appropriate separation between textiles and between textiles and saw without cutting too high relative to your body or anchoring your ropes too low relative to your body. To make it more challenging, the tree often has knots and stubs that add complexity to the situation. None of my climbing system components are rated for fall protection either which also makes it a challenge.
Thank You for turning the sound level down when the saw is running. I love the sound when running a chain saw but not while you are watching a video. Great Job!!!
Thanks Ted! The audio was really hard on thos one with all of the passing traffic. I didn't turn out as good as I wanted, but I'm glad to hear you appreciated it
Also, I hear rigging dead trees, that it's a bad idea, because rigging a large limb will cause there to be a lot of unwanted torsion on the stem of the tree towards the side of the tree that your using as the pulley side. And that unwanted torsion on the stem toward the pulley side can cause the stem to snap if it's a large heavy limb, and if you're locked into the tree, when the stem breaks and it falls, you go down with it. I heard a story about that Happening to a guy who almost died cutting a deadish hickory.
There is definitely a bigger risk of that happening when a tree is dead. We had someone die from that a year or two ago around here. If I find myself needing to rig from a dead tree, which I avoid as much as I can, I try to just cut smaller pieces so it doesn't load the tree too much.
Loved the thought process of testing different cuts to see reactions I use it as well but haven’t used it to that degree to be able to feel comfortable in situations like those. One tip I’ve learned doing spar work especially with the quickie is to make your alpine butterfly smaller so you don’t have to fiddle with it as much or worry about it rotating on you; and also intertwining your life line and lanyard by one or two wraps when moving your anchor up the tree help’s proficiency a lot!
Great work Zach, look up a bit more, move your gear before you commit to wedges, have more confidence in your climb, your helper really didn't help that top on this job. The rope jack would have worked just fine. The house for sure was in the debris field, especially from that high of a drop, I use 4x8 on 2x4 to protect the windows......keep up the great work focus on safety and learning, you rock, thank you for the video! 🕊
Nice video, zaccheus. I'm also trying to learn the habit of engaging the chain brake. I'm almost 61, and you know the saying "it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks". I guess, I'm the old dog, but I do manage to still learn some new things. I do appreciate you sharing what you've learned/are learning/mistakes. I love your demeanor. When climbing, I don't want to drop too many limbs at the base of the tree, invariably my rope will get tangled and ascending farther becomes much more difficult. Have a great day.
Yes, that can be a problem for sure. I think August Hunicke has a video or two where he speaks about techniques to keep limbs off of your branches. I don't climbs lone or free fall limbs very often, so it's not really something I've practiced much.
@@zaccheus Yeah man, great demo. I appreciate you filming the full climb. Question though... Was your climbing line set simply as a back up lanyard? It didn't appear as though you used it to descend. From the look of things, it doesn't seem retrievable. Also, I may need to look into those spikes. Ever since I learned SRT, I pretty much use it during any major ascent. An ascender mounted on the spike is genius. Might be time to upgrade next time there's a sale on gear
@Duda4real to be honest I don't exactly remember how I came down I might have spiked down on this one, but most of the time I just use a typical canopy anchor with a retrieval tail that goes all the way to the ground so it serves as a rescue line while I'm working. I have a video on it here: ruclips.net/video/4yjbVgiqZsg/видео.html I climb on edelrid talons with the edelrid tree cruiser ascender. There are kits for adding an ascender to normal spikes. I used to use a quick tree ascender. Here are links to the ascender and bracket: www.endorstreegear.com/products/ct-quick-tree-foot-ascender-right www.bartlettman.com/products/ct-special-support-for-climbing-spurs
@Duda4real Well, that's for sure better than nothing. But as low as @zacceus having the anchor point "dragging" after the flip line when advancing upwards and the amount of slack he has to it, the fall factor will add up to well over 1 if he cuts the flip line or slips with his spikes while passing obstacles with the flip line detached. The Akimbo is a beautiful piece of engineering, but is it really designed to take a load like that? If it takes it, please referee to the information. Petzl instructions says to have the anchor point for your backup-/self rescue-line about 10 cm (4 inches) below your flip line wile cutting. And that is a compromise between minimizing risk of cutting both ropes and minimizing fall factor. The same instructions also suggested making the self rescue system with a DRT system, that with an adjustable cambium saver -> half the stress on the gear in event of a fall. www.petzl.com/US/en/Professional/Dismantling--second-belay-point-and-evacuation-system-with-the-ZIGZAG?ActivityName=Tree-care
Sometimes I do the roping myself even with a couple ground guys. I’ve been cursed with ground guys that seem incapable of paying enough attention to master roping. Something dead like that though I would probably avoid roping it to itself anyways while climbing. Nice work and you explain things well enough for beginners I think
Thanks Dewey! It is hard to find good help. Anyone with strong brain power find a jobs that requires less labor 😅 I would bot have been comfortable roping anything down in this one either I don't think.
Nice climbing.i was climbing a seriously dead oak tree one time that I had a bad feeling about before I climbed up.i was going to fell it but the home owner was apprehensive about dropping so I was climbing it to make him feel better,bad idea.while I was 45-50 feet up In the tree I cut a decent size limb off and it struck next to the stump and broke one of the taproots.when it did I felt the whole tree shift and very slowly started to creep the opposite direction of the broken root Wich as you could imagine was not good.just as a reminder to you if your ever in that same scenario,do like I did and cut the entire top off the tree before you go down with it.i took my t546xp and throttled into a three foot oak tree top and followed it around counter clockwise before the tree fell over .I suggest you don't hesitate if your in that same spot.always go with your gut no matter what anyone else says because it's you that is up in the tree with your life on the line.good luck and stay safe Zach.
Oh wow, that's an incredible story thanks for sharing. I'm so glad you made it through that experience. It's amazing what a little social pressure from a customer or boss man will convince a soul to take on. It's hard to say no sometimes.
That sounds pretty hair-raising. I can imagine that horrible pit-of-the-stomach feeling as you felt the tree begin to shift. How much time do you think you had to take the top off before the whole tree fell?
Perhaps not the strength kept it from blowing over in the wind. Perhaps the lack of foliage helped. The wind blew past. Did you find out how long it had been dead? Love the way you share the thought process. Very generous of you.
I did consider the fact that it didn't have any foliage for the wind to grab, but at the time the wind storms came through, none of the trees had leaves on them. I'm sure the fact that it didn't have as many small twigs as a dormant tree might have played a roll too though. I don't bother asking how long stuff has been dead. People never give you a straight answer and I never have a way of checking what they tell me. I just do my best with what I can see. That's not always enough to keep you alive though 😬
Great video! This is just what I needed for my first diy tree removal project with 2 branches just barely hanging over my house and the neighbor's. Fortunately the tree isn't nearly as tall, flat canopy from branch-loss over time, but definitely brittle bark and dying because it's molding from within, causing water the leak out from the base. Not looking forward to cutting into a soggy base.
@@zaccheus 😂 it just got more tricky. You encountered a hole that a critter might have been occupying in your video and I just realized a freakin racoon has a den up in the tree after watching it climb and go into a hole concealed by young branches. How is this tree still standing! Rotting by the base. Storm damage up top. Hollow half way up for a racoon den. Now I feel terrible that I have to cut it down.
@willk4862 Ah the coons are tough, they'll find a new home. It might be nice if you can weight a little while to let the young ones mature a bit. Just becareful up there. Rotten trees can be so full of so many unknowns.
Great video. I'm hoping to become a tree surgeon and although (as you say) you can't get a RUclips education in it, you can definitely learn some useful things.
Absolutely! I would even say there are some things you can learn quicker from a fella with a camera than on the job site. The important thing it to be sure that the people you are learning from on youtube are teaching the correct stuff.
Haha, that's why you call me for them! Only kidding 😅 on a serious note, you're right. I should have maybe been more focused on the fact that the job was complete and I had feet on the ground again.
@Yee Yee Absolutely! That's how I learned a lot of my skills early on too. Just be careful also of youtube climbers (im ashamed to say myself included) will show things that aren't necessarily safe. It's important other learn what you can from those around you as well.
Thanks Zach can you explain your chocking system and why you have to have that gear not just a friction hitch? Is it because it’s too much weight for a friction hit h?
Sure thing, the choked climbing rope serves as a rope egress from the tree in case of an emergency as well as something to catch me if I gaff out. I wouldn't want to try and slide down the rope on a single friction hitch. A hitch might work, but not well and I want everything to work well in the case of an emergency 😅
It just occurred to me why you guys tie the pull line the way you do, shown at 42:43. By tying it down low and looping it over a high natural crotch, you apply axial loading on the top, increasing the control that the hinge and notch have over the direction of fall. Likely it also reduces the big swing that can happen after the hinge breaks, since the direction of pull is more downward. I'll guess it also gives a little more control of the top even after the fall begins.
New climber, your content by far the best for a new guy. You have a way to send you a photo Id like to show you something I did on a tree yesterday to lift a limb
Thanks man! Yes, there is an email address on my channel bio. I'd give it to you here, but the marketers start emailing me all the time if I put it in the comments 😅
I’m going to try the Edelrid megawatt descender/ascender soon as my hardware for main tie in on spars. Saw Strider Trees using it and also a very short device. I think the akimbo is probably one of the shortest still.
I like edelrid stuff alot. I played with the megawatt in the local arborist supply store recently. It's nice, but shares many of the struggles thay other devices of similar designs do. Like you can't use it with knee and foot ascenders for rope ascension. I'm sure it's really good for going down though. It is also unique in that you don't have to take the attachment carabiner out to open the device up. It would be really nice for spar work though. And you could ascend on a RAD system I think 🤔
Personally, I like how you’re climbing. We have a very similar approach. I use a RRP. I typically just wrap the stem with climbing rope and clip straight back to my rope, to choke the stem. I’ll advance a tree like that using double rope and stationary. When I get as high up the stem as I want to go, I’ll then make my alpine butterfly and retrieval tail. So I’m not packing more rope than what’s necessary. Still haven’t experimented with that mechanical you’re using. With all the settings on it, I’d be aiming for that dialed in sweet spot that makes one comfortable advancing double or stationary. Whichever feels right for that next step. I do aggravate crew leaders at the company I work for doing line clearance. They’re hard nosed double rope climbers. I think they’d change some of their ways, IF they’d take the time to study up and understand a “Stationary State Of Mind😊
@1975dbryant Thanks man! After I dropped the top, I kinda though it'd be something I could have done myself. Rather it go the way it did than think I could get it and not be able to 😅 I have tried the method you described, and it can be a pretty quick way to spike up the tree. Long long ago I gaffed out twice in one summer with just a lanyard on. After that, I kinda quit climbing without a cinched anchor. Does mean it's wrong, it's just not for me 😅 You ought challenge those fellas to a race. Who can ascend the rope the fastest. That might atleast get them to admit SRS is faster 😅
I saw one guy, east side treeson guy, said in case he has a tree where he's going to gaff our a ton, he clips one side of his climbing lanyard onto his harness, sends the other end around the tree, but then instead of just clipping it on, he throws it around a second time, and this when you gaff our, causes it to automatically tighten around the tree, instead of the traditional, just once around the tree, way of clipping it in.
That's a fair approach. I have tried that before. It's very difficult to advance that system, but it is really handy if you don't have any extra gear to connect the two sides of your lanyard on your side of the tree.
I wish i new how to tie off and didnt have a problem with hieghts. I could do a lot of work atound my home town. Ill leave that to guys like you who know what they are doing lol. Thanks for showing these videos and experiance
The truth is that we are all scared of the heights. Confidence in our gear and skills dampen the paralyzing part of the fear, but the fear is also what keeps us attentive. If it's something you want to learn, you certainly can. The best thing to do is to find a tree service around you that does quality work and is willing to mentor you.
@@zaccheus it's not a easy job. I'm the only climber for my company so I like watching other professionals working so I don't get stagnant, and it's nice to see im not the only one doing gnarly stuff . Be safe and keep the videos coming !
I was on a 30' extention ladder tying a guide rope to a dead 60' pine tree - suddenly it snapped off at ground level and the tree, me and the ladder were going down - at about 25' i bailed out landing away from the tree - mostly i had the wind knocked of me - thank God the ground was mushy from rain storms - after that i started checking the base of the tree for the amount of rot in the trunk of the tree
Hey, always love your humble attitude but knowledgeable. Good idea is put some pylons around your drop zone just in case somebody comes wandering around to check it out. You can say you did due diligence to mark the danger area other looking good!
This is the first video I've seen of yours, so don't know much about you, but I get the sense that tree identification isn't your strong suit. If it's not, it's an important thing to learn. Each species responds differently to the same cut, even changes throughout the seasons. You need to be able to ID certain hazard woods and take that into account, such as Hickory. Climb high and stay safe
@@zaccheus the one your climbing? A dead one lol...hard to say from video but I'd say Cottonwood. The one you referred to as a deciduous tree, next to the evergreen, looked like an Ash or Maple from afar but I can't call it.
@@zaccheus there was a few times where you were pointing out different trees you were trying to avoid, or were taking into account for your plan, and rather than calling them out by ID you referred to them as "that tree over there" or "that deciduous/evergreen tree". That just seems to be what "we" say when we don't know the ID. Like I said it's the first video I've watched so I could be completely wrong, in which case I apologize.
@patrickmuzzi all good, I simply referred to them as such because, as you expressed, they are not identifiable from the video as anything more. For me to say white pine to viewer has no more value than evergreen. I was just trying to use terms that were most helpful to the viewer. I could stand to work on my tree ID, I don't know a tree guy that wouldn't benefit from knowing a little more or learning some latin names. If it is of interest to you, the tree I was climbing was possibly part of the populus genus, but unlikely an eastern cottonwood as they often have a much more decurent structure and this tree was excurrent. Thank you for your thoughts and input. Maybe I'll try to stick more to species in future videos when referencing trees 😅
No man, I started dabbling with tree climbing after seeing some August Hunicke videos. I climbed trees endlessly as a kid and when I found out you could do it for money I bought some gear and started doing worl for my neighbors and such. Eventually I had enough weekend work to quit my job and go full time. I also spent 13 years in scouting so there is a good chance scout camp is where I learned to tie them 😂
Спасибо за твою историю. Я с Украины. Я тоже в детстве любил лазить по деревьям. И очень рад, что за такое хобби ещё и деньги можно зарабатывать. С большим удовольствием смотрю твою работу и учусь. 😅
@@cgfitnessandarboriculture yeah I’ve definitely had jobs where they said give me your cheapest price I’ll just clean it up with my truck I chuckled and tried to explain how much wood coms out of a 150 foot pine that’s 6 ft across at DBH😂
The fact that the wood desintigrates when it his the ground tells me that you might have taken a fast trip down with any shake from the tree . It's ready to snap with any horizontal pressure .
Hey.. Cool vid... You like tips... 😊 Wear gloves, when using spurs... It just rips chunks out of the backs of your fingers if you for out. Another thing i like is too shorten my bridge.. then it's all even closer... You can then grab above your devise. What's your thoughts. Adam
Thanks for sharing Adam. I do wear gloves in the cooler weather, but in the late spring and summer my hands get swampy in the glove and I'd rather take the risk of smashing my fingers than having wet hands all the time. I have used an adjustable bridge before and I have seen some benefits. I just do so little spar work that it's not worth having my bridge set up that way.
What is that choker system you climb with and how is it set up that is my main issue with climbing my biggest fear is sliding back down on trees that don't have branches til your 50 feet in air please send me all the Info please
Thays a fair fear! I have a video on SRT anchors here: ruclips.net/video/4yjbVgiqZsg/видео.html The video isn't specifically about spar use, but it's the same anchor. If you climb DRT, an adjustable friction saver would be your best bet. If you're interested an anchor that has two lines on it so you can climb on one and someone else can ascend the other in case you ever need rescued, there is an anchor out there, it's a little complex, but it works. I'm disappointed to say that I don't know the name of it though.
I charge more to climb then to use the bucket. Guess you can't do that if you have to rent one. Makes sense. Nice video I have a huge dead pine to remove I really don't want to have to climb out my bucket truck but who knows.
Very interesting. I'm no businessman, but typically I would expect a trip out with a big truck to cost more than a trip out with a pickup. I guess a lot of pick up trucks cost more than some bucket trucks these days too though 😅
@@zaccheus Never really looked at it as far as which one was being taken. Climbing is just much harder and much more time consuming than using the bucket. Usually at least.
Twist you left wrist forward like a reverse throttle on a bike when your cut is done before you pull the saw away the brake will automatically kick on make a habbit of it muscle memory will take over eventually you will do automatically without even thinking about it of course your left hand will have to be holding the top handle bar
Thats definitely a good way to establish the habit. For whatever reason, the muscle memory hasn't ever stuck for me on that particular task. I have successfully and intentionally built many other good habits, I'm just having trouble with that one. Its no excuse though, I need to get better at it.
@@zaccheus You will get it just practice it you can do it with either hand like if you are using a left hand for a cut your right hand will be on handle bar twist wrist forward brake automatically will go on
Hey great vid all your vids are good I don’t watch that many other climbers well besides August hunakie an Bucking billy not for the climbing lol . Game of trees anyways I wanted give u small tip. That I’m sure u know but you we’re talking about self rigging what I like to do is just take few wraps so that you don’t gotta worry about grabbing the rope supper fast even if you don’t grab the rope with enough wrap it should just slowly rig it self u can’t rap the truck or a nub like I said I’m sure u know that but it really works great I actually like to use that technique even when I have ground guys that don’t know how rig great like LETTING IT RUN lol Stay safe keep on keeping
Another really good guy to follow is Reg Coates. In my view one of the best. He explains a lot of why he does things, he's invented a few things for Stein, he's even got a new mechanical prussic coming soon.
Thats a fair approach. I'd have to say it's still something I'd prefer to avoid, but what you mentioned sounds much better than some of the other options out there.
I've heard about the device. I've also heard that there is quite a mix up in the manufacturing of steins equipment and that said mix up might be part of the reason that item has been delayed for so long.
@@zaccheus I've heard not do good things about notch and stein.... But I have a rope runner pro which I believe reg coates is trying to release a product similar but would sort out the issues of smoothness and he says that he is making sure it's perfect first time... Everytime. Then you need CE ratings for European sales... It takes time.
@Treeworks-London indeed, I think I have one stein product that I used once and put on the shelf 😅 I've heard that the things Reg has been a part of are good though. I'm sure the device he is working on will be the same way.
Haha, I think I have struggled with that maybe one or two times, yes. For the most part it's not a problem. I grab the lanyard based on its position. It's only ever been a problem when everything is tangled up in some brush, and I'm trying to rush to get it untangled.
The rope I'm climbing with is xstatic and it doesn't have good hand. It seems to hold onto an alpine butterfly better than a bowline for whatever reason 🤷♂️
happened to me today as i was making my may down i noticed my running bowling was undoing itself .. sewn eye are great as well if you can get it through your devise!
I have not. My dad had similar sized echo saw when I was a kid growing up. I used it maybe once or twice, but I didn't know a single thing about saws back then.
@@zaccheus ahh thank you sir! I've looked for it before but I couldn't find it. I always tell new guys that story when I'm saying why to keep your helmet on at all times
@@woodystreeservicePNW Absolutely! The first thing I do after I get out of the truck is put a helmet on these days. I made th short video to make it easier to show coworkers and hopefully motivate people to wear PPE. That helmet still has that piece of wood in it and is on display at the local arb supply store
How can you really gauge if a tree is sound enough to climb with a bunch of base decay like that? It seems like it’s all gut feeling. Sometimes they look like hell but they actually aren’t that bad, other times they don’t look too bad but were actually sketchy as hell, either way you don’t really know til the trunk is off… either way great work
It's tricky, man, for sure. Seems like a large portion of the climber deaths I hear about involve dead trees. I don't have strong gut feelings so I'm left with the facts I can see. It helped me to know on this tree that it had survived the storms here recently, but that's not really a guarantee because there wasn't any foliage for the wind to grab at. I think it's important to start the climb with a mindset that allows you to get out of the tree if things start feeling weird.
I'm not a fan of armchair quarterbacks, but having been in the game, and since you asked for feedback.. if you are going to use an SRS choke line, try to keep it above the lanyard. It will provide more comfort by relieving leg tension and most importantly, if you gaff out and for any reason your lanyard doesn't grab it will be far less of a spill.
I agree, 💯 more comfortable and great for taking a rest. But I think when I'm cutting it's usually safer to have the climb line well below my flip so that it's in less danger of being cut. That way if I cut my flip I can quickly descend to the ground on my life line and grab a new flip line, whereas I might have a long climb down if it's the other way around. That said, there are some real benefits of doing it the other way around so I don't think there's only one right choice 🤙
@corygrossman1 thanks for recognizing that. I think I prefer the methods you mentioned. I think someone could argue that one method is better for getting the limbs down and the other for getting the wood down. Jeff Schroeder commented in here somewhere about hanging drt from the next limb up for cutting branches off. I think one thing that is fairly important is to keep your flip line above rigging gear when negative rigging on a spar. That way it can't trap your flipline and slow your descent in the case of an emergency.
@@zaccheus oh yeah, wasn't thinking about drt while limbing cuz my brain was in sketchy dead tree mode. In hindsight I was actually talking about best practices while chunking, not limbing 😅
My advice to you is that dead wood doesn´t really hinge, it just follows the weight and breaks without real calculation. Worth bearing in mind at height.
I think that's a popular line if logic and it probably what should be relied on, but I have found that some trees will hinge a little. This one definitely suprised me 😅
@@zaccheusI hope you don´t think I´m lecturing you, you´re an excellent climber. Of course all decisions in the end come down to a specific tree and a specific climb. Good choice on how you took the top out, by the way. :)
@thelastdetail1 Thanks man! Not at all, I'm sorry if I sounded disagreeable. It's a challenge to communicate tone and such through a comment. I think what you were saying was right and shouod be the principle to rely on. I was just trying to add that there are some exceptions, but you're right, they're probably not reliable 😅
So 3 tips that may help you if you try them out 1. Any time your cutting off or limbing the tree doomed to removal always flush cut the stubs never follow the collar 2. The size of the limb when cutting it off and where you want it to go depends on the size and depth of your face cut 3. This is most important of all tips make sure any and all cuts and/or future cuts you make or will perform please make sure they are at minimum center torso height for more saw control while in the tree I've seen so many people die cause of the kickbacks from the saw they were using
Haha, fair question. The heights haven't ever really bothered me. I spent a lot of time free climbing trees as a kid and always made it a goal to get as high as I could 😬 I've definitely be scared to trust the tree to keep me up there though.
You dudes with long legs have it made..they make everything to fit you guys.fir example I have the same spikes and had to cut almost 2 inches of the shank length with a dremel to fit below the knee tendons. Talons are the only kind that can wear.excelpt real old spurs with angle inserts.been looking online fir some old style ones
Just saw that comment good one ..lol😅but serious when you get older you'll understand little things make huge difference when I was young I could wear anything and shoes 2 sizes to big..time isn't fun..young man...
Like your videos, was watching August Hunicke but the guy is a little too full of himself, The Tree God, What saw do you use as your climbing saw, did your heat rate go up getting close to the top.
I climb with a 201t and 500i. I don't remember being particularly nervous. I do my best to stay calm and not go beyond what I have confidence in. Doesn't always work though. Sometimes the knees still get a little shaky 😅
You could have hurt yourself at 40:00. I'm trying to be more careful. I've cut the same hand three times doing that type of thing with a handsaw. The first time it just missed the tendon but required 6 stiches and a visit to a hand specialist. The last two times I didn't get stiches but probably could have--it was borderline either way.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing that. I probably should have a little more respect for the hand saw. I always end up thinking that it's safer than the chainsaw and the thinking stops there. Your testimony will definitely help me remember.
Just to save cutting time. That gnarly grain in the branch collar doesn't cut very fast. If we were rigging out of this tree a bunch, I might spend more time cutting tem flush to keep from snagging the rope.
It's generally safer than leaving it run while hanging all the time. It's also hard to talk over. It's also a bummer to run out of fuel when you're up there by yourself.
There wasn't enough room. If I aimed it to miss the surroundinding tree, it would have struck the house and if I aimed it miss the the house it would have fallen into the surrounding trees and gotten hing up or rolled out toward the house. Gopros can be very deceiving of depth perception with theor wide angle lenses. I would have much preferred to send it whole 😅
There wasn't room to drop it whole. It may nit have been clearly apparent in the video, but the nearby trees kept me from falling ir whole in the direction that I ended uo falling the stem in the end. I also would nit have felt good about dropping a dead tree that close to the house. Imat the end when I cut the top pit it threw a small stick all the way up intk the roof if the house. If I had dropped it whole, there is a decent chance a much larger piece could have been thrown at the house.
But if you have no other options except to learn off of youtube be sure to watch Reg Coates, August Hunicki or Buckin Billy Ray Smith as there is a lot of quality stuff to be learned from watching them🧐!
Yes and no, they all have lots of good points to share thay you won't find it books, but they also have habits that are not a good idea for newer climbers to develope. I've also got videos that contain poor information and such. I just think it's good to diversify education and try to learn from books and peers as well as youtube 🤷♂️
@@zaccheus I gotcha, I work communication construction so I gaff with a buck squeeze, it has little cleats in the side so if a serious gaff out occurred they dig in the pole and stop you in place. Wasn’t sure if there is a arborist equivalent of that.
@king trow I see what you're saying. It's mostly a bunch of white collar jargon to satisfy and avoid OSHA stuff. I do climbe with that climbing rope choked around the stem and it serves as a fall arrest in the event of a gaff out. I think they avoid calling it that, because the tree cannot be rated as an anchor point and you need an rated anchor point for fall protection. Some guy will use something like a buck squeeze to help them stay stable on a stem, but it is not considered acceptable for fall prevention in tree work because if you cut the back side of the buck strap with a saw, you can still fall.
One more thing lol... Please consider wearing at minimum a pair of climbing gloves. There is nothing worse to a climber than a hand injury, it can prevent a self rescue and possibly have you searching for a different profession. Stay safe my friend
I wear gloves in cooler weather, but what do they offer protection from? I can see gloves saving a little light abrasion to the back of the hand, but not much else.
Wish all tree guys would form a packed to some how get echo to make a tophandle 3711t to mimic 2511t. Would be the best saw on the market pretty stupid they dont??why wouldn't they?
I think you're referring to TRAQ. But maybe they call it TRAC in some places 🤷♂️ I agree, but hindsight is 20/20. It's a whole lot easier to say that after the fact.
@@zaccheus you’re a very brave man, I would be lieing if I said I haven’t climbed dead exfoliating trees. Also remember weight transfer and all that wiggling you did up top multiples in the middle top and bottom. It’s not the fall that gets ya man it’s that sudden stop at the end that’s a mfer
Absolutely, I loved rigging, it's my favorite part of tree work. I have lots of other videos on my channel about rigging. I would not have felt comfortable rigging on this tree though.
I totally know what you're talking about, but it really wasn't a problem on this tree and so I don't think it would have been worth the extra time and wear. If I had to chunk the stem down or trig from this tree, I'd totally agree. In big unions like this tree had it takes a little longer to cut the collar than on an ever green or something with smaller limbs.
I didn’t watch the whole video but did skip to the end…glad you didn’t have a mishap. Next time don’t save the customer money use a Mobile Elevated Work Platform or set up a static line with false anchor point in between 2 healthy trees and work off of this with your climbing rope or better still just fell it from the ground. Dead trees should not be climbed- you are a young guy doing a dangerous job. Don’t take any more risk then is needed.
That's an absolutely fair approach. After falling the stem and seeing the integrity of the interior wood fiber, I did regret closing to clb this tree. I'm also glad I didn't have a mishap amd believe it was a blessing that I did not. Even if I would have tested the hardness of the stem wood, it's hard telling how much root structure is still present.
awesome content and videos but why does it seem like ur uncomfortable in your own skin, very awkward intros to these videos man lolo . Im just fucking with you man, i couldnt do it infront of the camera like that... i love the content and wait for each new video to come out, cheers from canada
Haha, on this particular video I was rather thrown off by the homeowner being right there watching me. I am a little awkward sometimes and sometimes it's just worse in front of a camera 😂
You're one of the few people I watch, that let their saws warm up a bit. As a mechanic, it makes me grind my teeth when someone starts a saw, and immediately gives it the beans lol
Haha, I must admit that I don't have perfect record of that, but I've been trying to get better at it 😅
@@zaccheus Lol, I've seen engines cold seize from the aluminum piston expanding faster then the cylinder. It's rare, but it can happen. Climb safe man
@@alotl1kevegas860 I've heard stories about that 😳
@@alotl1kevegas860 it’s not rare for snowmobiles. They will pop if you push em. Saws not so much. See guys use full throttle to get it warmed up faster. I cringe
@@ericharris893 It can happen to anything really. Snowmobiles are worse because they usually sit outside in the cold. But if someone is that big of a knob, to hop on their machine and not let it warm up for atleast 30-60 seconds, they deserve to have their machine blow up lol. More money in my pocket haha.
Dead trees always scare me because you just don't know what's inside. I sawed a chestnut log the other day that I thought was pretty solid to find out the entire inside was hollow. It's really tricky to tell sometimes. Good video.
Hey George! Absolutely, I've even had a number of perfectly green and healthy looking trees torn out to be hollow in the stump. I like to call them reduced weight logs 😅
@@zaccheus I called the chestnut a squirrel condo.. lol. Your videos are interesting, keep up the good work.
@Middlefield Custom Sawmill Thanks man! I haven't been able to spend much time as a viewer on youtube as the season gets busy, but I enjoy your videos as well when I catch a recent post!
A good tip when dealing with dead, crispy trees is to leave some lower branches on to create ballast when dealing with the top of the tree. This helps reduce the sway and increased load on the trunk.
I’ve thought about doing that at times even on healthier trees, and I feel like it could even be a way to help someone be a little less nervous / anxious about taking the top if there’s more bulk underneath than just the spar alone. Just need to make sure you have a clear path for the top so that it doesn’t get hung up, etc. especially if rigging.
The issue with leaving lower branches is that they will snag all the other limbs you're lowering from above and make life miserable 😅
Maybe someone already said this but I like the habit of snapping the chain brake on before hanging up my saw, and then double checking it before drop starting is great too. Also might be good for memory to acknowledge those moments where you just don't feel like checking cuz it feels perfectly safe to start it with the brake off in that moment. Cuz imo once you have a really solid grasp of why you've cultivated good safety habits you can bend the rules in really intentional ways. If you're into that -- I know a lot of arborist are split on doing cringy shit vs finding a way to do it without making any OSHA violations. Big respect to both sides
Thanks for you civilized approach Cory. Some folks like to get real aggressive with their criticism. I did not develope a good chain brake habit early on and have been working to correct it. For whatever reason, it has been easier for me to remember to check it before starting than remembering to engage it before hanging up the saw 🙄 I'll make it a solid habit here sooner or later. I believe ANSI equates turning off the saw with chain brake engagement, but that doesn't mean brake engagement isn't a good idea.
@@zaccheus 🤙
Just a couple of notes for you..... you mentioned reading that you shouldn't get above your flip line, but it's fine to do that with your climbing line, which could really come back to bite you one day. With that setup, if you accidentally cut your flip line you've put yourself in a position where you are above your anchor and you're going to be in that scary place with a fall factor 1 or above (fall factor 1 = falling the full length of rope that you have between you and your termination point. Fall factor 2 = falling twice the length or rope you have between you and your termination point. e.g fall factor 1 = falling 1m on 1m of rope, or 5m on 5m of rope, etc. e.g. fall factor 2 = falling 2m on 1m of rope or 10m on 5m of rope etc). If you've tied your climb line by your feet and that rope is tight, you've got yourself a fall factor 2. Anything above a fall factor 1 is where things start breaking..... your kit or your body..... which isn't good! Best practice would be to secure your climb line as high as possible BEFORE making any cuts to prevent any large falls.
** check out the RUclips channel HowNot2 where Ryan has loads of videos that can give you loads of specifics on falls as well as how much force is generated as well as how much force it takes to break climbing kit. It is more of a recreational climbing channel but they are slowly moving into industrial and arborist work, but anything that relates to ropes and falls is the same across the board
For sure, thanks for sharing, Glenn! Petzl has some really good information on this that is specific to tree climbing as well. I've done of my own drop testing on this channel, comparing static and dynamic ropes and the like. I was not aware of that fall classification, but I understand the physics I believe. There is definitely risk in having the climbing line slack. The biggest challenge is just purely finding enough room on the tree to get appropriate separation between textiles and between textiles and saw without cutting too high relative to your body or anchoring your ropes too low relative to your body. To make it more challenging, the tree often has knots and stubs that add complexity to the situation. None of my climbing system components are rated for fall protection either which also makes it a challenge.
Great video! You’re so humble and honest, a joy to watch and an inspiration for a rookie like me!
Thanks man, I've definitely learned the hard way that humility ca be a life saving attitude in the world of tree work.
Thank You for turning the sound level down when the saw is running. I love the sound when running a chain saw but not while you are watching a video. Great Job!!!
Thanks Ted! The audio was really hard on thos one with all of the passing traffic. I didn't turn out as good as I wanted, but I'm glad to hear you appreciated it
You're a great narrator. . You talk very well..... Great explanations and tips. Thank you!😊😊
Thanks Carlo!
Also, I hear rigging dead trees, that it's a bad idea, because rigging a large limb will cause there to be a lot of unwanted torsion on the stem of the tree towards the side of the tree that your using as the pulley side. And that unwanted torsion on the stem toward the pulley side can cause the stem to snap if it's a large heavy limb, and if you're locked into the tree, when the stem breaks and it falls, you go down with it. I heard a story about that Happening to a guy who almost died cutting a deadish hickory.
There is definitely a bigger risk of that happening when a tree is dead. We had someone die from that a year or two ago around here. If I find myself needing to rig from a dead tree, which I avoid as much as I can, I try to just cut smaller pieces so it doesn't load the tree too much.
Loved the thought process of testing different cuts to see reactions I use it as well but haven’t used it to that degree to be able to feel comfortable in situations like those. One tip I’ve learned doing spar work especially with the quickie is to make your alpine butterfly smaller so you don’t have to fiddle with it as much or worry about it rotating on you; and also intertwining your life line and lanyard by one or two wraps when moving your anchor up the tree help’s proficiency a lot!
Thanks for all the tips and tricks and ideas you give out helps tremendously and learn a lot from your videos!
@Phillip Pollard Thanks for sharing your own thoughts, Phillip! Those are great ideas that I hadn't given much thought to previously.
Like the way you explain stuff.
Thanks for the feed back David!
yep ! great channel!
Great work Zach, look up a bit more, move your gear before you commit to wedges, have more confidence in your climb, your helper really didn't help that top on this job. The rope jack would have worked just fine. The house for sure was in the debris field, especially from that high of a drop, I use 4x8 on 2x4 to protect the windows......keep up the great work focus on safety and learning, you rock, thank you for the video! 🕊
Thanks!
thank you for deafening the saw whilst using brother, good job on the tree as well, thank you for teaching
Thanks Aric!
Best to be safe , great explanation, nice work and thoughts. Good video . Thank you.
Thanks!
Nicely done Zacheus. Fun too.
Thanks!
On the way up I like to thro my climb line up over limbs for better positioning
Thanks Jeff! I think I've done that before. Don't know why it didn't cross my mind this time around 😅
Nice video, zaccheus. I'm also trying to learn the habit of engaging the chain brake. I'm almost 61, and you know the saying "it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks". I guess, I'm the old dog, but I do manage to still learn some new things. I do appreciate you sharing what you've learned/are learning/mistakes. I love your demeanor. When climbing, I don't want to drop too many limbs at the base of the tree, invariably my rope will get tangled and ascending farther becomes much more difficult. Have a great day.
Yes, that can be a problem for sure. I think August Hunicke has a video or two where he speaks about techniques to keep limbs off of your branches. I don't climbs lone or free fall limbs very often, so it's not really something I've practiced much.
Great video love the content keep up the good work. Climb high climb safe 💪
Thanks Kiowa!
Good job Zacchaeus.
You're a good narrator and your reasoning is pretty straightforward which is advantageous to new climbers. 👍
Thanks Dan!
bro, taking the climbing line up as another lanyard is genius. I've been climbing for 2 years and that alone was a huge take away. subbing for sure
Glad to hear it! It was a game changer for me when I learned about it!
@@zaccheus Yeah man, great demo. I appreciate you filming the full climb. Question though... Was your climbing line set simply as a back up lanyard? It didn't appear as though you used it to descend. From the look of things, it doesn't seem retrievable.
Also, I may need to look into those spikes. Ever since I learned SRT, I pretty much use it during any major ascent. An ascender mounted on the spike is genius. Might be time to upgrade next time there's a sale on gear
@Duda4real to be honest I don't exactly remember how I came down I might have spiked down on this one, but most of the time I just use a typical canopy anchor with a retrieval tail that goes all the way to the ground so it serves as a rescue line while I'm working. I have a video on it here: ruclips.net/video/4yjbVgiqZsg/видео.html
I climb on edelrid talons with the edelrid tree cruiser ascender. There are kits for adding an ascender to normal spikes. I used to use a quick tree ascender. Here are links to the ascender and bracket:
www.endorstreegear.com/products/ct-quick-tree-foot-ascender-right
www.bartlettman.com/products/ct-special-support-for-climbing-spurs
@Duda4real
Well, that's for sure better than nothing.
But as low as @zacceus having the anchor point "dragging" after the flip line when advancing upwards and the amount of slack he has to it, the fall factor will add up to well over 1 if he cuts the flip line or slips with his spikes while passing obstacles with the flip line detached. The Akimbo is a beautiful piece of engineering, but is it really designed to take a load like that? If it takes it, please referee to the information.
Petzl instructions says to have the anchor point for your backup-/self rescue-line about 10 cm (4 inches) below your flip line wile cutting. And that is a compromise between minimizing risk of cutting both ropes and minimizing fall factor. The same instructions also suggested making the self rescue system with a DRT system, that with an adjustable cambium saver -> half the stress on the gear in event of a fall.
www.petzl.com/US/en/Professional/Dismantling--second-belay-point-and-evacuation-system-with-the-ZIGZAG?ActivityName=Tree-care
A very sensible approach to that too man. Too many variables in the alternative of pushing, or climbing higher. Awesome climb
Thanks man!
NICE SAVE on the POLE LIGHT! Remainder is interesting with good cementation!
Sometimes I do the roping myself even with a couple ground guys. I’ve been cursed with ground guys that seem incapable of paying enough attention to master roping. Something dead like that though I would probably avoid roping it to itself anyways while climbing. Nice work and you explain things well enough for beginners I think
Thanks Dewey! It is hard to find good help. Anyone with strong brain power find a jobs that requires less labor 😅 I would bot have been comfortable roping anything down in this one either I don't think.
Nice climbing.i was climbing a seriously dead oak tree one time that I had a bad feeling about before I climbed up.i was going to fell it but the home owner was apprehensive about dropping so I was climbing it to make him feel better,bad idea.while I was 45-50 feet up In the tree I cut a decent size limb off and it struck next to the stump and broke one of the taproots.when it did I felt the whole tree shift and very slowly started to creep the opposite direction of the broken root Wich as you could imagine was not good.just as a reminder to you if your ever in that same scenario,do like I did and cut the entire top off the tree before you go down with it.i took my t546xp and throttled into a three foot oak tree top and followed it around counter clockwise before the tree fell over .I suggest you don't hesitate if your in that same spot.always go with your gut no matter what anyone else says because it's you that is up in the tree with your life on the line.good luck and stay safe Zach.
Oh wow, that's an incredible story thanks for sharing. I'm so glad you made it through that experience. It's amazing what a little social pressure from a customer or boss man will convince a soul to take on. It's hard to say no sometimes.
That sounds pretty hair-raising. I can imagine that horrible pit-of-the-stomach feeling as you felt the tree begin to shift.
How much time do you think you had to take the top off before the whole tree fell?
Perhaps not the strength kept it from blowing over in the wind. Perhaps the lack of foliage helped. The wind blew past. Did you find out how long it had been dead? Love the way you share the thought process. Very generous of you.
I did consider the fact that it didn't have any foliage for the wind to grab, but at the time the wind storms came through, none of the trees had leaves on them. I'm sure the fact that it didn't have as many small twigs as a dormant tree might have played a roll too though. I don't bother asking how long stuff has been dead. People never give you a straight answer and I never have a way of checking what they tell me. I just do my best with what I can see. That's not always enough to keep you alive though 😬
Hey Zach, at the end of the day you can claim success and you lived to climb and cut another day. Good job.
That is true! Thanks Clell!
Great video! This is just what I needed for my first diy tree removal project with 2 branches just barely hanging over my house and the neighbor's. Fortunately the tree isn't nearly as tall, flat canopy from branch-loss over time, but definitely brittle bark and dying because it's molding from within, causing water the leak out from the base. Not looking forward to cutting into a soggy base.
Oooo that sounds risky. Stay safe man, I can relate with the DIY-er I grew up doing everything myself. Just be careful
@@zaccheus 😂 it just got more tricky. You encountered a hole that a critter might have been occupying in your video and I just realized a freakin racoon has a den up in the tree after watching it climb and go into a hole concealed by young branches. How is this tree still standing! Rotting by the base. Storm damage up top. Hollow half way up for a racoon den. Now I feel terrible that I have to cut it down.
@willk4862 Ah the coons are tough, they'll find a new home. It might be nice if you can weight a little while to let the young ones mature a bit. Just becareful up there. Rotten trees can be so full of so many unknowns.
Great video. I'm hoping to become a tree surgeon and although (as you say) you can't get a RUclips education in it, you can definitely learn some useful things.
Absolutely! I would even say there are some things you can learn quicker from a fella with a camera than on the job site. The important thing it to be sure that the people you are learning from on youtube are teaching the correct stuff.
Tree on the ground, no damage done, and you didn't get hurt... another good day. I always hate climbing shaky dead trees.
Haha, that's why you call me for them! Only kidding 😅 on a serious note, you're right. I should have maybe been more focused on the fact that the job was complete and I had feet on the ground again.
Good sharing👍
Thanks, Yee!
@@zaccheus RUclips is a good way to learn different skills and technique. I also a beginner of the tree work, most of the skill learned from internet.
@Yee Yee Absolutely! That's how I learned a lot of my skills early on too. Just be careful also of youtube climbers (im ashamed to say myself included) will show things that aren't necessarily safe. It's important other learn what you can from those around you as well.
Thanks Zach can you explain your chocking system and why you have to have that gear not just a friction hitch? Is it because it’s too much weight for a friction hit h?
Sure thing, the choked climbing rope serves as a rope egress from the tree in case of an emergency as well as something to catch me if I gaff out. I wouldn't want to try and slide down the rope on a single friction hitch. A hitch might work, but not well and I want everything to work well in the case of an emergency 😅
You get those trees because youre the right man for the job!
Haha thanks Chad!
It just occurred to me why you guys tie the pull line the way you do, shown at 42:43. By tying it down low and looping it over a high natural crotch, you apply axial loading on the top, increasing the control that the hinge and notch have over the direction of fall. Likely it also reduces the big swing that can happen after the hinge breaks, since the direction of pull is more downward. I'll guess it also gives a little more control of the top even after the fall begins.
😬 it sounds like you put more thought into it than I did. I just did it that way because it was easy to reach 😅
New climber, your content by far the best for a new guy.
You have a way to send you a photo Id like to show you something I did on a tree yesterday to lift a limb
Thanks man! Yes, there is an email address on my channel bio. I'd give it to you here, but the marketers start emailing me all the time if I put it in the comments 😅
I’m going to try the Edelrid megawatt descender/ascender soon as my hardware for main tie in on spars. Saw Strider Trees using it and also a very short device. I think the akimbo is probably one of the shortest still.
I like edelrid stuff alot. I played with the megawatt in the local arborist supply store recently. It's nice, but shares many of the struggles thay other devices of similar designs do. Like you can't use it with knee and foot ascenders for rope ascension. I'm sure it's really good for going down though. It is also unique in that you don't have to take the attachment carabiner out to open the device up.
It would be really nice for spar work though. And you could ascend on a RAD system I think 🤔
Good job Z, looked a lot shaky up there! I wouldve stopped at the 2nd spar
Thanks Ed!
Personally, I like how you’re climbing. We have a very similar approach. I use a RRP. I typically just wrap the stem with climbing rope and clip straight back to my rope, to choke the stem. I’ll advance a tree like that using double rope and stationary. When I get as high up the stem as I want to go, I’ll then make my alpine butterfly and retrieval tail. So I’m not packing more rope than what’s necessary. Still haven’t experimented with that mechanical you’re using. With all the settings on it, I’d be aiming for that dialed in sweet spot that makes one comfortable advancing double or stationary. Whichever feels right for that next step. I do aggravate crew leaders at the company I work for doing line clearance. They’re hard nosed double rope climbers. I think they’d change some of their ways, IF they’d take the time to study up and understand a “Stationary State Of Mind😊
After seeing the end, good call on getting that help but I think you had it just fine on your own. Well done Hoss and thanks for sharing man😊
@1975dbryant Thanks man! After I dropped the top, I kinda though it'd be something I could have done myself. Rather it go the way it did than think I could get it and not be able to 😅
I have tried the method you described, and it can be a pretty quick way to spike up the tree. Long long ago I gaffed out twice in one summer with just a lanyard on. After that, I kinda quit climbing without a cinched anchor. Does mean it's wrong, it's just not for me 😅
You ought challenge those fellas to a race. Who can ascend the rope the fastest. That might atleast get them to admit SRS is faster 😅
I saw one guy, east side treeson guy, said in case he has a tree where he's going to gaff our a ton, he clips one side of his climbing lanyard onto his harness, sends the other end around the tree, but then instead of just clipping it on, he throws it around a second time, and this when you gaff our, causes it to automatically tighten around the tree, instead of the traditional, just once around the tree, way of clipping it in.
That's a fair approach. I have tried that before. It's very difficult to advance that system, but it is really handy if you don't have any extra gear to connect the two sides of your lanyard on your side of the tree.
I wish i new how to tie off and didnt have a problem with hieghts. I could do a lot of work atound my home town. Ill leave that to guys like you who know what they are doing lol. Thanks for showing these videos and experiance
The truth is that we are all scared of the heights. Confidence in our gear and skills dampen the paralyzing part of the fear, but the fear is also what keeps us attentive. If it's something you want to learn, you certainly can. The best thing to do is to find a tree service around you that does quality work and is willing to mentor you.
Nice work
Thanks Bill!
I like it how your open to criticism to improve techniques.
Thanks man! I've learned more here in the comment sections of my videos than probale any one other place. It's a great resource.
@@zaccheus it's not a easy job. I'm the only climber for my company so I like watching other professionals working so I don't get stagnant, and it's nice to see im not the only one doing gnarly stuff . Be safe and keep the videos coming !
@samren1661 oh man, that's a tough place to be. Sounds like you're definitely doing the right thing. Thanks!
I was on a 30' extention ladder tying a guide rope to a dead 60' pine tree - suddenly it snapped off at ground level and the tree, me and the ladder were going down - at about 25' i bailed out landing away from the tree - mostly i had the wind knocked of me - thank God the ground was mushy from rain storms - after that i started checking the base of the tree for the amount of rot in the trunk of the tree
Oh man! Glad you came through in one piece! I will do just about anything I can to avoid using a ladder. They're so tricky
Hey, always love your humble attitude but knowledgeable. Good idea is put some pylons around your drop zone just in case somebody comes wandering around to check it out. You can say you did due diligence to mark the danger area other looking good!
Not a bad idea at all. I believe it's a ANSI requirement as well. I have some cones, I ought to keep them in the truck.
JB weld would fix that tree base up like new! 👌
Haha, if you used enough, I imagine you're right
Thing is crispy for sure
This is the first video I've seen of yours, so don't know much about you, but I get the sense that tree identification isn't your strong suit. If it's not, it's an important thing to learn. Each species responds differently to the same cut, even changes throughout the seasons. You need to be able to ID certain hazard woods and take that into account, such as Hickory. Climb high and stay safe
Would you care to identify to tree for me?
@@zaccheus the one your climbing? A dead one lol...hard to say from video but I'd say Cottonwood. The one you referred to as a deciduous tree, next to the evergreen, looked like an Ash or Maple from afar but I can't call it.
@@patrickmuzzi What gave you the sense that tree identification wasn't my strong suit?
@@zaccheus there was a few times where you were pointing out different trees you were trying to avoid, or were taking into account for your plan, and rather than calling them out by ID you referred to them as "that tree over there" or "that deciduous/evergreen tree". That just seems to be what "we" say when we don't know the ID. Like I said it's the first video I've watched so I could be completely wrong, in which case I apologize.
@patrickmuzzi all good, I simply referred to them as such because, as you expressed, they are not identifiable from the video as anything more. For me to say white pine to viewer has no more value than evergreen. I was just trying to use terms that were most helpful to the viewer. I could stand to work on my tree ID, I don't know a tree guy that wouldn't benefit from knowing a little more or learning some latin names. If it is of interest to you, the tree I was climbing was possibly part of the populus genus, but unlikely an eastern cottonwood as they often have a much more decurent structure and this tree was excurrent. Thank you for your thoughts and input. Maybe I'll try to stick more to species in future videos when referencing trees 😅
Nice jobwhat is the swivel pulley you have at your bridge?
Thanks! It's the hydra pulley but Rock Exotica. I love it. Notch ripped off the idea and made their own, but the Rock Exotica one is the way to go.
Mate!!!! Beautiful!!!🤩💯 🤠👌👌🤙🤙👍🏋️♀️🏋️♀️ cheers man Nice 😊
Thanks Leonard!
@@zaccheus 🤠👌👌👍💯💯🤩🤙
You make it look so easy, did you start by working for a tree trimming company? The way you tie those knots remind me of boy scout camp.
No man, I started dabbling with tree climbing after seeing some August Hunicke videos. I climbed trees endlessly as a kid and when I found out you could do it for money I bought some gear and started doing worl for my neighbors and such. Eventually I had enough weekend work to quit my job and go full time. I also spent 13 years in scouting so there is a good chance scout camp is where I learned to tie them 😂
Спасибо за твою историю. Я с Украины. Я тоже в детстве любил лазить по деревьям. И очень рад, что за такое хобби ещё и деньги можно зарабатывать. С большим удовольствием смотрю твою работу и учусь. 😅
Good job mate, where did you buy the rope jack from,
Cheers Koala Bob
I get my stuff from endorstreegear.com
I get sawdust in all the bags😂 doesn’t even matter if I close them.
Lol, same here 😂 you might have noticed the handful of sawdust and debris that was already in the bag when I was talking about that 😅
Don’t get me wrong I love a good rigging job but sometimes the no-cleanups with an open drop zone are fast and fun
Haha absolutely! I can't agree more.
Or back to back no cleanup jobs! And sometimes people don’t realize just how much material there is until it’s on the ground
@@cgfitnessandarboriculture yeah I’ve definitely had jobs where they said give me your cheapest price I’ll just clean it up with my truck I chuckled and tried to explain how much wood coms out of a 150 foot pine that’s 6 ft across at DBH😂
The fact that the wood desintigrates when it his the ground tells me that you might have taken a fast trip down with any shake from the tree .
It's ready to snap with any horizontal pressure .
Indeed, I'm thankful it didn't.
Hey.. Cool vid... You like tips... 😊 Wear gloves, when using spurs... It just rips chunks out of the backs of your fingers if you for out. Another thing i like is too shorten my bridge.. then it's all even closer... You can then grab above your devise. What's your thoughts. Adam
Thanks for sharing Adam. I do wear gloves in the cooler weather, but in the late spring and summer my hands get swampy in the glove and I'd rather take the risk of smashing my fingers than having wet hands all the time. I have used an adjustable bridge before and I have seen some benefits. I just do so little spar work that it's not worth having my bridge set up that way.
What is that choker system you climb with and how is it set up that is my main issue with climbing my biggest fear is sliding back down on trees that don't have branches til your 50 feet in air please send me all the Info please
Thays a fair fear!
I have a video on SRT anchors here: ruclips.net/video/4yjbVgiqZsg/видео.html
The video isn't specifically about spar use, but it's the same anchor.
If you climb DRT, an adjustable friction saver would be your best bet.
If you're interested an anchor that has two lines on it so you can climb on one and someone else can ascend the other in case you ever need rescued, there is an anchor out there, it's a little complex, but it works. I'm disappointed to say that I don't know the name of it though.
I charge more to climb then to use the bucket. Guess you can't do that if you have to rent one. Makes sense. Nice video I have a huge dead pine to remove I really don't want to have to climb out my bucket truck but who knows.
Very interesting. I'm no businessman, but typically I would expect a trip out with a big truck to cost more than a trip out with a pickup. I guess a lot of pick up trucks cost more than some bucket trucks these days too though 😅
@@zaccheus Never really looked at it as far as which one was being taken. Climbing is just much harder and much more time consuming than using the bucket. Usually at least.
@Froster432 Can't argue with that. I've never owned a lift or worked for a company with one, but my few rental experiences would definitely confirm 😅
@@zaccheus Id love to come climb with you. I appreciate the replies man. Love the content!
@@froster4324 I'm always down for a rec climb if you're ever in the Akron area.
Twist you left wrist forward like a reverse throttle on a bike when your cut is done before you pull the saw away the brake will automatically kick on make a habbit of it muscle memory will take over eventually you will do automatically without even thinking about it of course your left hand will have to be holding the top handle bar
Thats definitely a good way to establish the habit. For whatever reason, the muscle memory hasn't ever stuck for me on that particular task. I have successfully and intentionally built many other good habits, I'm just having trouble with that one. Its no excuse though, I need to get better at it.
@@zaccheus You will get it just practice it you can do it with either hand like if you are using a left hand for a cut your right hand will be on handle bar twist wrist forward brake automatically will go on
Hey great vid all your vids are good I don’t watch that many other climbers well besides August hunakie an Bucking billy not for the climbing lol . Game of trees anyways
I wanted give u small tip. That I’m sure u know but you we’re talking about self rigging what I like to do is just take few wraps so that you don’t gotta worry about grabbing the rope supper fast even if you don’t grab the rope with enough wrap it should just slowly rig it self u can’t rap the truck or a nub like I said I’m sure u know that but it really works great I actually like to use that technique even when I have ground guys that don’t know how rig great like LETTING IT RUN lol
Stay safe keep on keeping
Another really good guy to follow is Reg Coates. In my view one of the best. He explains a lot of why he does things, he's invented a few things for Stein, he's even got a new mechanical prussic coming soon.
Thats a fair approach. I'd have to say it's still something I'd prefer to avoid, but what you mentioned sounds much better than some of the other options out there.
I've heard about the device. I've also heard that there is quite a mix up in the manufacturing of steins equipment and that said mix up might be part of the reason that item has been delayed for so long.
@@zaccheus I've heard not do good things about notch and stein.... But I have a rope runner pro which I believe reg coates is trying to release a product similar but would sort out the issues of smoothness and he says that he is making sure it's perfect first time... Everytime. Then you need CE ratings for European sales... It takes time.
@Treeworks-London indeed, I think I have one stein product that I used once and put on the shelf 😅 I've heard that the things Reg has been a part of are good though. I'm sure the device he is working on will be the same way.
Your lanyard and secondary look similar. Do you ever find that problematic (grabbing the wrong rope / carabiner / friction device)?
Haha, I think I have struggled with that maybe one or two times, yes. For the most part it's not a problem. I grab the lanyard based on its position. It's only ever been a problem when everything is tangled up in some brush, and I'm trying to rush to get it untangled.
That branch on the roof LOL ! never seen.
Lol, I know right?!
why the alpine for the fall arrest? i personally use a running bowline. just curious
The rope I'm climbing with is xstatic and it doesn't have good hand. It seems to hold onto an alpine butterfly better than a bowline for whatever reason 🤷♂️
happened to me today as i was making my may down i noticed my running bowling was undoing itself .. sewn eye are great as well if you can get it through your devise!
Alpine is king!. It can't come undone, very easy to tie correctly and good checking system to make sure you've done it correctly.
Have you ever tried the echo 355t saw?
I have not. My dad had similar sized echo saw when I was a kid growing up. I used it maybe once or twice, but I didn't know a single thing about saws back then.
I have seen as large as 1.5in growth rings in a cottonwood or poplar that was growing near a stream.
Wow, thats incredible!
What helmet do you use?
I have a protos for now. Not married to it. Did have one save my life though.
Wondering why you had to climb it to fell it?...but the drop zone always looks bigger with the gopro lens...
Yep, it didn't fit whole so we had to make it a little smaller. I would have much rather felled it 😅
I love your content ive been looking for the video where you got a branch in the top of your helmet?? Could you tag it for me?? Please sir
Thanks man.
Long video: ruclips.net/video/iNryX4TzHvA/видео.html
Shorter video:
ruclips.net/video/SPQlD8z5bPM/видео.html
@@zaccheus ahh thank you sir! I've looked for it before but I couldn't find it. I always tell new guys that story when I'm saying why to keep your helmet on at all times
@@woodystreeservicePNW Absolutely! The first thing I do after I get out of the truck is put a helmet on these days. I made th short video to make it easier to show coworkers and hopefully motivate people to wear PPE. That helmet still has that piece of wood in it and is on display at the local arb supply store
Do you have a list of all the gear for everything you’re using in the video?
Oh man, I don't. It might be a kinda long list. Is there anything in particular that you have questions about?
@@zaccheus just mainly your harness and devices you’re using.
@@stevenmartone9599 Sure thing! I'm using a treerex harness, and the device is an Akimbo by Rock Exotica. The rope is xstatic
@@zaccheus thanks man! Much appreciated!
How can you really gauge if a tree is sound enough to climb with a bunch of base decay like that? It seems like it’s all gut feeling. Sometimes they look like hell but they actually aren’t that bad, other times they don’t look too bad but were actually sketchy as hell, either way you don’t really know til the trunk is off… either way great work
It's tricky, man, for sure. Seems like a large portion of the climber deaths I hear about involve dead trees. I don't have strong gut feelings so I'm left with the facts I can see. It helped me to know on this tree that it had survived the storms here recently, but that's not really a guarantee because there wasn't any foliage for the wind to grab at. I think it's important to start the climb with a mindset that allows you to get out of the tree if things start feeling weird.
Gently swing in it you can feel if it's moving in the base... If so then gtfo pronto😅
I'm not a fan of armchair quarterbacks, but having been in the game, and since you asked for feedback.. if you are going to use an SRS choke line, try to keep it above the lanyard. It will provide more comfort by relieving leg tension and most importantly, if you gaff out and for any reason your lanyard doesn't grab it will be far less of a spill.
Fair thought, thanks.
I agree, 💯 more comfortable and great for taking a rest. But I think when I'm cutting it's usually safer to have the climb line well below my flip so that it's in less danger of being cut. That way if I cut my flip I can quickly descend to the ground on my life line and grab a new flip line, whereas I might have a long climb down if it's the other way around. That said, there are some real benefits of doing it the other way around so I don't think there's only one right choice 🤙
@corygrossman1 thanks for recognizing that. I think I prefer the methods you mentioned. I think someone could argue that one method is better for getting the limbs down and the other for getting the wood down. Jeff Schroeder commented in here somewhere about hanging drt from the next limb up for cutting branches off. I think one thing that is fairly important is to keep your flip line above rigging gear when negative rigging on a spar. That way it can't trap your flipline and slow your descent in the case of an emergency.
@@zaccheus oh yeah, wasn't thinking about drt while limbing cuz my brain was in sketchy dead tree mode. In hindsight I was actually talking about best practices while chunking, not limbing 😅
@corygrossman1 I assumed that was what you were referencing. I'm not sure which scenario the original commenter was thinking of.
How much does a tree like that pay?
My advice to you is that dead wood doesn´t really hinge, it just follows the weight and breaks without real calculation. Worth bearing in mind at height.
I think that's a popular line if logic and it probably what should be relied on, but I have found that some trees will hinge a little. This one definitely suprised me 😅
@@zaccheusI hope you don´t think I´m lecturing you, you´re an excellent climber. Of course all decisions in the end come down to a specific tree and a specific climb. Good choice on how you took the top out, by the way. :)
@thelastdetail1 Thanks man! Not at all, I'm sorry if I sounded disagreeable. It's a challenge to communicate tone and such through a comment. I think what you were saying was right and shouod be the principle to rely on. I was just trying to add that there are some exceptions, but you're right, they're probably not reliable 😅
So 3 tips that may help you if you try them out 1. Any time your cutting off or limbing the tree doomed to removal always flush cut the stubs never follow the collar 2. The size of the limb when cutting it off and where you want it to go depends on the size and depth of your face cut 3. This is most important of all tips make sure any and all cuts and/or future cuts you make or will perform please make sure they are at minimum center torso height for more saw control while in the tree I've seen so many people die cause of the kickbacks from the saw they were using
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I can't say that I agree, but I appreciate your comment.
Which point don’t you agree with just out of curiosity?
@@joemyers4037 All three of them, I just didn't want to be a jerk. 1 and 3 are good ideas, but not absolutes. 2 is sometimes but not always true.
@@zaccheus I agree I was just curious what your thoughts were
@@joemyers4037 No harm in asking!
What snap lock carabiner is that on your life line?
If you're referring to the carabiner between my Akimbo and bridge, it's a Rocl Exotica rock-O carabiner. One of my favorites.
@@zaccheus ah no i Ment the carabiner on your lanyard
It's Nice couse you can put it on a sewn eye no need to make a bulky fisherman knot
@@rikvandeneynde5667 ah, I'm sorry. It's a petzl eashook
good boy
Did you have fear of heights at all when you first started out? Does it get easier? Lol
Haha, fair question. The heights haven't ever really bothered me. I spent a lot of time free climbing trees as a kid and always made it a goal to get as high as I could 😬 I've definitely be scared to trust the tree to keep me up there though.
You dudes with long legs have it made..they make everything to fit you guys.fir example I have the same spikes and had to cut almost 2 inches of the shank length with a dremel to fit below the knee tendons. Talons are the only kind that can wear.excelpt real old spurs with angle inserts.been looking online fir some old style ones
That is tough, I've heard some women have trouble finding smaller gloves and such too. It just seems like the industry was made for big dudes 🤷♂️
😅
Just saw that comment good one ..lol😅but serious when you get older you'll understand little things make huge difference when I was young I could wear anything and shoes 2 sizes to big..time isn't fun..young man...
Like your videos, was watching August Hunicke but the guy is a little too full of himself, The Tree God, What saw do you use as your climbing saw, did your heat rate go up getting close to the top.
I climb with a 201t and 500i. I don't remember being particularly nervous. I do my best to stay calm and not go beyond what I have confidence in. Doesn't always work though. Sometimes the knees still get a little shaky 😅
You always make a backkcut perpendicular to the branch. That nothing needed a bigger face.
Can't say I really know what you're talking about
oh lord i gotta go to work as this vidéo pops up😢!
Awesome job brother
Haha, no worries, it'll be here when you're done. Hope you have a safe day at work!
Thanks Todd!
You could have hurt yourself at 40:00. I'm trying to be more careful. I've cut the same hand three times doing that type of thing with a handsaw. The first time it just missed the tendon but required 6 stiches and a visit to a hand specialist. The last two times I didn't get stiches but probably could have--it was borderline either way.
Oh wow, thanks for sharing that. I probably should have a little more respect for the hand saw. I always end up thinking that it's safer than the chainsaw and the thinking stops there. Your testimony will definitely help me remember.
Why do you cut the base of the limbs at an angle instead of parrallel with the tree
Just to save cutting time. That gnarly grain in the branch collar doesn't cut very fast. If we were rigging out of this tree a bunch, I might spend more time cutting tem flush to keep from snagging the rope.
Thanks for the response, there's more to think about tree cutting than I thought.. thanks for the videos, they're a lot of help
@Travis Glad to hear it, Travis! Stay safe out there!
no matter how many trees I have cut, it is always the first time I will cut the next tree.
Absolutely. That's an excellent and humble approach.
Why turn rhe saw off after every cut? Was it just talk or are you uncomfortable side stepping euth the saw to cut anorher branch
It's generally safer than leaving it run while hanging all the time. It's also hard to talk over. It's also a bummer to run out of fuel when you're up there by yourself.
@@zaccheus definitely understandable. I don't climb by myself too often
@@gormaionem4648 me neither, but it happens upon occasion
Super informative but, why wouldn't you just fall it at ground level? It looked like there was plenty of room?
There wasn't enough room. If I aimed it to miss the surroundinding tree, it would have struck the house and if I aimed it miss the the house it would have fallen into the surrounding trees and gotten hing up or rolled out toward the house. Gopros can be very deceiving of depth perception with theor wide angle lenses. I would have much preferred to send it whole 😅
Two minutes into the video, I have a question. Why climb a tree ( dead tree) if you have lots of room to simply drop the tree.....???
There wasn't room to drop it whole. It may nit have been clearly apparent in the video, but the nearby trees kept me from falling ir whole in the direction that I ended uo falling the stem in the end. I also would nit have felt good about dropping a dead tree that close to the house. Imat the end when I cut the top pit it threw a small stick all the way up intk the roof if the house. If I had dropped it whole, there is a decent chance a much larger piece could have been thrown at the house.
But if you have no other options except to learn off of youtube be sure to watch Reg Coates, August Hunicki or Buckin Billy Ray Smith as there is a lot of quality stuff to be learned from watching them🧐!
Yes and no, they all have lots of good points to share thay you won't find it books, but they also have habits that are not a good idea for newer climbers to develope. I've also got videos that contain poor information and such. I just think it's good to diversify education and try to learn from books and peers as well as youtube 🤷♂️
Are your climbing systems fall arrest? If so, how?
Technically by OSHA standards, no they are not. They serve only as work positioning.
@@zaccheus I gotcha, I work communication construction so I gaff with a buck squeeze, it has little cleats in the side so if a serious gaff out occurred they dig in the pole and stop you in place. Wasn’t sure if there is a arborist equivalent of that.
@king trow I see what you're saying. It's mostly a bunch of white collar jargon to satisfy and avoid OSHA stuff. I do climbe with that climbing rope choked around the stem and it serves as a fall arrest in the event of a gaff out. I think they avoid calling it that, because the tree cannot be rated as an anchor point and you need an rated anchor point for fall protection. Some guy will use something like a buck squeeze to help them stay stable on a stem, but it is not considered acceptable for fall prevention in tree work because if you cut the back side of the buck strap with a saw, you can still fall.
One more thing lol... Please consider wearing at minimum a pair of climbing gloves. There is nothing worse to a climber than a hand injury, it can prevent a self rescue and possibly have you searching for a different profession. Stay safe my friend
I wear gloves in cooler weather, but what do they offer protection from? I can see gloves saving a little light abrasion to the back of the hand, but not much else.
@@zaccheusgloves would be beneficial if rappelling down. Granted, if you’re rappelling due to an emergency, burning your hand may not be of concern.
@1hi4x That's is a fair thought! I'd hope to go my whole career without making an emergency exit from the tree, but it could happen on any tree
Looks like plenty of room to fell it
It just barely didn't fit. That's why I had to get the top out
Idk if it's bad practice, but with all that clearance, I would have just fell the tree
It could have been felled if damage to the landscaping and potentially the house would have been acceptable. It wasn't necessary to fall It though.
What that zigzag looking device call on you lanyard
Petzl Zillon
@@zaccheus thank man!
you need to watch August Hinkle to pick up a few more good tips you are good but everytree person needs all the safty tips to help
Thanks for the thought. What do you think I could improve on?
Wish all tree guys would form a packed to some how get echo to make a tophandle 3711t to mimic 2511t. Would be the best saw on the market pretty stupid they dont??why wouldn't they?
I can't say I know. If the 37 stands for 37cc, thay might just be a little big for a top handle 🤷♂️
T.R.A.C bro you should’ve never been in that tree
I think you're referring to TRAQ. But maybe they call it TRAC in some places 🤷♂️
I agree, but hindsight is 20/20. It's a whole lot easier to say that after the fact.
@@zaccheus you’re a very brave man, I would be lieing if I said I haven’t climbed dead exfoliating trees. Also remember weight transfer and all that wiggling you did up top multiples in the middle top and bottom. It’s not the fall that gets ya man it’s that sudden stop at the end that’s a mfer
@@mariomannelli9887 ain't that the truth
Am I the only one sweating?
You won't get many residential jobs if you don't practice rigging.
City has many more obstacles.
Absolutely, I loved rigging, it's my favorite part of tree work. I have lots of other videos on my channel about rigging. I would not have felt comfortable rigging on this tree though.
Do yourself a favor on removals and just just cut your branches at the the caller so you don’t a bunch of stubs
I totally know what you're talking about, but it really wasn't a problem on this tree and so I don't think it would have been worth the extra time and wear. If I had to chunk the stem down or trig from this tree, I'd totally agree. In big unions like this tree had it takes a little longer to cut the collar than on an ever green or something with smaller limbs.
I dont climb trees with a wedding ring
Good thinking! I wear a rubber one so the risk of it hurting me is nearly zero. Definitely a good idea to avoid a metal one.
I didn’t watch the whole video but did skip to the end…glad you didn’t have a mishap.
Next time don’t save the customer money use a Mobile Elevated Work Platform or set up a static line with false anchor point in between 2 healthy trees and work off of this with your climbing rope or better still just fell it from the ground.
Dead trees should not be climbed- you are a young guy doing a dangerous job. Don’t take any more risk then is needed.
That's an absolutely fair approach. After falling the stem and seeing the integrity of the interior wood fiber, I did regret closing to clb this tree. I'm also glad I didn't have a mishap amd believe it was a blessing that I did not. Even if I would have tested the hardness of the stem wood, it's hard telling how much root structure is still present.
awesome content and videos but why does it seem like ur uncomfortable in your own skin, very awkward intros to these videos man lolo . Im just fucking with you man, i couldnt do it infront of the camera like that... i love the content and wait for each new video to come out, cheers from canada
Haha, on this particular video I was rather thrown off by the homeowner being right there watching me. I am a little awkward sometimes and sometimes it's just worse in front of a camera 😂