Is this odd or do you have Hawthorns big enough to kill?
Around here I think of 2.5 inch thorns as healthy sized, so this one caught my eye, but it wasn’t alone it’s brothers and sisters were up to its shoulders.
In my youth we actually used this type of chopper (though it was rather antique even then) not for corn, but to chop low grade hay for bedding on our dairy farm.
(I’d like your post Tom but I can’t say I like the memories of using that machine - they aren’t so sweet.)
Perhaps this would help - In January 2021 I wanted a set of Gecko Steel pole replacement gaffs. I telephoned Scot at Maple Leaf Ropes and he quickly sent me a set for $107.63 Canadian dollars.
As your using 11mm rope I’ll add my 1.3 cents here, for variety. (As I’ve pointed out elsewhere on this forum I’m old and don’t climb much so don’t pay much mind to my climbing advice.)
I currently climb with about a 20 foot, 11.1mm lanyard with an ART swivel on one end and with a TAZ lov2 on...
Before I had a chainsaw chain grinder (and even now sometimes) I’d just attack the overly hard tooth with a little (4.5”) power hand grinder, to get past the hardest part. Even if the result was ugly and inexact at least that tooth was no longer protruding and could be brought into conformity...
I find I run into hard, and some very hard links on various chains, what ever the brand, some too hard to file by hand but they generally get softer as they are worn back from the “factory“ edge and so at worst need to be ground back at first but then can be filed.
https://www.csagroup.org/testing-certification/
They are a private nonprofit organization that tests, certifies, and writes specifications for appliances and equipment, primarily for the Canadian market.
I couldn’t agree more - I find Sumo a very relaxing escape from the woes of the world - it puts a smile on my face. Counterintuitively I wouldn’t call it a violent sport. Better yet our local PBS station carries NHK World live over the air, where I happily watch it, old school.
Brash might, in a word, be defined as brittle. The wood breaks off nearly at right angles to the grain with very short fibres protruding at the break. Those who fell Ash infected with EAB will be familiar with their hinges breaking like this when felling infected trees. Woodworkers abhor brash...
Thanks for this Tom - As a former certified safety instructor, I found the train of thought of this discussion headed in very good directions.
Regarding the pitfalls of “target zero” incidents - I used to work for a successful boss who (I think intentionally exaggerating) repeatedly said, “We...
Although they say rules are made to be broken:
People do get safe home each day ‘cause they nearly always “follow the rules” - they look both ways before crossing the street, they look behind before they backup, they don’t say derogatory things about the policeman’s mother when asked for their...
Unless the angle between the ground (let’s stick to flat - level site conditions for the moment) and an imaginary line reaching from the topmost twig of the tree to be felled and the anchor point is 45° or less, that anchor point, be it truck or tree, will likely get swatted by the falling tree...
The Ropejack is not a powerful puller, but it‘s got a lot more forceful pull than I do, captures progress perfectly, is light, reasonably compact, and really quick to deploy. I find it is often the ideal tool on a tagline to get things “back on track”.
Impressive - I’m curious about that age estimate - have you taken a core sample?
I “own” an old Bur Oak that is a small fellow compared to yours at only 50” DBH - 78’ max drip line, but having observed its growth over my 70 years (and that of its little cousin about 100 yards distant) I would...
The string trimmer is a dream - quiet, vibration free, no fumes, and reversible - it makes trimming pleasant. I only use mine on eco setting (plenty of power) to keep it quieter and listen to the birds and bees while I trim.
I also have the pole hedge trimmer, the extendable pole saw, as well...