Climber vs. Lift

[data farm 26]

Is a climber faster than a lift/bucket for pruning? How about removal? Theoretical best climber vs theoretical best operator.

 

[VenasNursery]

A lot of different circumstances but IMO in most situations a climber is so much faster

 

[VenasNursery]

A lot of different circumstances but IMO in most situations a climber is so much faster

On the other hand in most situations a lift is safer
Here we go

 

[data farm 26]

On the other hand in most situations a lift is safer
Here we go

I wouldn't doubt that to be true, especially in dead/compromised trees but I personally could rarely  feel safe in the lifts I've used.

 

[Shadowscape]

Here we go is correct.
I think being in a lift is one of the most dangerous things one can do. No place to go when things don't go as planned. No escape route, stuck right there to receive whatever is coming at you. And don't get me started on when a bucket suddenly wants to tip over and dump you out.

 

[Acerxharlowii]

If u can get work done faster than the bucket u should be a contract climber

 

[Bucknut]

Depends what kind of pruning. Thinning? Climber wins. Pruning tips all around? Bucket wins.

General answer is bucket is dramatically faster, easier and just more efficient. If it weren’t, thousands of companies wouldn’t spend millions of dollars acquiring them.

 

[AdkEric]

IMO, people tend to be more bold in a lift than if they were climbing. That doesn't mean a lift is more dangerous, it all boils down to the operator.
In compromised trees I like working from a lift, who wouldn't?
Also, end weight reduction becomes a lot easier with a lift, especially with out a good high tie in point. As does any kind of removal or pruning over structures. More efficient in both time and energy to get there with a lift to cut and chuck than to climb out and rig.
Just my 2 cents. Neither one will ever replace the other.

 

[data farm 26]

IMO, people tend to be more bold in a lift than if they were climbing. That doesn't mean a lift is more dangerous, it all boils down to the operator.
In compromised trees I like working from a lift, who wouldn't?
Also, end weight reduction becomes a lot easier with a lift, especially with out a good high tie in point. As does any kind of removal or pruning over structures. More efficient in both time and energy to get there with a lift to cut and chuck than to climb out and rig.
Just my 2 cents. Neither one will ever replace the other.

I definitely learned a lot about rigging by working from a lift. It was nice to take the mind off of the physical climbing component and just focus on the rigging and cutting.

 

[data farm 26]

Depends what kind of pruning. Thinning? Climber wins. Pruning tips all around? Bucket wins.

General answer is bucket is dramatically faster, easier and just more efficient. If it weren’t, thousands of companies wouldn’t spend millions of dollars acquiring them.

Idk I think if great climbers were as widely available and dependable as lift trucks they'd be the popular choice.

Hopefully no thinning either way...

 

[Neill]

so many variables there. Love the lift for tip pruning. Love climbing for just cutting away on a removal with a big drop zone.

 

[Njdelaney]

I think it is totally contextual. This is like asking whether a pickup is better than a Ferrari. It depends on what you need to do with it.

 

[Neill]

There are days/ jobs where I could finish a climb before the lift got set up.
Then there are those days where I miss 1000 throw ball shots, and a lift would have been done in a snap
I might suggest that a lift is more consistent

 

[Neill]

I think it is totally contextual. This is like asking whether a pickup is better than a Ferrari. It depends on what you need to do with it.

Oh a pickup for sure on that one

 

[EasternArborist]

I'm gonna give it to the lift if you compared over long periods of time , the lift will get 100 jobs done faster than the same100 jobs if you climb them (based on typical work I do) , thats my guess, and you will be less sore lol.

Happy New Years Eve

 

[Bucknut]

I think it is totally contextual. This is like asking whether a pickup is better than a Ferrari. It depends on what you need to do with it.

The Rivian R1T does 0-60 in 3.2, which beats almost any Ferrari, and the Cybertruck did a 1/4 mile faster than a 911… while towing another 911. Most bucket trucks will be slightly slower than this, and most climbers slower still.

Sorry for derail, I’m a car guy.

 

[Muggs]

A pickup is so clearly better than a Ferrari. Come on guys

 

[Njdelaney]

The Rivian R1T does 0-60 in 3.2, which beats almost any Ferrari, and the Cybertruck did a 1/4 mile faster than a 911… while towing another 911. Most bucket trucks will be slightly slower than this, and most climbers slower still.

Sorry for derail, I’m a car guy.

You can't say derail when you're talking about cars. You have to say "Sorry for getting off track"

 

[Keeth]

The reality is you use the right tool for the job if you want to be productive. Over long hauls, the lift doesn’t get tired. Also, a “best climber” has positioning experience that only comes from climbing. So a climber who has never been in a lift says “this is cool” when they finally get into a lift. On the other hand, a lift operator who has never climbed will struggle way more. In my mind, the best operator can exit the lift safely and do what needs to be done aloft because they have earned their stripes as a climber first. Any fool can learn how to get up in the air with a machine, but knowing what to do when they get up there requires both skill and experience.

 

[Njdelaney]

Well said. I also think that a seasoned climber is more likely to perceive danger while working in a lift than someone who has only worked from a lift.