Cost of stepping off the ground

[Boomslang]

Can't say I've ever left one in a tree. Left behind quite a few on the ground after taking the bag off the line, setting it down somewhere, and forgetting about it/not being able to see it.

 

[Neill]

Climbing Ensemble Cost

I know we've got beginning climbers to seasoned experts here on the Buzz. I was wondering how much worth of gear and clothing folks are wearing on their bodies for climbing: boots, pants, jacket, shirt, gloves, helmet, saddle + accessories, hand saw, climbing system and climbers (even though you...

www.treebuzz.com

 

[climbingmonkey24]

You seem to be taking my words and adding meaning to them that is not there.

No.

Making a decision in the moment out of frustration, anxiety, or whatever is quite different than simply being careless and doing something habitually without regard for the potential risks / consequences.

Unless I saw an obvious pattern of behavior that pointed to carelessness and a complete disregard for safe and acceptable work practices, I don’t judge other arborists.

 

[Boomslang]

Would you leave a hanger in a tree? Because that's what you're doing when you leave a throwball in a tree.

 

[Tuebor]

It's like a roofer leaving a hammer up there, a plumber leaving a washer in the drain, a doctor leaving a sponge inside you...

 

[Shadowscape]

You said you cut the line. Had you not done so you would have found it. It would have been at the end of the line.

 

[data farm 26]

A problem with leaving/ loosing throwballz is lead, right? Maybe a bird or something would eat or is that crazy? That's what I always thought anyways.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

What can I say, I and anyone else who has ever left a throw ball in a tree are just incompetent, unskilled, and plain negligent.

Can’t compete with everyone else who is perfect.

 

[Boomslang]

What can I say, I and anyone else who has ever left a throw ball in a tree are just incompetent, unskilled, and plain negligent.

Can’t compete with everyone else who is perfect.

The first two not so much, but you nailed it with third.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

Would you leave a hanger in a tree? Because that's what you're doing when you leave a throwball in a tree.

Not even a close comparison.

I’ve got a throw ball wedged up in a tree on my property from a while back when I was rec climbing. I cut the line because I needed it for a job figuring I would go back up for the ball when I had the chance. It’s been up there for years.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

The first two not so much, but you nailed it with third.

Well I’m glad you and @Reach clarified that for me, thanks!

I find it astounding to see other arborists so quick to criticize another over something like this. Also, interesting how another member said that they lost and left multiple throw balls and nobody says a word about it. But y’all make a huge deal over one throw ball…

 

[evo]

If you’re telling me that I’m the only one on here who has ever left a throw ball stuck who knows where in a tree where you can’t even see it…lol ok.

I’ve felled trees with multiple stuck throwball.. no way am I leaving a pound of lead in a tree

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Chill the critiques it leads to lashing back.

 

[data farm 26]

Well I’m glad you and @Reach clarified that for me, thanks!

I find it astounding to see other arborists so quick to criticize another over something like this. Also, interesting how another member said that they lost and left multiple throw balls and nobody says a word about it. But y’all make a huge deal over one throw ball…

Don't flame out amigo, probably just a misunderstanding or something.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

Don't flame out amigo, probably just a misunderstanding or something.

Some people just feel the need to criticize others for whatever they deem not acceptable, regardless if it is actually right or wrong.

Difference is I own what I did, never said it was good decision, and I'm also not embarassed to share my mistakes. What led to me making that decision? Where was my mindset at? All learning points not just for myself but for anyone else reading this thread so that next time a different decision can be made.

That's a heck of a lot more productive than just calling someone out and labeling them as being negligent when you are not aware of all the facts or the situation, and especially when you don't even know the person outside of an internet forum.

 

[data farm 26]

The way I read it you were not labeled as negligent but that perhaps the judge would if it happened to fall out and hit somebody and you were sued.

 

[climbingmonkey24]

The way I read it you were not labeled as negligent but that perhaps the judge would if it happened to fall out and hit somebody and you were sued.

Apparently some people here are perfect and make no mistakes, but don’t shy away at criticizing others for theirs.

I’m not one to take things personally or too serious on the internet, but when one person (me) says they left a throw ball in a tree, another member says they’ve left and lost multiple throw balls, and then a few members decide to make a big deal and single out me and use the term negligent, etc. hard to not view that as personal when you’re talking about the way I work, etc.

 

[Shadowscape]

Back to the original post... What we consider equipment needed to get off the ground depends upon the climber's wants and needs. And each year the needs and wants go up along with the cost. But is it needed? Certainly more convenient and better workflow with the newer equipment. I started tree work with a used manilla rope, an old lineman's belt and a hand-me-down hand saw that was three feet long. Over the last 55 years my equipment, along with the cost has skyrocketed. We are no different than the farmers. He could get by with a 10 dollar hoe, but productivity and ease go up until he is riding around in a computer controlled, air conditioned tractor that cost 150K or more.
For myself to get off the ground I would think the minimum to be about $2,500. if I grab a lousy pair of boots.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

But didn't the era of farming with a $10 hoe end when plowing started? Centuries ago. The metaphor isn't working for me.

 

[Shadowscape]

But didn't the era of farming with a $10 hoe end when plowing started? Centuries ago. The metaphor isn't working for me.

Did it? My wife farms our garden with a hoe. Many poorer eastern countries farm with hoes. The plow was an improvement for production for the farmer, as is our climbing devices. But I can still climb with nothing but a rope, from which I can create a saddle, and a hitch cord with the bitter end and foot lock my way up the tree. The plow was an upgrade, nothing more. A commercial farmer isn't going to make a living using a hoe, and an arborist who has nothing more than a rope and a saw is not going to do well either. To compete, in both venues one needs to upgrade to the fastest and most productive methods available. Our 2k-3k kit to get off the ground will be considered outdated and obsolete one of these days and it will be more like 6K-10K to get off the ground with the equipment that will be in use then. The older climbers will be reminiscing about how, when they started climbing all they had was a piece of Xstatic rope, a Monkey Beaver harness, a Kask helmet, a Rope Runner and a Stihl chainsaw. And the newer kids will be in awe that people actually expected you to climb on that gear. It is all relative.
Almost any profession can be done with the basic equipment, but in order to compete we must adapt to the latest technologies and improvements, and that comes with a cost.
Maybe I'm rambling. I'm dead tired and probably not thinking very straight. I will reread what you said and what I wrote tomorrow and see what makes sense.

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