Cut protector for climbing line

Bango Skank said:
Yeah a honey locust could probably wreck a rope or lanyard under the right conditions. Black locust too I guess, but the honeys are friggin scary.

The thorns on honey locust could puncture through the rope and pick at the strands. In theory the puncture could sever a strand, but I suspect it'd just part the strands and make a smooth hole, kinda like a fabric needle would. A moving rope in a perfect storm situation might see some real serious damage though. A stationary rope at least won't be dragged through them over and over. The thorns are often big clusters of them, dozens or hundreds of them, and they're pretty hard.

The thicker bark on the bottom of a mature honey locust can get kinda sharp and is quite hard also. A base tie should probably be watched closely and can consider a webbing sheath or other extra protection. Same deal with porty slings.

Also worth mentioning, they will absolutely puncture through soft soled shoes, and any other clothing and gloves.

I don't see many squirrels in those trees.
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So when climbing these do you just punch it (get it over with as soon as practicable) or take the time to prune the thorns off before you work the tree?

Do groundys swear more often also or have the techniques been refined enough to cope with the honeys?
 
Bango Skank said:
Yeah a honey locust could probably wreck a rope or lanyard under the right conditions. Black locust too I guess, but the honeys are friggin scary.

The thorns on honey locust could puncture through the rope and pick at the strands. In theory the puncture could sever a strand, but I suspect it'd just part the strands and make a smooth hole, kinda like a fabric needle would. A moving rope in a perfect storm situation might see some real serious damage though. A stationary rope at least won't be dragged through them over and over. The thorns are often big clusters of them, dozens or hundreds of them, and they're pretty hard.

The thicker bark on the bottom of a mature honey locust can get kinda sharp and is quite hard also. A base tie should probably be watched closely and can consider a webbing sheath or other extra protection. Same deal with porty slings.

Also worth mentioning, they will absolutely puncture through soft soled shoes, and any other clothing and gloves.

I don't see many squirrels in those trees.
Click to expand...
I’ve had locust horns break off inside the climbing line to spear my hands a week later.
 
They're not super common here like the non thorny ones are, but there are some. Black locusts got some sharp thorns too, but they're shorter and not so concentrated, it's easier to work with IME. For a climbing removal, I'd shave alot of the thorns off, and have them raked and out of the way. The thorns only seem to be present around the first 20 or 30 feet on a 70 foot(ish) tree.
To trim one, thorns should probably not be shaved, that's alot of wounds being made. If the custy don't want thorns, they got the wrong tree. Other pruning can be done by climbing if it's a wide canopy and you can avoid the big clusters entirely. I could also see myself referring the job to a friend with a SpiderLift if I felt too leary about one. I'd add a few hours on the bid just to allow some slowness when dicking around with the thorns and because it really is a serious hazard added to an already hazardous job.

We had a good climber/ foreman go off for 3-4 days after stepping on some, it really hurt him.

Also depending on where you dump your chips, they might not want the thorns, they would definitely wreck a normal inflated ag or turf or light truck tire. Might have to burn them yourself.

evo said:
I’ve had locust horns break off inside the climbing line to spear my hands a week later.
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That hurts just reading about it!
Bet you could sew with them. Survivalists use them for fishing hooks.
 
Bango Skank said:
They're not super common here like the non thorny ones are, but there are some. Black locusts got some sharp thorns too, but they're shorter and not so concentrated, it's easier to work with IME. For a climbing removal, I'd shave alot of the thorns off, and have them raked and out of the way. The thorns only seem to be present around the first 20 or 30 feet on a 70 foot(ish) tree.
To trim one, thorns should probably not be shaved, that's alot of wounds being made. If the custy don't want thorns, they got the wrong tree. Other pruning can be done by climbing if it's a wide canopy and you can avoid the big clusters entirely. I could also see myself referring the job to a friend with a SpiderLift if I felt too leary about one. I'd add a few hours on the bid just to allow some slowness when dicking around with the thorns and because it really is a serious hazard added to an already hazardous job.

We had a good climber/ foreman go off for 3-4 days after stepping on some, it really hurt him.

Also depending on where you dump your chips, they might not want the thorns, they would definitely wreck a normal inflated ag or turf or light truck tire. Might have to burn them yourself.



That hurts just reading about it!
Bet you could sew with them. Survivalists use them for fishing hooks.
Click to expand...
Nothing worse than palm thorns... had a 5" one puncture a sidewall.. That was long before I was a tree guy living in Tucson. A friend of mine was racing his fixie bicycle while drunk and naked, crashed straight into a large jumping cholla. We spent the next three hours with needle nose pulling spikes out of his flesh.
 
Bango Skank said:
They're not super common here like the non thorny ones are, but there are some. Black locusts got some sharp thorns too, but they're shorter and not so concentrated, it's easier to work with IME. For a climbing removal, I'd shave alot of the thorns off, and have them raked and out of the way. The thorns only seem to be present around the first 20 or 30 feet on a 70 foot(ish) tree.
To trim one, thorns should probably not be shaved, that's alot of wounds being made. If the custy don't want thorns, they got the wrong tree. Other pruning can be done by climbing if it's a wide canopy and you can avoid the big clusters entirely. I could also see myself referring the job to a friend with a SpiderLift if I felt too leary about one. I'd add a few hours on the bid just to allow some slowness when dicking around with the thorns and because it really is a serious hazard added to an already hazardous job.

We had a good climber/ foreman go off for 3-4 days after stepping on some, it really hurt him.

Also depending on where you dump your chips, they might not want the thorns, they would definitely wreck a normal inflated ag or turf or light truck tire. Might have to burn them yourself.



That hurts just reading about it!
Bet you could sew with them. Survivalists use them for fishing hooks.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the run down, was helpful.

Anyone tried goats to eat them?

For date palm and minimal black locust we have found horses often go through mulch piles and chew them up (I am sure the acid in Palm is no good for their teeth, and whether the thorns pass through as dangerous to tyres is an unknown..)
 
evo said:
Nothing worse than palm thorns... had a 5" one puncture a sidewall.. That was long before I was a tree guy living in Tucson. A friend of mine was racing his fixie bicycle while drunk and naked, crashed straight into a large jumping cholla. We spent the next three hours with needle nose pulling spikes out of his flesh.
Click to expand...

All of his flesh?
 
evo said:
Nothing worse than palm thorns... had a 5" one puncture a sidewall.. That was long before I was a tree guy living in Tucson. A friend of mine was racing his fixie bicycle while drunk and naked, crashed straight into a large jumping cholla. We spent the next three hours with needle nose pulling spikes out of his flesh.
Click to expand...

Here cut lupins in broadacre paddocks is worst, they will pass through inches of rubber on occasion... but also have to watch palm spikes after they pass through chipper if chips didn’t make it to bin - as shortened spikes still pass through rubber work boot soles... had it happen ... sucks as the wounds would usually get reinfected year after year...
 
Is plant thorn arthritis similar symptoms to arthritis but caused by poison? Have that in many places because of date palms thorns...
 
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