first time using slings to lower multiple branches

Nevermind the "leetspeak" Sean; what the hell are you doing working alone? That should be avoided at all costs! Especially when you're working at height on removals. My absolute low point for tree work was climbing alone on big removals, and doing prune jobs in 105* heat. You may as well train your cat in human rescue and hope he can fit you in a pillow sack if something bad happens . . .
 
leetspeak = l33tsp34k

It's the young people's way of using numbers instead of letters when typing. You weren't doing that, so I was sort of misusing the term, but I've always liked the idea, so I thought I would share.

As far as working alone goes, if you are running your own small company, there are some jobs you just won't get if you bid for two. I think Sean is smart enough to be careful enough to not do anything that would require additional help.
 
I do try to avoid working alone. I have typically had two employees, recently went down to one, as one fired himself. With the wet spring/ early summer, it worked out for the best in a way, as the phones were dead.

Recently, employee Ben hurt his back while outside of work. He's now on a pre-planned vacation. Ben is considering a less body intensive career change. He lives in a yurt without running water, and with wood heat. He realized how much his current lifestyle/ housestyle (couple years in yurt) depends on being physically able.

I may be meeting with a 6 years experienced groundman today, for an interview.

Ah, how wonderful, the idea of not having to train someone from zero.

Also, have heard from a fellow buzzer who is interested in doing some climbing. Hopefully, the economy and season will pick up enough to have another well-experienced climber aboard for some jobs.

First day of solo work was with a lift, and taking small pieces, lots of free dropping, with rigging the pieces so that they were swinging away from me. Push button descent option.
Second day was removing some of the limbs that were problematic due to powerlines and had 2 powerline-drops scheduled with neighbors of the HO--more of pruning/ limbing. Double tie-in (of course), glasses and face screen. Single hand descent option. Blood stopper kit. First aid kit onsite.

Again, I AM NOT endorsing working alone. If a person is going to do it, at least be sure to have a cell phone reachable by either hand, and be working very safely, take lots of breaks for food and drink, and be somewhere that a rescue crew can get to you (A ladder truck from the fire dept would have been able to drive right up and get to me at 60'). Ideally, in this less than ideal situation, the HO should be around.
Not endorsing working alone! Sometimes, we take greater risks working in one situation, that are not as risky as others that we put ourselves in routinely.

Am endorsing people taking an aerial rescue training.
 
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I have typically had two employees, recently went down to one, as one fired himself.

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Jesus Christ, now they're firing themselves? That's the employment equivalent of autoerotic asphyxiation. Horrible thing to hear about. And now the other one wants to quit so he can be a professional bum with longevity?

You need to get some good help out there . . .
 
Firing himself by defeating a safety mechanism. The straw that broke the camels back was that after we moved the truck from the road (he spotted me as I backed into the driveway), he took the orange cone out of the road that was marking the hazard of the log in the road. He said he didn't know why the log was in the road. That's how he fired himself.

Its unfortunate that Ben might move on. He's worked for me for 1 year out of the three that I've been in business. He's been my best employee.
 
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You may as well train your cat in human rescue and hope he can fit you in a pillow sack if something bad happens . . .

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THAT'S hysterical!

Mine thinks humans that get stuck in trees are too dumb to be worth rescuing and she's always yowling, "You never see a human skeleton in a tree do you?"
 
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If you want to control the piece, you can lower it using a different line.

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Here is a video showing a controled speed line.
pbj.gif


Enjoy the music...
 
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Did you spike up to your TIP or did you toss/ bigshot to it? Did you zip the stem or chunk em down? Nice video great music.
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Yes. A little bit of all the above.
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Look at the Aug and Sept Articles Speedline Variation 1 and 2 on TB. They will not only have the basics, but the more involved aspects as well. Very informative, in addition to all the rest of the TB Articles found at the bottom of the Home page and the top of all the forum pages.
 
I know what you mean about working alone...when your self employed sometimes it does become a neccessity. I remember times in the 90's when I'd drop off the chip truck and chipper have my dad give me ride back to get the bucket and go to work by my self. It sucked but I made my payments, I was a single parent and my son ate every day, had clothes on his back and wasn't cold at night! I am interested on how you lowered multiple pieces by yourself. Did you speed line them or use multiple ropes?
 
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I am interested on how you lowered multiple pieces by yourself. Did you speed line them or use multiple ropes?

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Some techniques can allow a climber to work independently of a groundie, while the groundie is attending to other things.

SPEEDLINE
The other day I anchored the ground end of the speedline, then ran the rope to a pulley higher up the fir tree, and down to my work area.

I've also played with anchoring the rope at the ground and coming up to a friction hitch with a minding pulley at my working level in a walnut.

In either case, I used a sling on the limb, and clipped a 'biner to the speedline, then tensioned it. With the fir, I was using stubs at my working height to anchor the rope after tensioning. This resulted in an upward and outward pull on the limb. four wraps on a stub, crossing over the first and second wraps with the third and fourth wraps held it tight. I cut most of the way through the limb (noble fir-stringy) then adjusted position slightly after hanging chainsaw (2.5-3.5" limb butts).

I grabbed the rope above the stub, tensioned more, and the limb would either break off on its own, I kicked it off a little bit, or use a handsaw. This additional tension lifted the limb a bit, maximizing my horizontal clearance.

DOUBLE WHIP TACKLE (typically used as a 2:1 MA system)
This is accomplished by anchoring the end of the rope near the work point after feeding it through a crotch on the limb, or girth-hitching a sling and clipping the sling with a 'biner to the rope. Using natural crotch rigging for an anchor point, and friction, the piece is cut and lowered to the ground. This can be done with a static or dynamic catch. When the piece is being lowered, it is possible to use the anchored end of the rope to guide the piece around obstacles somewhat(I was over buildings/ fences).

When the piece was landed, I untied the end of the rope, and it was pulled free. I could retrieve the sling/'biner later when pulling brush.

MULTIPLE PIECES ON ONE ROPE
You can lower as a "bouquet" with many pieces attached with slings and 'biners. Say your want to lower three whorls of branches from a conifer. You can attach slings to all limbs, clipping them to one biner at each whorl. Biner can be clove hitched to rope at the upper 2 whorls, and clipped to the spliced eye on the end of the rope for the lowest whorl (or otherwise rope is tied to 'biner). Use a lowering device at working level or branch stub for friction.

I was lowering maple logs from a natural crotch friction point at about 40', mostly overhead from the work pieces. I started with the first log with a girth hitch on the spliced eye for the attachment. Cut on an angle most of the way through. Hang saw. Lower line a bit and let the holding wood rip, or kick a bit, and absorb the energy of the falling piece by letting it run, as normal. Lower to ground. Second and subsequent logs were clove hitched midline with half-hitches for back-up to prevent rolling out.
 
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i dont ever work alone. i allways have 1-2 other people allways!!! it's all about saftey

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Safety is very, very important.

Working with people around doesn't guarantee it either.

Experience, and good judgment throughout the process, lessens our risks, which are present in everyday life, and especially when wielding razor sharp saws, climbing trees, and rigging.
 
I work alone frequently... it ain't safe driving alone either.

...I like working alone sometimes and I hate trying to keep a groundie busy if all I'm doing is pruning. Working alone requires more planning and allows you to take your time and study the tree. I'm more precise when I'm alone because no one is waiting on me.
 
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that's exactly the type of speedline i was referring to. looks like it cant be that hard to set up. what did you use for a friction device?

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A large porty.
 
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I work alone frequently... it ain't safe driving alone either.

...I like working alone sometimes and I hate trying to keep a groundie busy if all I'm doing is pruning. Working alone requires more planning and allows you to take your time and study the tree. I'm more precise when I'm alone because no one is waiting on me.

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I agree with Chip. I worked 5 years alone. My only injury was when a customer was talking to me while I was pruning with a hand saw. I wasn't paying attention to my follow through cut (because I was talking and working) and you guessed it. I cut myself.

With that said, I was fully aware that if there was an emergency, I was screwed...

If I could have afforded another person to work with me for those 5 years, I would have had someone there.

I have been working with someone else for about 4 years now.
 
Not defending the inherent danger of working alone----

I have built better rapport with customers at times when alone. I take many more breaks and chat.

Last week, I was doing some ground felling for a family who was going to do their own clean-up. The felling lay was across their wood pile. The felling was to clear room for their to-be-build woodshed. Both parents work 40-60 hours per week. Their poor Craftsman chainsaw was sitting on the deck with the chain thrown and the drivers all messed up.

Because I was not paying an employee's wages and W/C, I was able to chat more. I filed their drivers, and sharpened their pitifully dull chain. I was able to show the wife what was needed, and about dull chains leading to thermal expansion, leading to thrown chains, leading to a standstill. I put in two plugs for chaps/ other ppe for the husband, and the $7 Stihl chainsaw operation and maintenance DVD available at dealers. She is scared of the chainsaw. I had the time to explain that she doesn't need to be scared if she understands the machine, uses it properly, starts very slowly with guidance and PPE.

They have a lot of hazardous trees, but not the money to pay for full service. They want some amount of drop and leave, to the extent that they can handle the clean-up. They have the worst alder that I have seen standing, ever.

I might have made new friends, which have been in short supply since my move to Oly 4 years ago, having been focused on my business and our property and making ends meet. That's part of the reason I'm a tree forum junkie, in order to interact with some cool people, plus I'm an info junkie.

They will have ongoing work, here and there, and will be good fill-in/ flexible schedule work in the future, I believe.

Its great when you can have someone along, but not always realistic when you have the expenses of a business, and property, and family, etc, especially in this economy, especially when getting started in the building of a business that isn't based on get as much $ that you can squeeze out of customers based on fear.

CONSTANT UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF THE DANGERS IS KEY, WHETHER WORKING ALONE OR WITH 10 PEOPLE. At times, 10 people could contribute to the risk.


Everybody stay aware and safe!!
 
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