Hey, @
dttm, AKA "Dan The Tree Man"! Nice video! It was fun to watch, and I watched the whole thing. You are obviously a serious tree guy.
I do have a couple of questions. At about 2:05 into the video, you dropped a tree that came pretty close to a shed, and I was wondering what method you use to determine that such a tree will make it in the space you have available. The other question I have is whether or not you ever climb using SRT techniques? To me it seems like the Hitch Hiker might be a good match for your climbing style, as you can cinch the rope around a stem, leaving a tail hanging down, as your second means of attachment during cutting operations. Then you drop down and pull on the tail to loosen it up and get it to drop, and re-set it. The Zig-Zag in DdRT was not on much of a branch to catch your weight, whereas a cinched SRT device to me would seem more secure.
You have a boatload more experience than I do, though, and you might feel entirely comfortable with the way your Zig Zag seems to function. I'm just looking to learn about your thought process in this.
Again, really cool and fun video to watch. Nice work, and I look forward to seeing more from you if you choose to keep at it. Welcome to the TreeBuzz forum, just in case I haven't already said that, too!
Tim
Edit: Oops! I just noticed that you've been discussing the fact that you've got a new Rope Runner coming online soon, if not already. So you'll get a chance to do what I'm talking about with that device.
@Steve Connally would be a great guy to consult with about the use of the Rope Runner, I think. He's a huge fan of the device, and can probably answer any questions you might have while acquainting yourself with the Runner.