Tree climbing kits

[mellow]

Do any of you guys cut trees for a living? Just wanted some advice on what to buy for a tree climbing kit, I was looking at this one at treestuff.com: http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=180&item=1133

I am going to start out slow and take down a few small trees so I am not looking for anything super professional.

 

[SKIN052]

I do not cut trees for a living however I have quite a bit of experience with the whole climbing thing, limited experience with tress I will admit. Klein spurs and climbing equipment cannot be beat, but to start the kit you linked seems, o.k., I really suggest you get someone to show you the basics of climbing first as it is not as simple as it looks.

Quick story. A co-worker (tech type) came to see me one day to borrow the spurs and belt to drop a couple tress in his back yard that were too close to the house. I suggested I could do it for him but he declined and wanted to "give it a try" I took him out to a pole, got him up maybe 6-8' and explained how not to kill himself. I told him 15' (typically) is the point of no return. Most peoples fear of heights occurs between 12-15 feet. After that you are either scared or not. He got home and realized that climbing was not for him after about 10 feet. He decided instead to tie off the tree and cut it. I did not give him any advice on that as that was never an option we spoke of. He said when he made the cut the tree rolled and went towards his house. It swung by his roof line and directly into the neighbors roof. The neighbors happened to be in the window watching the whole thing. He brought back he spurs on Monday, told the story and asked if I wanted to help him fix a roof the next weekend. I declined.

Be safe and if you do get them, the pointy things go inwards not pointing out. Yes I have seen it tried the other way. lol.

 

[fossil]

Start here:

http://www.arboristsite.com/

Be careful.

 

[fjord]

I do not cut trees for a living however I have quite a bit of experience with the whole climbing thing, limited experience with tress I will admit. Klein spurs and climbing equipment cannot be beat, but to start the kit you linked seems, o.k., I really suggest you get someone to show you the basics of climbing first as it is not as simple as it looks.

Be safe and if you do get them, the pointy things go inwards not pointing out. Yes I have seen it tried the other way. lol.

At the risk of posting , here goes.

The internet or books are not good sources for learning how to climb--rocks or trees. Yes, arboristsite is helpful with all kinds of posts for reading fun. Remember that there's no verification of sources online.
Get out, as the man says, with a real arborist or climber. Be a groundie or belayer for top rope climbs (the easiest ). Understand climb ratings: you don't start rocks on a 5.10 climb !
Go to arborist days or workshops in your area. Watch, listen, assist. Learn the knots, techniques, proper gear. Practice.
A subset of climbing now is sport tree climbing at schools of forestry. It is serious fun.
Most of the arborists I know and have rock climbed with, do NOT use spurs. They get in the way, can be dangerous, and are usually unecessary except for power line crews without cherry pickers. Most use lines to
tie into and climb without injuring the tree or catching on the wood when you don't want them to.

Make sense Randy ?

 

[SKIN052]

Good advice. Climbing can be fun and dangerous, last tree I climb I used a ladder for the first 15 feet and then climbed the branches like a kid. Spurs can be a pain and I typically only use them on poles. I have not had to climb many trees that really needed spurs.

 

[mellow]

I have always been drawn to climbing trees since a kid, being afraid of heights hasn't bothered me yet, of course I only have been up to 40 ft max. I have a friend of the family that owns a tree cutting business, I might ask if I can tag along with them some weekend to get some insight. Watching all these logging shows hasn't helped my addiction to tree climbing.

 

[SKIN052]

Good call on the tag along. Climbing can be addictive. Some of those loggings shows are scary to watch, even for me. Allot of movement when they are topping those trees.

 

[smokinj]

Start here:

http://www.arboristsite.com/

Be careful.

+1 but stick to the Recreational Tree Climbing area for awhile.

 

[Tony H]

Climbing a pole is one thing ( telephone ) and climbing and cutting is another. I have a guy who climbs and cuts and is amazing to watch but it can be very dangerous . Find someone that has been doing it for a while and learn as much as you can.

 

[SKIN052]

Climbing a pole is one thing ( telephone ) and climbing and cutting is another. I have a guy who climbs and cuts and is amazing to watch but it can be very dangerous . Find someone that has been doing it for a while and learn as much as you can.

I agree with you, it would take me a bit of training before I went a did the job of an Arborist. Still, it is work I have done before and I agree, very dangerous. So is climbing to the top of these things. I job I did for years. 80, 110' poles all tied together. We would have to walk between poles. Not fun.

 

[leaddog]

Climbing a pole is one thing ( telephone ) and climbing and cutting is another. I have a guy who climbs and cuts and is amazing to watch but it can be very dangerous . Find someone that has been doing it for a while and learn as much as you can.

I agree with you, it would take me a bit of training before I went a did the job of an Arborist. Still, it is work I have done before and I agree, very dangerous. So is climbing to the top of these things. I job I did for years. 80, 110' poles all tied together. We would have to walk between poles. Not fun.

Were you carrying a gun so you could shot prisoners up there. That fence is high enough that only a bird could get over it. They didn't need razor wire on that.
leaddog