Ah, “Hope”, it grows as a man works. Being fed by accomplishing things of importance is life sustaining. If it helps, I’m 62, still climbing and basically work alone but occasionally ask an older brother to tend the rope when lowering technical heavy loads . I built what I call a “tree brake” for lowering but you can also attach a hand winch to it for lifting, for example a large branch that is out over the neighbors roof. Run my WoodMizer LT 50 and tractors by myself and do all the mechanical maintenance and welding myself. I’ve found the best thing for my well-being is to work, it is satisfying. Currently taking down a 100’ Cottonwood that has reached the end of it’s life cycle and miracle producing photosynthesis process but there is more to come, she will live on in various measurements of splinter free lumber. Take the time to breathe, think things through and enjoy the moment. 50 is a good age. 😊🙏
First day working as a groundie for a commercial tree company today. Almost complete noob. Climber asks me to send a saw up. He started telling me how to do it, but I had already followed the instructions in this clip and it was on the way. I felt like a pro....!
" I'm gonna show you my way , what works for me and you'll figure out your way ." While working with a friend years ago , that's what he told me . Noobs or not , we still all benefit from seeing how other guys do things … Unless there's a "know it all" mentality , then their way is better of course haha . I like this concept , Patrick aka TreeMuggs .
When I learn something new from someone who knows how to do it. I master the way they taught me. Then and only then do I try other ways to get the exact results but faster or better and faster or just better. But master what I was taught first.
15 year coconut tree trimmer here, 25 customers. 50 weekends a year I work. I like your humble attitude. Most times I'm on my own. I Load up equipment in the pickup truck, drive, unload equipment, set-up, climb, trim, rappel down, load up fronds, rake-n-sweep up, collect payment, make a dump run, buy groceries. A hell of a way to make a buck, I love it ! Let's see a millennial start a small trimming side business and have a full time welding job without whining.
Not welding but in college with a truck and chipper and working full time 50 hours a week in a garage repairing power equipment. Friends haven't seen me in a good couple years they complain more than I do. I'm just out here living life sucking in all information given to me while trying to stay as human as possible and not no lazy ass Millennials sapping my work ethic by just proximity.
Every groundman should start right here, before or right after learning how to tie the port a wrap with your running bowline method which I use all the time, so easy to adjust it and take off.
Thanks Tree Muggs, good stuff. I really appreciate all the help and education. You see I'm a 61 year old newby. I love climbing trees and tree work but my work is on the water. When I come ashore for good I'm hoping to see how far I can go with tree work. Hoping to someday become an Arborist. Climbing high and reading lots. Prace
Michael Gilbert I’m in the same boat! I’ve been rec climbing a couple of years and now just retired (age 63). Wanna do a little tree work. So far, I can’t find the time!
Slip knots r great. I use them all the time. My goto 14" Stihl 206TC has a blade cover that I leave on the saw so I pull it up & when I'm ready to cut I take the blade cover off & clip it to a carabiner on my saddle. The ring on your saw holder is the key. I took a top off a dead oak yesterday. I was able to clip that ring onto my Buckmaster clip on my saddle in the 15 seconds that gravity took over & the top came down. 2 large rings with a Port a wrap @ the bottom of the tree sent it down as planned. Going over the cut b4 u make the cut is the best way. Leave enough hinge to give u time to clear yourself from getting in a sticky situation. Thanks again. 😊
Your vids are amazingly helpful. Great idea doing some groundie vids too, it's hard sometimes trying to train the new guys when it's been so long since you worked on the ground. Vids like these will be real helpful. I hope you've got some "letting it run" videos on rigging coming up!!
Great vid, TreeMuggs. As a Rec climber slowly transitioning to tree work, I always learn from your videos. First lesson I learned from you, anytime you try something new, “Low and slow”. Keep up the great work
You and I are very intricate people! We narrow things down to a science that is Rhythmatic with our hands because we go off of what feels good but makes 100% complete sense
Wow another exceptional video ! , there are many ways that ropes can be weaves together . you have displayed methods here that are most excellent. Too many people want to get into the tree and are completely clueless to how important the guy on the grounds job is. As much as I love being in a canopy I will volunteer as a grown person knowing how important it is to have good communication along with all the other aspects to go along with being on the ground and taking care of the guy in the tree. Most people do not like to talk about things like dropping a handsaw, pole clip , pole saw, chainsaw, hardhat etc. I would like to believe this is not a common thing for anybody but it does happen. As a person on the ground needs to understand how to be aware if an item ( tool ) has fallen , so they will get it back to the climber, who is pruning the tree . work must continue , but anyone of these items will stop work. Along with production.
I'm a 22 year climber at the age 36. im new to your videos and a new subscriber, and bro I love these videos. This one here is now a must watch for any new ground man I hire. just to see it action is the best way to learn for most people like us. keep it up bro. "climb high and climb safe!"✌
Rope+rope - great idea! Rope+chainsaw - cant agree, i usualy like something to be easyly clicked out, and a self-tying knot, wit a heavy tale of the rope and a heavy chainsaw... I would like to read your critics of the butterfly knot, that was not tied strongly and can be easily got free with fast two moves of your hands - take it, when the chainsaw belay is already connected to your harness, pull wit your bottom fingers both tales in and then pull with you big fingers loop into the knot. I know that my love to the butterfly knot sometimes is not the best way) And there is one auto way to change (btw, what's you model?) one-hand chainsaw to a bigger one: Just clip a carabiner (may be wit a pulley) somwhere, put your rope into, click a body-biner of you chainsaw, click out a belay tale and start descending through the carabiner your middle of the rope with 1 chainsaw, while getting you chainsaw 2 up on the end or a knot from the ground. Sometimes i do it in another direction - i have one brunch to remove, when it gets the ground with a descending end of rope, i ask my groundman to clip in a big chainsaw, while i am tying a lovely butterfly knot, clip it into a carabiner, and all that is left to be done, is call Vira! To the groundman to start ascending a bigger chainsaw, while getting one-hand chainsaw down. I have started my arborist's way as a rope worker on the ground assisting some fool on the top, that has nothing but experience, so i gotta stuck into a lots of situations, where a method of loading your groundman with maximum of work finally come to a huge time waste as a team. I'm working on the top always trying not to overload my groundman, and i think that getting down your chainsaw and then getting up another one is a waste of time too. Sorry for my english) I'll be glad to read you answer.
Another way of attaching a saw is take a bight of rope and put it from the bar side through the rear handle and then through the front top handle and then over the chain break. Works better with the chain break on. Some saws have a protruding muffler and it can't be done with a warm saw but it usually works and keeps the saw balanced as it's raised, is easy to removed and there isn't any elastic slop from the strop. Love the rope to rope quick hitch. Cheers
Great video. The only thing I would have added is why, with the slip knot, you don’t pull the bight from below (the easier and natural tendency) - the possibility of the loop getting larger and the item not moving or coming loose mid-raise if that end isn’t held (and if it is, how much more difficult it is to pull things up).
You forgot Step 1 and Step 2 of sending up a saw. Step 1: Verify saw is full of fuel and bar oil. (No climber wants to send a saw back down to be fueled before he is done using it). Step 2: Start and warm up the saw. (No climber wants to be yanking on the starter rope 4 or 5 times to get it started. One pull to fire it up, and getting right to work with a warmed up saw is the ticket). ...then attach saw to haul line.
Great video for ground guys learning the ropes. I'm on a crew that prefers a clovehitch for the saw or anything on a carabiner and a sheet bend for the rope on a rope.
Great vids, however a slight correction, you refer to a slip knot but infact you are tying a marlin spike knot. If you make a loop and grab the rope above the knot and pull through then it is a marlin spike knot, but if you grab the rope below the knot and pull through, then it is a slip knot. Basicly depending on what direction you pull the rope defines if it is a slip knot or a marlin spike knot, apart from that they are identical
I've heard that the difference between a marlinspike and a slip is how it connects to hat it's tied to; a marlinspike is not dressed with a tight overhand, and the biner extends slightly into the overhand. But that's just one definition. I've heard a lot of variation, and while I think it's important to find some way to clearly differentiate between the two knots you describe, I don't think your way of using the names is universally acknowledged.
Awesome! These basic groundsman videos will be of sooo much value for me since I am just getting into the tree care industry!! Thanks so much, I just subscribed to your channel!
Great stuff TreeMuggs! Always enjoy your videos and appreciate the climbing info you share from knots, to gear, and techniques. Keep it up man and I’ll keep smashing that thumbs up button.
Heck yeah dude! Please do more like these, I'm really interested in getting into this field and I'd like to learn as much as possible before I actually start. Or atleast get an idea. Thanks!
Yes it's great and very useful, but do a vid or a series on limbwalks, and, most of all, how do you ascend without claws trees that have super vertical trunks and branches, and branches that are very far from each other..? Because this afternoon, I was asked to do a poplar which has such a shape and an other tree with a similar shape, and I could not accept the job, because technically I don't know how to climb them. Thanks again for the vids, you have truly solid skills, and also teaching skills, which is great for youtube!
Listened to your podcast now eith travor and dan holliday great stuff man, i really enjoy yyour channel thx, cant wait to catch up on the other podcasts
Beautiful rope sending technique, a lil different from what i show but i like yours better. Im gonna show my technique soon on my channel. Thx again tree muggs...
Great video. But I think you should explain why you twist up on the knot when sending a chainsaw up, NEVER down because when twisted down that knot will not go tight so if the saw gets stuck it will move and maybe fall. It only a small point.
I don't love the configuration for sending up a saw. I like to be able to positively attach the saw to my saddle before it is detached from the line. In other words, I don't like a saw being off-line, even briefly.
I see a pattern with your knot preferences. Now I think I see why you prefer the daisy- chain knot for rigging. Thanks for sharing! What's the weather like now in Ontario? We're in the 90's down here in Georgia/Carolina.
What knot could you use to tie the saw onto a rope without the carabiner? I’m trying to find a knot that wouldn’t create a loop so that when the chainsaw is being ascended a loop won’t get stuck to a branch
