I took a bad fall in a cocos palm recently due to gaffing out. Been going up on just a lanyard for years. Gaffed both spikes out somehow and dropped 6m or so. I landed hard on a wooden fence and bruised my arse and thighs up bad. Hit my head/cheek against the trunk on impact but my helmet took some of the edge off. I always thought I would have time to lean back and gaff in if I slipped like this. I was at the bottom of the palm tree before I knew what happened. If it was a spiked fence it could have killed me or worse! Ever since I've been going up palms with a choked bowline above my lanyard it's painfuly slow but better than falling. This seems like a good system that will catch you in case of gaffing out. Thanks for sharing.
At 13:44 - 14:21, you say what is most important for this video. I was finally able to get past the spot that froze on the video, and I'm glad it finally started working again. Thank you for posting, and stay safe. Always keep a sharp chain, but a sharper brain.
Great video and demonstration but I strongly recommend setting a lifeline in the top first to weight test the tree when possible, too many climbers take a fall by spiking up the spar and having it break on them on the climb up.
The TreeSqueeze climbing tool is a game-changer for arborists! It offers enhanced safety and efficiency by providing constant fall protection while climbing, especially against slips and falls from gaff outs. Its adjustable design ensures a secure fit around the trunk, minimizing these risks. Plus, it's lightweight and easy to use, making it an essential tool for any climbing arborist. Highly recommend giving it a try for a safer and more productive climb! Keep climbing, keep growing, and keep shining bright, my friends! 🌳✨
Great review i just purchased for myself have queen palms that are getting to tall to trim safely with the ladder so I'll be learning how to use this device soon
I think a 2 n 1 till I make my cuts. I like how you can come down drt any time you need or want to as your advancing. Nice piece of equipment. An extra prusik on your lanyard improves work posistion.
I just uploaded the truth and a truthful video about my do-it-yourself tree squeeze and I love your video I think you give a lot of great information and I am the configurator of the truth of everything that has something to do with rope access on trees or anything height related
Positive I just rewatched it to make sure. Of course it doesn't help that I didn't get a good shot as I was tieing the knot. You did have me second guessing myself though. Thanks 👍
Quick question for you. I have a tree squeeze too and mine came with rubber spacers to keep everything together but when I need to adjust the size they get in the way. I see yours doesnt have the rubber spacers did you remove them?
So you can buy it from buckinghammfg.com which is the manufacturer of the device. You technically can install from ground since it has a smaller ring and a larger ring but i have only used it for spiking up the tree.
WOW dude thank you!!! You'd **think** that for $200, Buck woulda made them w/ a good 50kN 'biner on the hitch instead of a ring, thanks again I climb "2 system SRT" and use 2 "squeezers", one w/ each srt system, it lets you move in ways you never could've (and mine are, as - IMO - they should be, IE I made them like anyone makes a flipline, blows my mind how underutilized this amazingly-useful lanyard-configuration is because it's seen as a "specialty product", and companies are too scared of Buck's "pat pending" - which would never hold in court for a lanyard-configuration, lol - but nobody sells reasonably priced units and, for whatever reason, people don't see that they can just make their own for next-to-nothing and/or aren't realizing their value.....mine are stronger than OEM Buck squeezers, too, and better bend radius' since I use pairs of aluminum o-rings in the bent-rope body, and I use a 2-legged hitch on the other end, of Ice Tail, with each leg terminating in a 1/2" steel rope thimble, so crazy strong/bombproof, cheap, great bend radius, took
You don't have to have one but you definitely need a lanyard or second climbing line cause you will have to get past braches and stubs along the way. Once I make it up into the canopy then I just go with a rope saver cause it's easy to undo and advance as opposed to the tree squeeze.
Climbing line goes through the tree squeeze, small ring 1st, as well as a steel core lanyard, then you can repel at any point and retrieve from the ground. Tied in twice. Tree squeeze is not wire core
i just cut down a dead 50' pine using only the flip line and pole gaffs i bought used on ebay. couldnt afford anything else. Is the tree squeeze worth $200, and absolutely needed for an occasional felling?
As a climber and company owner. I would say yes it takes a little getting used to but it's a great product especially on the really tall palms which is what I use it for since if you fall from a tree you could catch yourself on a branch unlike palms
@@hoodpinproductions307 occasional felling, occasional fall. Yup. Worth doing it right if a mistake is life threatening. Being able to descend quickly is a great advantage... thanks.
Please don't take unnecessary risks. There are likely people that love you and depend on you, and it's not fair to either you or them if you aren't fully protecting yourself. Plus, even though I don't like speaking ill of the dead or injured, when someone does fall, it stacks data against those that take the proper precautions and can cause insurance, regulations, and oversight to dramatically increase. I realize that's a relatively selfish thing to say, but there is still a harsh reality to it. A terrible cycle happens: Those things increase many different costs that we in turn have to pass to the customer, further motivating the customer to try the job him/herself without the proper safety protocols, gear, training or experience, which leads to another accident stacking the data, which causes increased in insurance, regs, and oversights, increasing costs to tree service, passed to customer, who then decides to save money to try it himself, cutting corners, then fall... it goes on and on. Either do it right or find someone who will for you. Your life and our livelihoods depend on it.
