Finally switched from aluminum rope gaffs to a steel set after managing a maple removal in Bar Harbor last October. That tree had some thick bark and my old gaffs just kept skipping, almost put me on the ground twice. I was stubborn about the weight difference but honestly the steel bites better and I don't notice the extra pound after a few minutes. Has anyone else made the switch and had their climbing change that much?
I was taking down a big red oak over a shed in Arlington and my groundie kept fighting the rope on every cut. I remembered some guy at a workshop in 2019 showed me using a half hitch right above the load line to get better control, and man it worked perfect. No more rope burn or fighting the weight on the second cut. Has anyone else tried this on heavy leans or am I just late to the party?
Had a big property in Bellingham last month with some massive alders leaning down a 40 degree slope. Everyone told me to rent a mini skid steer, but I went with a chainsaw winch setup instead. It took me almost two full days to anchor and pull each log uphill, but I didn't tear up the ground or have to build any access roads. Has anyone else had luck with winches on steep terrain like that?
I was working a removal in a tight backyard in Portland. Big old oak, lots of decay at the base. I set my line up high, started chunking it down, and about halfway through a big limb swing back and snagged my rope bad. It cut the sheath clean through. I had to finish the job with a backup rope while the homeowner watched from her window. What made it stand out was just how fast it all went sideways. One minute I'm feeling good about the climb, the next I'm scrambling to get down safe. Has anyone else had a rope get wrecked mid-job like that?
I was counting removals on a pad for the last 2 years and my 1000th job was a 40 foot dead oak in someone's backyard that kept getting tangled in power lines. Took me 3 extra hours because a goat from the neighbor's property kept eating my rope coils. Has anyone else had a random animal mess up a major milestone job?
I was digging around a red maple I planted 3 years ago in my front yard in Columbus, Ohio. Noticed it was looking a bit sad last summer but I just chalked it up to the drought. I watched a YouTube video from an old arborist out of Oregon and he kept talking about how the root flare has to be visible above soil. So I dug down about 4 inches around the trunk and sure enough the root flare was buried deep. That tree was suffocating down there. I must have planted it wrong from the start. I spent last weekend carefully shaving off soil and mulch around the base. Has anyone else dealt with a tree you planted too deep? What happened when you fixed it?
I was out in St. Johns last spring helping a friend clear some overgrown branches and this couple in their 80s walked over and asked if I could take a look at their massive apple tree. They showed me how they'd been cutting back the same three limbs every year and wondered why the fruit was so small. Made me rethink how I talk to homeowners about crown thinning and whether I'm really explaining the why behind the cuts.
After a storm last spring knocked three big oaks out of my client's yard in Portland but left the firs standing, I started wondering if we just assume oaks are tougher than they really are because of how they look, has anyone else noticed oaks failing more often than people expect?
I was always using cheap pruning saws that dulled after a few cuts. Finally dropped $300 on a Silky Zubat 330mm saw from a dealer in Portland and took down a huge dead oak branch in my neighbor's yard Saturday morning. The thing cut through 12 inch wood like butter, no binding or fighting it. Anyone else find that spending real money on one good saw beats buying three cheap ones?
Had a homeowner in Boulder call me out last spring for butchering her old oak. She said I was leaving stubs and cutting too close to the branch collar, basically wounding the tree. I was always in a hurry to get the job done, thinking speed mattered more. She showed me a video from some arborist course and I realized she was right - my cuts were leaving the tree open to rot. Now I take my time with every cut, making sure I angle it right and don't leave any stubs. That one piece of feedback changed how I do every single tree I work on now. Anyone else had a customer teach them something important about their own work?
I was just marking my logbook after finishing a big oak in Medford and realized I hit 500 trees pruned since I started tracking. That number surprised me because I never thought I'd be doing this long enough to count that high. My first tree was a little crabapple in someone's backyard and I messed up the cuts pretty bad. Does anyone else keep a running count or am I just weird about tracking this stuff?
I always rented a standalone stump grinder for $200 a day. Figured the attachment was too expensive and I'd never get my money back. Then I had to grind 14 stumps on a job near Richmond last month. Rented grinder would have taken 3 days and cost me $600 plus lost time hauling it. The attachment paid for itself on that one job alone. Now I'm kicking myself for not buying it 2 years ago. Anyone else made the jump to a grinder attachment and found it worth it?
This guy in Denver came out and pointed at a big cottonwood I was thinning and said I wasn't taking enough off the top, just letting weak limbs stay. At first I argued my usual 25% rule, but he showed me how leaving more clearance actually let the tree handle wind better and I switched to 30% removal on tall trees. Has anyone else had a client call them out on something that actually made you rethink your method?
I saw a 60 foot oak get hacked back to 45 feet last week near Atlanta, and the owner thought it looked great. Has anyone else noticed arborists pushing reduction cuts when a simple thinning would keep the tree healthier and just as safe?
I was talking to an old timer named Bob at a job site last week, and he told me I was wrecking a maple by making cuts bigger than 4 inches across. I always thought flush cuts were fine if you seal them, but he showed me this tree he did 10 years ago with small cuts that healed clean while another guy's big cuts rotted out. Made me rethink everything I learned in my first year. Anyone else had a mentor call them out on something they thought was standard practice?
Last spring I figured I'd save some cash and bought a 150-foot dynamic rope off eBay for $400 instead of dropping $700 on a proper arborist line. Big mistake. First big climb with it, the sheath started slipping after about three hours of work on a massive red oak in Austin. I was hanging there feeling the core shift under my hands, and it scared the crap out of me. Had to rig a backup line just to get down safely, then tossed the whole thing in the trash. Now I stick with a decent brand like Teufelberger and pay the extra money because my neck ain't worth saving $300. Anyone else gotten burned by cheap gear on a job?
Was dropping a big limb from a mature red oak in Brookline and the hinge snapped way earlier than I planned. Had to scramble to get clear while it swung around and took out a section of fence. Anyone else had a hinge fail on them like that and figure out what caused it?
I was replacing my climbing line every 3 months on removals near Denver. Switched from a Michoacan to a Distel hitch and the wear dropped by half. Anyone else see big differences switching hitch types?
I climbed a 60 foot oak in Austin last month and found a hollow trunk full of termites and rot, but the homeowner swore I snapped the main trunk with my rope. Does anyone else deal with people who think dead trees are just 'resting'?
I planted 12 red maples last spring and this guy at the nursery told me to cut back on water after the first month. I thought he was nuts, trees need water right? Well I kept soaking them and three of them got root rot by August. Lost about $400 worth of trees and had to replant. Now I'm following his advice on the survivors and they look way better this season. Anyone else get burned by overwatering young trees or am I the only one who made that mistake?
Started with a 40 foot white pine near a garage in Rochester that had way more rot in the trunk than I spotted from the ground. Got it down safe but it took twice as long, then my chipper threw a belt 15 minutes into cleanup. Finished up at a customer's place with a dead maple over their shed, and my climbing line got pinched in a crotch so bad I had to cut myself free. Honestly it was one of those days where you question if you even know what you're doing. Anyone else have a week where everything just fought back?
I had a week in May where every single tree I climbed just worked out perfectly. No dead branches hiding in the canopy, no surprise rot in the trunks, and the weather held at 72 degrees for five straight days. But then last Tuesday I had a nightmare job on a big old oak where three limbs snapped off before I even got the ropes set right. Is it just me or do you either get a week full of easy trees or a week where everything fights back?
Was on a job in Richmond last Tuesday. Overheard a landscaper telling a new guy to "prune like you're drawing a clean line, not cutting randomly." Made me rethink my cuts. I started using that idea on a big oak. Focused on branch collar angles. Cut way cleaner, less stubs. Has anyone else got a weird mental trick for pruning cuts?
Saw him dig a planting hole with a spading fork instead of a sharp shovel and my mind went sideways, anyone else switch tools after a mentor showed you something?
I used to think pruning paint was a must for every oak cut I made. Then a forester in North Carolina told me I was actually trapping moisture and bacteria against the wound. He showed me how the paint can crack in the heat and create a perfect home for oak wilt fungus. I stopped using it on cuts under 6 inches after 3 months of watching painted cuts rot faster than unpainted ones. Now I only seal giant limb removals over 8 inches wide in winter. Has anyone else seen better healing without paint on their oak trees?