Nice of you to say! I definitely try to have fun out there ... not hard when working the trees :)

You've got me figured out man! I roll solo and get it done by hand ... love it that way and really enjoy it, but the scheduling and timing of everything can drive me nuts sometimes. Good to hear I'm not alone in keeping it simple!

Haha excellent

There is a lot of pressure in the industry to roll with a crew, chipper, chip truck, skid or mini-skid, etc. It's important to see options, I think. Good luck!

@@metaspencer you do a great job, so you must be doing something right 👍 keep up these great vids and you have a good sense of humor that sneaks in. Good stuff

Thanks! It’s a work in progress

haha! had to be done :)

That sounds like a rugged job -- but good to get it done!

That sounds pretty exciting man! Just nurture that business along and I bet you'll be amazed how good it gets. I know what you mean about hiring help: you've gotta have steady work for them, day-in and day-out ... that kind of a work flow can take some time to build up. I have a bunch of different rigging ropes for different situations: a huge 200'er that's 3/4" for pulling big trees. Then some 1/2" and thinner lines that are everywhere from 100' down to 25' ... I try not to go up with rope that's too long or short for the job, as it's just a pain to work with.

Thanks for checking it out, buddy

Another solo tree dude! If you search my channel for "solo rigging" you should find some other vids on the system. I don't have a dedicated video on it yet but I should make one. The basics: a long enough line to go twice the distance (or more) to the ground, some slings, and either crotch friction or something like a figure 8 (or mini portawrap). With the end of the line secured in a nearby/accessible location you should be able to establish your loop too the sling. Small pieces until you get a very good handle on it! Definitely takes practice and can get dicey ... small pieces! hang in man

@@metaspencer thank you very much for taking the time to respond. I’ll be going through your videos for sure. Thanks again, I really appreciate it. And yes, low and slow. Be safe, take care.

I would love to see an in depth video on your solo rigging set up!

It’s on the to-do list :)

I'm thinking about that muffler hack as I like that little saw! light, small, and starts up quick. Good hearing from ya man

@@metaspencer if you really want to make it great...monkeybeaver.com sells a 1/4 pitch conversion kit😳( probably available other places to).....140.00....

@@InDisTREETV Those look so sweeeeeet

Haha ... hey, it’s cool to see ya bouncing around the channel ... big smile

You got this man! Go for it!

@@metaspencer I'm doing it. I bought the equipment. I've got a year of living expenses saved up. I'm going to get the paper work together and take the leap.

Exciting! It’s gonna go great

How’d it go Will?

I hope he responds because it’s a good story

Hey, we're competing for that MT100! I've been calling dealers for months and can't get one ... good to hear I'm not alone. Good to get it done solo :)

Thanks. Yeah, slow going working solo, but rewarding

Thanks for checking it out! :)

A tractor in that situation is so valuable. Sounds like a great project

Thanks for checking out the videos. My slings are all DIY: tubular webbing and biners ... I use beefy steel biners for the bigger stuff. If you're gonna sew up a batch, just make sure you're using thread that's rated for climbing

@@metaspencer Thank you for taking the time to explain to me the correct way! 👍👍🤘🤘

Did four loads: two of branches, two of firewood

Those tower videos are wild! Thanks for checking it out

I use what I call a solo rigging technique ... if you search KZfaq for "metaspencer solo rigging" you'll see a lot of my videos on it and several others. Basically it's all about creating a retrievable line for lowering. You need a secure tie in point and clear sense that the piece isn't gonna smash into you

That job was a while back so it's kind of hard to remember, but I think it took a day or two to take down and as long to clean up. The clean up is always the slow part. This week I removed two mature ash trees solo (back yard) and it took 4 full lonnnng days.

Appreciate the reply , thanks !

haha! explicit content!

Thanks!

Yeah I’d fire my ground guy, but then I’d be out of work. :) my tractor is a 1964 so it’d probably break down on site. Haha

@@metaspencer . Its always fun to climb and cut stuff. Then u hotta deal with the mess usually. I end up chipping most of the stuff i cut. Got a small pto chipper on my tractor. Great for backyards and stuff. I would luv to have a dump trailer again tho. Especially a green one like that. I had a 1980 chevy that color..

If you check out a few of my other videos with the solo rigging setup, you'll see that I do it differently in different situations. If you want a lot of control and order you can use a rescue 8 or small portawrap to control the lowering. But as you probably know a simple wrap can work on smaller stuff

You said it man -- lots of ways to get it done and that cleanup is what takes all the time. Thanks for the insights

That Rope Runner is great! It's a bit finicky with different ropes, but very nice to work with

Another solo dude!

Sounds like you made some good decisions there man

@@metaspencer and a lot of bad ones gett9ng older but my body is way older .waz real bad sinner and partyer,when waz younger so tore my body up.and worked to hard .. thanks

That short black rope is this one but I wouldn't recommend it: it's kind of stiff and definitely sketchy for life support. Anyway, here's the link: amzn.to/3aggUEL it's 12mm

I definitely underestimated the number of loads that one would take, and it's been a while, but I think it was 2 loads of brush and one of logs ... if memory serves. F'un climb tho! I had a few people I could call for help at that point ... great to have!

Oh boy, now there's a story! the 194t got snagged in a big leaner and went dowwwwwwn to the ground. broke off the handle assembly and cracked a few other things. So yeah, echo was on backup that day. I replaced the stihl's handle assembly but it still has some kind of fuel leak I haven't sorted out. so yeah, that baby is still sitting on the bench awaiting some TLC

I actually broke the handle on the Stihl in the middle of the job. Bummer. It was definitely the right saw for that maple

Man, that question really gets me thinking. It could be possible, but it would be incredibly hard and even more sketchy in many spots. On the final trunk, for instance, not having spurs would mean running long slings for footing. I wouldn't attempt it

@@metaspencer Thanks Spencer. For now I'll have to concentrate more on pruning jobs. Next week my climbing kit will be fairly complete with the basics. I'll be starting low and slow climbing into my own trees. Hopefully I've got what it takes to learn MRS. Safe climbing brother.

Hey man -- I haven't explained too much about why I roll solo on the channel, so appreciate your question and perspective. I totally see what you mean: another person can make things faster, more efficient, sometimes even better (rigging with coordination vs. rigging alone), and even be fun. I've worked on a bunch of crews and teams over the years, and when the groups were good it was not only efficient but enjoyable and a great learning experience for everyone. Of course, there can be a flip side: that other person can put you at risk, work at half-pace, screw up, rip ya off, not show up at all, etc. While I occasionally get help on the ground (you can see it in a few of my videos) I prefer to roll solo because it's simple, challenging, super flexible, and most of all because I enjoy doing a lot of things single-handedly. I like the problem solving that goes into thinking through how to accomplish a job alone. I guess it's just a perspective or disposition or something like that. Sure I turn away some jobs because of it, but I get more than enough work with my lean operation. I'm not sure how the money would work out one way vs. another, but I don't think adding staff would be important to me financially. With all that said if the same person came along I'd totally consider reshaping the business, and there's a chance that our oldest son will join the biz at some point ... so I'm not vehemently and 100% determined to always roll solo. It's just how I do it at the moment ...

@@metaspencer that's makes sense like I said iv done jobs alone an get it done totally fine so I get were your coming from. There a few companies around my area who like talk crap cause I work alone and they have all the fancy toys an im just me lol but I like to say ya u guys might get alot more done in a day but whats your over head they have make 1200 before they start making any money. But I guess iv ben lucky with the couple guys I work with they all work hard an no how run ropes an saws so when I do work with them it normally works out in my favor for the amount that gets done. Sometime I get tired of dealing with brush as well lol so to have most of that part done by the time I hit the ground is worth every penny lol. Even lifting an moving wood can be alot easier with 2 guys I do firewood so inless I got logs an enough for the log truck to come out then I'm cuttingg it all up to firewood an wet wood can be heavy lol yeah there are ways to do it alone but my back thanks me when I 2 man those larger chunks lol. One day il I a mini or something like ditch witch kinda thing an a chipper then labor won't be so bad but for now it is what it is. Sometimes I also have a buddy who also own a tree company who has a good size chipper so il bring him on larger jobs I don't mind stacking an chopping brush actually iv got a good system down now lol I cut it so much it basically chipped lol but when he can eat all that brush in no time it worth it . Anyway stay safe thank u for posting

@@scotttam7491 Sounds like you have some good systems and are gettin' it DONE out there. Good stuff man

@@metaspencer it's never as good as it sounds lol . Lots of hard work just like u. I try to deligate stuff on bigger projects. Then there are days I'm just a contract climber as well even tho I don't make the same money as I can on my own work it's nice to just show up take the tree down an leave .we'll most the time I'll help on the ground if needed or if I knock it out quick im not one of those guys lol. I'm small time tho just trying to grow an have a little something before I can't do this work anymore cause let's be honest being a climber isn't a old man game. It beats up body an we put are self into dangerous positions everyday. Did you know someone dies every 3 days in the tree industry. That's a scary fact. I know personally iv climbed some trees that I thought were solid only to find a hollow spot in the main trunk after rigging off it all Day. My heart dropped an I got sick feeling come over me when I cut into that spar an saw it was hollow I never new. I was 60 ft above that spot taken good size chunks thinking oh it oak an solid ofcourse it can't the weight. Stay safe out there thanks for responding btw

Yeah, healthy cool tree. I hear ya

Thanks for checking out my stuff! I'm out in NY State these days working the Eastern forests ... moved around quite a bit tho.

@@metaspencer no problem man. You got a new subscriber. Lol and I was hoping you was an Oklahoma boy 😂😂

@@opietaylor5778 My son lived out there but I've only visited

@@metaspencer I would say it’s the greatest place on earth but that’d make me a liar. You ever come come again maybe you could teach me some things.

@@metaspencer i meant that in a non-sexual manner

In the U.S. we do what we want ... How about where you are?

@@metaspencer I live in Sweden, I don't think it's a problem if it's the boss that climbing alone, but if you have employee then it's a problem if they climb alone.

@@nicolaisvlog8701 Makes sense

This job was in Illinois ... I'm currently based out East

Jesus. For the same price, you could just SAY the state..

yeah you said it: just soooo much wood up there

You said it man ... sooooo much wood up in there

@@metaspencer pair tree s as well.i always under bid the brush amount ..it's insane. I just have 12ft trailer no dump so brush is my enemy..thanks

It was one of those things where the house had been damaged by a large tree so the homeowners were trying to avoid future damage. yeah, always a bummer to see a good tree go

haha ... exactly!

Yeah, good idea