paule53•18d agoProlific Poster

Switched from rope and saddle to a bucket truck for residential pruning and I can't believe I waited 4 years

I was always the guy who swore by climbing. Told myself buckets were for utility guys or lazy old timers. Then my buddy let me borrow his old Altec for a big live oak in a tight backyard over near Oakwood last spring. Did the whole job in 2 hours instead of 6. No fatigue, no ragged hands, and I could actually see the whole canopy clearly. My back thanked me for a week. Still climb for removals but for pruning I'm never going back. Anyone else have a tool they resisted forever that completely changed their workflow?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_drew18d ago

Took me three years of telling myself ropes were "more pure" before I finally admitted I just liked suffering (and my chiropractor's new boat).

rose_grant7818d ago

Oh man, I hit that same wall about a year and a half ago when I finally sold my old janky static ropes for a cheap set of dynamic ones. I used to swear up and down that static ropes built character and made you a "real" climber, but really I was just too stubborn to admit my back was killing me and I was scared of change. What worked for me was just taking a weekend trip with a buddy who had a full dynamic setup, and after one day of not feeling like a pretzel at the anchors, I never looked back. Now my chiropractor doesn't even know my name anymore, which feels like a win.

irisg5718d ago

My chiropractor actually asked me to bring a rope to a session once so he could figure out why my shoulders were so messed up. He took one look at my old dynamic rope and said "this thing is older than my kids, throw it away." That was the push I needed. Did you ever have someone just call you out on your gear, or did it take a whole trip to convince yourself? I think sometimes we need an outsider to say "dude, that's not hardcore, that's just worn out.