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Climbing spike slipped on wet oak, took out my bucket truck mirror
Tuesday morning, we had a light rain come through right before a removal job in Maplewood. The tree was a 60 foot red oak with heavy lean, and I decided to spike up instead of waiting for the ground to dry. About 20 feet up, my left spike lost grip on the wet bark and I swung hard into the bucket truck arm. Leg slammed the mirror housing, cracked it clean off the bracket. Cost me $180 for a used replacement and a bruised shin the size of a softball. My ground guy laughed and said "at least you didn't drop the saw." I've been climbing slick trees for 8 years and never had a spike walk like that. The bark was smooth near a old wound, that part I missed checking. Has anyone else had a spike fail on wet wood? What do you do different when the forecast flips mid-job?
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lily_torres311mo ago
And that old wound is exactly the thing that gets you, they can look dry from the ground but hold moisture for days after a rain. I started carrying a small wire brush on my saddle and I give the bark a quick scrub right before I spike, especially near any scars or cracks. Takes an extra 30 seconds but beats paying for a mirror with your shin.
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