Cone gathering: The tree bicycle
The Swiss device was used for climbing straight and branch-free stems. Easy to transport and learn, quick and economical to operate, it was deemed particularly suitable for Scottish conditions.
Alternating feet by loosening and tightening the metal bands, the climber, safe in the care of an anchorman, ascends until he meets branches, wherupon, he trims them till he reaches cone bearing outshoots. He then parks, using security strops, and starts climbing spirally, laying a safety line as he rises.
Photo from Forestry Commission: Forest Record No 39. “Collection of Cones from Standing Trees” by D.T. Seal, B.Sc., published 1959. Lent by kind permission of the author.
Has anyone used a treebicycle in cone collection? Did it have a long lifespan? What did it replace, and what replaced it?
Groups: Tools, equipment and clothing