Protective gear

[cbla]

What I love about my Husqvarna technical helmet is the screen. The mesh is finer than any helmet I've used in the past. I often reach to flip it down only to find that it's already down!


  

 

I will second that. Love mine!

[HolmenTree]

What I love about my Husqvarna technical helmet is the screen. The mesh is finer than any helmet I've used in the past. I often reach to flip it down only to find that it's already down!

I second that!
The screen swings up so that it out of your way and you have a clear sight, even that's not much difference from when having it down. The mech is thin really thin and the weight og the screen i so that the helmet is very balanced when wearing it.

I wrote to Husqvarna Sweden and asked them why the helmet is not available in the US so now it just wait and see what they answer.

I like to try this new screen to see if it clears the line of vision when up.
Now I wasn't talking about the screen mesh no matter how fine it is. I was referring to the  black bottom edge that distracts my vision.

[DeerMeadowFarm]

DeerMeadowFarm - is that the Arborist Technical Helmet or the Forest Technical Helmet in your photos?

It's the forest one John.

[John Vander]

Was working in deep snow. A branch from an oak that came down missed my helmet and hit me on the left shoulder...

[OddInTheForrest]

Hello, and greetings from Norway.

As far as protective stuff go:

Always wear Stihl`s Comfort pants, best thing I`ve ever gotten.
Signal coloured jacket
Mountaineering boots (Has to do with terrain mostly)
Moulded Earplugs (One of the benefits of working on offshore boats, you can bring some fancy PPE home with you)
Then depending on weather and terrain, glasses, helmet and other stuff like that.

If we`re busy winching/Skylining logs out/up/down, I also wear my protective pant. Just so I dont find myself in a situation where "I was just doing this small thing" and things go pearshaped, and you cut yourself.

Has been working well for the last seasons of landclearing/firewoodmaking.

Also use 2-way radios when working with winching etc, as we are often felling and winching at the same time, then working with 1 guy felling, and 2 guys working the winch line, 1 in either end. At least feels safer beeing in the pulling end of the winch, when I know I can communicate via a radio to my 2 guys working up in the hill.

Also  read the good tip of manuall sharpening in this thread. And I absolutely agree.
We normally run 1 tank of fuel, then refuel, sharpen, and take the 3 minuttes it take you to have a cigarette and check on each other. May not be as productive all the time, but safety is a major concern when you`re working in a "hard to reach" area.

best regards
Odd

[ppine]

Protective equipment needs to be a habit.   I was taking out some old aspens in my mother-in-laws yard a few years ago.  I wore all the regular stuff I would use in the woods.  The neighbor comes out from across the street and says "what do you need all of that protective equipment for?"  "You have never worked in the woods have you?"  Then I started my saw. 

[thecfarm]

This is just chaps,but a lesson to me and all.

http://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=98807.0

[lxskllr]

There's been a couple times I setup to climb and thought "Do I really need chaps on", and I end up putting them on so I don't have to come here and tell you all what an idiot I am  :^D  My thinking is just about all the cuts are chest level, and a good bit of those are horizontal, so leg protection isn't quite as necessary as on the ground, but still... If I ended up screwing up, hanging in a tree isn't a good place for it. Better to be a bit hotter than I'd like for some insurance.

[HolmenTree]

I'm thankful I wear kevlar pants up in a tree. A few years ago my T536 LiXP battery saw took out 3 layers of kevlar out of my left pant leg.
Luckily there was a few layers left to spare.


 

[lxskllr]

Good sanity check Willard. If you can cut yourself, I certainly can.

[HolmenTree]

Those battery saws may seem small in your hands, but don't anyone let that fool you. They have an amazing amount of torque.

[John Mc]

Those battery saws may seem small in your hands, but don't anyone let that fool you. They have an amazing amount of torque.

Which is one of the reasons most chaps are not rated for use with electric chainsaws

[realzed]

What I love about my Husqvarna technical helmet is the screen. The mesh is finer than any helmet I've used in the past. I often reach to flip it down only to find that it's already down!

I like to try this new screen to see if it clears the line of vision when up.
Now I wasn't talking about the screen mesh no matter how fine it is. I was referring to the  black bottom edge that distracts my vision.

I've found that not only is the screen completely out of sight when up - but also the bottom and side frame edges are not at all in my field of view when the screen is down.. and I virtually forget its even there.
In fact the screen actually ends up so invisible to me when down, that I too often forget about it and I reach often to wipe my face off only to bump into it without realizing it is there.. or forget often to pull it down because I don't notice much if any difference when I'm busy, between having it up or down - its that unobtrusive.
Only issue I've found when it is up, is that it is easy to forget it is up and I don't duck sufficiently when dodging a branch or limb because it, like any other screen or shield,  does take up some room above the field of vision on top of the helmet itself..
I have on a few occasions managed to get some dust in my mouth and in an effort to spit it out - find it hanging in front of me on the mesh reminding me of it actually being there and down.. so maybe that says it all!
The duck bill optional and removable visor you show added on yours DEER actually increases the screen's ability to get hung up when in the 'up' position in dense bush - but while easily removable, it probably sheds water away from the screen when working in rain or snowy weather - so the option of putting up with that issue is one's own choice depending on the usage and conditions.

[John Mc]

... regular boots I have never liked steel toes for a lot of reasons and I have had foot placement and awareness drilled into me from a variety of vocations.I can see the Kevlars but I don't want to try to move around with  Mickey Mouse feet.

If you are interested in comfortable chainsaw cut protection boots (which are NOT the same thing as steel toed work boots), you should try on a pair of Haix XR200 boots. They are as comfortable as any pair of hiking boots I've ever owned (and I've owned a lot of them) and are rated for chainsaw cut protection.

HAIX also makes their Protector Prime boots, which have upgraded cut protection. I tried them on: they fit my foot well, but they were just too tall to be comfortable for me (9" uppers), so I went with the XR200 model (7" uppers). I do like the tread pattern on the soles of the Prime better (I've had hiking boots with patterns identical or very similar to both styles).

Since I bought mine, HAIX came out with the Protector Ultra model. These have the upgraded cut protection and same tread pattern, like the Prime. They have 8" uppers. When I wear my current boots out, I'll at least try a pair of these on to see how I like them.

Years ago, I had some Jonsered rubber chainsaw protective boots. I could not stand to wear them, so ended up just using my hiking boots. I changed my mind when the County Forester in my area almost lost his foot in a chainsaw accident. He is a lot more experienced than most chainsaw users in my area, and has never been one of these macho guys who thought they were tough/expert enough to skip the PPE. For whatever reason, true chainsaw protective footwear has never been all that popular around here (though a fair number of folks do wear their steel toed work boots). I figured if it can happen to him, it can happen to me, and my reflexes, sure footedness and endurance aren't getting better as I age. So I made the effort to find myself something I would actually wear when working in the woods.

[hacknstack]

I wear a pair of the HAIX Protector Ultra boots - they are heavy and a little bulky but I feel the tradeoff is worth the protection they offer.  They also come in wide widths, although the European "wide" last is not quite as wide as I like but they were pretty comfortable right away and are getting better with time.  Since I'm not a professional and don't wear them every day the total break-in will take some time.  Don't be put off by the garish colors - they are much different in real life, the lime color is more like an olive green.  I'm also a big fan of the Pacific R5 helmet with added Peltor screen/ear muff kit - very secure and comfortable.