Making more work for myself. On purpose.

flashover604

TreeHouser
Joined
Sep 3, 2014
Messages
443
Location
Lancaster Ohio
Humor me...

I had a lady get ahold of me about removing a 35' pine tree along her fence row. She's got twelve in total. A couple have died and been cut down already over the years. The pine is still green in places and brown in others and she'd rather have a hole than look at the tree dying. I can just drop it and dispose of it on the ground, but I thought I'd climb it and dismantle it because I've never done a pine like that before. (I'm new here, remember?)

I've gotten into the habit of posting here before I do something safe and easy because in the past I've overlooked something or THINGS that could have easily killed me and I appreciate and respect the knowledge base here. Also, you guys aren't afraid to just tell me I'm an idiot for thinking about doing what I was thinking about doing.

I figure there are two ways to go about it. The first is just start at the bottom with a couple lanyards and work my way up removing branches as I come to them until I get close enough to the top to take the top off. I'm picturing Butch's "S'cause me..." shirt on a far smaller scale. I don't think I'll need to rig it down, just notch, cut, and push since there's nothing below to hurt.

The second way would be to throw a rope and basal anchor it and use the lanyard for a safety and positioning. Either way, it's climbing a tree. I think I can manage that. For the most part I think a handsaw will take care of most of the limbs.

I've got nothing else planned for the day and I won't be in a hurry. I won't be by myself. Is there anything you guys can think of that I'm not? It really seems pretty straight forward.

Famous last words...I know.
 
Is there a fence on this fence row?

You don't want to damage it?

If so, just toss it.

I never climb anything I can throw.
 
Only reason to climb it would be if you park your trailer underneath and stack the limbs in the trailer as you cut them. That way you don't have to handle them twice. If you're just going to make a mess on the ground to pick up afterward then you can do that without climbing.
 
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  • #4
No fence anymore. I'm honestly just wanting to do it to do it. More of a curiosity thing than anything else. If I do it where I can't tear anything up I'll have an idea what to plan for when it's next to a house or over a dogwood tree that grandpa planted fifty years ago...

I'm just getting a little more information about possible hazard that I'm not thinking about. It may be as easy as climb it and cut it. I wouldn't have known about half the hazards I know of now if I hadn't asked questions here.
 
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  • #6
I think I will. Where do you guys usually decide to cut the top? A certain diameter? Small enough to redirect by hand?
 
Climbing system and lanyard gives you the option for efficient 'Fall-Arrest' and emergency descent the whole time. I would bag my rope to avoid issues.

Different species and state of live/dead/ decay will affect how the limb wants to hold on.

Top-cut only with a handsaw, peeling the limb down to vertical on a strap of holding wood on the bottom (don't smash fingers!!!) before fully severing will reduce dynamic loading IF you have to handle the limb. Some species will peel. Others will pop.

If you can cut and push/ swing upon release, you can guide the limb into the landing zone with a small percentage of the effort of catching a falling limb.

Two loop runners and a biner can be super-useful, when needed. Hang the limb from the butt of the limb, or a limb above. Beware of a limb splitting, opening the sling's girth-hitch. For slings, a chainsaw or handsaw snap-cut is useful.

Sometimes a light pull to break and guide the limb with a handsaw is the easiest. Snap off a number of limbs with a handsaw, then two-hands are free to chainsaw the stub (toughest and longest cuts), no stubs.
 
If you can take the time as you want, not tightly tied by a bid, it's a good idea to climb it as a training and a learning session. You can find many points to look at closely, climbing, cutting, moving limbs, reactions of the wood, rigging (even if you don't have to)...
When I began, I wanted to climb everything in this purpose. Now, I'm more on the energy saving side and if I can work from the ground, I do.
 
You're making more work for yourself Zack but this will be a good one to learn on. Try to get all your butts facing the same direction. And try to do this with out one handing a chain saw. It's a good chance to check out that species reliability and what works and what doesn't.
 
Agreed , just be cautious with the top , lots of rooks get into trouble there. Better sure to have favor , keep climbing and keep it small at first. Plus the ride after the top is off takes getting used to as well.
 
The top is the most dangerous part. Nip off your sap wood or the bark tear will give you a good scare. Size of top is species dependent as well. If I remember right you're not a large fellow. Maybe 170-175. You can get away with more than someone who scales 250. Be careful Zack. Hope to see you in good shape at the expo this year.
 
You'll work it out when you get up there.

haha...Mick knows! When people ask how I'm going to take down a tree I'll usually tell them I'll know when I get to the top. Best laid plans usually change as one nears the top.

And when you said this:
I figure there are two ways to go about it. The first is just start at the bottom with a couple lanyards and work my way up removing branches as I come to them until I get close enough to the top to take the top off.

Take your climbing line with you, not just two lanyards. Climbing up on spurs is lots easier than down. Use the lifeline to come down. And if you do get hurt up there you don't want to have to spur down. It's called a life line for a reason.

Have fun. I do trees like that sometimes...good way to practice different techniques.
 
Use one lanyard, and an adjustable friction saver for your main line choked around the stem. Advance them as you go up.
I will sling my lanyard over a branch above me to get a comfortable position to sit in my harness, then cut the branches around, spike up a bit, throw the lanyard up a few whorls, cut the one it was on flip up my main line, cut more branches....repeat.
This way you are still sitting in your harness getting most of the weight off your feet, with just your lanyard on your side D's your feet can get pretty sore and tired standing on your spikes all the time.
I have two bridges on my harness so my lanyard can be attached at the front, I actually don't use my side D's much at all, but when stripping a stem using them gives you more sideways stability if you can't find something overhead to tie into.
Sometimes I will use three lines, a wire core on my D's for sideways stability and cut protection, my rope lanyard on one bridge for overhead, and my main line choked around the stem (adjustable friction saver or SRT) for safety bail out, and then for coming down.
 
When on spurs I use my HH on my climb line on my bridge with a biner on the end, and flip both lanyard and climbline up at the same time. Get to a suitable crotch set the HH up DdRT, no good crotch just choke it on the spar. Once I chunked down the top to where I will drop the spar I'll DdRT down on the HH and use the climb line to pull up a bull line if I need it.
 
I'm about the same.

I don't DdRT unless I'm heading down. I like knowing that no matter what, I can reach the ground in one shot if I'm cutting. I often climb on 120', so I can always reach. I'm planning on not getting hurt, but if I do, I'm planning on being on the ground, asap without worrying about resetting anything, or having a branch snag my "don't rappel off the end of my rope and die knot"/ or limbs on the pile of rope/ rope bag.

I try to take or pull up a pull-rope, and use a munter hitch on the pull rope attached to my bridge while maintaining full life-support with my spurs and loose flipline. Rappel on the munter with one hand, easily manage my flipline on the way down with the other.
 
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