How would you remove these Trees?

rfwoody

Treehouser
Joined
Jun 1, 2017
Messages
800
Location
North Mississippi
Recently had a chance to bid on a tree removal job -- 3 smallish trees....
but I passed on it because:

* two of them were too risky: the were dead and/or rotten too near the house
* one was in a confined space in a small front yard.

Would anyone care to comment about how you would have gone about removing them?
(and, if you like, give a ballpark estimate of what you would charge?)



Below are the pictures.



(note: on a couple of them the branches turned out dark and I highlighted the ends with white so they would stand out).

TREE #1 (not sure what kind but I guessed a Silver Maple)
* This tree was dead and rotten with fan shaped fungus type growths all over the trunk.
* The trunk sounded pretty hollow or rotten all the way around.
* The tree was well within reach of the house next to it.
Southaven_back1_edited.jpg
Southaven_back2_edited.jpg

TREE #2 (Silver Maple?)
* This tree was about half dead as you can see from the leaves.
* The tall limb next to the house is well within range to hit the picture window if the limb or tree falls that way.
* The tree would go into the street some if felled that way.
* It sounded like there was some solid wood on the trunk... but also some punky and/or hollow too.
Southaven_Front1_edited.png
Southaven_Front2_edited.png

TREE #3 (Silver Maple 95% sure)
* This tree was living but unhealthy and maybe had some dead limbs (the ones without leaves)... but not too rotten like the other 2 trees.
* If felled as is, this tree would fall into the neighbor's yards on each side or about halfway into the street.
Tudor_Tree1_edited.png
Tudor_Tree2_edited.png
Tudor_Tree3_edited.png

For all 3, my solution would be to use a bucket truck (which I don't have) or an aerial lift (which I could rent) to dismantle all 3 down to a manageable stem....OR... for the 2 with some life (#2 and #3).... I suppose with a pole (chain) saw with 2 people, one could cut from the ground and the other could pull the limbs with an attached rope into a good/better position for them to fall.

I was thinking I would charge $800 - $1000 per tree if I was going to do it.

Any comments are MUCH appreciated.
 
Hard saying, but looks like all three could be felled from ground or maybe high stumped. Third one set pull line in leader over pink flower bush and cut towards driveway-road corner. Just my $.02
 
Those look about as easy as they get. You're always going to have some obstacles but those all have tons of working room. None of those should take more than 15 minutes to put on the ground.
 
Don't put stuff in the street during rush hour.

Streets are tough. Driveways less tough. Sidewalks, least tough.

If you're going to dump stuff in the street, consider the neighbors, neighborhood, traffic, bus route, municipal finickiness. alternate emergency access, time it will take to fully clear enough room for a fire truck to come through full speed (unlikely), and a passenger car at normal speed.




I think bucketing down material can make it easier to process in some situations. All brush first, clean-up, then dump the wood. Takes out some of the risk. Learn about bucket use and proper harness/ lanyards. ISA has a publication available for purchase, I'd bet.
 
The tree over the pink bush looks hard to keep within the property boundaries, if felled in three parts. Hard to tell from pictures. Seems like Right-Angle retainer lines could help get them in the street accurately, if hinge wood is suspect. Takes accurate shooting.


A mail box will sometimes slip out of the hole in the ground. Don't cave the sides/ top of the hole in, or it won't go back down properly. Can sometimes open up the drop zone.
 
Those look about as easy as they get. You're always going to have some obstacles but those all have tons of working room. None of those should take more than 15 minutes to put on the ground.

Yes, looks like a doddle (if you have a helper)
 
Neighbors are happy to work with you if talked to in the right way. They have been wanting those trees done/down every day of the last three years - or whatever the exact time frame is.

Between power polesaw, a tag line and ground person, and worst case a power polesaw and orchard ladder cutting smaller pieces those are eminently doable. Single cut and pull rope looks like it would be pretty tempting. Two pitchforks, two rakes, blower ready to clear the street.
 
On a side note , when I look at bidding work like that 100% of the time they have had several bids in the past and didn't go for one or someone said they'd do it and didn't. (If I'm low bid I have failed IMO)
 
In case you don't know this, Robert, beware of included bark crotches. The seam between the sets of wood fibers extends well below where it usually appears to be, by what the bark shows. Cut above, or consider strapping/ chaining the two sides together, if critical.


Any plants on the base or truck can hide defects.

Inspecting the root collar helps.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13
Thanks All!

Sean -- Thanks!
* It appears I can rent a 35' towable boom lift for ~$300 a day. The only problem with this is that it is non-mobile other than via the truck hitch so I have to position it and work from one spot, but I believe each tree could be done with a single positioning per tree.
* Thanks for the insights and info on methods to use and concerns to be aware of.
* I'll check ISA for safety and operational info on aerial lifts.
* That 3rd tree next to the pink bush, I trust the hinge wood (almost) 100% ... if not for the cramped space it would be easy.
* Great into about the mailbox.

ruel/Sean -- Good perspective. I don't have enough experience/confidence in dead/rotten/punky trunks to know what the first 2 might do... There is probably plenty of good wood there but it is all unknown to me.

Brian -- Good perspective.... so the dead/rotten/punky trunk close to the house wouldn't concern you? ... or rather you would somehow easily overcome it?

Flushcut -- So same as above? Not concerned about unpredictability of hingewood, etc.?

Butch -- Thanks. takeaway principle... open up drop zone!

Mick! -- Again, helps put these in perspective... but no concern over unpredictable hinge?

Merle -- Thanks. Great ideas/reminders about the neighbors. Maybe I need to look into getting a power polesaw and an orchard ladder. Yeah, poised for immediate/quick cleanup of street sounds good.

Alsissimus -- Interesting point. I want to bid an amount I won't be regretting halfway into the job.


FYI... If my friend didn't need the 3rd one (by the pink bush) done in next 1 or 2 days, I might reconsider that one and try to figure out a way, but it takes me some time to mentally rev up and get in the right frame of mind and organization for something like that. A symptom of laziness no doubt.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14
In case you don't know this, Robert, beware of included bark crotches. The seam between the sets of wood fibers extends well below where it usually appears to be, by what the bark shows. Cut above, or consider strapping/ chaining the two sides together, if critical.


Any plants on the base or truck can hide defects.

Inspecting the root collar helps.

Thanks Sean. I've been trying to learn about these things like included bark at branch unions, etc.
Yeah, that 3rd one would be a main candidate for that, as well as not being fooled by any defects/evidence hidden by all that other plant growth around the trunk and the root collar. I actually hadn't thought of any of these... Thanks!
 
That third one is a good experience builder. Basically, easy.

$300 a day for a 30' is way expensive. Keep looking. Easier than climbing. Try to put the material on the ground at one job, move to the next job, if cost effective, and return the lift. Take your time to clean-up.

With a lift, having a way to hang you saw between cuts is nice. Don't solidly attach the saw to the bucket.

Fly it from ground controls and inspect before getting in.



A cordless drill and long bit helps suss things out at the bid, and before cutting.

Boring in with your saw bar horizontal, tip to powerhead, and upright (plane of bar is vertical), will tell you a lot with minimal strength loss, before felling/ climbing/ rigging off it. I will usually bore in perpendicular to the facecut, and check the wood at the corners, sounding with an ax, or use the drill.
 
You should be able to TCOB from one set-up.

If you can't find a safe way to secure your saw just wear your saddle. You need to be lanyard in, anyway.
 
Robert don't second guess or belittle your process. It's unique to you and it's there for a reason. Blowing past it or letting someone else talk you into doing the same will only ever be at your own peril.

The human mind takes into account literally billions of bits of info each instant. You can't do a very good job of describing it even if you try but, you can respect it, honor it, and let it work for you.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19
Thanks All!

Sean -- Thanks for ALL the great detailed tips and info. I have heard about boring in vertical with the tip of the bar, but was never 100% confident that it was a safe technique (not compromising the trunk somehow). It is good to know that you use this technique.

Butch -- Thanks. Good idea. I still haven't gotten a saddle, but I'm supposing a full body harness would come with the aerial lift rental.

Sam -- I appreciate your knowledgeable perspective.

Merle -- Thanks for the good info. Yeah, I am just trying to digest everything and make it my own, so to speak. Was it you, Merle, or somebody else I was reading here about a case where the boss insisted he do some positioning in a tree, etc. the bosses way instead of the way he was comfortable with and it almost caused him a serious accident.

Thanks.
 
I wonder what would happen if a chunk grabbed the saw, attached to the bucket or person, even with a breakaway. Can a portable lift stay upright with a sudden shockload (breakaway lanyards are pretty strong) on top of basket weight.

Don't most people use a bucket without a saw lanyard????
 
I took down 3 honey locusts that were in bad shape this past weekend. Long story but ended up renting a tow behind lift. I use the orange tree stuff lanyard with the 2 plastic snaps. In the lift I use a cheap Walmart biner clipped to the basket and only use one of the plastic clips on the lanyard just for that same thought of a hangup. I think it would break if something bad went wrong.

Lifts are handy but they kinda freak me out. Maybe it's just the rentals that seem wore out with a lot of basket movement and sway in them. I donno I trust the trees more I guess.

I can rent that 50ft nifty for $360.00 for a weekend.

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Yuck and Ouch! These guys were locked and loaded. Tied in to one of the good trees and was spurring up another and gaffed out on a rotten spot and took about a 4 ft slide down. Without all the details....... rented a lift. Don't recall ever being this sore 😂
 
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