My crane job

[Bermy]

This was my first BIG crane job, the day before Hurricane Bill came by. Probably not the slickest, but I got it done.

42" DBH Norfolk Pine, nearly 100' tall. I've done smaller ones with crane trucks and high lifts but this one was a monster...at least for here.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I see you're a fan of stubs!

 

[SkwerI]

Cool deal, Fiona.

The size doesn't matter so much. It's just like eating an elephant, you still do it one bite at a time.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Nice! That's a BIG Norfolk; around here there's mostly ornamentals.

So, is there a lot of work from that storm?

 

[Bermy]

Stubs, shmubs...i said it wasn't pretty...job done!

No work from the storm, it was just a bit of a blow, 85 knots, not much.

 

[pantheraba]

The 2nd picture really shows the size to me...a very STOUT tree, for sure. Good work, Bermy.

 

[No_Bivy]

Did you ride to remove all the limbs?

hey that cab over knuckle rig looks cool

 

[darkstar]

Did yall see those wedges at the base .
Nice

Did that crane have to be towed in ?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Good question. It looks like you drive it from the same seat as you operate the crane???

 

[lumberjack]

It's a rough terrain crane. They're nearly always towed to the site here in the states unless it's right down the road and no one is looking.

 

[Bermy]

Yes I rode the crane to remove the limbs, a lot of them were up to 20' long...

That crane is driven on the roads legally here, driven from the operators cab, just not allowed during rush hours.

The stump cut was fun, 42" with a 20" bar...European style, sink cut (wedge), bore through the back of the sink, fan out the middle, bore in on the right side and walk it around to the left, couple wedges to keep it all nice, crane pulled it over...about 3 tons worth.

 

[inztrees]

Nice work. Stubs or no stubs.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Never been lifted from the back like that, though I think it is the prescribed safest way. It seems like you'd feel less awkward with being connected through your middle attachment point of your harness, and nice to have the crane hook where you can see if it's running into limbs and stuff. Guess it's just what you are used to.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Wow, I didn't notice that.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Sorry, I was re-writing my post. On closer examination it seems like the attachment point is in the front. Hard to tell....

How are you attached to the sling, Bermy?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Looked she was just using the crane for a TIP from front side . I don't see a rear hook in.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Yeah, in the first picture it just looks like she is attached in the back, but the sling is going over her shoulder to her front.

 

[Bermy]

Ok, not quite sure what you mean...

I was attached above the ball, I put a shackle above it, then my friction saver through the shackle and tied in as usual, hitchclimber and VT to my bridge.

Once I got the sling around the tree for the first pick, I rappelled down to the cut position, lanyarded in, then detached from the crane. Tied my climb line for an additional tie in.
Once the pick was gone, I reattached the sling when it came back, spiked down and repeat.
After the third pick I reattached to my friction saver and rappelled down to the bottom, cut and the crane lowered what was left....

 

[Gord]

Nice work Bermy, those are really interesting looking trees. Just be careful with those stubs, they're hazard you really don't need.

Were all those limbs craned off?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Just be careful with those stubs, they're hazard you really don't need.

Yes, very much so - hence, my previous post.

 

[Bodean]

It's a rough terrain crane. They're nearly always towed to the site here in the states unless it's right down the road and no one is looking.

They Drive them through San Francisco all the time.

 

[High Scale]

Nice job and pictures, there are some truly monstrous Norfolk Pines in Australia, Manly, I seem to remember, lovely trees.

 

[stehansen]

They Drive them through San Francisco all the time.

I don't think they will travel at highway speeds.

 

[lumberjack]

Here they could move over the road as slow moving equipment up to 50 miles from their base.


I pulled up some specs quick like and the one I looked at topped out just under 25mph (Link Belt 75T). It's just under 11' wide, 49' long, and 12' 5" tall, base weight is 94.5klbs,

 

[Bermy]

Nice work Bermy, those are really interesting looking trees. Just be careful with those stubs, they're hazard you really don't need.

Were all those limbs craned off?

Yes, point taken with the stubs, I hear you all!...next time fellas, clean as a baby's butt!

The limbs were all crash and smash , By the time they hit the ground they had pretty much smashed all the little branches off and broken the needles off too, very brittle!
I had a bit of a hard time getting to some of them around the girth of the trunk, as I was attached to the ball and it was threading down between the limbs from the top...that's one of the reasons some of the stubs are so long...(nice excuse...)