Cabling question for Ohio Champ American Basswood

flashover604

flashover604

TreeHouser
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Lancaster Ohio
Hi all. I have a quick question. The owners of the Ohio American Basswood champ have given a group of us permission to climb it. It was cabled several years ago but the three cables have come loose. I don't know if they drilled through the trunks or used lag bolts. It has a split in the trunk starting at the crotch of the two trunks and going almost all the way to the ground. What would you guys recommend? Is there anything that can be done or is it pretty much done?

It's 108' tall, 217" circ and 79' crown. 345 points currently I believe. Hopefully it'll last a few more years. I'll try to post pics.
 
I really like Riguy quick and simple. If it's split brace rods are about your only bet and all of that accompanied with crown redux/thinning.
 
One inch rodding in a vertical staggered formation, as well as through bolt cabling has worked well for me on split fat boys.

But six foot long drill bits capable of punching a hole through that bad boy are hard to come by since Dick Miller passed away. IME it takes a big electric 3/4 inch drill to actually accomplish, and is extremely dangerous to even attempt unless you are braced and ready for leg and arm breaking torque strong enough to spin you in circles!

Not the sorta cabling n rodding job to learn hard lessons on.

Hire an old school pro to do it right if it's an historic tree for goodness sake.

Oh, and IMO Rigguy cabling systems n hardware sucks.

Do it right mate!

Jomo
 
I just googled Ohio champion basswood and this came up. Lime tree/linden in UK tilleul/lindebaum french /Dutch is this it?
 

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Not sure a split trunk requires rodding, when cabling restricts torsion enough. ANSI and the BMP are way overzealous imo and don't adequately consider biodynamics.

Through cabling with terminal fasteners is the way to go.

Find an old school installer hahahaha News Flash Jon---they are all ancient, or like you and me are knockin on that door!

O and btw you ARE getting paid for this right? Frikn voluntarism can bankrupt your aspirations for comfort.
 
This job's right up your alley Guy, historic tree in sore need of preservation?

So agree on a daily rate plus travel n accommodations, and get her done Johnny reb!

A little TLC and she's good for a few more centuries!

Jomo
 
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  • #10
La becasse said:
I just googled Ohio champion basswood and this came up. Lime tree/linden in UK tilleul/lindebaum french /Dutch is this it?
Click to expand...


Yes sir, that's the one. Still working on uploading pics. I'm guessing it's a "host them somewhere and link" scenario?

As for the drill bit, I agree. It'd be a big rascal, that's for sure!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
treelooker said:
O and btw you ARE getting paid for this right? Frikn voluntarism can bankrupt your aspirations for comfort.
Click to expand...

I'm not doing any work other than looking up some info. I just got permission so my friends could climb it. I'm working on a fear of heights, so I wouldn't have gotten within fifty feet of the top. None of them are professional arborists, so I decided to look into it for the owners. They paid $700 for three cables two years ago and all three are hanging limp in the tree. The one I could see best looked like they used a wrap on one end with out a thimble and it wore through the wrap. (By WRAP I mean the U shaped piece that is basically one half side is wrapped around the cable, threaded through the eye of the bolt then the other half is wrapped around the cable in the voids left by the first wrap).

I'm a phone man. I don't do much work above 20'! (My coworkers will tell you that I don't do much BELOW 20' either.)

Bunch of liars, that lot...
 
$700 for substandard work--that crew should be invited back to do it right n/c!
 
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  • #15
The owner agrees, but doesn't want them back in the tree. The way he sees it, if they couldn't do it right the first time, they probably wouldn't do it right the second time. He'd rather pay someone else to do it right. I'd do it if I had any idea what I was doing, but I don't. Plus, those cables are pretty high. I'd be shaking like a poodle poopin' peach pits. You guys that walk where the squirrels dance don't know how bad I'd love to be able to do that...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #16
ValleyArborist said:
From the description it is hard to tell exactly what is going on, but bottom line, not installed correctly.
Click to expand...

Valley, this tree has a single trunk up to around ten feet high then it splits into two large trunks. Where these split off of the main trunk there is a split on each side going almost to the ground. The previous tree guys placed three cables. I'd guess 50', 60' and 75-80' high. All three have come loose. The split in the trunk has widened an inch or two since last year. From the ground I can't tell if through bolts were used to anchor the cable or lags. I can see one end of the lowest cable and the terminating loop doesn't look broken, so it either somehow broke the anchor, they used an open type of anchor, and it slipped off, or the loop is broken and I just can't see it.
 
Well worth rodding n cabling Flash.

But professionally this time!

Have the owner call Bartlett Tree.

Tilia's can live thousands of years!

Jomo
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #21
Thanks Jomo, I'll have them get ahold of them. Out of curiosity, does anyone have a ballpark what it might cost to have the three cables replaced? I understand that there are variables involved, and every job is different, but are we talking several thousand dollars? I Have zero experience in any kind of tree work other having people tell me how much it cost to have trees felled.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #23
Good to know. I think they're a little gun-shy after the $700 fiasco. I'll send them Bartletts number and let them do what they will. It's not my tree, but it's a pretty cool one to have ten minutes from my house. Having permission to climb it is pretty cool too!
 
2-3 hundred per cable or rod's the norm round here Flash.

So 3 rods n 3 cables'd be about 12-18 hundred bucks.

Keep us updated on the tree's fate mate?

Jomo
 
http://www.nativetreesociety.org/species/sp_threads/basswood_longevity.htm

Jomo said:
...Tilia's can live thousands of years!...
Click to expand...

Beautiful tree and well worth preserving. I have had very good results with the Rigguy cabling system, especially on upright and relatively short span length cables as this tree would have.
The American basswood, Tilia americana, is not an exceptionally long-lived species compared to its European cousins. And even those the long lives are not attributed to a singular, above-ground component, but instead is due to its ability for regrowth.
 
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