Climbing and Trimming Mexican fan palms

[Limbrat]

I have a customer with four of what appear to be Mexican fan palms in a back yard that he wants trimmed and I've never put a rope in a palm with spiked fronds. They look like they would do a number on a climbing rope and I'm looking for advice. I know you guys in California have a ton of them. I've thought of threading on a 10' piece of garden hose as a chafe guard but I'm sure you have better ideas.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Borrow someone's rope, lol.

I sure don't have an answer. We don't have those feckers here.

 

[Tucker943]

Uhhhhh, Im drawing a blank myself. Sounds miserable.

 

[Bermy]

We just had a thread on trimming palms, Washingtonias which have some nasty thorns. Try a search its fairly recent.

Spike up the sucker, throw your lanyard through/around several fronds so it doesn't pull out when you put weight on it.
Choker a friction saver below the head and have your primary climb line in it for rapelling down after.
I will sometimes substitute a wire core for a rope lanyard to go through the fronds because of proximity when you are cutting, and the thorns, I'll also sometimes use two lanyards so you can sit a bit not just be on spikes and side D's.

Silky saws cut palm fronds like butter, unless you have heaps to do its as easy as the chainsaw, quieter and a bit safer.

Could you post any pictures?

 

[Limbrat]

Thanks Bermy, I'll hunt that thread. I didn't want to spike them if I didn't have to, one of them has old frond remains from top to bottom. Were you volunteering to loan me a climbing rope Butch?

 

[Jake Andrews]

We just had a thread on trimming palms, Washingtonias which have some nasty thorns. Try a search its fairly recent.

Spike up the sucker, throw your lanyard through/around several fronds so it doesn't pull out when you put weight on it.
Choker a friction saver below the head and have your primary climb line in it for rapelling down after.
I will sometimes substitute a wire core for a rope lanyard to go through the fronds because of proximity when you are cutting, and the thorns, I'll also sometimes use two lanyards so you can sit a bit not just be on spikes and side D's.

Silky saws cut palm fronds like butter, unless you have heaps to do its as easy as the chainsaw, quieter and a bit safer.

Could you post any pictures?

What Bermy said. Only thing I'll add is put a ladder up ad far as you can before you start spurring.
Alternative (or my first choice) is to hire a MEWP, tower or cherry picker (not sure what you guys call them) if you have access.

I've Lso heArd of throwing a throw line over the whole top fronds and down the other side. Pull through a climbing line and attach a pulley on one end. Put a second climbing line through the pulley with your hitch (or whatever you use).
The end without the pulley and climbing line, pull this line too raise the pulley and climbing line too just below fronds. Base tie and climb the other end. Do half a tree then repeat the other side.

This is assuming there is little skirt on palm. If there is a lot of dead fronds, Be extremely careful.
I know of an instance when rows of fronds have collapsed and fallen onto the climbers pole whilst he's spurred in the tree. This has then pressed against his chest and tree and unfortunately suffocated him. As always proceed with caution.

Please let me know if this makes no sense at all and I should be laying of the whiskey now
J

 

[MasterBlaster]

Climber's pole???

 

[rskybiz]

I do the them srt with a base tie. Throw line thrown just off center. The small amount of picking in the climb line will be at the end so my observations have shown. When close to trim level I put a loop runner where my foot can keep me up so as I trim I keep moving the climb line around as I trim over the fresh cut stubs. Once done work back to original spot unhooking climb line from the stubs I put it over. Bail out and always pull the non spliced end up to retrieve. Ask me how I know.:rolleyes:
This work best in all my trials.

 

[bowleggedgoat]

and if he/she wants 'em skinned bring a razor knife, if you're not going to do srt you could put on an srt base tie and then throw a drt setup onto it where it comes out of the fronds towards you. trying to drt over the fronds and spikes would def. do a number on your rope.

 

[rumination]

I do the them srt with a base tie. Throw line thrown just off center. The small amount of picking in the climb line will be at the end so my observations have shown. When close to trim level I put a loop runner where my foot can keep me up so as I trim I keep moving the climb line around as I trim over the fresh cut stubs. Once done work back to original spot unhooking climb line from the stubs I put it over. Bail out and always pull the non spliced end up to retrieve. Ask me how I know.:rolleyes:
This work best in all my trials.

This is my standard method when spikes are not an option, or if there is a big skirt of old fronds. If you generally work DdRT then do like Jake suggested and attach a pulley to the rope end with another climbline through it before pulling it up. Then base tie the original rope. When using this method it's critical to always be aware of where the down side of your base tie rope is located. You'll often be working quite close to it, but it may be hidden in old fronds, etc.

 

[Limbrat]

I was planning to climb srt but really hated to drag an unprotected climb line through those spiked fronds. I have an old 1/2 inch climb line I was about to relegate to rigging duty, I may pull it through with my 7/16" srt line attached and stop short of the spikes with the 7/16. I think I can use a climbing tree stand on a couple of the trees or I may just spike those if the H.O. is okay with it. I know I don't want to spike those that are wrapped with dead fronds, I've heard what can happen when they break loose. Thanks for all the advice. I will definitely wear a mask and long sleeves too.

 

[ClimbMIT]

Hey Ray, Here is the link to the other thread
https://www.masterblasterhome.com/showthread.php?17712-Removing-Palms-Advice-Needed

I would be very cautious of what is in the dead fronds. First palm I removed had seven flying squirrel about 50 wasp! Number two had 1 large flying squirrel and about 200 wasp. Third one had wasp, large flying squirrel, and 3 bats which one last one was flying around and at me for about 15 minutes! So shake them with a pole saw before you stick your head up there and ask the home owner if they know of anything living in there.

 

[NickfromWI]

How tall are they? Approx? Bid high. They are a mess. Set the rope atop the canopy. We have a skinny 9mm line dedicated to this purpose. If this is a one time thing, then yeah- use that old half inch rope. Get an electricians puller to connect the throwline to the end of the rope. It help the rope get through MUCH easier.


love
nick

 

[rskybiz]

Yea clean up usually takes longer than the time to trim them, one reason I dislike them.

 

[Limbrat]

How tall are they? Approx? Bid high. They are a mess. Set the rope atop the canopy. We have a skinny 9mm line dedicated to this purpose. If this is a one time thing, then yeah- use that old half inch rope. Get an electricians puller to connect the throwline to the end of the rope. It help the rope get through MUCH easier.


love
nick

They're in the 40-50' range Nick. I was going to trim these in exchange for some appliance and electrical work the owner is doing for me but it sounds like I would get the short end of the stick on that one. I may just pay him off and move on. I love a challenge, but they sound more like a nightmare!

 

[Bermy]

I'd be real cautious on a barter to clean those palms, especially if one has dead fronds top to bottom like you said. Filthy, dusty, spikey, wobbly, not to mention wear and tear on your gear.
Yeah, dead fronds can let go all of a sudden from the bottom once a few start being disturbed, top down or outside in is the way to go to avoid the lot coming down on your head.

 

[Jake Andrews]

great advice
J

 

[Chris E]

Hi All,

I've got a job coming up where we need to clean around 10 washingtonia robusta palms (only a few having small/medium skirts/all trunks unskinned). Ive included skinning the trunks in the bid because I assumed that spiking up them with a lanyard was going to loosen off many of the frond bases and therefore need doing to look ok.

I was wondering that when skinning the trunk you only do a certain amount of the lower section until the frond bases are more tightly attached to the trunk???

 

[Jomo]

Unless you've peeled wash fans before, and are adept at it with peeling knives?

Might be wise to pass on the peeling aspect of the job.

These days I charge about 5 bucks a foot with no gaffs to peel wash fans.

Jomo

 

[Chris E]

Thanks mate, I included peeling being under the impression we were going to severely loosen much of the skin by just climbing up and forgot about having a ladder before bidding. Going by the pic would these peel pretty easy?? I notice now they are peeled higher up already... doesn't look like a knife job

I'm not that keen on changing up the bid as this could turn out to be a high value client (multiple residents,gated/private rd, oceanfront complex)- Might just have to eat it whole, there will be two climbers going (both no peeling experience). Pretty sure I can make acceptable coin even if I have to come back for a half day etc (famous last words )

 

[Jomo]

Looks like 1500 bucks worth using an extension ladder to access the heads n tie in for peeling from the bottom up.

There's a rhythmic art to peeling from a climbing line with no gaffs and a carpet knife in each hand.

Probably one of the most physically exhausting things to do in a tree I can think of short of balling n slicking date palms!

Jomo

 

[Jomo]

Every frond/collar on those palms has a 360 degree attachment to the trunk, which must be cut with a knife 360 around, with less than a quarter inch between each cut. Precision cutting along with a fair degree of power's necessary to progress upwards.

4-5 cuts, footlock up, repeat. Monotonous n exhausting as hell. But good music helps IME.

Jomo

 

[Chris E]

Damn, that sounds like a bastard of a job. To be honest around here nearly all the washies have full skirts, trimming let alone skinning them is nearly unheard of and people have no idea how a skinned trunk is supposed to look- so we might end up trying to shave the trunks with our 200ts instead to save some time...

 

[Jomo]

There's no need to leave the ground to get a real good idea of just how strenuous it truly is Chris.

Just grab a carpet knife, or even a boxcutter, and bust the bottom collars of any fan palm, from the ground. More of a walk around while cutting very precisely, than a walk about.

The nightmarish aspect of wash fan peeling, particularly the bottoms, is proximity from the beach or desert sands?
A fan full of sand'll dull your knife in twelve swipes! Whereupon out comes the flat file hanging off your saddle about every 4-5 minutes!

It'll either kill yu, or turn yu into a climbin gorilla!

I was peelin tall skinny wash fans here on the beach in Coronado, had just reached the top fronds, when a friggin C135 military cargo jet came in lower than usual on his approach to North Island's runway. His wash bent my tree way over as I cursed them roundly!

Takes a lot to bust a palm. They survive more hurricanes than any other tree I can think of. Must be cuz they're in truth grass, posin as trees!

Jomo

 

[Wood Collector]

You may be able to just pull off the remains of the fronds if they are a bit rotten.