How'd it go today?

Played soccer dad today, dropped Wyatt off at work prior and bought the boys breakfast. After soccer, went to see a customer that called last night about a line clearance that I will go handle quickly in the morning when I take Wyatt back to work at another client.
Then I went back and picked Wyatt up from work and took the boys for ice cream at Kat's work. Picked up some treats as well for Lilly so she does not feel so put out for not going.
Came home to a call for an estimate to cut up some big wood on some downed trees. So the twins will come out to play together soon. It will be fun to see both 066s work side by side, one being modded.
Making some chicken soup and watching Working Climber videos :thumbup:
 
i finally got the sign up form for the caa climbing comp in october! im officially signed up! now ive got to start practicing my footlock, and throwline, and rescue, and...
 
Al, it's a baby possum. he is sleeping in a cavity left from a limb falling out about 6 feet off the ground.
 
43 estimates done today and 3 hours of intense paintball with my oldest son and friends. It was a good day!
 
Rec climb day!
We got some 10 people together for some treetop fun.
Climbed a couple of big beech trees and did traverses from one to the other, then set a fine high zip-line to another big tree.

Everybody had a fun day and our new apprentice, Martin, really got some climbing hours on his log book. P1000983.JPG P1000988.JPG P1000990.JPG
 
Typical thinning day in the woods, first finishing a stand of Acacia then moved into the Pines higher up. Immediately noticed the less resilient hinge wood in the Pines. A few hung up trees as usual, and what I thought was a particularly note worthy one. One pine with some side bind resting on a bent over small oak, and also another one laying on top of it. My attempt to clear the first one out by knocking down another on top had failed. The Oak was completely bent over with the crown touching the ground. One of the trees causing the side bind was between me and the Oak, so I wasn't too concerned about anything coming my way if I tripped it, but there was a hell of a lot of wood above. I kind of crawled hunched over on one knee next to the tree causing bind, extended my arm way out and put a nick in the Oak from the back and the thing immediately barber chaired exploded, and the whole mess came crashing down. I got the h out of there pronto when the Oak blew, and not so proud not to say that I felt compelled to leave the saw. Definitely the best crash of the day, still hear it. Dangerous fun.
 
Mostly with one other guy. We get separated, but within chainsaw noise earshot. If there is a lengthy silence, we generally give each other a shout to know where about the other guy is. It is often hard to see someone, even if they might be close. We have an arrangement about working below the other guy, want distance for side leaners too, got to be safe, and had a close one once. Generally we hook up to have lunch together, or to bum some gas or oil, as we normally have to pack in. Hung up trees are just an eventuality of the work. You have to take responsibility for getting them down. If it might be real dicey, and a particularly isolated area, the tree might get marked if we are going back there again. Might want to talk about it a bit. You maybe want to get that one down for me? :D We are pretty tight, first met doing some crane aided jobs for the operator and immediately hit it off, generally complain about the same kind of thing, ha!
 
I have a mini come-along I would think about taking if hang ups were common. It probably weighs as much as a small saw but would fit in a pack. I guess the size of the trees would be a factor. How heavy duty of a rope come-along do they make? Mine is a chain model.
 
Tom, I've been thinking about bringing in a Masdam for exactly what you suggest. Pretty maxed out on goods now to get through the day, though. Gas and oil, tools, eats and drink (lots), a couple shirts, and working on steep terrain often. I'm still trying to streamline more if possible. It would probably be a good idea to drop off a puller somewhere between the truck and where we are working, but so far it hasn't got past the idea stage. I have only worked with a Masdam puller a few times and never to free up a tree. I guess it could be effective in a number of cases. The trees at the current location generally max out at 24"-30" (50-70 years old), with many smaller than that. I've been switching over a bit to what trees are easier to cut, as opposed to what trees should be cut. Snags and such all have to go. I'm caring less what the prefecture might want to think about it. It might not be a popular notion, but the work is extreme labor in the best of circumstances, and I get a lot more done by the end of the day by doing that, and the fatigue factor is somewhat lessened as well. Still settling into the work and learning how to be efficient, developing some rules for myself.
 
So you pack your saw out every day? Why not just the gas oil and chains? Around here unless a saw needs to be worked on most cutters just stash the power head on steep ground. Then maybe you can bring your winch in
 
I did that back in 76 once.
I was riding my bike, so I just hid the saw under some branches at the edge of the clearcut and went home for the weekend.
Got the flu and was in bed for most of a week.

When I finally made it back to the woods, it took me most of a day to find where I had hidden the saw.

Since then, when I go home, so does the saw.
 
Yep, sometimes leave the saw in the woods, but the company that hires me has a number of job sites going currently, so it might be two or three days here, then the same elsewhere. Really juggling schedules. Sites tend to vary in terms of wetter or dryer which makes for a change regarding mosquitos and stuff, and the steepness of terrain can also vary, so working different locations is kind of cool.....breaks it up. You get to see more 7-11s on the way back home too. :)
 
Been thinking along the lines of taking an old aluminum back pack frame and making it into a rigging carrier with rope, block and a come a long for those instances you describe Jay. It's on my to do list and might just be the ticket to haul some extra gear in with me on the longer treks.
Most the time we leave the saws and such on site if we are there for a few days. Have to watch the weather though, I would hate to have to dig them out of snow or something.


Did that little line clearance job solo today and then did an estimate. Home safe and sound and have to run back to town for bread and fuel I forgot to pick up. DOH!
 
I wonder if this would work?

I have an Alice pack with the cargo carrier shelf. I have packed a fair sized trunk on the shelf before..also firewood. The cargo shelf is detachable. This picture shows 2 shelves...I have only used the bottom one before.
 

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Long day today. Worked part of the day for that guy again, mostly removals today. Got to fall a good sized dead Pin Oak, felt great to shut the saw off and just pound in the wedges to tip it the last bit. Got more trustworthy of the wedge there, as it had a slight back lean. Normally woulda used a pull rope. No longer!

Second big tree was a large cherry, double leader. Had to climb a nearby Hackberry and piece out the back lead. No good TIP to piece out the front with(this thing was DEAD, didn't want to be tied into it at all) It had a heavy side lean, but I felled it anyway. Thing went really quick. It was hollow inside, maybe 2-3" of solid wood around the trunk, center was hollow. Only had one side cut when it went. Broke a big Walnut branch off, which I figured would happen but tried to prevent. Not much experience with heavy side leaners like that. Overall, it went ok, no one was hurt.

Finished off the day mowing my lawn, and doing a bit of clean up in the backyard. Stripped our big Silver Maple of all the vines and crap growing up it. Have to climb it and finish removing the vines, but I can see the trunk now, which is great. Gonna wait for the vines to die back some before I attempt climbing and removing them.
 
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