How'd it go today?

[Stumpshot]

"Big" job today called for all the iron -- chip truck, log grapple, bucket truck, and the pickup w/stump grinder. Light pruning of a Siberian over some lines and 2 cedars over the house roof. Then the bigger show was a medium Siberian elm removal -- pieced out with the bucket, then dropped it. Grabbed up the log for our firewood friend who takes stinky elm. Next was a co-dom silver maple behind it, about 5 feet DBH (oval main trunk). Again, pieced out with the bucket, set a line in the main spar. Set up a redirect off the grapple truck and pulled it over with the chip truck (a wee bit more pull than Murphy's skid steer). Grabbed up the silver maple logs and then I ground the 2 stumps, along with 2 existing stumps. Done by 2 pm there, then on to a simple magnolia pruning and storm cleanup/brush chipping job. Done by 4, home by 4:30.

 

[Wood Collector]

Had a nice lazy day doing paperwork then got told to head home so watched a bit of tv then had a nice siesta. Looking forward to sort of having next week off from work. Got a house or 2 to look at and then looking at a few out west as a investment then later down the track may look at moving in. Looking forward to things quietening down so that I can rest a bit more as work and study is starting to take a toll on me.

 

[Steve Mack]

Yar!

I heard a story about an academic getting sideways about the term... deadwood...

Technically "heartwood" is deadwood.

There was an Aussie guy with a tree forum that used to go on about that quite a bit.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Keep studying, WC!!!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

More rain and t-storms today. Had to reschedule a 2-3 day prune for the third time. Guess I'll shuffle equipment and put some new tires on one of the trailers.
More coffee.

 

[MasterBlaster]

That sucks... beautiful sunny day here.

 

[sawinredneck]

Got back to accupuncture today, sore as Hell now, damn she’s a sadist!
Had a nice lunch with Steve afterwards, was nice to see him again. Now I’m hoping I can finally sleep a little.

 

[squisher]

I've been working and working on my stupid old truck a bunch. Today was rear driveshaft u-joints and tightening thepinion yoke. Soon I hope to have all the slacked on maintenance up to date.

At my mill they are hiring a bunch of new guys I've been training a new guy up this week. Makes a pretty slack day for me. By the end of the month I'll have close to a dozen people below me already. In a seniority based outfit that's a nice feeling, upward mobility.

 

[Wood Collector]

Thanks MB doing my Diploma in Arb. Got the first assignment which is pretty easy in doing a remediation plan for a tree. Just need to find a tree suitable for it. Got a couple in mind just need to go see them and collect some date.

 

[treebilly]

Did my good deed for the day. Left a rotten POS maple stand for a while longer

Found it was inhabited by a pair of screech owls. Made a phone call and was told to leave it be. Later recieved an email from the utility saying thank you for being diligent enough to report them instead of just doing the job. Cool little critters they are. The head turning thing still freaks me out a bit though. My wife loves owls so letting her know I saved a pair today should turn into a good night

 

[SkwerI]

Good deal, Rich. I also helped out an owl today, a baby barred owl. He was big enough to get around out of the nest, but when he fell to the ground he wasn't big enough to climb back up the tree. Homeowner brought him in to Audubon and I took him back home and put up a platform for him. I found his sibling and put him up in the same tree with his momma watching on from another tree up above.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Excellent!!!

 

[flushcut]

Owls are cool! We have a pair great horned somewhere in the area, they often hang out in our cherry tree big birds about two feet tall.

 

[Stumpshot]

Owls are a hoot. (groan) I did see a neat-o barn owl nest in Florida, complete with dangling moss. I didn't see them out hunting when I went for a night walk, though. There's a nature center near us that takes on and rehabs owls, hawks, and eagles that get injured and need to be nursed back to health, so me & the family have seen a few species up close & personal. Saw one get fed some mice one day there.

Today's wildlife viewing was at a job in the middle of KC -- just 1/2 mile off the interstate in full on suburbia: a red fox was sitting in front of a house, almost like a pet dog. It had something that it was feasting on, wouldn't go away when a few of us gawked at it somewhat closely. Even our 100dB of chipper noise didn't drive it away. Eventually it trotted off with its catch down the sidewalk, off to find a patch of woods I expect.

 

[Jonny]

No doubt, Rich. Good move and very cool pic!
I'd probably be hesitant to frig with them, no matter what client/ boss says... could be dangerous especially if there's unseen ( or un-laid) young involved. Plus they're just gorgeous, and protected by state law almost everywhere. They might hangout there for a long time too.

Ditto, Brian. Had to be a pretty awesome experience!

 

[Bermy]

Great pictures of the owls!
Hey wood collector, be interested to follow how your dip arb is going, I was looking into that myself a couple yrs ago, but didn't proceed. Still on the maybe list though...

Another field fix, I couldn't find the foot strap for my SAKA mini today...cut a bit of throwline and tied a loop to my boot laces, worked a treat. I'm going to reeve it more thouroghly right through the eylets, make it permanent.

 

[Stumpshot]

Yesterday was just one job, trimming a pin oak in the front yard, a sycamore in the backyard. Rolled out with the bucket truck & chipper truck. Stacked out a plywood highway to prevent yard damage to the customer's side yard & neighbor's lawn leading up to the back yard. Took down a section of fence to nose in with the bucket. Went fine, no issues.

On the way home I stopped by a large wholesale plant nursery and picked up 15 truck tires that we won on a PurpleWave auction. All brand new, about 1/2 with rims. After unstacking them all, rolling them all into the chip truck and restacking them, I am sore! It'll be nice to slip on some new shoes onto to the chip truck -- Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone. Better than the cheap Chinese rears we have on now with no good terrain tread!

 

[Page]

“Should we move the boat?” He said
“Nah, just don’t hit it” I replied

 

[stig]

Cool.
We have a company policy. Nobody fells a tree that can reach our cars, trucks etc.
We move them first.
Eventually doing it the other way will bite you in the ass.

 

[cory]

Great pics of the owl save, Rich!

Good on you and Brian. Awesome good news stories those were

 

[Stumpshot]

Cool. We have a company policy. Nobody fells a tree that can reach our cars, trucks etc. We move them first.

That's because you don't have Murphy's skid steer to pull it where you want it to go!

 

[treebilly]

Today went well enough. More street trees. Lots of wires. Lowered down a nest of baby squirrels and left the hollow piece by the stump in hopes that mama comes back to relocate them.

Oh and the 1250 Vermeer was sold yesterday. Looks like I’m buying more gear tomorrow

 

[Stumpshot]

Worked for a friend's mother today at a friendly day rate, by a private lake in an exclusive neighborhood. Rolled with the bucket truck & chip truck today. I did a canopy raising on a white oak, then removed six small hackberries along the property line along with briars and other saplings. We took out two silver maples (clear drops) and a medium hackberry. First full day of spring, and I was sweating a good bit even at 60˚F -- salt stains on the t-shirt. She bought us gourmet pizza and energy tea for lunch -- yum! Fixed a few shorter ruts and again picked up the plywood highway leading to the back yard. AlturnaMats coming soon. Our $50 deal on sheets of OSB & random plywood is quickly getting chewed up after 2-3 jobs.

 

[Mellow]

My stack of plywood has been sitting at the shop unused for almost 3 years; since I bought the Nifty Lift! I'll never own another bucket truck.

 

[Stumpshot]

I don't know if anything wouldn't have left ruts in this loamy lake-area soil that was still mucky from water run off of the rains last week. But the chipper tends to make the worst ruts, since switching tires to 4000lb. thinner ones than the stock factory ones (hard to find replacements for those). They cut like a knife, leaving sharp, crisp ruts.