How'd it go today?

[Marc-Antoine]

Anyway... Is there a better way of getting to the backside of the tree when you're working against the lean?

Yes, use your lanyard as a climb line in srt. Put it on the bridge or the central mounting point of your saddle and choke it around the stem. Pull you toward the trunk and thigh-lock you here. Then, loosen the lanyard's choke, give it some slack and rotate it around the trunk to put the biner on the backside, or even on the opposite side you want to access. Just be sure that the lanyard makes a sharp turn in the biner before coming back to you. That way the choke is kept tight when you pull on the rope and the biner stays where it is (if not, the choke loosens and slides back at the first place). Then you can work yourself around the trunk, both pulling on the rope and capturing your progress with the knot. When on the back side you are secure and free to use your arms and legs as you want.

 

[flushcut]

Deadwooded and devined another pine. Didn't take pictures. Looked about like the other ones. Since it was one of the farthest from the house, my A game was on board. Hit my tie in first shot, with no issues getting the line set. It went over an animal nest, which I felt bad about, but there wasn't any other way around it. Hit my line with my Silky twice. No real damage aside from some plucked fibers, but it pisses me off that it happened. Also had a faceshield mount knocked off my helmet. Amazngly, I found it without much difficulty after descending. Used my new knee ascender...

View attachment 117783

It's ghettotastic! :^D

This was just proof of concept. It worked pretty well aside from a couple anticipated issues. I'll get those tweaked over time. First is getting the bungie straight.

A question...

This tree had a moderate lean, and I set it up so I was climbing the lean side. That was in anticipation of traversing to another tree, but I didn't feel like doing that today. I lanyarded into the stem, and ropewalked up, bringing the lanyard with me. A bit of a hassle, but no huge deal. The bigger deal was trying to cut on the opposite side of the stem. Best I could come up with is drawing my lanyard fairly close, grabbing the side I wanted to circle to, then yanking myself around, and thighlocking the stem. Ok, we're there, and in position... Now the saw... and that's when I lose my placement, cause I didn't get my saw ready to go. I ended up strapping it to my leg so it was more convenient, at least from the right side. First I climbed like that, and I think I like it. At least doing stuff like this.

Anyway... Is there a better way of getting to the backside of the tree when you're working against the lean?

I try and stay on the high side of the lean. If not the thigh squeeze works if you don’t have a good perch to work out of.

 

[lxskllr]

I like that lanyard trick Marc. I get it, and it would have worked perfectly on these rough barked trees. Thanks!

 

[cory]

I try to make a minimally functioning product with minimal effort, and iterate from there.

"Lean start up". I'm sure you know the concept. They teach it at Harvard!

 

[biggun]

I always climb in the top side of a lean.

Nothing worse than monkeying up the underside of a lean and getting sawdust in the face every cut.

 

[Burnham]

It is SO much harder to work from the underside of the lean. Foolishness to do so it there is any way at all possible to avoid it...and there almost always is a way.

 

[lxskllr]

Being underneath set me up really nice to get to another tree. In retrospect, the added hassle of cutting the topside exceeded the ease of getting to the other tree. Oh well. Marc taught me a new trick, so it all worked out pretty well :^)

 

[treebilly]

Did a little clearing for an exposed gas line today. Started off with the chip truck getting stuck on ice and ended up with a muddy mess by the time we finished. The weather forecast keeps changing for later this week. Ice and snow for sure, but wide ranges of amounts. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best

 

[lxskllr]

I fibbed a little about not taking pics today. I took a couple in-tree, but they weren't that interesting. I did get one of one of the tall dead trees I made a thread about awhile ago. After a good look, there's no way I'll climb it. What do suppose the odds are of setting a line and snapping it off with the maasdam? If I could make it shorter, it would be easier to fell...

 

[stikine]

Just send it John... right out into the opening.

 

[lxskllr]

It might hit the house if I put it in the yard. Not sure. It would definitely make a mess. I've been trying to keep everything in the wooded section. Til my boss showed up with the tractor that time, I didn't disturb a single blade of grass in the yard section. I pulled everything out in it's footprint, and kept all the wood in the woods.

 

[pantheraba]

Good chance it will break off somewhere up high...get your pull line high enough and you might break enough of the top out to fell the remaining spar in the woods.

 

[lxskllr]

There's nothing really critical if a pull fails. I could reset it up with a 3:1. Might even be able to use the truck. I'll have to look into that.

 

[Burnham]

If you think there is a possibility that it won't break out below where you set your pull line, don't use a running bowline. Instead, bring the running end back to you and tie a simple bowline right there. That way, if it proves sturdier than expected you aren't stuck with your rope tied to the top .

 

[lxskllr]

Then there's that old debate(well, maybe not old, but one I think about)... Since the tree stood up to that, does that mean I can climb it, or did I just put a critical weakness in it through the attempt?

 

[stikine]

It might hit the house if I put it in the yard. Not sure. It would definitely make a mess. I've been trying to keep everything in the wooded section. Til my boss showed up with the tractor that time, I didn't disturb a single blade of grass in the yard section. I pulled everything out in it's footprint, and kept all the wood in the woods.

Have you determined how tall it is? Pictures are deceiving but it looks doable. Being a surveyor you know how to determine height... angles and dangles and such. (grin)

 

[CurSedVoyce]

If it stands up to a pull with a truck, maybe you can climb up just high enough to make it short enough to fit. If it is too punky to gaff, maybe not. How much does the tree need to lose to fit? If it does not break or pull out by the roots, chances are, good up to 8-10" wood. If your gut says dont climb, dont climb. Go rent a lift.

 

[lxskllr]

I guesstimated it was between 100'-120', but I haven't made any measurements. I also don't know for sure how close the house is. I never really considered that direction. As laid out in my head, it's close, but as I've mentioned before, my memory of tree layout is highly falible.

 

[stikine]

Looks like it has fines and maybe needles still on it? If that's the case maybe not so bad?

 

[stikine]

Seriously, you probably have a clinometer or similar?

 

[lxskllr]

Yea, I have a clinometer. Also a total station! :^D There's no needles. The pic didn't turn out great, but that whole upper section is full of pockmarks and holes. The only thing I can say in it's favor is these trees seem to rot very regularly. Almost ring by ring from the outside in. Not many surprises from what I've seen so far, but my experience is pretty much just on this job, and with wood that was already down. IOW, the tree might be better than it looks from the outside.

 

[stikine]

Gosh, isn't the internet great... those needles must be from an adjacent tree. Haha, get a better phone my friend! White pine again I take it? If it's not within striking distance of the house I'd still send it... it's just your bosses place so you're good to go!

 

[lxskllr]

I didn't mention it, but I'm supposed to get a new phone tomorrow! I was actually talking/texting to the secretary about it when I was in the tree.

Yes it's white pine, and no it's not the boss' place. This was cut out of the original property, but the people there are unrelated to the boss. My whole thing doing this is to not cause any damage that wasn't already there. When I'm finished I don't want them weighing the pros and cons of the result of getting me to do this. That's also why I haven't accepted payment from them, even though they've offered a couple times. I don't want them paying me, then maybe calling in professionals, and getting hit with a big bill, and them wondering what they paid me for. That also gives me a way to just quit if I get tired of it. No obligations.

I think they'd have been shocked at the price of getting it professionally done. I'd guesstimate $5k from a small hungry company, and much more from anyone else, and that's with the caveat that I don't know what things cost. I'm constantly surprised at much services especially are. I live a pretty sheltered life of discount stores, doing things myself, and doing without.

 

[stikine]

Well, we will expect lots of photos from said new phone.

Tonight's accomplishment was replacing some rollers on a piece of luggage. The original ones lost their treads just like you see (and dodge) on the interstates from semi's. As much as I travel these should last another 20 years.

 

[Bermy]

How close is the tree beside it? Set a main line in that one, the gaff up the dead one with a breakaway section in your flip line, send the top, rapell down and flop whats left.