How'd it go today?

[Jed]

Yeah, there's always tomorrow, eh Mick?

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Jed, do you dump it before driving in the morning, or does that bucket go down the road, loaded?

Our SP's bucket truck had enough bounce without any extra load in the bucket that it was concerning. Seems like it should have a spring loaded support underneath buckets when stowed. You know I5 bounces around Seattle perhaps.

 

[Jed]

Uhhh, yeah! I 5 South, right after the 405? Yeah, mad bounces.

I guess you couldn't see that pig too well from the pic Sean. That one's a flatbed bucket with no chipbox.

 

[Jed]

Jed, in order to avoid collateral damage to other trees we have to put some of the top across the property line onto the neighbors'. No one was home when I was there. Boss lives nearby and has phone numbers, so he obtained permission.

Kind of a different deal working for these guys...tree guy gradually going out of business (currently doing bids and grinding stumps), while all money goes through, and labor is supplied by, his friends larger company (landscraping and dune grass sales) who is taking it over...I deal mostly with the grass guy, and see eye to eye with him well with respect to safety and integrity issues...the retiring tree guy not so much...

Hopefully he WILL retire, and leave you two to run what looks like COULD become a sweet little outfit.

 

[Fiddler]

I'm thinking things will stay how they are for a year or so yet, but since we locked horns once he has stayed out of my hair...I kind of made it clear what I'd put up with and what I wouldn't if they want me to run a crew for them.

 

[Jed]

It's got to be done at least once with nearly every boss.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Word.

 

[FireFighterZero]

Ya think so?

I guess I never had to do anything like that. I reckon I would have a hard time taking an ass chewing from my employee.

 

[Peter]

You must be a good boss then.

 

[Bermy]

More tree injections now, elms for leaf beetle. I'm using the Wedgle unit, once my hubby made me a little probe so I could determine the bark thickness with some accuracy, I have gotten much better at getting the needle in the right place, and almost all the product is going into the tree instead of leaking out like it was before. Learning curve, new to this injecting thing.

Climbed and crown lifted a beautiful English oak, stunning property lovely people, cups of tea and chocolate cake...had to rig everything as the oak is in a landscaped bed, box edging, azaleas, lupins, hostas all that pretty stuff below. Even better, the mister came around (he's also our local Council Mayor) and told us to leave everything, they'd move it later with the ute!!

 

[Al Smith]

Rather interesting two days .Erickson was at the plant sitting roof top units with an air crane, one turbine started leaking oil
They flew another turbine in from Seattle and had that thing running by 2 PM yesterday .Finished the lifts just about sunset,6 PM .

I did some research on the chopper which is a Sikorsky S-64 originally made circa 1962 .Erickson has owned the rights since sometime around 1992 .Two Pratt-Whitney jet turbines rated at 4050 HP apiece. Max lift 20,000 pounds, the lifts were around half that amount .Average time of the lifts around 5 minutes each, wow .

That thing can use upwards of 4-500 gallons of fuel per hour if my info is correct .

 

[Steve Mack]

Those things are amazing, they can do just about anything.

They sent Elvis and some others over here for the bush fires a few years back, they did a great job.

 

[Limbrat]

Ray: Yeah, but it's got a hole right in the middle, and they won't buy a new one.
You've got to pull the pin to dump the rain out, like every other day.

I always liked the hard covers best but they outlawed 'em at Duke after our serviceman took his off, a wind caught it and sailed him off the back of the truck and knocked him out.

 

[Fiddler]

So I show this am expecting 5-6 guys, tractor, etc...instead 2 guys and a chain saw with the somewhat troublesome Boss. He still wanted me to climb the Elm I turned down...I mentioned we could discuss it all over again while I defended my decision or I could get to work...he mentioned something about losing money and walked off...

Tree went right where I wanted it...I had the other guy with a saw start on the big stuff and I jumped in the water an started cutting while the 3rd man (waders) threw out what I cut...packing my truck in an hour...told boss water was all cleared, everything cut and staged, and I was heading out...he is all smiling, happy, and surprised looking... not sure what he was thinking.

Confirmed for my first crane jobs the next two days, then driving up North with the camper to work through Sat for the other company.

Going to be giving them 3 days each for the next few weeks, 'til they shut down...this retirement thing is tiring

 

[stig]

We started logging beech today.
Logging season hasn't really started, but the local mill wanted some logs.
I did a show for a school class that came out to watch us work, spurred up a big one and dropped the top.
Totally old school.
That was kinda fun, I haven't dropped a big top in a while.
Impressed the hell out of those teenagers, too.

 

[pete mctree]

Fun when you can drop a nice top Stig

Been hanging around a bit lately - back climbing full time as all my forestry work is been done by a new big fat valmet harvester

 

[stig]

I truly hate it when that happens.

 

[pete mctree]

I worked alongside his old machine, but his new one can tackle trees up to 790mm & is still small enough to thinnings. Makes good financial sense for him I have to admit.

Still get to do the big patch of 1m diameter Doug firs later this season though

 

[MasterBlaster]

I made you a new avatar if you want, Pete.

It's like you're looking at us...

 

[treebilly]

Kinda had an easy day today. 4 dead ash removals which were easy. Clean up sucked since they were back yard with a 30" gate. Then went up the road to dead wood a bunch of oaks. Did all the bucket work and set six different throw lines for the climbing trees tomorrow. Should go pretty quick. Just a few cuts on each tree. It's supposed to be beautiful weather all week. Hoping it last for a while

 

[Grendel]

And

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5JxZlx1Itfk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Cheers

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ha! Cool...

 

[Mick!]

Kinda had an easy day today. 4 dead ash removals which were easy. Clean up sucked since they were back yard with a 30" gate. Then went up the road to dead wood a bunch of oaks. Did all the bucket work and set six different throw lines for the climbing trees tomorrow. Should go pretty quick. Just a few cuts on each tree. It's supposed to be beautiful weather all week. Hoping it last for a while

I would say you deserve any easy run of things for a while.
When I read what you and Jed (as paid climbers for big outfits if I read it right) have to produce on a daily basis, rain or shine, puts my days in perspective.

 

[Jed]

Dave: Funny retirement remark.

Ray: Oh, so THAT'S why we don't use hard covers.

Two days of sun in the forecast. I'll try to get pics.

Stig: More Pics!

 

[pete mctree]

I made you a new avatar if you want, Pete.

It's like you're looking at us...

Thanks Butch, I was due a change