woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Just think of how many such things there are that you never hear about.
One I think I'm gonna walk away from
- Thread starter Burnham
- Start date
- Replies 189
- Views 26K
On that tree!!!!!!
Unbelieveable. I remember when we discussed it here, we were talking about using a Cat to pull it.
The FS are just gonna miss you soooo much, after you're gone, Burnham.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
That defines failure right there! 
It looks like they cut a heck of a big face into that tree. Aside from the rigging failure, trying to max hinge strength might have worked against them.
I could be wrong, but I am more of the opinion that with heavy pull trees, ones requiring a lot of take up to get them leaning in the right direction, you are better off with having more wood to work with during the back cut, to slice and pull accordingly to convince the tree who is boss. Perhaps help mitigate some of the rot factor too, but it certainly is a bad omen. I would defer to more expertise with the subject, I get a tinge of nervousness looking at the first pics in the thread.
It looks like they cut a heck of a big face into that tree. Aside from the rigging failure, trying to max hinge strength might have worked against them. I could be wrong, but I am more of the opinion that with heavy pull trees, ones requiring a lot of take up to get them leaning in the right direction, you are better off with having more wood to work with during the back cut, to slice and pull accordingly to convince the tree who is boss. Perhaps help mitigate some of the rot factor too, but it certainly is a bad omen. I would defer to more expertise with the subject, I get a tinge of nervousness looking at the first pics in the thread.
woodworkingboy
TreeHouser
Jasper likes Gravy Train...wtf?
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Ooops. Wish the stump was more clear. That almost looks doable with the right rigging
.
SkwerI
Treehouser
That is a slap in the face when people who have known and worked with you for years will disregard your advice on a subject with which you are highly qualified and turn around and hire some pickup truck tree rat, trusting his advice over yours. Serves them right.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #86
I'm actually amazed at how well that building took that hit...the tree laid over on it completly, then rolled off. I'd have bet on a demo with that hit. They built 'em strong, out of mostly clear full dimension oldgrowth Doug fir, back in the '30's.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Whatch'yall plannin on dewin wit dat firewood?
.murphy4trees
TreeHouser
WOW!
amazing that the barn didn't collapse under that monster... maybe it came over kinda slow to start, before it took the rigging out... you can only image the look on the fallers' faces as it started moving back...
There was so little good wood on those corners.. that and the twist to the grain.. VERY BAD SCENARIO .. What were they thinking??? no one around here (pretty much the whole east coast) has any experience pulling 55" back leaners... I wonder how high they set the cable. Obviously not high enough!!! I always put in an extra line on any heavy backleaner.. ie (if it looks like it needs two lines, put three in)
amazing that the barn didn't collapse under that monster... maybe it came over kinda slow to start, before it took the rigging out... you can only image the look on the fallers' faces as it started moving back...
There was so little good wood on those corners.. that and the twist to the grain.. VERY BAD SCENARIO .. What were they thinking??? no one around here (pretty much the whole east coast) has any experience pulling 55" back leaners... I wonder how high they set the cable. Obviously not high enough!!! I always put in an extra line on any heavy backleaner.. ie (if it looks like it needs two lines, put three in)
C
ClimbingFool
Guest
That had a be a definite blow to the fallers ego and a smile to your face Burnham, at least a smile on the inside...
I had do an insurance write up on a similar situation on a old growth Pondo. Was about 6 1/2' in DBH. Had similar rot and a cat face in the back, so the faller decided to high stump it using spring boards. where he made the face was solid wood, but above the cat face in the back to the center of the tree was rotten with only a rind of about 4 to 5". I'm sure he was sh*tting bricks when he started in on his back cut. Long story short, this 180' tree went with the lean and landed on a quarter million dollar cabin.... Ouch ! Unfortunately, during a comp. crash, I lost all those pictures.
I had do an insurance write up on a similar situation on a old growth Pondo. Was about 6 1/2' in DBH. Had similar rot and a cat face in the back, so the faller decided to high stump it using spring boards. where he made the face was solid wood, but above the cat face in the back to the center of the tree was rotten with only a rind of about 4 to 5". I'm sure he was sh*tting bricks when he started in on his back cut. Long story short, this 180' tree went with the lean and landed on a quarter million dollar cabin.... Ouch ! Unfortunately, during a comp. crash, I lost all those pictures.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #92
I'd be lyin' if I said I didn't get a little bit of a charge out of it, Greg. Not a very admirable personality trait, I'll admit. But that was done badly at several levels, the cutters being the lowest ones on the totem pole, imo...not to say even close to blameless. Their ops plan sucked with a half life...what could they possibly have been thinking???
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Less than 25' from the top and on pretty flat ground. The line angle would have severely reduced the effect of the pull. I think it is something like 1% of power lost for ever degree of angle off of a 90 degree pull.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
I've been turning it around in my head today.
Thinking of what factors are at play. Balancing act between line angle available, length of rigging, decreasing diameter as leverage at the hinge increases, flexibility of the wood, decay coming in from having lost its original top, almost surely with its age and size, decay coming in from the roots, almost surely with its age and size.
Hmmm, check for soundness before going for the big pull, whether with a Resistograph, electric drill, increment corer, or saw bar? Maybe a good idea, regardless of high tech, low tech, or somewhere in the middle.
Curious to know the bid. Probably classified, well not really, with the FIA.
Thinking of what factors are at play. Balancing act between line angle available, length of rigging, decreasing diameter as leverage at the hinge increases, flexibility of the wood, decay coming in from having lost its original top, almost surely with its age and size, decay coming in from the roots, almost surely with its age and size.
Hmmm, check for soundness before going for the big pull, whether with a Resistograph, electric drill, increment corer, or saw bar? Maybe a good idea, regardless of high tech, low tech, or somewhere in the middle.
Curious to know the bid. Probably classified, well not really, with the FIA.
Burnham
Woods walker
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #95
I'm not privy to the price the contractor put on the job, but a well-informed guess, knowing the parameters for the variety of contract types available would have me betting it was under $2500. Much less comprehensive contract language and inspection procedures under that limit...basically, order the work, get a bid that comes in under that amount, give the go ahead, pay with a check or CC upon receipt of the invoice.
It's odd to me that this individual didn't heed my input, my rejection of trying to shoe string this fell. This same person has on many occasions in the past not allowed her direct employees, even a C cutter on her staff, deal with specific hazard trees, preferring to bring me in at her program's expense to handle the baddies. I don't know what got in her head here.
It's FOIA Sean, fwiw...one of those strange times when the "of" gets in the acronym
.
It's odd to me that this individual didn't heed my input, my rejection of trying to shoe string this fell. This same person has on many occasions in the past not allowed her direct employees, even a C cutter on her staff, deal with specific hazard trees, preferring to bring me in at her program's expense to handle the baddies. I don't know what got in her head here.
It's FOIA Sean, fwiw...one of those strange times when the "of" gets in the acronym
.
SkwerI
Treehouser
Yes Scott, I'm aware. 
Al Smith
Mac Daddy
They're very lucky that big old tree only clipped the eave .A dead on hit would have just left a pile of kindling wood .
flushcut
TreeHouser
I wonder if the FS said "we should of had Brunham do it the way he wanted". If I had bid that job and some hacker got it and that happened I would be LMAO'ing for a long time. I am glad nobody got hurt though.
