One Man Band- climbing and rigging, groundwork, business mgmt.

[SouthSoundTree-]

Its going to be difficult flying the 'spotter' drone for the radio controlled loader at the same time.



New Sean had a cat at the emergency vet, didn't get to sleep until 3am, called at 7 saying 'not today'. So I worked 2.5 miles from home, as scheduled. Got a late start, removed a couple tiny trees, lowered one stunted doug-fir down next to the house, minor rigging on an alder dismantle, and canopy raised two others, chipped, firewood cut to length, loaded, back home by 630. She can have her fence installed now at that part of the property, and I'll carry on with New Sean after the weekend. Sold a little view pruning down the street at the neighbors'. I've worked about of 1/3 of the houses on this small street. A run of three, plus the one sold today. Sold firewood from the one job to a neighbor making more contacts.

Dropped of a load of firewood after 'work'.

Full disclosure. I'm better on 'the work' than the admin.

 

[Tarzan]

Me too pard. I am a worker bee. The business side of my business is running me into the ground right now. I am on a fire roster to fall timber, and I really hope I get out soon, just to get away from my business for a while.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I work in an area with steep hills down to the water as I had today. I was just doing a little pruning for a friend. Chocking tires on a steep hill is a challenge for one person. an automatic transmission parking pin can get pinched by too much pressure to shift out of park if the vehicle rolls downhill because the parking brake isn't holding it.

looking at the situation today where I needed to chock the tire, I looked for what I had in the truck. my hedge trimmer cover was about the right length but squished into the seat cushion too much. I needed something to disperse the pressure against the seat cushion in order to have enough pressure on the main hydraulic brake pedal to hold the truck while into Park and parking brake was set.
I chocked the tires, and rolled back against them before leaving in Park to load the trailer.

Ropes on chocks allow the solo driver to collect them, then store them when a flatter area is available.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I'll make an appropriate stick for the truck.

 

[Tarzan]

By god, that's a one man band making it work

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

This is with the ladder out from where I set rigging on the 30'ish reddish Madrone spar.

Rolling solo, rather than climb and chunk rounds down and behind me with a leaning spar, or Belay Spooling down chunks, attached end of line, and mid line I did it all from the ground.

Throw line to make a running bowline on the spar with a long tail(not my spar, a crack head who didn't finish and ran with the cash). A Long tail allows you to manipulate the cinch of the RB, and allows you to pull it back down if it's not cinching effectively. You can particularly use the tail to manipulate around snaggy dead fir stubs.

After getting a throw line set in the cherry, above and behind the Madrone,
Using my 16' orchard ladder, was able to set the small portawrap as tight as I could with the 1/2" lowering line, attached to a short double braid rope anchoring the top-side portawrap through a main cherry crotch, with a base tie.

I ran the tail off the lowering line to a second Portawrap to lock of the upper portawrap.

Notch, back cut. Use tail of Running bowline to set the thick-hinged madrone spar into forward motion and load up the rigging.
Untie lower portawrap, and lower onto new septic drain field and sod.

The load gets higher as the spar tips more, and the hinge fibers start to break. Remember to wear gloves, I let go at the very end. Glazed my calluses. Haha. I almost got it with that one. I usually pack leather gloves with rigging ropes.

Almost rope burn.


The problem with topside friction for a heavy lower is that getting peak force at the end of rope travel is heat build up without a quick way to dissipate. I got a little glazing.

This lowering job had the Extreme Arborist Supply/ David Driver Three Hole Thimble written all over it. I had to attach the lowering line to the portawrap off the ladder because I couldn't pull slack through the portawrap effectively, whereas, I think that the THT feeds slack better in order to remove much of the slack.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Bottom of speed line tied off to ground anchor, Apta and wraptor up about 70', anchor to end of the speed line on a big branch, speed line smaller branches, and used tail of rope to lower the last big limb down the speed line.

Used HO's new electric battery powered saw. I like electric.

I have a lot of weekend work, with a lot of narrow, close to neighbors, water front customers who would prefer the quiet.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Pruned two madrones and removed a small willow, cleaned up, too.

Thank you Coolvest!!

 

[sawman]

Nice job
I was wondering about that saw
Then I read the rest
What brand?how you like it?

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

E Go

I like it well enough to look into a pro electric saw. Considered a corded on for weekend ground work.

No exhaust is sweet!

 

[Raj]

I have a small remington corded chainsaw, bought it for $5 at a fleamarket 9 years ago, works really good, my dad hasn't returned it yet. Same thing, get work done yet keep quiet. I put an old 5hp 220v 1 phase Robbins and Myers brush type electric motor on my log splitter, just sounds like a car is driving by for the neighbours... except has some cracking noises.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Electric gear has its place for sure!

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

http://www.stihlusa.com/products/chain-saws/professional-saws/mse250cq/

need 20 amp service.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I have no idea what amps I have.

 

[sawman]

Not sold on these electronic saws yet.
My ground guy would probably cut the cord anyway
I seen the ones with the battery back pack.
Pretty cool stuff.
I think I wait awhile until they figure out the electronic stuff first...

 

[Raj]

2 prongs up and down 15A, one prong sideways, 20 amp.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Splicing cords is e z.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

At this junction, in my market, I don't want a lift truck.

I wonder about being able to put a chipper (3-5,000 pounds) in a dump trailer or flatbed trailer using my Boxer, with the Boxer going on the trailer or on the chip truck. This would stay under CDL.

When a groundie isn't available, a single trip to mobilize equipment, with the ability to haul chips and wood. Too often I have to shuttle trailer or chipper. Luckily, I work mostly close to home. I bike-shuttled the driver, me, a bunch recently. A 2-4 mile bike ride mid day is nice. Coolvest helped in the heat.

If I could move the chipper with the Boxer, I'd be ready to take it to the back yard to chip onsite. With a big enough pick-up, I wouldn't need the chip truck, even, if the Boxer lived on the trailer, for no haul off jobs.

I hauled chips (and sold them) for the first time in a while the other day. Chip onsite, or dump onsite, frequently.

 

[Tarzan]

I have been thinking the same thing, Sean...about the chipper in a dump trailer idea. If I go that route, I might think of loading the chipper with either the winch on the chip truck, or a winch mounted to the front of the dump trailer. A guy could also figure out how to par-buckle logs onto a deck over, if he had a winch...

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

A mini can serve as the parbuckle muscle.

I've been putting easy thousand pound life in my 42" high chip body via BMG, more than one log high. I stopped loading due to weight. I figured the logs at 1/2 full+ was equivalent to a full load of chips.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Sean, grab hold of an old trailer of some type that weighs 3 to 5 thousand pounds and try pushing it around in ways to replicate real life situations. Pushing up hill etc.. I have been suprised how easily even a steel tracked JD 450 couldn't push a 4 or 5K lb stump grinder where I wanted it on one project.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

right!

I have towed my chipper up a steep gravel hill with my Boxer. Probably a similar slope onto a tandem axle trailer, and similar to a dump trailer.

I do have 10' engineered, aluminum ramps for my chip truck to cut the grade over standard trailer ramps.

Would probably be a combo of trying to push the chipper on the 10' ramps, then drive the mini up narrower, shorter ramps, or a custom ramp gate. Actual measuring is in order, naturally. I would need a mini-mounting plate for towing. The L-hitch for the BMG has too much slop. Would maybe need a ball coupler instead if a pintle ring.

I have "landing legs" on my small trailer, which stabilize the load, and prevents leverage, maximized when the mini is at/near the rock-over point on the rear of the trailer. I would expect to do something similar.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Sean, grab hold of an old trailer of some type that weighs 3 to 5 thousand pounds and try pushing it around in ways to replicate real life situations. Pushing up hill etc.. I have been suprised how easily even a steel tracked JD 450 couldn't push a 4 or 5K lb stump grinder where I wanted it on one project.

Was this on uneven ground, hills, cross slope?

I expect this would all happen on level, hardened ground.

The gravel road I was mini-towing up was new, and not fully hardened. I broke traction before running out of grunt.

 

[treebilly]

Sean I know you've probably already said this but what boxer do you have. My interest in a mini has me thinking I'll get one and a dump trailer this winter. Gotta pay my chipper off first.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Yes Sean, ha. Had all of those bad traction conditions plus thick duff.

I was trying to back grinder uphill. What I thought would be easy ended up being unworkable without a much larger tractor pushing.