The Official Work Pictures Thread

[SkwerI]

I'm just looking at the tree structure and trunk taper. I can't see any good cable locations higher up in the tree unless you run a half dozen cables in a giant web. Can you? Where would you put the cables?

Guidelines are great but so is the ability to apply them with common sense and reason. We have to adapt our methods to fit the tree, not reshape the tree to fit our methods.

 

[Jomo]

That'd be a very challenging tree to rod and cable correctly Fiona.

You could rent a lift and 3/4 electric drill, but the extra long six foot drill bits? And the physical strength it takes to keep such a powerful drill from spinning you?

Drilling holes that long is a tedious process in that yu have to clear the hole for each few inches of progress.

Three 3/4 inch galvanized all thread rods, in an upside down triangle at the top of the crack, and one 7/16ths EHS cable, anchored by two 3/4 inch galvanized through bolts, about 12 feet above the crack, would be ideal IMO.

I'd charge 1500 bucks, take my time, and do it real slow and methodically.

Losing/ breaking a long drill bit in a client's tree can be very embarrassing, and big electric drills have more than enough torque to break bones.

Not many clients are willing to pay more to rod and cable an old tree, once it exceeds the cost of removal, but it does happen, but usually only with rich clients.

Not an easy cabling job by any measure, looks about a 48 inch dia at he crack to my eye.

You're a brave lady Fi!

Jomo

 

[SeanKroll]

Looks significantly smaller to me.

Do extensions work out well for the drill bit, rather than such a long one? I thought Willie used some, effectively.

 

[Jomo]

Not in my experience rodding fat hardwoods Sean, and I've rodded a few.

Indeed drilling 4-5 foot long holes demands 3/4 inch dia one piece high quality drill bits that aren't cheap.

Mine were made by Dick Miller at American Arboist Supplies decades ago.

Jomo

 

[Burnham]

Fancy smancy, bolts and all...heck, just slap a length of 3/4 inch logging chain around that split up under the lowest limbs, snug it down tight with a chain binder using a 3 foot leverage bar. Tie wire the binder arm in to keep the civilians from messing with it. Cheap, fast, effective. Looks like hell, but whatever .

That'll hold 'er together a good long time. Longer than the tree will last, anyway.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Not in my experience rodding fat hardwoods Sean, and I've rodded a few.

Indeed drilling 4-5 foot long holes demands 3/4 inch dia one piece high quality drill bits that aren't cheap.

Mine were made by Dick Miller at American Arboist Supplies decades ago.

Jomo

But they can be had. Used mine 2X....

 

[Bermy]

Thanks guys, tree is 60cm dia at the top of the split.
I appreciate the suggestions.
I don't see how anything could be installed at the normally recommended 2/3 height, the branches are too slender and the weight below too great.
I'm heading for bolts in the crack and at least one cable above the v, and yes, I think it still need to be able to flex a bit.
Pics when it's done...

 

[SkwerI]

Sounds good, Fi. Looking forward to seeing how you handle it.

 

[SeanKroll]

Are you planning reduction pruning?

 

[SeanKroll]

I'm just looking at the tree structure and trunk taper. I can't see any good cable locations higher up in the tree unless you run a half dozen cables in a giant web. Can you? Where would you put the cables?

Guidelines are great but so is the ability to apply them with common sense and reason. We have to adapt our methods to fit the tree, not reshape the tree to fit our methods.

I agree with the second part. To answer your question in the first part of the quote, in the post above yours, I mentioned putting in a 6 cable, central hub and spoke arrangement for a mature japanese maple, 30' wide or so.

Mine was lighter gauge than for this tree, but the same method. A simple thimble and hand splice, with a central ring.

These days, seems like Wedge-grips are a preferred method, and available in all sizes, IIRC.

Rig Guy had central hubs that were compatible with their system, IIRC. Might have been 3-way and 4-way hubs.

If using common strength cable, is hand-splicing still acceptable?

 

[SkwerI]

IMO we need to match the treatment to the actual defect. This tree has a defect in the lower trunk. Limb attachment up high isn't an issue, no limbs are breaking out. So IMO the limbs are not what needs to be braced, the trunk is. I would rather see the trunk braced and allow the upper canopy to still move and bend as it is designed to do. Bracing and restricting all the upper limbs is not a viable solution for this particular defect.

Not familiar with Rig Guy, so I cannot comment on the rest of your post.

 

[treebilly]

From what I recall bracing should also be accompanied with cabling and reduction pruning. Now the cabling is a gray area on height, as well as the reduction pruning. Basically use your knowledge to do what you think is the best

 

[Mick!]

Easy day today.

Priced a basswood TD from a photo, erred on the expensive and they accepted.

Turned up and did a straight fell and chip.

Back on the sofa by 1.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Poor tree. Now they don't have shit for shade.

 

[Mick!]

I know, when I turned up I thought that.

But I was there to kill trees and chew bubblegum....and I was all out of bubblegum.

 

[Tree09]

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've done the same, many times. Moron homeowners...

 

[stig]

Easy money is easy money.

I learned the hard way not to price trees from pictures.

 

[Mick!]

I get it right or better 95% of the time.

It’s only for expats a distance away, they’ve usually contacted me because they don’t speak french or don’t trust french tree guys.

They’re happy to pay a premium for peace of mind.

Edit, may have been an easy day but 100k worth of stuff on site and three guys, so not easy money if we’re going to be finickety.

 

[SeanKroll]

Mick, do you have spikes on the bottom of the attachment plate part of the grapple?

Spikes on the boom for pushing help a lot, and a bollard for a rope. Your machine would kick way more butt. Look at the BMG. $0.02.

On my last job, a multi-trunk willow that was root-rotted, with a couple stems already failed. I grappled the soil around the tree to rip some roots, then pushed it back and forth a little, before pushing the tree 130 degrees from the heavy lean toward the only place where I couldn't put it. Easy to get the bulk of the stump out, and hidden in the woods. FWIW.

 

[Mick!]

Yes Sean I have spikes, in hindsight they could have been bigger, and a friction device on the boom also would have been a good thing.

I saw your tracked machine had ripped out the willow stool/stump. I was impressed.

 

[SeanKroll]

chain-link grab-hook, or a slot for inserting a chain-link is useful as a means of attaching the chain to a grapple. We 'yarded' some pieces with chain, staying on wet, dirty plywood, on top of mud, until within grapple-range. Saved a lot of work.

 

[Mick!]

Meebees.

 

[treebilly]

Ground guys weren’t feeling it today. They cleaned up some leftovers from Wednesday while I just added to their misery. No one wanted to be there but I’m being paid to put shit on the ground for them to clean up. Might be swapping crews for a few days next week just to let them know how good they really have it

The next crew leader in line would’ve put the logs on top of the mess. The one after that would’ve dropped every tree in opposite directions creating a ton more cleanup plus destroying the golf course and our contract with them.
Hopefully I’ll get some stump pics on Monday to add for the sake of science

 

[pantheraba]

Good pictures....saw on spar....

they’ve usually contacted me because they don’t speak french or don’t trust french tree guys.

They’re happy to pay a premium for peace of mind.

... Sorry Marc-Antoine!!!