Tree felling vids

I think that shot was excellent. I myself wouldn't take one that narrow. All can go well but if the saw acts up and the hinge thickness isn't uniform at the key moment, your skilled work goes out the window. Do I count on saws acting up? No. But on a shot like that, well, I don't have the nerve. With my luck, Ive go into a sneezing fit at the moment of truth as it started over. I tip my hat to him, but in a residential setting, I'll never be the guy to make a video that cool.
 
That was the most serious shot I have ever seen, looked like he made it by a couple inches either side. I loved the cutter's reaction after the shot; even with all the skill, experience, and care that went into that cut, you still gotta thank your lucky stars that it went perfectly.
 
NHlocal said:
I'm no expert/professional that's for sure so I had to "cheat", I pulled this comment from Arboristsite(from March 2013) from the man that felled that tree.....

"The place was not going to be knocked down. It is a vacation residence in Packwood, WA. This shot kept me awake for 3 nights. I would never have done this, except this tree was perfect for a well placed shot. It was perfectly balanced. It was sound as a nut. I opened up the face cut to a 90 degree angle with a "Birdsmouth" face. I went out into the unit with a hoe dad and made a flat bed for the tree to land in. I hung a plumb bob from the eave of each of the two roofs to the ground. I measured the distance on the ground between the two roofs and divided in half. I placed a stake there, and then measured back to the tree and marked the same distance to each corner of the stump. I was REALLY careful to make all cuts match up. It helps to use a fresh sharp chain. The skidder operator, Larry, was showing me how far from the off corner my chain was and I matched that on my side. I just snugged the wedges, didn't drive the tree over with them. The tree did get a little closer to the pump house on the right in the video, than to the residence, but the trunk was 30" wide and the gap between buildings was 56" so I had 26" of wiggle room, or, 13" on each side. The video is impressive but it is just simple physics and attention to detail that will bring you sucess in these deals.
I told the client that had built the deck around the tree that it would cost him the deck. He said with the revenue from the logs he would build a new deck, and he has. This tree was just one of many nice Douglas Fir we took out on about a 2 acre lot.
Thanks for your comment, Scott
(PS) I got so busy that I didn't need the website this video was on any more, and when the website came up for annual renewal, I didn't want to spend the money. I still have the vid, and it is somewhere on Youtube also."

..... good stuff. :thumbup::)
Click to expand...

Great guy, nice to have the backstory like that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Yes, excellent detail there. Ha, I loved when he said that shot kept him awake for 3 nites, I think we've all been there.
 
murphy4trees said:
I didn;t take time to read all the replies and I think its a great vibe on here.. Randy gets a lot of support and encouragement.. he deserves it.. he really came a long way fast and earned every bit of it. its a good testament to what this online community can do to support a brother..

He always invites critique and suggestions. That's been huge!. and after watching most of that vid I know I feel a little concern for your safety Randy as others here have expressed... the issue of working without help on the ground on such jobs multiplies the dangers.. you might get hit with a rigged piece because the groundie can't let it run, then if your injured and can't get help, stuck in a tree, a minor injury could become a fatality..
You look like you had it pretty well under control, but the risk in this business is cumulative. A little risk everyday adds up to a lot of risk over a career. if you keep pushing the limits, something is bound to give.. As many here know, I like to push the limits a lot too... BUT NOT WHEN MY LIFE IS ON THE LINE! More like when a bush or fence or driveway or gutter is at risk... The first question I ask myself before making a cut is "will I die if I make this cut?" The answer there is never "maybe"...

On the one hand its cool that you have the heart and the drive to take on such trees solo.. on the other hand we all want you to live a long life and grow old watching your grandchildren growing up.

Here are a couple suggestions and thoughts about the work...
Personally I LOVE the rip cuts and use them frequently often on much bigger stuff, especially from the bucket... the crucial precaution is make sure (other than single line) NO part of your climbing system is below the cut..

also get rid of those subs on anything you're rigging that could swing back towards you... matter of fact just get rid of the stubs by not making them in the first place, whenever possible.. just make that cut back at the union.

thirdly: whenever you;re blowing out a top ALWAYS use a humboldt and an inch or two of stump shot... ESPECIALLY when the top is not free falling and could hang up on another tree.... if you're not comfortable at cutting humboldts, hit it hard on the ground in low risk situations...

Lastly I didn;t like your body position on that one top.. you were directly behind the cut.. if it had barber chaired, it could have taken your head off. get a little lower or off to the side before finishing the cut.. also not a bad idea to leave a stub on the stem which you can stay under if the but kicks back or barber chairs...

Looks like you're having fun.. Love it! Carry on brother!
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
 
I used to get a lot of crane work, but not now. I dont really miss it or anything....but as I recall it was nice to go home feeling so fresh compared to a normal day. It a good skill to learn, if anyone here is curious but yet to partake. Some stuff from the month of June 2011.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HM3UTQgFakw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Nice vid, Reg. You looked to have been blessed with some good operators as well. No need to rush things with the pick, all deference to the guy in the tree.
 
Indeed, crane work rocks cuz it's usually an easy day:) Nice vid, Reg, you set a high standard for quiet=well balanced picks.

That song 'Moving' is sweet, where'd ya find it?
 
Thanks. Jay, Ross was sometimes a little slow to get the load moving because he was always texting. That and the fact that he'd be at ease because he know I know my stuff when it comes to preload and balance. I always say to crane ops 'don't do anything until I signal'.

Cory thats an English group called supergrass. The countries not totally screwed. We still produce half decent bands, crane ops and tree workers.
 
Smooth as silk .... something to aspire to Reg. I hope someday I get a crane job and get to see how smooth I can make it.. Of course.. I hope to get enough crane jobs someday to be smooth.. LOL
 
MasterBlaster said:
I've never seen the hook wrapped in a bag before.
Click to expand...

the bag had a hole in the bottom, so when you opened it the main choker dropped out. The bag was essentially attached part way up the main choker. The idea was to put other slings in the bag, in case they'd be usefully for balancing awkward shaped picks. If you didnt need em, they just stayed in the bag. The bag was bullet shaped so it'd drop right through a canopy without getting hung up. DSC03360.JPG DSC03249.JPG
 
worked very well, and especially good for climbers just getting into crane work. We sold a good few but not enough to make any money. Im not sure if they still in production. small market.
 
That's too bad, I figured the crane bag would be doing good.

Here's another good one...
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/_g_yTcnEmPU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Ross' (crane op) Dad was Maurice. owner of the Sutton Crane hire. He was never texting, but always in a a rush to be somewhere else, Noticeably quicker, and on his A game the best Ive ever worked with. Only two guys on the ground here, they did great, and we were a way not long after lunch. This was before before Headcams, HD and special effects became standard in tree vids. Pardon me,

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/HWGNRmloLq0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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