Tree felling vids

Dude had a couple 5 hour Energy shots. I like to drag it out most of the time. Trees are so nice to hang out in- I Hate talking to people on the ground, friggen neighbor, homeowner, anybody really. Cool video, interesting way to work, I take it it's an old video... I know I've seen it before.

When I am on the ground I leave my hearing pro on just so I can't hear "others" when I am working. I have even been known to shut down a custy, who's job I am working, just to keep things moving and flowing. I hate interruptions on the job site, for me it is stay focused.
 
We can chit chat while you write me the check or count the cash...

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It's cool if you like going for a ride. I don't trust ANY groundy to properly run a load that heavy. I'd have removed one more limb and taken it at the next fork.
 
My best groundman would run that sort of load for me without me hardly needing to hold on. Training a new one now, and that kind of load is OUT of the question. Tim was a natural, he gave me wings. Beginners though, I don't trust them with much.
 
Usually I don't like to post other people's videos but I just saw this one and I'd really like to know what you think about it.

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I feel as though there's a TON of raking on that job.

No freakin way Id have dumped it over like that. Haphazard. Look at the explosion of dead wood which can travel and blow out windows for a LONG way. LOOK AT THOSE WIRES SLAPPING TOO. Not impressed with the job. They got it down, and that's great, but they did it like pigs.
 
Wasn't too bad until they flopped it. Strumming the power lines like that is seriously risky business. Not to mention the other property damage. And what the heck was that rolling onto the scene after the flop?

Buy hey, they saved the maple, so it's all good!


And yes, that looked like no fun at all to cleanup.
 
Hella good (lucky) shot with the trunk going around the tree.

Rigging looked good overall, just needed to rig more off to not hit the utility lines. With that loose bark, I would have used a half-hitch and RB and maybe cut a little notch for the rope.

Wasn't surprised not to see hardhats/ helmets on anybody.

I would have plywooded in front of that trailer.

Should have started with the truck and bobcat closer to the tree to stay farther from the utility lines with the pull ropes

Probably lighter to rig/ clean up after being dead for 2 years.
 
Sean, I caught that too. Just a running b, with no half hitch kind of spooked me a little. I don't thing Id have even settled for cutting a notch. Just in the odd case the knot goes slack for an instant. On that tree, I think everything would have been a running b with a half hitch. I don't deal in cottonwood ever so I cant judge the rigging itself. I just don't have the familiarity with the strength of dead cottonwood to be able to make a fair opinion if he was rigging too big or small. Dumping out dead nasties like that into the direction of other homes just rubs me wrong. Ive have just enough bad experience with tops blowing up on impact to shy me away from doing that. As far as those wires go, the simple stick trick could have told him to cut higher and cheat a few feet off the distance of the tips hitting. Better yet, I can see he worked off that center lead at some point, Why not just hop over on those upright leads that eventually slapped the wires and trim those antlers off. He was pretty much there already and based on what I can see, should have been able to rope them off without loads of extra effort. More time in the tree, sure. But cheaper then paying for torn down service lines. I think I wouldn't have posted that video if it was my own work. My work isn't flawless, and with that said, I don't broadcast the flawed jobs.
 
That was a boat rolling.. smacked the mail box opposite side of the street... damn near smacked a hydrant, strummed the lines...Made a crazy mess, I doubt I want to see the lawn damage..... Yeah for the maple... Ballsy, but not how I would treat the situation. Flying debris is risky business.
 
He got lucky a lot, especially with the lines. He sure liked his rope close to the cut! I've seen them slip off on live wood, much less dead, loose barked ones.

Maybe I've gotten old, but I don't think I'd have rigged outta such a dead tree.
 
THAT WAS GREAT.. dude running for the boat rolling back in from stage left was classic.. I've run like that a time or two myself.. nothing like seeing a truck rolling with no one behind the wheel.. that'll learn ya.. it was the ground shake from the fall that moved the boat.. CRAZY!

other than the mailbox, which should have been moved with the machine (did he really think that little hand truck was going to protect the it?), I consider that a good fall.. I've made the call many times to rig or fall a tree thinking it will brush the lines but not take 'em out. SO maybe he's that good. It was a little too close for my comfort on that maple.. I would have dug it or at least taken out that center lead and tied off to the side leads for each of the pull lines... Would have been good to cut it at 10-15' from the hooks, though its not an easy cut, it would have given a lot more wiggle room in the DZ, especially if he took the center lead out entirely...

That tree might have been 6.5' at the stump cut, but was no more than 4-4.5' dbh... That's an old school cowboy with some serious confidence...
 
So Murph, if you let the limbs slap the line with confidence that it wont rip them down, how do you prevent the line slap from blowing the line? You know, the primary slapping and hitting something that will pop the fuse. Whats your approach if those tips whack the line and some material stays hung on the line? Hangers. I'm actually not even trying to bust your balls, but really just trying to gather what your thoughts are on blowing the line and fishing hangers off a primary.
 
They've got some skill, no doubt. But, wouldn't it have been a lot less cleanup spending just a bit more time rigging out a few more limbs? As was already said, safer too.....:thumbup:
 
So Murph, if you let the limbs slap the line with confidence that it wont rip them down, how do you prevent the line slap from blowing the line? You know, the primary slapping and hitting something that will pop the fuse. Whats your approach if those tips whack the line and some material stays hung on the line? Hangers. I'm actually not even trying to bust your balls, but really just trying to gather what your thoughts are on blowing the line and fishing hangers off a primary.

There's a slow motion wire slap in this video at 3:47..

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It was not intended, I think the groundie let it run too much. I failed to tell him not to let it run. I thought he would know on his own. IN any case, you can see its just inches of the limb that brushes the lines. If its any more than inches, you've got problems.. I've reviewed this cut over and over again, and I still can't tell whether to reprimand the groundie for letting it run into the wires, or congratulate him for knowing exactly what he could get away with, and getting it done...

I've only ever tripped a fuse twice.. first time was all on the crane op, and the second was from the bucket.. little cul de sac.. put 4 houses out of power for a couple hours... when the lineman showed, he gave me the green light to finish the tree while the power was off..
 
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