vertical cracks/checking = knowing when to say when?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Spellfeller
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 96
  • Views Views 12K
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #26
Gary, I did see that vid, but thanks for the repost here. No access to a skid steer or truck, but the Maasdam rope puller is rated to 3/4 ton. I suppose I could figure out how to rig a 3:1...?

Thanks for the Clint, Stephen! First you had me blowing up my neighbor, now you've got me shooting 50cal at him! :lol:
 
If that's your third tree and you are even considering it, you've got balls.. either that or you're really F_______ stupid... I think you've got balls and hopefully enough brains to keep yourself alive until you get to your 10,000th tree.... many experienced pros will set a throwline and start giving some test pulls to see how the tree reacts... set the throw line very high and get a feel for it... you might not have enough experience to ell how much give a tree should have.... My rule on tose guys is either rig from it or climb it but not both... If you have a good tie in point in the oak and can just go up and bomb away you should be OK.... if you're concerned that even being toed in with a lanyard could take you down get a breakaway fuse for the lanyard...
If I had the room, I might even try to rip out the top with a skid steer.. take the neigbor's fence apart or what ever you can think of to get the tree down without putting yourself or anyone else in danger... Sometimes the nasty trees aren;t the ones that get you cause you recognize the danger and are prepared to think your way through it... sometimes its the ones that look like no big deal and then something goes wrong that can get you..

JUST BE CAREFUL
And keep us posted...

ps and make some new friends.. find out from a crane op or other local with some experience who are the best clmbers around and contract them for the day when you have a nice job... if you're lucky you;ll find someone that's good and likes to share his knowledge..
 
I've never understood the concept of climbing a questionable tree but, it's cool! You're tied to another strong tree... no problem!

So.... wut happens when the tree fails and you're lanyarded off into it...

THEN what?

qy8zGg2.gif
 
can you get an ewp in to work on the tree? as you could piece the tree down with the cherrypicker. the other option you could consider depending on how decayed it is is to put the rope puller onto the tree and then scarf the stem and then use the rope puller to break the stem in your intended direction of fall?
 
MasterBlaster said:
So.... wut happens when the tree fails and you're lanyarded off into it...

THEN what?
Click to expand...
all kinds of bad stuff... push the air out of your body for one..... rip your tie in point out, or pich your circulation, suspension trauma and certain death.... its not often that a tree will fall apart when the clmber is just bombing pieces, but the difference between not often and never could be your life....
 
There's also the seldom discussed option of having a truckload of scaffolding dropped off from the rental yard and making a HUGE production out of the thing. . .

j/k

Good post Murph.
 
Speller...here is a high line I did a few years back...camera quality was marginal but you can get the idea...kind of long.

I used the high line for access so I could get a lot of weight off the spar and then I felt OK about climbing it. I guyed the tree before doing anything. But...this tree was still alive and had trunk structural integrity (the roots were very marginal)...your whole tree, however, is stone dead. If you high line I would expect you to be on the high line ALL the time.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kUKTuV9kzKY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
I'm probably in the thousands of dismantles and I'd still think hard about climbing this. I'd use an all terrain knuckle boom. Not sure if you guys have those?

3rd tree though, maybe pass and work towards this sort of job.
 
MasterBlaster said:
He's the Dude!
Click to expand...

My brother was a potter before he died, a real great one. When his place got smashed in an earthquake and Jeff Bridges, who I understand does some ceramic work himself, read about my brother's plight on the web, he sent my bro a thousand bucks. No relation between them before that. Jeff's a cool guy.
 
Spellerfeller, there's alot of good guys and professional arbs down your way, I am sure you can find someone to tag along with. If not I am near Boone, only like an hour and a half from you. I would be willing to sacrifice my time if it would help you stay out of that tree, that looks like a death trap.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #44
murphy4trees said:
If that's your third tree and you are even considering it, you've got balls.. either that or you're really F_______ stupid... I think you've got balls and hopefully enough brains to keep yourself alive until you get to your 10,000th tree....
Click to expand...

I like to think that I have "thoughtful balls." Okay, that sounds dreadful... :lol:

murphy4trees said:
many experienced pros will set a throwline and start giving some test pulls to see how the tree reacts... set the throw line very high and get a feel for it... you might not have enough experience to [t]ell how much give a tree should have....
Click to expand...

Guaranteed I don't, Michael! My tree does look and behave pretty similarly to the one in the video you posted, though the base of the trunk isn't as punky. My current plan is to pull as much as I can of the main leader from the ground and then consider bombing the left hand (smaller, healthier) secondary stem from the good TIP. The major concern I have with that plan is that I might weaken the co-dom union with all the pulling. Maybe I should reverse the order? :?

murphy4trees said:
My rule on tose guys is either rig from it or climb it but not both... If you have a good tie in point in the oak and can just go up and bomb away you should be OK.... if you're concerned that even being toed in with a lanyard could take you down get a breakaway fuse for the lanyard...
Click to expand...

Got it.

murphy4trees said:
If I had the room, I might even try to rip out the top with a skid steer.. take the neigbor's fence apart or what ever you can think of to get the tree down without putting yourself or anyone else in danger...
Click to expand...

Thinking about trying this with the rope puller first, and then perhaps renting something...

murphy4trees said:
JUST BE CAREFUL
And keep us posted...
Click to expand...

Will do!

murphy4trees said:
ps and make some new friends.. find out from a crane op or other local with some experience who are the best clmbers around and contract them for the day when you have a nice job... if you're lucky you;ll find someone that's good and likes to share his knowledge..
Click to expand...

Great idea.

pantheraba said:
Speller...here is a high line I did a few years back...camera quality was marginal but you can get the idea...kind of long.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Gary. I could listen to you talk all day long. Best. Accent. Ever. 8)

treemender said:
I'm probably in the thousands of dismantles and I'd still think hard about climbing this. I'd use an all terrain knuckle boom. Not sure if you guys have those? 3rd tree though, maybe pass and work towards this sort of job.
Click to expand...

Thanks, TM. Couple of folks recommending a lift/boom. This is a fairly tight and SERIOUSLY off-camber work area, and I think it might be tough to get the thing positioned and leveled. If I hit Sunbelt for anything, it will probably be a skid-steer...

woodworkingboy said:
When his place got smashed in an earthquake and Jeff Bridges, who I understand does some ceramic work himself, read about my brother's plight on the web, he sent my bro a thousand bucks. No relation between them before that.
Click to expand...

So cool, Jay. Jeff Bridges' stock--which was already high--went up a few notches in my book!

greengreer said:
Spellerfeller, there's alot of good guys and professional arbs down your way, I am sure you can find someone to tag along with. If not I am near Boone, only like an hour and a half from you. I would be willing to sacrifice my time if it would help you stay out of that tree, that looks like a death trap.
Click to expand...

Awfully kind of you, sir! Thanks much. I'll send you a PM if I can't find a willing local!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #45
pantheraba said:
I used the high line for access so I could get a lot of weight off the spar and then I felt OK about climbing it. I guyed the tree before doing anything. But...this tree was still alive and had trunk structural integrity (the roots were very marginal)...your whole tree, however, is stone dead. If you high line I would expect you to be on the high line ALL the time.
Click to expand...

Thanks for drawing the distinctions between the condition of our two trees, Gary.

Not sure I have the expertise/equipment to tackle rigging a high line. But that is really cool, traversing over to the perfect work space. I saw you had redundancy with the TIP in the tree, but you've got to be darn careful that nothing you cut loose falls on the high line! :O
 
but you've got to be darn careful that nothing you cut loose falls on the high line!
Click to expand...

and now I feel even BETTER about you doing this kind of work. That went thru my mind when I typed it all out before but I didn't take time to cover it. I figured if you got deep enough down the rabbit hole that you were going to do the high line route I (we) could bring it up then.

Glad to see you have already "gone there" in your imaginary world and realized what a world of trouble an errant limb/top could be to a high line. Keep thinking there, Feller...I likes the way your brain is working!!!
 
Thoughtful balls, that's funny. And good. The problem is it's what you don't know that can bite you. My favorite quote from this forum, maybe from anywhere, is in Burnham's signature. "Confidence is the feeling you have right before you fully understand the situation".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Treeaddict
Pass, maybe?
2
Replies
43
Views
2K
davidwyby
davidwyby
lxskllr
Large JetSled Review
Replies
10
Views
517
Kaveman
Kaveman
lxskllr
Question - 2 Ring Friction Saver
Replies
7
Views
945
CurSedVoyce
CurSedVoyce
Intact
Ported 590 not starting, BADLY want to fix at-home!
Replies
4
Views
949
Nutball
Nutball
cerberus
Super-dead limb, conks/mushrooms all the way down stem to the trunk...reallly don't wanna say No to a
Replies
8
Views
1K
CurSedVoyce
CurSedVoyce
Back
Top