Your biggest blunder?

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It's kind of funny. That as safe and careful as we are bad things can happen, be careful guys, it can get hairy even if we think we know what's going to happen.
 
So..... TopHopper.... If it's supposed to be about the dumbest thing you ever did, do I really have to update my post every day?

I'll just start with today--2/25/11. Real tall Big Leaf Maple removal. Only had to rope out about twelve limbs over the condo and could crash the rest. Decided to get greedy and rope out two leads at once and darn near tore out the lead the block was in. Darn close one.

Should have an interesting update for tomorrow--really tall Lombardy Poplars commin' down.... one way or the other.

Hey Trucker: Don't feel bad. Jerry--among others--will tell ya that a lot of really accomplished climbers have cut out the lead they were tied into. Little things....
 
I don't know about Lombardy poplars but I got a big scary maple coming up, I'd give it up to Brian, but not lift access. Its gonna be interesting I don't like them when they've been dead over a year.
 
Bill, if it's that scary then take some time with a throwline before you climb it. I've had a couple where I brushed out almost the entire tree from the ground by throwlining over the ends of the limbs and then snatching them back toward the landing zone. When I couldn't break off any more limbs then I felt confident enough to climb what was left.
 
brendonv said:
A customer once gave me their address to look at a tree, I went and priced it, he wasn't there.

It was a dead oak, next to a dumpster at the end of the parking lot. Called him when I finished, leaving info for payment. Called me back and said the tree is still standing. Well wouldn't ya know, next door, there was a dead oak, next to a dumpster, at the end of the parking lot. I pulled in the wrong driveway. Woops. Never talked to the dead tree owner, but I bet to this day they wonder were their dead tree went. :|:
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HaHa! Good story, and nicely written. I've done work in tract homes where even on repeated calls I have to check the address, cuz the houses/yards all look the same.

I've learned that most of my mistakes are made when I'm rushed or tired, usually near the end of the day.
 
I think I've told you guys about this before but it must have became lost in the forum changes. I put degreaser in the hydraulic system of my bucket truck (the buckets were the same color and the labels were the same but it said it was degreaser instead of ATF) and my bucket froze up about 5 minutes into the job. I emptied the hydraulic system 4 times and replaced the oil each time ran it for a job and changed it again. Cost me $450 just in oil. About a week ago I took out some little juniper bushes and when I was grinding the stump I hit a cable wire that was just under the fabric. I didn't check around the stump. The guy hasn't called me so I guess I'm in the clear. I also was taking a huge 3 trunked cottonwood and my bucket was broke down with the motor troubles. I tied the trunks together up high and tried to fall the whole thing. I had my tractor pulling on one of the trunks with a block in the tree to double the force. The rope I had tied the trunks together with broke and two of the trunks went into the LZ and the other went back and the homeowner had just driven up in his pickup and I got really lucky and one limb went over and stuck in the house and another flew off and dented the hood of the homeowner's pickup. It cost me $500 to fix the roof of the house, $1250 to fix the hood of the pickup and to let you know how seriously I had underbid the job ($2500) I planned on 5 trips of wood to the dump and it took 12 loads. The trunk that went off toward Jones' could have crunched the house but it landed in the driveway just to the side of the house, so in reality I got off easy. Lessons learned #1 on a multi trunk tree, count the trunks as indivual trees for bidding purposes. #2 don't be afraid to return to the house to get whatever equipment you may need. I should have used a heavier rope (I didn't have my bucket with everything in it so I only brought what I thought I would need) to tie the trunks together or even better I should have either waited for my bucket to be repaired, or climbed up higher and roped out the trunk that was leaning away from the LZ. #3 when dealing with cottonwoods don't mis-underestimate the amount of wood and the weight of the wood. #4 don't be afraid to call in a competent contract climber if the job is beyond your capabilities. I know it's really hard to actually lose money on a tree job but I think I may have pulled it off on this one. I have another one or two stories but I have to go.
 
Had a big, dead, poplar TD, in East Buffalo. Post stamp size backyards, and every backyard was fenced. Powerlines ran through the back. We had the power company "boot" the primary wires. One of the primarys was actually touching the tree, so they threw a rope over it, and pulled it away, tieing it off to an apple tree in one of the 5 neighbor's yards.
Yup. Dropped a limb right on that rope, which yanked the primary down, and laid it across a chain link fence, that ran through the backyards of the whole block.
My boss was gonna hop the fence to clean up the limb, before I yelled at him. Idk if the fence was energized, but I wouldn't have tried to find out.
Anywho, aside from a lil downtime waiting on the power company to clear it up, it didn't cost a dime, and nobody got hurt.
 
MasterBlaster said:
Brother, what is your first name? Mine is Butch. :drink:
Click to expand...

Nice to meet you Butch, my name is Thomas. Call me what you like.Got quite a few nick names, just pick one. Coyote for sleepy in the bushes to drunk to make it back to residence and they found me in the morning on the way to plant ID tour. Curly cause well I use to have curly hair or TA my initials.
Thomas is cool Named after my moms baby bro, who died as a baby. i think he is my angel because no matter what stupid thing I do I won't die. Knock on wood.
 
About two years ago I was falling a large cottonwood spar that was uprooted and held up "tipi" style with two other cottonwood trees. I thought I mitigated all the risks and then started to knock the legs out from under the large spar. I face cut and back cut the last tree that was holding up the spar and watched as the last foot or so of the spar contacted another tree and proceeded to uproot it and send it into the eletrical lines. It did not initially rip them down, but sent smoke up as it started to burn the tree. There was a large pop and then the lines came down and they fell across a busy road. We had to stop traffic and wait for the power company. The utility guys were great and all that was said was "Good one." I definetly learned to look beyond what could happen in the immediate area. Also, Hi, I am new here.
 
O.k. it's not a "Jed's daily blunder" thread, so I'll go easy on myself. The Lombardys didn't go too bad. That little Birch underneath didn't need those three extra limbs on it anyway!
 
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