Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
I wish I could get my old boss, Craig on here. I don't perfectly remember the story but it was something like tree falls the wrong way, knocks down powerline and burns up neighbor's Porche.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Ohhhhhh Lordy..... !!
sotc
Dormant hero!!
Three extra limbs 
I was taking down a small Sycamore, all I had was my basic climbing gear, no rigging rope, no spikes. Most of the limbs I cut and threw but some bits were over a garage roof. Needed the money...NOW, no time to wait for that order on its way from Wesspur...
Had a bit of 'Bunning's (Lowe's) Special' rope, you know the stuff in a 50' coil shrinkwrapped in a box marked 'Special, 19.95...' I rigged it off in an adjacent tree, used the fig8 for a porty...cut about a 4' chunk...it came towards me, embarassing enough...would have been no problem BUT the rope was REALLY stretchy so it slowly ended up in my lap...now super embarassing...had to wrestle it off, luckily the stretch ended just above tha garage roof...
Got my double braid 9/16 now...ta!
Had a bit of 'Bunning's (Lowe's) Special' rope, you know the stuff in a 50' coil shrinkwrapped in a box marked 'Special, 19.95...' I rigged it off in an adjacent tree, used the fig8 for a porty...cut about a 4' chunk...it came towards me, embarassing enough...would have been no problem BUT the rope was REALLY stretchy so it slowly ended up in my lap...now super embarassing...had to wrestle it off, luckily the stretch ended just above tha garage roof...
Got my double braid 9/16 now...ta!
A few of mine.
Felled a big rotten Poplar butt that we had stripped. Was slightly worse than we thought and the hinge gave out and it went slightly off course whiping out a fair size Sugar maple.
Speedlined a lump of Ash straight into an Aspestos workshop roof. In my defence I was talked into 'Just 1 more lump'.I knew it doubtful it would clear the roof to say the least but still did it
Did domething similar speedling an Oak over a wall, it just caught the wall and I heard a thud but the wall stayed up, but it did knock all the rendering off in 1 big sheet the other side. After that happened we then found out the wall was coming out for an extension to be built
Witnessed lots of other moments from others, some , some 
Felled a big rotten Poplar butt that we had stripped. Was slightly worse than we thought and the hinge gave out and it went slightly off course whiping out a fair size Sugar maple.
Speedlined a lump of Ash straight into an Aspestos workshop roof. In my defence I was talked into 'Just 1 more lump'.I knew it doubtful it would clear the roof to say the least but still did it
Did domething similar speedling an Oak over a wall, it just caught the wall and I heard a thud but the wall stayed up, but it did knock all the rendering off in 1 big sheet the other side. After that happened we then found out the wall was coming out for an extension to be built
Witnessed lots of other
moments from others, some , some 
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
I keep forgetting to use a speedline more often....
SkwerI
Treehouser
Dang, Chris. If only I could be so perfect.
SkwerI
Treehouser
I'm blessed by a failing memory which prevents me from having to relive all my blunders over the years, but I just thought of the time I flopped a big Mimosa tree in a vacant lot while working in Tampa for Brett. No need to move the trucks, I have plenty of room to put it over here! Of course the hinge broke and it landed on my pickup truck and Brett's chipper. Broke a control valve on the chipper so I spent an hour driving around in a strange city trying to locate the part.
The best lessens are the ones you learn the hardest. I've never again left a truck within striking distance while flopping a tree.
The best lessens are the ones you learn the hardest. I've never again left a truck within striking distance while flopping a tree.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
Speedlines arent something branded into my mind from the years of growing up watching tree removals. It simply isnt something I saw much of. For that reason, it doesnt tend to be one of the methods that I use too often. I should though. I betcha I could have made a lot more money on certain jobs if I had used a speedline.
Brian, one night while I was checking the equipment and my truck was about halfway fixed from smashing it with the cottonwood I made a promise to my truck that if I ever got it running, I would never again put it within range of a falling tree. Haven't broken that promise.
flushcut
TreeHouser
Know you target and beyond.
Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
Now tell me if this is true for you guys. Some of the folks on whose jobs I have screwed up the worst on, swear by me and refer me to all their friends. I mean, I knocked a kid unconscious in the backyard of a Boise City Council Woman and they love me. What about you guys?
SkwerI
Treehouser
Not always, but a lot of times you can make a client for life by following through and making right on your screw up.
I just thought of another example. A couple years ago I was subbing for a guy named Todd cutting down a couple pine trees in a mobile home park. I had worked for him a couple times but he was still unsure of me and always seemed to have his guard up against me taking advantage of him. Well, I blew it good. I rigged a big lead off the lead above it and had the rigging too tight. Made the cut and the top lead broke out, sending both leads down through the aluminum carport. Once everybody calmed down enough, I finished removing the trees and promised to make it right. I hired the mobile home park's recommended contractor to replace the carport and made sure he was paid quickly so the park would release the check for the tree work. Since that day Todd has trusted me implicitly on every job he's called me on. He no longer worries about me screwing up and leaving him to foot the bill, so he can relax a little and let me do it my way without micromanaging every cut.
I just thought of another example. A couple years ago I was subbing for a guy named Todd cutting down a couple pine trees in a mobile home park. I had worked for him a couple times but he was still unsure of me and always seemed to have his guard up against me taking advantage of him. Well, I blew it good. I rigged a big lead off the lead above it and had the rigging too tight. Made the cut and the top lead broke out, sending both leads down through the aluminum carport. Once everybody calmed down enough, I finished removing the trees and promised to make it right. I hired the mobile home park's recommended contractor to replace the carport and made sure he was paid quickly so the park would release the check for the tree work. Since that day Todd has trusted me implicitly on every job he's called me on. He no longer worries about me screwing up and leaving him to foot the bill, so he can relax a little and let me do it my way without micromanaging every cut.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
You hit the nail on the head there!
B
Bounce
Guest
Me too. It isn't whether or not you drop the ball, but how quickly you pick it back up again that makes the difference.
Tucker943
Bamboo Plantation Owner
And how much it costs when you drop it.
B
bill22
Guest
I had a blunder yesterday,doing that big dead maple I was concerned about. Had one 6" limb about 25' long,over the house and service drop, called in for a wire drop, after that was done, I use a hyauchi to tip tie it and swing it,ripped a few shingles off and dinged the gutter pretty good. I wrapped up the job,the it was off to home depot with a buddy of mine who fixed it pretty cheap for me. Man I wish it would have been bucket accessible.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
SkwerI
Treehouser
I guess the broken arm is healing up pretty quick? Glad you're back to work so soon.
tophopper
The resident asshole
Bummer Bill.
Sounds...........fishy
Brian,
I also have the same rule about vehicles in the felling zone..... I once saw a guy drop a 18"ish 30 foot oak spar right onto the upper boom(stowed on the truck) of Dave's (tntree) bucket truck. Squished it good.
Sounds...........fishy
Brian,
I also have the same rule about vehicles in the felling zone..... I once saw a guy drop a 18"ish 30 foot oak spar right onto the upper boom(stowed on the truck) of Dave's (tntree) bucket truck. Squished it good.
B
bill22
Guest
I'm pushing it for sure, but the bills don't stop. I think I'm gonna start turning trees like that down if possible.
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
When I was 17 a friend and I decided to get some firewood as we had moved into an old farm house without central heat.
We borrowed an old Sears no-anti-vibe heavy chainsaw and proceeded to hang up three out of three trees we tried to fall.
The site was a valley north of town where houses would be built the following spring. After the third tree hung up we were laughing and had not noticed we had an audience.
The job super had been driving through the area laying out the roads with a civil engineer from the county.
He stopped his truck and yelled down to us, said his name was Mr Johnson, and asked who told us we could take trees from this site.
We had the proper name (builder was a family friend of my buddy).
He then came down the hillside and gave us the better part of an hour's long hands-on lesson on how to back out of the dangerous situation we'd gotten into and a lesson on properly gunning and dropping trees.
He never chided us, but did make it clear that one if not both of us could have died that day.
A sobering experience that has stayed with me over the past 38 years.
We borrowed an old Sears no-anti-vibe heavy chainsaw and proceeded to hang up three out of three trees we tried to fall.
The site was a valley north of town where houses would be built the following spring. After the third tree hung up we were laughing and had not noticed we had an audience.
The job super had been driving through the area laying out the roads with a civil engineer from the county.
He stopped his truck and yelled down to us, said his name was Mr Johnson, and asked who told us we could take trees from this site.
We had the proper name (builder was a family friend of my buddy).
He then came down the hillside and gave us the better part of an hour's long hands-on lesson on how to back out of the dangerous situation we'd gotten into and a lesson on properly gunning and dropping trees.
He never chided us, but did make it clear that one if not both of us could have died that day.
A sobering experience that has stayed with me over the past 38 years.
pigwot
M's, Juniper's, Lowen’s, and Inge’s Grandpa
Of course the dumbest thing I ever did was tipping out the top of an ash tree without giving a wide enough clearance to the primary out at the street.
The very tip brushed the wire and I was damn lucky. Big jolt but didn't burn me or stop my heart. Hair has been straight ever since though...
The very tip brushed the wire and I was damn lucky. Big jolt but didn't burn me or stop my heart. Hair has been straight ever since though...
Brimmstone
TreeHouser
Treeslayer and I were dropping some trees for a guy I know. There were several massive pines and a couple decent oaks and one huge one. We had the electric company drop the lines and went to work. Everything going good till the 385 which was my big boy at the time broke it's half-wrap as we were prepping to take down the monster oak.
We should have stopped and waited till I could get another handle but we decided put the bar on the 372. That was a big mistake. 372s do not pull a 36 inch bar like a 385.
Other problem was not having truck positioned on the right angle. I should have had pulling about 60 degrees from where we wanted it to fall. Instead it was about 20 degrees from where we wanted it to fall.Treeslayer was working the saw while I used my flatbed to apply tension to the line. The notch went no problem. The back cut is where disaster hit.
The 372 couldn't pull the chain fast enough to make the cut. The truck is probably the only thing that prevented a disaster. Tree started falling to one side and I cranked the wheels as hard as I could and gunned it. The truck managed to drag pull it just enough to prevent total disaster but it still caused some.
Instead of the trunk completely flattening a hedge belonging to the neighbors only a couple of it's limbs hit the hedge. We worked for several hours cutting it into moveable pieces and getting the limbs off the hedge. A learning experience that I will never forget. Now I have several saws that will pull a large bar with the speed needed. I will also tell a customer where my truck will go to assist in the pulling or I'll walk away from the job.
We should have stopped and waited till I could get another handle but we decided put the bar on the 372. That was a big mistake. 372s do not pull a 36 inch bar like a 385.
Other problem was not having truck positioned on the right angle. I should have had pulling about 60 degrees from where we wanted it to fall. Instead it was about 20 degrees from where we wanted it to fall.Treeslayer was working the saw while I used my flatbed to apply tension to the line. The notch went no problem. The back cut is where disaster hit.
The 372 couldn't pull the chain fast enough to make the cut. The truck is probably the only thing that prevented a disaster. Tree started falling to one side and I cranked the wheels as hard as I could and gunned it. The truck managed to drag pull it just enough to prevent total disaster but it still caused some.
Instead of the trunk completely flattening a hedge belonging to the neighbors only a couple of it's limbs hit the hedge. We worked for several hours cutting it into moveable pieces and getting the limbs off the hedge. A learning experience that I will never forget. Now I have several saws that will pull a large bar with the speed needed. I will also tell a customer where my truck will go to assist in the pulling or I'll walk away from the job.
gf beranek
Old Schooler
Don't blame that tree or jobs like it, Bill. You just need to calculate leverages forces a little better. And before you know it you'll be swinging monster limbs over houses without dinging a shingle.
