Towable boom lift questions

[fishhead]

Has anyone used one of those towable boom lifts?

I can rent one for $210/day to take down a tree overhanging my garage. It can extend 20' out at 20' with a maximum height of 37'.

How stable are they? With just me and the chain saw it will be holding 200 lbs. Plus I will have to handle the pieces long enough to toss them to the ground. That seems like enough weight to turn it over.

[KySam]

I have used the same lift you are talking about. I weigh 210 lbs. The one I used had a leveling sensor so it had to be level before the boom would work.

Make sure you are on soild ground and level and you are good to go.
Before you go up and start to cut anything get in and work the controls to get use to the movement. I like having the boom extended out more vertical than horizonal. Getting closer to the tree and cut branches from the other side then clean up the groung and move the lift to the orther side and doing the same as before. Takes a little more time but I feel safer doing it that way.

Depends on how the tree is branched out and if it has a lean.

How big and tall is the tree you are taking down?

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by fishhead

Has anyone used one of those towable boom lifts?

I can rent one for $210/day to take down a tree overhanging my garage. It can extend 20' out at 20' with a maximum height of 37'.

How stable are they? With just me and the chain saw it will be holding 200 lbs. Plus I will have to handle the pieces long enough to toss them to the ground. That seems like enough weight to turn it over.

I haven't use a towable one but the ones that are self powered are steady unless you overload it. And yes you can overload it easily. I have gone out and recovered 3 that were upside down. We use them for picking pine cones. I wouldn't worry about 200 lbs unless it is fully extended and low to the ground. If you can use it vertical and you will not have any problems. Think of it as a lever you can hold it upright but horizontal will be a problem.

[KySam]

I have used the same lift you are talking about. I weigh 210 lbs. The one I used had a leveling sensor so it had to be level before the boom would work.

Make sure you are on soild ground and level and you are good to go.
Before you go up and start to cut anything get in and work the controls to get use to the movement. I like having the boom extended out more vertical than horizonal. Getting closer to the tree and cut branches from the other side then clean up the groung and move the lift to the orther side and doing the same as before. Takes a little more time but I feel safer doing it that way.

Depends on how the tree is branched out and if it has a lean.

How big and tall is the tree you are taking down?

[fishhead]

The tree is an oak about 14"-16" in diameter. It doesn't have much branching because it grew up in shade. It leans over the roof but not drastically. If it weren't for trees, powerline I could just pull it away from the garage and let it fall.

The tree is about 5' from the end of the garage where I would have the machine and right next to the side of the garage so it won't have to be extended too far horizontally. I would put down some planks under the feet to give it some extra base.

I can only reach the tree from one side but I should be able to dismantle it from one side.

The tree is touching the edge of the roof but it's been doing that for at least 10 years and I don't see any changes.

Another option is to remove some of the roof overhang so the tree no longer touches.

[Cabin Fever]

Before you rent the cherry picker for $210, I’d recommend giving Black Diamond Tree Service (Crosslake) a call for an estimate. They took down five oaks and three jackpine that were very close to our house. Their charge was $330 for just felling the trees (ie, me doing the clean up). The company is licensed and bonded.

[KySam]

Fishhead not seeing the tree this is what I would do.

I would fashion me a hook to hang my chainsaw on the outside of the bucket behind you. Dont not hang the chainsaw on the inside. The bucket on the one I used was kind of small and inhibiting.

When you get the boom set up cut the small branches off leaving the trunk.

On the branches overhanging the garage cut them until you see the branch opening up and stop. Let the weight of the branch pull the branch down.
If the branch doesnt start to drop cut some more until you see it starting to fall. Stop cutting and let the weight of the branch lay the branch on the roof. Then finish sawing the branch to drop it to the roof. Steep roof equals branch sliding down and off the roof. Gutters may get ripped off. Just use your head.

Growing in the shade there shouldnt be any real big branches.

When you start to take the trunk down do so in foot long lengths. You have fashioned a hook to hold your saw. Dont cut straight through the trunk doing it this way might cause the log to get away from you. Do a wedge cut on one side then the other. This will let the trunk have a stop to set. When you have
cut both wedges and the log is free hang your saw on the hook and throw the trunk to the ground.

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

Before you rent the cherry picker for $210, I’d recommend giving Black Diamond Tree Service (Crosslake) a call for an estimate. They took down five oaks and three jackpine that were very close to our house. Their charge was $330 for just felling the trees (ie, me doing the clean up). The company is licensed and bonded.

Will do. Thanks.

My brother just had a maple trimmed in his yard for $650 and it wasn't even a big tree. His neighbor was quoted $3,000 to trim a larger tree.

I once paid $125 to get a 12" dia birch pulled down and left on the ground. It couldn't have taken 2 guys more than 15 minutes.

[ronbre]

my son welded a frame to fit into our bucket with a framework up to the side of a long boom that he has hooks and stuff attached to..he fits it into the bucket of the tractor and secures it with chains and then uses the booms to lift things..like car engines, heavy equipment, etc...we have moved a lot of stuff with this boom and it just slips off by removing the chain..so easy..and was made with scrap steel

[wogglebug]

You say that if there weren't trees and power lines in the way you'd just put a pull on the tree to control its fall, then cut it? Are the other trees important? It may be worth asking your power authority what it would take to cut the power and drop the lines to the ground while the tree was cut, then reconnect the lines - might be cheaper than you'd think.

[fishhead]

I don't want to lose any more trees than I have to because it takes so long to replace them and they keep my yard and house cool.

[Wayne02]

The towable will work fine for what you want to do. The unit should come with an operators manual which you should read. Yes, I know it's boring, but please read it before setting the unit up.

The most common 'accident' I've seen is damage to the unit when the homeowner is backing it into place. They clip the corner of the house, back it into the wife's car etc.

The more dangerous possibility with the towables is to have the unit tip because the outriggers were not on firm ground. Unlike the self-propelled booms and the truck mounted booms, the towables are relatively light. This can lead to false confidence when placing the outriggers on what people think is 'firm' ground.

When you level a self-propelled or truck mounted rig there is a fair amount of weight and pressure on each leveling pad which gives you a good indication of the ground firmness. With the light weight of the towable machines what may seem like firm ground during initial set-up may not be so much once you have some weight levered over the side of the chassis. Just be cognizant of this and keep an eye on the leveling pads and a feel for how stable the unit is. Maybe extend the reach out without elevating too much to check this out before elevating to your work position.

The other thing that happens (on all types of booms) is people don't wear the safety harness and they fall out of the bucket. Don't do this, it hurts when you hit the ground.

[DAVID In Wisconsin]

I've had a Uni-Lift 538 for about 6 years. It won't work without the outriggers in place. I cannot imagine what you'd have to do to flip one. I've done everything under the sun with mine. I did cut a sheet of treated 1/2 plywood into 4 each 2x2 pieces that I always put under the outrigger feet. It keeps the feet from sinking and makes it easier to take the lift down as the feet don't get stuck in mud. Good luck.