Dangerous Tree work today

meanwhile · #1 07/09/12, 08:03 PM

Although we can do most of our own tree cutting or trimming, there are times when the services of a Professional is needed. We had five dead trees to take down - all in dangerous positions or if they fell in the wrong place, major damage would take place. Another live maple limb needed to be cut to keep it from splitting and falling on a water cistern.

For ten years, McClure Tree Service has helped us on the Homestead. When we needed help this time, we called them again.

It is great to learn how to "do it yourself" but it is also important to know when to call for help. To see the Tree work take a look at the link below.

http://www.facebook.com/MeanwhileBackinSaluda

Danaus29 · #2 07/10/12, 12:45 PM

"A man's got to know his limitations", Clint Eastwood, can't remember what movie. It's a phrase I say often.

Feels so much better to have potentially hazardous trees removed or trimmed back.

OkieDavid · #3 07/10/12, 12:58 PM

Yep, knowing "when" to call in the pros can be a tremendous cost SAVER from time to time.

meanwhile · #4 07/11/12, 04:35 PM

Yes - we looked at these dead and dangerous trees for a few weeks before we decided to call for help. All of the trees were going to fall on something important and all of them were in just the wrong position to safely cut. My older sons can use the chain saws safely in most situations but they have not learned to "Climb" with the saws yet. Not sure they will tackle that skill.

Our good friend, McClure Tree Service, offered us a very good price if we helped with the clean up and so we are thankful for it. All of the dead trees were much drier than we realized. So - that will be good firewood for this year too.

It does feel good to have the trees down especially now that the storms are here.

Sawmill Jim · #5 07/11/12, 04:42 PM

Yep i got a buddy with a 55' bucket truck he did three free

Maura · #6 07/11/12, 05:50 PM

One of our friends is a lineman. He cut trees for Edison for twenty years and is now a lineman and supervisor. What people don't realize is that every year those professionals die from falling out of trees or other mishaps. It is dangerous work, even for people who do it all day long, all year long.

Sawmill Jim · #7 07/11/12, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maura

One of our friends is a lineman. He cut trees for Edison for twenty years and is now a lineman and supervisor. What people don't realize is that every year those professionals die from falling out of trees or other mishaps. It is dangerous work, even for people who do it all day long, all year long.

That's why they invented bucket trucks

texican · #8 07/11/12, 09:31 PM

Calling in the pros is sometimes (here, never) impossible, because pro's cost big time money.

Anyone not feeling comfortable precision falling trees, should study up on techniques, and utilize common equipment, such as jacks and winches, to make the tree go where you want it to go, and not where it (and pesky gravity) want it to fall...

The hardest trouble I have is getting a cable up high enough and/or over a limb, to put the winch cable on. With winches and pulleys, you can make the tree do what you want.

I knew how to directionally fell a tree, but never under crunch conditions (as in crunch the house if you screw up)... till this spring. Everything was going just right....till a cable snapped, then a chain snapped. Luckily, the tree was still sitting on the pivot/wedge wood... freaky feeling watching a monster tree balancing back and forth on a 4" chunk of wedge wood...

Sawmill Jim · #9 07/11/12, 09:51 PM

texican One of mine had my house power lines going threw it the other was hollow hanging over the house . Power Co will cut trees from their lines not yours here that is . Ever see what a hollow tree can do ? I can crush under it's weight once it gives .

Back many years ago i was working for a logger that had a good size tractor he decided to pull a tree with . I told him i though the tree had to much lean and weight for that tractor but he was determined to pull it anyway . He sent a guy up in the tree and tied a cable to it ,the cable held really good it just sling shot that tractor backwards like it was a toy.

You can cut out a gash and sit a hydroloic jack too

Danaus29 · #10 07/12/12, 09:29 PM

Not every tree is accessible to a bucket truck. We paid $300 to have one cut down that you couldn't have reached with a bucket truck.

Sometimes you have to weigh the costs, tree removal or building repair/replacement?

Maura · #11 07/13/12, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sawmill Jim

That's why they invented bucket trucks

This is Edison, not your neighbor pruning the apple tree. They go into places that trucks can't get to, where tornadoes have ripped the state apart, where there are downed power lines, and high high up. They wear boots with spikes, harnesses, use pullies,...

ChristieAcres · #12 07/13/12, 02:15 AM

DH has logged over 60 trees, most 2nd growth over 100' tall, since we have owned this property. Of those, a number had to be attached to guy wires, to avoid them falling on buildings, our home, etc... During the first part of the major logging, Larry, the retired Logger, came over to insure DH didn't experience any mishaps. He was satisfied after working with DH a few days, so didn't feel he had to be here for every tree. However, he came over a few more times when DH was taking down a challenging one. Fortunately, no mishaps. I need to interject here my DH has a lot of experience logging, more than I knew about when we married just eight years ago (he also built a 3-story log home, using trees he logged, over 20 years ago). I still made sure I was home, was present watching, whenever DH was logging. We have a few dead snags that need to come down. When DH has time, he will log them. The neighbor to the W gave us permission to log any of her trees that are leaning. There are close to a dozen leaning. If I see that any are "challenging," I'll call Larry to come on down.

Larry was a Logger and co-owned a Logging CO for most of his adult life. He absolutely qualifies as a professional. We are blessed to have him in our neighborhood!

Like everyone has posted, very important to call in professionals when needed. It is not worth it to do a DIY when it is too dangerous.

gilberte · #13 07/13/12, 04:35 AM

I once covered an unattended death where the homeowner had been attempting to cut a limb from a big old maple tree. The limb was about 12" in diameter and about 10' from the ground. He was standing on a step ladder and cutting over his head with the chainsaw. Limb came down on top of him and crushed his skull.

Sawmill Jim · #14 07/13/12, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maura

This is Edison, not your neighbor pruning the apple tree. They go into places that trucks can't get to, where tornadoes have ripped the state apart, where there are downed power lines, and high high up. They wear boots with spikes, harnesses, use pullies,...

Maybe Edison needs to catch up with the times .Think we may of had a little wind here before and a few ice storms . TVA operates here as a main supplier . All wheel drive bucket trucks will go to 160 foot .Also they have tracked vehicles .

They wear boots with spikes, harnesses, use pullies,...[/QUOTE]

Yes they did that here forty years back too, not many left

Buddy of mine has a small chipper think it takes a tree 30'' or larger weight is 80,000 lbs has its own knuckleboom loader on it .Tell Edison to get with the times

buffalocreek · #15 07/13/12, 01:01 PM

Is this an ad??

meanwhile · #16 07/13/12, 01:10 PM

An ad? Why would you think it is an ad?

We are talking about how important it is to know when to call for Professional help on the Homestead. Although we try to do everything ourselves and we try to keep learning, there are times when something is too dangerous to do without good help. This time, for us, it was a need to have a Professional Tree Company come help.

We also call for help with electrical projects at times. We are learning some electrical work and also the tree work but, still, safety is important - especially to me this time since it was my own 21 year old son and my 24 year old son that was doing the chain saw work. Even though we called for help, we stood out there and learned and the Tree Men were good enough to "talk" through each job so the boys could learn.

There was only one tree (the one near the overhead electrical wires) that was too dangerous to stay near. Everyone (except the man with chain saw) went uphill where no tree or wires would reach them even if the worst happened.

Safety is important. Talking about safety - and the admitted need to call for help - is important too.

Sawmill Jim · #17 07/13/12, 03:39 PM

meanwhile If it was the big steel type electric wires instead of the triplex going to the house you would never believe the fire and jumping and snapping those things will create

Thought they were going to set fire to the woods .

Due to me being one place and my tree cutter another he yelled and ask if the wires were close to him thing is they turned from where i was toward him . That small thing i missed .It made for one interesting day for sure just lucky the guys at the power Co were in a good mood .

They ask me what happened and i guess since i told them the truth they were in a forgiving mood . They ask what happened and i said stupidity mine .

Did you know those bucket trucks have a special non conductive oil in the system

Nevada · #18 07/13/12, 04:32 PM

Sometimes even pros don't get away with it.

When I was in elementary school, perhaps 50 years ago or more, the bell was just about to ring so we could go home. The principal asked our teacher to come out in the hall for a moment. What we didn't know was that the principal was telling the teacher that a man with a tree trimming crew had an accident across the street from the school, and was apparently dead hanging from a tree. Rescue trucks were not yet at the scene. Our classroom faced towards the incident.

The teacher returned to the room, then instructed everyone to take out a sheet of paper and write down everything that was on the blackboard. She said that nobody was going home until everyone was finished. We let out a collective moan, yet followed instructions. As we copied, the teacher went to the windows at the back of the classroom and pulled the shades down. Just then we heard what sounded like every fire truck on the world descend on the scene.

The incident was the talk of the town. I remember my mother asking me about it after I got home. I explained the teacher's ploy to have us copy the blackboard. My mother remarked that I must be happy they kept us after school for a few minutes so we didn't have to see the accident. I replied, "Heck no! I wanted to see the dead guy!"

texican · #19 07/13/12, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sawmill Jim

texican One of mine had my house power lines going threw it the other was hollow hanging over the house . Power Co will cut trees from their lines not yours here that is . Ever see what a hollow tree can do ? I can crush under it's weight once it gives .

Back many years ago i was working for a logger that had a good size tractor he decided to pull a tree with . I told him i though the tree had to much lean and weight for that tractor but he was determined to pull it anyway . He sent a guy up in the tree and tied a cable to it ,the cable held really good it just sling shot that tractor backwards like it was a toy.

You can cut out a gash and sit a hydroloic jack too

I can see buying a house, with the owners wires in the trees... but never owning a house and letting trees grow into the wires. All it takes is one catastrophe, and waiting forever for a professional to come take down the tree, to never ever want trees in the wires again. About a decade ago, the local power companies hired some crews to clear out all the row's and trouble trees... a lot of folks in town balked at having their beautiful trees cut down or butchered... that winter, there was a nice little ice storm that brought down wires everywhere. Of course, the city folk with the 'most money' hollered the most. Power companies bypassed every homeowner that had refused trimming earlier... there's was the last to come back on... next summer, they were begging the companies to take down all their iffy trees.

Life is chock full of dangers... for me, going into debt is riskier than wrestling with a chainsaw, cables, and winches... btw, when I winch, I position the truck against a very large oak tree... the cable would have to break first.

ChristieAcres · #20 07/13/12, 08:02 PM

When DH logged here, all those trees were on about 1/2 acre, as our property was so densely forested. First thing he did was log every "at-risk" tree near our home, carport, and shop building. I remember he and Larry put a few guy wires on one oddly leaning tree, to prevent it falling on our pump house. Another one was leaning over our carport. When DH was done logging over 60 trees, we no longer had fears a tree would come crashing through the roof during a windstorm (every Winter, early Spring...). I had posted about not having trees right up by our home and someone posted how ugly and bare homes look without trees beside them. I'd rather have Rhodendrons, which get big here, and otherwise small trees near our home. Better that than having it be crushed. One of the biggest trees, that worried me most? When DH and Larry took that one down, it was rotting, sure would have gone in the next big storm. It would have taken out my office (well over 100ft, 2nd growth, massive tree).

Our power line is underground.

Yep, Texican, a ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure! Like the way you braced the winch...