# Hackers at their best



## deevo (Jun 22, 2009)

This happened a month ago to a fellow in my neighborhood who I usually do tree work for, and thought he would save himself money. So the Hack told him he'd do it for $100! So the homeowner said sure, numpty had his wife and 2 other guys doing construction next door on the end of a yellow nylon 3/8 rope from Canadian Tire or somewhere 10' up, it was going to hit this house or the neighbor's anyways the way he was hacking at it! ie. see the face cut 3/4 of the way through the tree and the angle it was on! So away he went (I wasn't there when this happened) but from what everyone said the 3 people on the rope had there hands wrapped, soon as the tree left the stump it flung them into the side of the house! Then soon as the tree went through the house, the hack said to the homeowner that he doesn't have insurance! Grabbed his wild thing (No I'm not kidding either) had the ball's to ask for his money! Said he'll get a construction crew out by dinner to fix it and took off! Well sure as S^%t no one showed up, buddy never answered his phone (still hasn't) the insurance investigators are after him now. So here's how I come in, I just happened to be coming back from a big job we were coming back from that day and all the neighbor's are calling me saying I have to see this, sure why not I said. So right when we pull up so does the insurance guy, he said it's all yours and to get it off ASAP. Now it's starting to rain so we took some of the weight off the part hanging over the front of the house and tarped it for the night.....More pictures to come


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## deevo (Jun 22, 2009)

*More*

So the next day we went back, I put my block up in the neighboring tree behind the house, tied the tip, lifted it just above the roof level, moved it over and lowered it down to the ground. Treemandan I used a method like yours you posted a while ago, worked really well. The tree was wedged pretty good in the house, we had to limb it very carefully to begin lifting it after we secured it. It was down 5-6' into the house, pushed all the trusses/supports down right through to the kitchen and shifted a large portion of the roof because it came down where 3 parts of the roof meet. Engineers just submitted their report last week and now they have to apply for permits. Total cost to fix this.......Estimated at $80,000, almost the whole roof has to be redone, new trusses etc.... So I've blown up all these pictures, take them with me for every estimate I do, simple explanation......pay for it to get it done right the first time by trained professionals or pay later......like this guy! Don't always go for the lowest price, and always ask for proof of insurance!:greenchainsaw:


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## outofmytree (Jun 22, 2009)

Great pictures.

This would be the best example I have seen of how not to save money. $80,000 is a hard life lesson. Bet the HO is hearing about this from his wife untill hell freezes over.....

I have a question regarding raising the stick. With such an acute angle on your lifting rope did you get any slippage at the butt? If not, was this something you prepared for and if so how?

I have never had a tree wedged that firmly on a house. Looks like some seriously fun rigging.


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## deevo (Jun 22, 2009)

outofmytree said:


> Great pictures.
> 
> This would be the best example I have seen of how not to save money. $80,000 is a hard life lesson. Bet the HO is hearing about this from his wife untill hell freezes over.....
> 
> ...


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## deevo (Jun 22, 2009)

TreeCo said:


> Great job!
> 
> Here's a little unsolicited advice:
> 
> When using a tree as a gin pole like you've done to lift a load consider the load applied to the gin pole. In your example the pull needed to lift the tree off of the house shows up doubled on the gin pole tree. I've drawn in yellow my suggested pull line running from your gin pole tree to the base of another tree in the background. This second tree should be in a direct line with your gin tree and the load you are lifting. What it accomplishes is to put the load on your gin pole tree almost directly down....trying to push the gin tree into the ground....Vs. pulling it towards the house. It's takes a second pulley to rig but there is a substantial strength gain in the system. It essentially 'guys' your gin pole tree.



Thanks for that, I was going to ask something like that. I've done many before, of course not every one is going to be the same. All have some sort of difference, I was lucky to have those big maples behind the house for rigging points! Also saved money by not having to sub a crane out!


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## M.D. Vaden (Jun 22, 2009)

Hey Deevo ...

Can you PM the moderator of this site and see it they could make this a Sticky if you duplicated the Topic in the *homeowner helper* forum ??

Suggest reducing the pics though to 700 pixels wide.

More homeowners read here than we may think. I've heard from some personally before. Pretty sure this would be of interest.

You could copy and paste the text.

It's a great example, and the photos seal it.


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## Work Saw Collector (Jun 22, 2009)

Cool post, sorry it cost him so much! It should be costing the guy who fell it.
The only thing is most average home owners wont see this thread until they have dropped one on there house.


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## HS Climber (Jun 22, 2009)

Did they ever catch the guy. and so the guy didnt have to pay for it.


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## deevo (Jun 22, 2009)

*Still looking for him*



HS Climber said:


> Did they ever catch the guy. and so the guy didnt have to pay for it.


They went to his house after numerous unreturned phone calls, he was renting it, he's gone, u/k where to. The homeowners insurance is covering it, his rate is going up that's for sure. No 3 strikes here, next one, his insurance gets cancelled! That's what he was told! The good thing for me out of this whole thing is they are using my company for all insurance jobs around here!


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## Haywire Haywood (Jun 22, 2009)

If I was the HO, I would move all my stuff into storage, go rent an apartment, and tell the bank about their misfortune. LOL A repossession would be better than being 80K upside down on a house...

Ian

Edit.... didn't finish reading where his insurance is covering it... WOW, how lucky can you get?


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## markct (Jun 22, 2009)

wow thats a mess indeed! it amazes me how some people think that with just a couple guys and a rope they can redirect a tree weighing thousands of lbs. whenever i have done trees that needed heavy directional guidance it was always with a half inch or bigger steel cable, attached to the tree so it cant possibly come unhooked, and usualy attached to a bulldozer or large farm tractor. i remember seeing pictures online of a car that had been dragged backwards and tumbled around like a toy when it was tied to a large leaning tree to direct it but the tree outweighed the car apparently! i had to laugh about the part in your post of the guys holding the rope getting flung against the house!


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## fishercat (Jun 22, 2009)

*Ho got what they paid for.i have no sympathy.*

insurance should cancel him and not pay.unbelievable.

this is why on estimates i tell the customer to verify insurance by phone,not to trust a piece of paper.


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## treemandan (Jun 22, 2009)

Numpty huh? well I'll be.


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## clearance (Jun 22, 2009)

It wasn't me!


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## Rookie1 (Jun 23, 2009)

Im still trying to grasp this. Tree was really crooked.


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## deevo (Jun 23, 2009)

Rookie1 said:


> Im still trying to grasp this. Tree was really crooked.



Yeah, just like his head I guess! I've seen some ugly cuts, but this guy gets the winner of the month award!


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## fishercat (Jun 23, 2009)

*you can tell by the fiber it twisted.*



deevo said:


> Yeah, just like his head I guess! I've seen some ugly cuts, but this guy gets the winner of the month award!



what a gem.i bet he uses that job for a referral on his next bid.


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## tree md (Jun 23, 2009)

Wow, a hunnert bucks??? What a bargain!!! :greenchainsaw:


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## deevo (Jun 23, 2009)

fishercat said:


> what a gem.i bet he uses that job for a referral on his next bid.


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## whitemountain (Jul 2, 2009)

Something I hope I never have to see, woodchips on my roof!


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## wavefreak (Jul 2, 2009)

So if I hire a guy, I'd of course ask him if he is insured. But maybe he's lying? Is there something I can ask for as proof? There are A LOT of hacks around here. Everybody knows how to fell a tree. Hell, I can fell a tree. But I won't risk my house for a few bucks either.

And WTF was the guy thinking? That cut was going to overcome the lean? Jeez. Gravity wins dude. I'm not particularly experienced, but even I would not have expected it to drop in the direction of the cut.


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## fishercat (Jul 2, 2009)

*i don't give out Certs. anymore.*



wavefreak said:


> So if I hire a guy, I'd of course ask him if he is insured. But maybe he's lying? Is there something I can ask for as proof? There are A LOT of hacks around here. Everybody knows how to fell a tree. Hell, I can fell a tree. But I won't risk my house for a few bucks either.
> 
> And WTF was the guy thinking? That cut was going to overcome the lean? Jeez. Gravity wins dude. I'm not particularly experienced, but even I would not have expected it to drop in the direction of the cut.



i tell them to call my agent and verify.she can fax or email a copy.too many guys around here pay the first payment and then no more after but they have the cert to hand out.if you don't verify,it's on you in my book.

another reason i don't carry certs is in case i lose one.i'm not having some hack whiteout my info and put his in.i don't want my account info floating around out there.


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## tree md (Jul 2, 2009)

fishercat said:


> i tell them to call my agent and verify.she can fax or email a copy.too many guys around here pay the first payment and then no more after but they have the cert to hand out.if you don't verify,it's on you in my book.
> 
> another reason i don't carry certs is in case i lose one.i'm not having some hack whiteout my info and put his in.i don't want my account info floating around out there.



Ditto. I do the same thing. I give the client my agents number so they can verify for themselves and offer to have the cert faxed to them. I tell them not to trust anything from anyone unless it comes from the insurance agency directly.


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## Rftreeman (Jul 17, 2009)

fishercat said:


> i tell them to call my agent and verify.she can fax or email a copy.too many guys around here pay the first payment and then no more after but they have the cert to hand out.if you don't verify,it's on you in my book.
> 
> another reason i don't carry certs is in case i lose one.i'm not having some hack whiteout my info and put his in.i don't want my account info floating around out there.


Ditto Ditto My company doesn't even give the certs anymore due to the fact of the people that pay and run so to speak, I have to get the H/O to call and ask for proof.


They just don't build houses like they used to........lol


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## Nailsbeats (Jul 17, 2009)

Rftreeman said:


> They just don't build houses like they used to........lol



:agree2:Laugh my rectum off..........dang near killed em'.


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## Rftreeman (Jul 17, 2009)

Nailsbeats said:


> :agree2:Laugh my rectum off..........dang near killed em'.


yeah, $80,000 damage, the house looks like a $90,000 house to me....


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## Rickytree (Jul 17, 2009)

deevo said:


> This happened a month ago to a fellow in my neighborhood who I usually do tree work for, and thought he would save himself money. So the Hack told him he'd do it for $100! So the homeowner said sure, numpty had his wife and 2 other guys doing construction next door on the end of a yellow nylon 3/8 rope from Canadian Tire or somewhere 10' up, it was going to hit this house or the neighbor's anyways the way he was hacking at it! ie. see the face cut 3/4 of the way through the tree and the angle it was on! So away he went (I wasn't there when this happened) but from what everyone said the 3 people on the rope had there hands wrapped, soon as the tree left the stump it flung them into the side of the house! Then soon as the tree went through the house, the hack said to the homeowner that he doesn't have insurance! Grabbed his wild thing (No I'm not kidding either) had the ball's to ask for his money! Said he'll get a construction crew out by dinner to fix it and took off! Well sure as S^%t no one showed up, buddy never answered his phone (still hasn't) the insurance investigators are after him now. So here's how I come in, I just happened to be coming back from a big job we were coming back from that day and all the neighbor's are calling me saying I have to see this, sure why not I said. So right when we pull up so does the insurance guy, he said it's all yours and to get it off ASAP. Now it's starting to rain so we took some of the weight off the part hanging over the front of the house and tarped it for the night.....More pictures to come[/QUOTE
> 
> Did the Lady pay the twirp?


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## fishercat (Jul 17, 2009)

*what is with than damn yellow rope?*

i see homeowners here all the time using it.HD must market as tree rope.


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## Taxmantoo (Jul 17, 2009)

fishercat said:


> i see homeowners here all the time using it.HD must market as tree rope.



I know people who buy that yellow poly for boat anchor rope because it's the cheapest stuff at Wal-Mart.


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## Pruitt1222 (Jul 18, 2009)

I really love that yellow crap, Check out the guys tree 2 houses down, yep it a 1' X 18' just hanging with the stuff. It happened after the ice storm,I offered to take it out for him right after it happened for 100 bucks and nope. I walk near it often and it bothers me. Just last week I told him to go get me a case of beer and befor he got back it would be outta there. nope. silly home owners, It wasn't just a free hanger at first. mr cheapo had a hacker cut on it for 50 bucks. The guy got up there with a ladder, tied the branch and himself off, then proceeded to start cutting. Wouldn't you know it, pow the branch popped and busted the ladder the guy was working on. Fire had to get him out. He was just hanging around waiting:greenchainsaw:. It looks like when it does go its gonna hit his house, goofy old man.










sorry not smart enough to get the pictures to work right


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## deevo (Jul 20, 2009)

Rftreeman said:


> yeah, $80,000 damage, the house looks like a $90,000 house to me....



You can't buy a trailer home around here for that much! The houses on that street average $*350,000-$400,000.* Still hasn't been repaired, egineers drawings are still being looked over at the township office by the building inspectors. Hope he gets it fixed by winter, or else he'll have some big time heating bills!


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## deevo (Jul 20, 2009)

Did the Lady pay the twirp?[/QUOTE]

He actually did ask for his $100 as he was leaving...... he had to go buy a new supply of underwear!


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