# Droppin Tops!



## NWCS (Aug 16, 2006)

i was out yesterday observing a local tree service company and decided to get some video clips with my digital camera. vid quality is not the best but the crew was great! the crew used MS200Ts for 

http://www.nwchainsaw.com/topdrop1.wmv

http://www.nwchainsaw.com/topdrop2.wmv

http://www.nwchainsaw.com/topdrop3.wmv

http://www.nwchainsaw.com/topdrop4.wmv
clipping a hot powerline here, but it thankfully did not snap!

http://www.nwchainsaw.com/topdrop.wmv
my favorite video here!


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## Ekka (Aug 16, 2006)

Well, good on you for getting those vids.

And the last one is the best one. Could you please email me the pure original one coz being a pine and the way it came off I can slow and edit it to show the spar movement as the head come off.

But I'm wondering???

On all vids they took tops off but lower branches were left in place, why? The top is landing on those lower branches etc .... I hope they were take downs not topping jobs.

Normally in a take down you'd strip the lower branches off outta the way.


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## NWCS (Aug 16, 2006)

hey Ekka, those were just toppings and not takedowns. 
i will work on uploading a copy of the orig of the large top takedown. will do that tonight since im on dialup and can have it uploading while i sleep. 


overview of todays observations.

1: climbers quit wearing the hardhats, went to baseball caps
2: groundie leaning well into chipper chute
3: vintage chipper with no feed wheels or safety bar! feed is insanely fast and the first thing you see are the chipper knives. 
4: groundies wearing baseball caps, under climbers throwing limbs & ropes. 
5: no eye protection used.


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## beowulf343 (Aug 16, 2006)

All these problems and this was a "great" crew? I'd hate to see your definition of a bad crew.


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## NWCS (Aug 16, 2006)

beowulf343: yesterday they were on their best behavior. today was another story. everything changed. i will also note i am not an arborist. i climb as a hobby and to do my own trimming. this is one if the only crews i have observed working.


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## beowulf343 (Aug 16, 2006)

Ha ha, sorry nwcs, still have to laugh. Yesterday, on their best behavior, they bounced a top off the line. When I worked row, if you bounced the line that hard with something that big, you would get yanked out of the tree and made to drag brush for a week.


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## Ekka (Aug 17, 2006)

Topping = *HACK ALERT!*


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## GASoline71 (Aug 17, 2006)

Not for R.O.W. clearance....

Gary


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## rbtree (Aug 17, 2006)

Yep, MAJOR HACKS!!

Ben, those neanderthals just created future hazards when there were none. Now, the lower branches will grow longer faster, and have no protectionf rom above for a good 20 years, so will be prone to breakage in wind or snow. The new tops will be a weak point. And, when firs are topped that drastically, the large cuts may introduce a decay column, thus creating more future hazards. 

This is not always true. I've removed many many topped conifers over the years, and often found minimal decay below the top cut. Firs can withstand such butchery fairly well, not hemlock or pine. Cedar not too bad either. 

Did they do any shortening of the top 2-3 remaining branch tiers? If not, they are even worse idiots.


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## rbtree (Aug 17, 2006)

NWCS said:


> http://www.nwchainsaw.com/topdrop4.wmv
> clipping a hot powerline here, but it thankfully did not snap!



Holy mackeral! I've been doing tree work for over 30 years, and have never popped a huge top (prolly not even a tiny one) over a primary. (The lines aren't behind the tree are they, Ben? It doesn't look like it) Those clowns are looking to be killed, or at least be recipients of a hefty repair bill from the utility co.


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## GASoline71 (Aug 17, 2006)

I should rephrase. Most R.O.W. clearance that I have seen don't consider themselves Hacks. But the destruction of trees they can leave behind boggles the mind sometimes.

That's what I really meant.

Gary


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## NWCS (Aug 17, 2006)

rbtree: lines are about 4 feet on the camera side of the tree. line tied on the top with 2 groundies on the end of the line (routed through a maasadam rope puller) they considered another angle to drop the top that would have been MY choice, a dirt road the opposite direction with no lines in the way. no branches were shortened. alot were removed for view. only 1 dree was taken down on this job, a dead madrona. one thing they did seem to do right was climbing with 2 lanyards, one steel core one flat webbing type. one was allways connected.


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## rbtree (Aug 17, 2006)

So, if they're not line clearance certified, they were prolly working illegally.....


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## Ekka (Aug 17, 2006)

Errr, pines firs etc are not my strong point, so what exactly were those trees?

Also, ROW topping is usually under lines and neccessary evil to continue power supply etc. These weren't under the line.

So they spiked them too, and with only 2 flip lines spiked them on the way up and down. tch tch tch.


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## TackleTree (Aug 17, 2006)

one thing i noticed is that the whip action when the top was being dropped seemed to be less than say in a removal when all the limbs are taken off on the way up. I remember reading in a thread that during a removal, if the limbs remain while topping it will do just as it seemed to do. Maybe there is something to it. The limbs may absorb some of the whipping action. Any thoughts?


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## NWCS (Aug 17, 2006)

Ekka: tree ident is a weak subject for me. they spiked up and roped down. a bucket truck could not have accessed most of the trees. would have been a REAL tough job to shoot a line up into most of them too, at least in my opinion. i do not know any of the regulations about cutting with powerlines near by, but i do highly doubt they have any certs on it. 

if it was me i would have taken small bits down, probly 4-10ft chunks.. but i do not have the gear for it


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## 1I'dJak (Aug 18, 2006)

ha ha nwcs! thought you'd post some cool vids and get some interest... instead you get everybody ridin your ass about topping, spiking trees, and hack work! welcome to arboristsite dude!


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## NWCS (Aug 19, 2006)

it was bound to happen sooner or later! its all good though, things like this help me learn new tricks. next week i will be doing some climbing to take 3 branches down.. now i just need to rent some gear from a logger i know to do it 




1I'dJak said:


> ha ha nwcs! thought you'd post some cool vids and get some interest... instead you get everybody ridin your ass about topping, spiking trees, and hack work! welcome to arboristsite dude!


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## Diesel JD (Aug 23, 2006)

I thought a steelcore flipline was a no no around power? The scariest thing that you said was the carelessness around the chippers. I have heard too many sad stories to ever want to be careless around one of them, should I get the chance to work with one.


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## Ekka (Aug 23, 2006)

Ben just took a video, crikey, he didn't do the job so we aint caning him. 

But this does bring about a very interesting point as to Ben's and other peoples observations. In all due respect people see this and think that it is good and wow ... really professional.

I have seen a dual set of tracks, up and down, on a beautiful smooth white gum, the customer proudly explained how professional the last crew was with all their fancy gear and things on their feet to get a broken branch out.


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## NWCS (Aug 23, 2006)

hey Ekka, you hit it right on the head. i personally dont know a darn thing about being an arborist. i flat out would not make it as one no matter how much i studied it. my back and legs are too bad off to do much more than the occasional tinkering at climbing. back around 2000 i had a motorcycle racing accident and had a 1/2" bolt pierce my right knee. i started my shop because it was a job i love and i can do it without destroying my body any more.


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## Mitchell (Mar 21, 2008)

*good vids*

Have you seen your boys working your hood lately NWCS. I was thinking their days might be numbered if they keep trying to pitch tops over power lines...


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## Nailsbeats (Mar 21, 2008)

TackleTree said:


> one thing i noticed is that the whip action when the top was being dropped seemed to be less than say in a removal when all the limbs are taken off on the way up. I remember reading in a thread that during a removal, if the limbs remain while topping it will do just as it seemed to do. Maybe there is something to it. The limbs may absorb some of the whipping action. Any thoughts?



The limbs left on act like those little spider bowstring silencers. It deadens the whip action sooner or frequency in the case of the bowstring. We always top with the limbs left on it we have the room to drop the tree afterwards and don't have to rope limbs down. It's a smooth ride.


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