200' redwood takedown

[a_lopa]

Murphy will have that tree down and be having an early lunch,I would lay money on it..

 

[M.D. Vaden]

If I find my camera soon, I may be able to post pics...

Thanks,

Honestly Murphy, we want to them from you, not on the news.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[treemandan]

Alright... thanks for all the input....
I called to get a litle more info about the tree... only left a message..
I was on the property many times in the past 14 years, but haven't been there for at least 8.. I do remember some big trees, but nothing more than 150-175' ( though it was hard to judge cause I wasn;t used to that kind of scale) and nothing with a whole lot of lean, though he is on the side of a mountain...

I doubt I'll be rigging much if any wood based on lack of equipment and inexperienced ground crew... I won't haul out the GRCS cause I AM flying... I Am really going out to see my 8 year old son.. he's always my priority and this tree was just mentioned to me on Friday.... I might have to haul all my gear with my X and son and their bags in her little 2-door Geo metro... SO The lighter I can travel the better... I don't even want to bring a port-a wrap, that's why I was thinking about the 8....

I AM thinking about bringing the big shot head, 2) 180' zing it (1.75mm) throw lines, kong dual handle ascneders, my regular bashlin aluminum spikes, an extra long lanyard, and I do have a 12-15' steel core lanyard that I've never used... my regular 150' spliced fly, and a fairly new 200' 1/2" double braid lowering line, and I have been meaning to get a new 200' true blue, so I might just have that deliverred there... I'll aslo bring an old version of the rope guide (though maybe Big Jon will let me use his new one), a lowering block, some loopies, pulleys and biners as redirtects etc, and a rigging biner and the 8 with a couple shackles and slings.. and some files...

My plan is to set a line with the throw line and either spike up on belay, or footlock up and get the spikes on in the tree... then hopefully I can brush out the lower section of the tree so it can clear the house when we drop it in one cut... Using one line to guy it and another as a pull line... Hopefully there is a good landing zone to the side of the house... It will be challenging to thread the needle on a 5' DBH redwood, though If I take my time (which I will) with the notch and backcut and have some good lines set I AM confident in precision falling... I rarely use wedges!

Any thoughts on using a plunge cut would be appreciated. normally I like to plunge anything that is bigger than the length of my bar. Would I be looking for a 2-4" hinge on a 5' redwood?

If the tree is going to be a lot more difficult than that, I'll either take a pass or do what I can and let some one out there finish it... My friend is pretty well connected, so he may be able to borrow a lot of professional gear and saws, as well as have chains and winches etc... One of my main concerns is the climbing saw... I have a little echo at my in laws, though I'd really like to have a stihl 192 w/ thin bar or a 200t... They don't let you fly with chainsaws anymore...

Thanks again..
Oh and my camera is missing... Guess I should find it by Tuesday...

HOW TO CLIMB A 100 FOOT TREE WITH A 50 FOOT ROPE by Treemandan. Very carefully! There you go treeMDS.
Anyway Hi there and a suggestion if you haven't already thought of it: If your ripe is not long enough and you have other ropes set them at different heights so you can always reach the ground by moving from rope to rope.
I don't think you are going there to cut it down and you probably shouldn't. One reason is why bother? you are going to see people reaslly, right? Don't commit to a committment.
I would never make anyone feel bad about walking away from a tree, I mean come on, its your life here! But I am the type to ask you to get out of my way if you aren't going to do it. You probably wouldn't find me messing around with some 200 foot redwood next to a house anytime soon unless I was just messing around with it AND that is what I think you should do- mess around with it. Take it off the list of jobs to do and just get up there and feel it. Let it get done right.
Of course if you feel you can do it right then do it. But you are going to need one long assed rope, most likely 2 or 3. don't forget your back up 3000 miles away.
Does your insurance cover you there?

 

[046]

that's what I've been thinking too...

Murphy will have that tree down and be having an early lunch,I would lay money on it..

 

[treemandan]

since this thread is derailed i will say this.


if its out in the forest.....i want to climb to the top and take it all in. knowing i will never get any higher than that point in my life.


if its in the backyard....i want to climb to the top and pop it, sending it down many hundreds of feet to the ground below. i want to taste the wood chips, i want to hear the sound of that top picking up speed on its way down. i want to come down another 30ft and call for a bigger saw so that i can lay this piece of wood over and drop down another 30 ft to do the same.

after that i want a bigger saw sent up my rope so that i can continue to send wood down, log truck ready, and hopefully in the process i end up covered in sawdust and sweat. knowing that no other fool i know would have the balls to pull off what i do for a living. and the best part of it is that i get paid to have the time of my life.


"i want to climb a redwood"

well that is definatley saying something. I don't see it quite like you do but I do feel foolish sometimes as even my friends think I am strange.
To get back on topic- which seems so important- That is what you should do MVaden! hook up with one of these redwood specialist out there and maybe you would feel good about having the back up. Personaly, I think only a fool has no back up but you know when you need back up, not me. I would need back up, lots of it.
Another line in your repetior I am sickly jealous not to have. Make the most and don't go skimping on anything.
Last two days were wet and windy with 4 big sticks to get down. All went well due to the sweat from our balls and I was happy and tired today when all me and Jamie did was slice down a few small mullberries and run them through. 10 to 3 was it for me. Its great to clobber them but I like to get my feet on the ground and gussy up the place to. I get to talk a lot more crap on the ground.

 

[murphy4trees]

they were smokin pot

That tree was 135-145', maybe 36" after the bark was trimmed... Went up at 10:30, brushed and topped to 90' and down by 12:30... And I was taking it nice and easy, used an old piece of climbing line with an eye spice, cut to 20' , and a small shackle in the tree for lowering, and just used a short pice of Hi-V and a figure 8 on the ground for friction....

 

[rbtree]

Cool, murph....

..but anticlimactic

I was wondering if it was really 200' when I saw the location, south of the bigger redwood zone....

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

That tree was 135-145', maybe 36" after the bark was trimmed... Went up at 10:30, brushed and topped to 90' and down by 12:30... And I was taking it nice and easy, used an old piece of climbing line with an eye spice, cut to 20' , and a small shackle in the tree for lowering, and just used a short pice of Hi-V and a figure 8 on the ground for friction....

Ain't it nice when they are very doable, after psyching yourself up to going and taking a look.

 

[046]

good hear the job is done with no issues!!

 

[Old Monkey]

Good job. I should have guessed the tree got bigger in the telling.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

wtg murph

 

[Ekka]

Murphy will have that tree down and be having an early lunch,I would lay money on it..

Collect ya bets mate!

 

[Texas Traveler]

Collect ya bets mate!

I for one, am glad it was not as tall as expected.
But for the gents that has never been in real red wood county, you don't have a clue.
I have been on cold steel towers pretty tall but man red wood trees are a living thing.
On most of them you cannot see the tops, still in a state of shock.
Did I tell you the about the time I had to drive around one during a snow storm.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Good job. I should have guessed the tree got bigger in the telling.

Judging the true height of things that tall isn't something your average person can do very well.

I usually UNDERestimate, myself, when looking at communications towers. I think most people tend to overestimate.

 

[Ekka]

But for the gents that has never been in real red wood county, you don't have a clue.

Seems like this guy had the best clue and he aint even in your country. :hmm3grin2orange:

Murphy will have that tree down and be having an early lunch,I would lay money on it..

Difference is mate tree people aren't tower people, and Lopa comes from the area which has the worlds tallest HARDWOODS. He also knows how to bring them down and assess peoples skills and abilities.

Sometimes I feel you guys look at the rest of the world like this.

 

[Texas Traveler]

Oh well, all this from a sheep herder?
But back to the subject, Philly ain't really known for much except mobsters & a old cracked bell .
But I would never doubt a man's ability, never ever.
But I have been in redwood country & the word caution comes to mind.
When I cannot see the top of something & the State of Calif. builds a road around it.
Well you know how it is, this ole Texan will give them bragging rights about it.

 

[Ekka]

Watch this video from this thread

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=35604

1.25mins and 5.71mb wmv

www.palmtreeservices.com.au/video/mcmahoncollection.wmv

 

[AxeKnot]

Well done to murphy for getting that tree on the ground, although I hate when people exagerrate the size of trees, his friends need a reality check. Still.......anything over 90 ft is tall to me and sometimes trees under 90 can feel taller than they actually are especially if there aint nothing between you and the ground.

This Lime(Linden/Tilia) I deadwooded recently(early spring) must've only been about 80ft but it felt a lot higher looking down onto that pavement.

When you've only air between you and the ground the height is magnified in your mind, either that or I'm suffering from vertigo and should have probably left this job years ago.

 

[jomoco]

Hey Murph!

How is it you fly out to CA knock this redwood out in such a timely manner, and not take one dang picture of the operation after all this suspenseful build up in this thread?

I mean I'm glad it went well and all, but dang it I feel robbed!

If you get the chance go down to the bay area and cruise through Palo Alto and check out some of the old blue gum eucs that really are 200 feet tall in the residential areas there. It's my opinion that the big eucs in the bay area are some of the most challenging trees to take down in the world safely, particularly the ones you can't get a big crane to.

There are big eucs in that area that woud take me 4 or 5 days to rope down safely, but only because I'm getting old and increasingly orthopedic as the ravages of old climbers disease kick my butt.

Good job Murph!

jomoco

 

[AxeKnot]

It's my opinion that the big eucs in the bay area are some of the most challenging trees to take down in the world safely, particularly the ones you can't get a big crane to.
jomoco

Having been there I agree. terrible trees to work on.