Am I being stupid? Need some opinions/ advice.

[Dean The Machine]

Big dead Pine....leaner, next to a house, over a fence, power lines and the street. As you can see I dropped quite a few on the way up, but is this Tree safe? I started to feel this Lady breathe a little, and She's fractured up and down with verticle cracks....and some sponge effect going on where She meets the ground.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

"When there is doubt, there is no doubt."

Robert Deniro, Ronin

Your call, not being there, but you already know the answer.You only get to be wrong once.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Got enough room to blow the top from where you got to? If you're too sketched out (I'm not going to tell you from a picture whether it's safe, you have to be there to tell) to climb it again, bring in a bucket. Be on the ground in 20 minutes.

 

[jomoco]

Best option's to piece it out n chunk it down with as little shaking as possible

Second best option's to speedline it down 180 degrees opposite the lean.

Third and worst option's to block it down, which sucks!

Build a brush bed and chunk onto it with as little shaking as possible, option one.

Don't shake it any more than absolutely necessary mate!

jomoco

 

[oldboy]

are there any similar height or taller trees nearby to rig a safety line too and or rig down the top? good luck.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I know I'm prejudiced, given my recent experience, but look at it this way: risk versus reward. Too many times homeowners will put off a problem tree and then expect us to perform miracles. If you don't like the tree, that's enough. Get a bucket or crane, or just walk away. On a side note, NEVER trust a homeowner when they tell you how long a tree has been dead

 

[jomoco]

No needles?

Minimum two years dead, possibly much more!

Danger Will Robinson!

jomoco

 

[Zale]

You're not being stupid asking for others opinions. Nasty tree. If climbing was the only option, absolutely no shock loading. Cut and toss.

 

[sac-climber]

Bucket is the only way I'd touch this thing

Be safe and don't be pressured, better to walk than risk your life.

 

[woodchuck357]

If you can rig three anchors to put cable to, guy it about a third of the way up and chunk it down with a near vertical zip. Of course the bucket would work too.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Maybe I'm being fooled by the pics, but to me the tree only looks about 40' tall (trying to judge perspective versus the roof of the house). The bottom where the OP has stripped the branches versus the hedge next to it would be approximately 20' and he looks like he has stripped about 1/2 the tree.

So if this is a 40' tree, is this going to change people's opinions on how to do it?

 

[Pelorus]

Having been stupid / starving enough to climb and dismantle many (not several) similar trees, I'll say that how the tree feels (wobbles) when climbing it is at least equally important to how it looks. Looks can be deceiving.
I don't like to see those impalers (stubs) being left that are visible in the photos. A crushing injury will be bad. A crushing penetrating injury will be worse.
.

 

[Dean The Machine]

Thanks everyone for the advice. It's windy tonight here in Cincinnati, so I just ran over to take a look at it react...study it some under the stress. Yeahhhhh....I think its time for a bucket. The stress fractures have widened over an inch apart now, so that's that. I appreciate y'alls help seriously. I had my mind set on finishing it. I don't like to turn em' down...but I also don't want my climbing career to end at 40 either...lol. If I'm goin' out...I'd rather it be more exciting and in a much bigger Tree..lol.

 

[sac-climber]

Wise choice....glad you got some good advice!

 

[KenJax Tree]

Thanks everyone for the advice. It's windy tonight here in Cincinnati, so I just ran over to take a look at it react...study it some under the stress. Yeahhhhh....I think its time for a bucket. The stress fractures have widened over an inch apart now, so that's that. I appreciate y'alls help seriously. I had my mind set on finishing it. I don't like to turn em' down...but I also don't want my climbing career to end at 40 either...lol. If I'm goin' out...I'd rather it be more exciting and in a much bigger Tree..lol.

Maybe the wind will blow it over

 

[Dean The Machine]

I was thinking the same thing...lol.

 

[CalTreeEquip]

Wise choice there. As a guy who has climbed for more dead trees then most I would have to say most of those climbs where just stupid. Risking my life for a few hundred bucks was just short sited adrenaline chasing.