Anybody hear of a trunk snapping?

[Trees Company]

I've seen tree men in the buisness for 20 years that are at a 5 level out of ten. Our neibours had a tree across the back yard and across the thick phone line that sometimes runs parallell to the fence right above.

Well the tree had fallen from the neighbours directly behind MY neighbour. But into my neighbours yard sraight across the phone line and support cable forcing the cable to almost touch the ground.

Well they actually tie the cable to the truck so it won't fly back and lauch the wood after the top was cu off of coarse. I couldn't belive they were tying it of. All they had to do is block it up obviously cutting from underneath starting from the base where it meets the groung and just cut off sections a couple of feet long until the cable rises almost back to normal and continue and flip the rest back and off the cable towards where it came from if it did not already do that but its self.

Instead they had it tied and were trying to cut it two feet from where it was restingon the cable. Almost garenteeing the cable to sling shot. Then he starts to cut under neath and tries to finish from top but get the saw stuck OBVIOUSLY the saw would get stuck . And this is from a large company and the owner operators where the ones doing it.

In the end they were there for 2 hours just to get it off the wire. Where I could have had it off perfectly safely in 10 MINS!

 

[Newfie]

My Rocky comment wasn't in regard to the thread starter, but more aimed at our latest unsafe expert who in 23 posts has manged to bring us some memorable one-liners:

"u actually use a crain"

"why saws won't cut straight" followed up by disagreement over basic facts

"if your cutting wood the bar is strong enough"

and my personal favorite describing his practice of making truck tacos with large wood and the promise of some "doosies" by the end of the summer.

JMHO

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Advice?

How about this:

I just don't know what to say besides some times you gotta do what you gotta do as far as climbing goes.

If the tree was solid, you probably were okay
*****
"Thinking" a tree is solid or "probably" OK isn't good advice in my book.

IF a drill isn't handy do a vertical plunge cut with the chainsaw. You'll be able to feel the density of the wood and examine the fibers and sawdust to help assess the insides of the tree.

There are other times when bad advice is given but I don't have the time to do the research. I remember some chatter about taking the chain brake off or saws.

Climbing dead trees is way more dangerous than using a biner to choke a line and cross load the spine. Go and look at the energy that produced.

Caution needs to be taught more in our profession. It doesn't take much of a pull to load the tree more than a climber will. How often is that done? What about a root excavation to see how stable the trunk is. Guying out the trunk?

Remember, we have to understand that tree climbing is a combination of skill and luck, just like backgammon. With low skills and bad luck, death will occur.

I lost a very dear friend to a snapped trunk, I don't EVER want to attend another funeral like that.

Tom

 

[Eagle1]

Truck tocos... I love that one !!!

 

[JohnVander]

I took some pictures with my point and shoot hopefully I can post them before you guys lose intrest. I like the idea tugging with the bull rope to test root soundness. The problem is that I had to climb the tree to set the rope and top it. It was kind of a tricky tree, I have no bucket truck, and only use a harness and spurs for single leader conifer removals. I have yet to do very much pruning in large broadleaf trees.

I'll get some pics soon,
John

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Do you use a throwline? That's the best way to set guy lines or tugging lines.

Tom

 

[xtremetrees]

If the tree moves too much, I stop and rethink the situation.

Me to

Right on MB

 

[topnotchtree]

If you feel the tree is unsafe to climb, or have any doubt at all, explore your possibilities. Tom made mention of guying off the trunk. That sounds like something I would try.