Biggest wood blocked down ?

[reachtreeservi]

So far I've never had to block down any really big wood. I've always been able to limb and rig or limb and zip line, then snap cut and
chuck the spar down to size and then cut the rest from the ground with maybe a pull rope.

I was wondering what the biggest wood anyone has had to completely block and rig and lower down?
And also what the biggest saw and bar length you had to use in the tree to handle the really big wood ?

 

[clearance]

Biggest saw in a tree climbing-288XP with a 32" bar. Biggest tree, skanky cottonwood about 4', but I cut off logs (big blocks). Next, fir about 32" at 70', firewood sized blocks, they get real heavy. I do not snap cut blocks, I just cut right through.

I use a humboldt on the ground but rarely when climbing, your steelcore is that much closer to coming over when you use a humboldt. It is real important that when your big saw is sent up to you that it is sharp and full. And preferably warmed up good.

 

[treesquirrel]

Big water oak

Two weeks ago I had a water oak surrounded by hazards, home, fence, garden, wires.

Blocked down the whole thing to the point where I was using my MS650 with a 28 inch bar. No fun. Took an extra 5 hours beyond what I quoted so we barely broke even.

It had three Leads and two were up too 20 inches the last was the 28 incher for the bottom couple of sections. Used the MS440 for the smaller leads. All in all I only had to lower around 15 chunks for all three leads but it was a royal pain.

I love climbing but chunking down the spar is boring.

I have one MS200T set up with a 16 inch bar and another set up with an 18. I rarely need anything bigger than the 200 with the 18. I do however find the 200 under powered for the 18 in sappy wood.

 

[lawson's tree s]

Tree squirrel how does your 200 handle the 18 inch bar? ive got 3 200t's and was thinking of putting a bigger bar on one of them.

 

[TreeBot]

I can think of quite a few in the 36"+ range, but nothing much bigger that I have had to catch.

I have never used anything bigger than a 44/24" bar aloft.

 

[Rftreeman]

biggest saw in a tree, 394xp with 32" bar (only one time) and biggest tree was a white oak that I used the 394 the one time, it was about 40" DBH and where I started using the big saw it was around 30" diameter, had to make about 15 to 20 cuts to get it low enough to drop the stub which was only about 8 ft tall when I got done with it...........I hate jobs like that, I try to stay away from them.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

I have blocked down pine trunk blocks over 36inches in diameter, but had to heavily slot them for the rope to stay on the 2 foot sections. Snapped a line doing it to.

have climbed with a 090 with a 5 foot bar. Not fun

 

[Podaltura]

Usually I use my 660 in a tree, but the big bar in a tree are whit a 440 and 25" bar. The tree was a cedar (dead) and no blocked down. The last cut is arround 32"

 

[treesquirrel]

Tree squirrel how does your 200 handle the 18 inch bar? ive got 3 200t's and was thinking of putting a bigger bar on one of them.

It does good unless in large sappy wood like pine. Use the low kickback chain for best performance.

Gotta be more cautious of the kickback.

 

[beastmaster]

Its been years, but the biggest saw used in a tree was a 084 stihl in a 72in. ponderosa(at 60'). Biggest chunk dropped and catched was about 42 in. useing a running catch on a big ponderosa growing throu a deck.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

When you say block down, do you mean rigging chunks off the same spar you are working on?

The biggest I've done was around 36-40". Usually what I can usually do by the time the spar gets that big is drop the chunks on some tires and use the block and rope as a control to keep the chunk from rolling.

Usually stuff that big is willow or the like and is not around any big targets. I can drop the spar or just chunk onto the turf.

I have killed a number of ropes blocking down big wood, I'll keep the scissors and tape near by and have built new rope into the cost of the project.

E.g. you know that with 36" dia (r=18) wood and you

• are blocking down 40 ft of spar
• need to get it down to 15 feet to drop
• (Pi*r2)/12) 55# gives the 1 ft log weight ~260#
• a 1 ft drop doubles the effective force on the rig, so 3ft log dropped onto the block = 1560#

So, (40-15)*4=100, I then order 120 ft of 3/4 inch rope, build it into the bid, expecting to have to cut some off somewhere into the job from melting on the bollard.
The client can buy the rope for a deep diso????, the crew was probably responsible melting the line because they did not let it run . Admittedly one ca often not do that in some circumstances.

This is not a common occurance, and happens after a conversation like,

"you got 3/4 in rope?"
"no"
"we wont use mine, you smoked mine last time. I'll get some from a discount sourse of mine.."

The way I look at it is that the rope is an expendable item, if you can work it fast and then get out faster it will save money.

If you are working over a deck, and can take 5, 3ft chunks on a rope, it is better then 30, 6in (130# by this model) disks that can be tossed.

Not to forget all that sawchip you have to deal with from a lot of little chunks.

 

[reachtreeservi]

When you say block down, do you mean rigging chunks off the same spar you are working on? .

Yeah JPS, I meant rigging blocks off the same spar you are working on.
I looked at a job a couple of days ago, huge water oak, multiple targets close underneath, really tight drop zone. Customer wanted zero lawn damage.
And wouldn't pay for the cost of a crane.

Had to just walk away from it. I felt I didn't have the skills and experience to pull it off with zero impact and make any money.
I really didn't want to be running my 660 with a huge bar 50 ft. off the ground anyway !

I sure hate to turn down work.
But like Clint says, "A man's got to know his limitations."

 

[Canyonbc]

Yeah JPS, I meant rigging blocks off the same spar you are working on.
I looked at a job a couple of days ago, huge water oak, multiple targets close underneath, really tight drop zone. Customer wanted zero lawn damage.
And wouldn't pay for the cost of a crane.

Had to just walk away from it. I felt I didn't have the skills and experience to pull it off with zero impact and make any money.
I really didn't want to be running my 660 with a huge bar 50 ft. off the ground anyway !

I sure hate to turn down work.
But like Clint says, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Def. agree with your quote there. Sounds like you saved your self money...if the homeowner is gonna be that much of a stickler in the respect of i want nothing to be impacted...and wont fork out the money for a crane...not some body i want to work for. Large Oak she def. sounds like...

 

[oldirty]

i have had the 394 in the tree with me on a couple occasions. a big white oak and a couple big ol' white pines. i dont mind f'n around with the big wood at all.

something that does make me smile though is watching a little guy trying to run a big saw in a tree. hanging the saw off their belt and its damn near pulling them out of the tree. this one dude i know is but a couple inches taller than the 394 with a 36in bar! helluva climber though.


streyken's sig line says it all. something about letting the big wood pound the garden.



oldirty

 

[TreeBot]

The way I look at it is that the rope is an expendable item, if you can work it fast and then get out faster it will save money.

If you are working over a deck, and can take 5, 3ft chunks on a rope, it is better then 30, 6in (130# by this model) disks that can be tossed.

Not to forget all that sawchip you have to deal with from a lot of little chunks.

I agree, but I always seem to end up cutting at least a few frisbees on big stuff growing through decks, ect. There always seems to be a section at about 10' or so that is too low to lower off the false crotch, but too high to safely handle from the ground.

 

[jomoco]

An interesting subject to discuss.

Catching big wood is both thrilling and very dangerous, it should only be done by very experienced climbers with very thorough insurance in terms of liability and medical coverage.

From a technical standpoint many factors must be considered.

Why are you catching the wood, and what are the targets? Is the wood green or dead (weight)? If it is simply a matter of slope, an uphill speedline may make much more sense. If you are surrounded and must catch the wood, then diameter, length and most importantly weight become critical factors along with the trees wood and root system integrity.

All the big wood that I've caught has been done with a Hobb's device, a 7/8 or 3/4 bull line and a heavy duty pulley block. I always use both a steel core flipline and snugged up climbing line strategically placed below the rigging block attachment line, but above where the pulley block itself inevitably makes contact with the tree, this is very important to avoid unnecessary damage or severing of these vital climber attachment lines. I've heard of climbers placing their attachment lines above the rigging line but this is something I simply won't do, period. As long as both my lanyard lines are below and in very close proximity to the rigging line it has not been a problem for me even though the rigging line may trap both my lanyard lines in place once it changes it's orientation from going up to down as it comes under load catching the wood, this to me is quite comforting knowing that I can neither be flung up or down during the extreme violence of the wood catching bull ride until the rigging line pressure is relieved.

There are so many variables and sneaky little tricks that can be used to overcome these variables, that a book or atleast a pamphlet could be written on the subject. So I'll quit babbling about it in this thread and answer the threads original question.

The biggest wood that I've ever caught was a dead cedar at a mansion property on the Lake Arrowhead shoreline, it was well over 40 inch dia and about 3 ft long, and it was a heck of a ride that pushed the tensile limits of my 7/8 Samson bull line, the impact was so violent that the MS440 on my belt swung up and the 24 inch bar and chain took a fair sized chip out of the back of my hardhat as the adrenaline surged through my veins and I pushed against the tree with all my strength with both hands until the ride was over.
Then I began to think about whether 500 bucks a day was enough for risking my life this way, then came to the inevitable conclusion that it was, as long as I didn't make a mistake!

I hope someone starts a thread called " The Dangerous Art of Catching Big Wood " so that we can slowly go into more depth and detail on this intriguing subject that walks such a fine line between skill and madness.

jomoco

 

[John464]

id say around 36" or so. was using a 440 with a 24" bar. was in the middle of a pool area with wooden deck and concrete. couldnt get a crane to it.

I once snapped a sling attached to a block on some 30" maple luckily it missed a target, the reason I was blocking down in the first place- close one

Id say just about every week we have a job that requires to block down pieces in the 25" range. Anything bigger than that and cant be felled or bombed I sub out a crane(which is only a handfull of times a year)

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

something about letting the big wood pound the garden.

If that is what they want to pay for, that is what they get.

Customer wanted zero lawn damage.

These bids need to be written meticulously. I'll note what types of equipment we will use on the lawn, single drag path, and "cut and carry" for brush.

I will rarely just walk from a big removal, I will just put what I need/want to do it for.

Sometimes I will itemize as such;

• get tree on ground
• chip brush
• haul wood
• cut wood to 18 inch firewood length, no split or stack
• clean job, haul all debris, fine raking, remove and backfill ground stump
• above description with very low landscape impact and repair of all damage to turf

I know that if I am bidding on high impact, drive on the lawn work, I will more then likely be out bid by the younger, more hungry companies that cannot believe that you can make good money doing this work. All you have to do is run more estimates and sell yourself vs the work.

Sometimes the big bid will bite you in the butt, they see you know what you are talking about and are more comfortable with you then guy in the ripped t-shirt and camo pants...

 

[clearance]

An interesting subject to discuss.

Catching big wood is both thrilling and very dangerous, it should only be done by very experienced climbers with very thorough insurance in terms of liability and medical coverage.

From a technical standpoint many factors must be considered.

Why are you catching the wood, and what are the targets? Is the wood green or dead (weight)? If it is simply a matter of slope, an uphill speedline may make much more sense. If you are surrounded and must catch the wood, then diameter, length and most importantly weight become critical factors along with the trees wood and root system integrity.

All the big wood that I've caught has been done with a Hobb's device, a 7/8 or 3/4 bull line and a heavy duty pulley block. I always use both a steel core flipline and snugged up climbing line strategically placed below the rigging block attachment line, but above where the pulley block itself inevitably makes contact with the tree, this is very important to avoid unnecessary damage or severing of these vital climber attachment lines. I've heard of climbers placing their attachment lines above the rigging line but this is something I simply won't do, period. As long as both my lanyard lines are below and in very close proximity to the rigging line it has not been a problem for me even though the rigging line may trap both my lanyard lines in place once it changes it's orientation from going up to down as it comes under load catching the wood, this to me is quite comforting knowing that I can neither be flung up or down during the extreme violence of the wood catching bull ride until the rigging line pressure is relieved.

There are so many variables and sneaky little tricks that can be used to overcome these variables, that a book or atleast a pamphlet could be written on the subject. So I'll quit babbling about it in this thread and answer the threads original question.

The biggest wood that I've ever caught was a dead cedar at a mansion property on the Lake Arrowhead shoreline, it was well over 40 inch dia and about 3 ft long, and it was a heck of a ride that pushed the tensile limits of my 7/8 Samson bull line, the impact was so violent that the MS440 on my belt swung up and the 24 inch bar and chain took a fair sized chip out of the back of my hardhat as the adrenaline surged through my veins and I pushed against the tree with all my strength with both hands until the ride was over.
Then I began to think about whether 500 bucks a day was enough for risking my life this way, then came to the inevitable conclusion that it was, as long as I didn't make a mistake!

I hope someone starts a thread called " The Dangerous Art of Catching Big Wood " so that we can slowly go into more depth and detail on this intriguing subject that walks such a fine line between skill and madness.

jomoco

I have been railing against this sort of retarded thinking for a while. Again, your ropes and blocks are rated-what about the spar, you know the one you are tied into? Violently shock loaded, perfect, works good for a while and then SNAP! Oh look, Jomoco was killed trying to save a lawn, no thanks. Pound the lawn and walk away, sooner and safer done.

 

[jomoco]

I have been railing against this sort of retarded thinking for a while. Again, your ropes and blocks are rated-what about the spar, you know the one you are tied into? Violently shock loaded, perfect, works good for a while and then SNAP! Oh look, Jomoco was killed trying to save a lawn, no thanks. Pound the lawn and walk away, sooner and safer done.

With all due respect Clearance, we're not talking lawns, we're talking about very expensive houses, pools, statuary, boat docks, masonry walls and any number of things that people pay big bucks for not to have pounded into the ground.

There are always going to be removals like these that you can't get a crane to, and blocking (catching) them down is the only viable practical method of getting them safely on the ground. That's what the Hobbs and GRCS devices are made for.

There have been a few situations in my career where the wood I've had to bring down was simply to big, green and heavy to catch in the standard manner. This wood was over 4 ft dia green euc, and it was impossible to get a bull line to stay on a short fat 2 ft long piece. It had to be halved then quartered in the tree, then each piece blocked up and netted before being tied off to the pulley and lowered. Talk about time consuming exhausting meticulous work that takes days to accomplish safely! I've even had to truck in huge semi truck tires to build large landing pads at the Naval commisary to avoid cracking the concrete foundations around the giant Sugar Gum Eucs I removed there.

Crash and burn is simply not an option sometimes, and that's when experienced pros get called in and get paid premium coin to get the giant monster trees safely on the ground.

This is a good thread that may be of great interest to both old and young climbers that want to learn how to safely accomplish those seemingly impossible takedowns.

When Kevin Costner wants his Arrowhead summer mansion crushed in with a dead cedar tree, can I refer his HOA to you? How much is your liability insurance good for Clearance?

jomoco