Brush landing pad?

[swyman]

Just doing some thinking on how I could be faster on the clean up end of this business. Has anyone tried using a tarp placed under the tree to act as a landing pad while brushing out the stalk on remavals? I think if I used a heavy canvass material type like on a semi trailer it may hold up fairly well. I know it would take a beating but I think if I flew all the brush out onto it, would save a ton of raking. Has anyone ever tried this and how did it go? I usually on the brushy removals will bring a 3rd groundie just to speed the raking process. Would be able to eliminate help if it would work. Thinking like a 30-40' circle and if you slit it to the center, could center it under the tree. Just a thought

 

[Bigus Termitius]

The things guys will do to get out of raking!!

 

[2treeornot2tree]

Your gonna spend like $500 on a tarp. Thats alot of hours at $12 a hour. I found if you get some good metal tine rakes, not those plastic ones, the raking goes pretty quick. I also carry a tarp and a 50 gallon rubbermaid trash can which I store on the chipper jack with a short piece of rope and a brass clip. I rake small piles and lay the can on its side and rake in the stuff. You can clean up a huge area pretty quick with just two guys. I have never used the tarp yet.

 

[tree md]

We use a tarp but not one of those high dollar trucking tarps. Pines are the worst for leaving lots of rakings. What we do is start at the furthest point and rake towards the truck so we are not backtracking and raking over an area we have already cleaned up. We rake large piles up onto a tarp and two men will get on it and carry or slide it to the truck. I couldn't see a tarp last more than one or two jobs if you were dropping a top on it.

 

[formationrx]

...

canvas sucks it gets ripped to death..... which rake you use depends on where & what you are raking... a spring rake works great on gravel or in beds.... the plastic leaf rakes work better on lawns and sidewalks..... in tight areas a hedge rake works best.... as far as tarps under trees go .... in my experience using them (polys) under small messy prunes is a good idea... where lots of tiny #### is falling down lightly.... but on bigger trees where anything coming down is heavy or moving fast forget it... its a retarded idea...

 

[ClimbinArbor]

think of all the times youve dropped a limb and it drove into the ground. now think of your tarp being under it...

good tips for cleanup on here already, ill add that kicking the majority of limbs into a pile before picking them up is a great way to save your back.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Tarps get trashed to fast to use if doing anything from height. We use them sometimes doing hedges and occationally when chipping on gravel, but otherwise for us they are better staying away from the work site.

 

[newsawtooth]

http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/12315.htm

3rd post down or so. Tarps can make things go pretty quickly, much faster than garbage cans or wheel barrows.

 

[imagineero]

I use tarps on hedges, and I also use them as 'drag bags'. I get heavy duty poly tarps 6'x8' and lay them out when the job is done. The guys rake up and throw all the crap on the tarp. One guy picks up each end and they drag it out to the truck. I keep a few tarps for this purpose and get them pretty cheap, about $10 each for thick heavy duty ones.

If you really want to save time on cleanup look into bigger more powerful backpack blowers.

Shaun

 

[limbwalker54]

Just got a rake for my new addition, an SK500 that I will begin to use on Tuesday, which will speed up raking.....skim over the area with that nice wide 4 foot rake and wala...less finish raking.

To add, a tarp is way better than a can when covering large areas......load it up and strap it to the mini and drag it out.

Ah, the many uses of the mini keep piling up in my mind. I am just a happy guy.

 

[superjunior]

+1 on using them for hedges, especially in freshly mulched beds

 

[beastmaster]

I use tarps a lot. It's pretty common for people to have landscaping under their trees around here. We sometimes hang them or use saw horses so their elevated above flowers or easily damaged plants. Use them too on citrus to protect concrete from the acid, and on olive trees when their full of those purple staining fruit. Some times over fine gravel or other mulches that may be under the tree. Under trees with fish ponds under them too, more for catching chain bar oil then branches. Over swimming pools.
They have their uses, but in day in day out, just to catch branches, no not so much.

 

[swyman]

I use tarps a lot. It's pretty common for people to have landscaping under their trees around here. We sometimes hang them or use saw horses so their elevated above flowers or easily damaged plants. Use them too on citrus to protect concrete from the acid, and on olive trees when their full of those purple staining fruit. Some times over fine gravel or other mulches that may be under the tree. Under trees with fish ponds under them too, more for catching chain bar oil then branches. Over swimming pools.
They have their uses, but in day in day out, just to catch branches, no not so much.

I removed 7 dead ash at a lake behind the cottages right on the beach. After the first 2 I looked out on the water and could not believe the oil contamination from the bar. Something I didn't think about and had no idea it flung so much. I turned down the flow for the rest of that job to reduce the amount applied to the bar. What do you do in that situation?

 

[tree md]

I was told that wood chips from a Red Oak I was removing onetime was toxic to fish as well. I used visqueen to cover the coy pond and protect the pond and fish.

 

[swyman]

I was told that wood chips from a Red Oak I was removing onetime was toxic to fish as well. I used visqueen to cover the coy pond and protect the pond and fish.

But at the lake I felt bad but the wind was even blowing from shore to lake. Guess maybe that bio bar oil if I ever work at lake again?

 

[tree md]

But at the lake I felt bad but the wind was even blowing from shore to lake. Guess maybe that bio bar oil if I ever work at lake again?

I run vegetable oil in mine during the Summer months. I've got several 5 gallon containers of filtered oil that came out of restaurants that a friend from this site gave me... Can you say free bar oil for life??? I only use petroleum bar oil in freezing temps, as the veggie oil will gel.

 

[beastmaster]

I removed 7 dead ash at a lake behind the cottages right on the beach. After the first 2 I looked out on the water and could not believe the oil contamination from the bar. Something I didn't think about and had no idea it flung so much. I turned down the flow for the rest of that job to reduce the amount applied to the bar. What do you do in that situation?

I learned the hard way. By the time I saw the pretty colors in these two gay guys pond(this is Calif)it was pretty much contaminated. I though one of the grounds man had poured oil in there. I was being real carefull too. It took a while to realize it was bar oil throw off.
I had to do a containment operation, just like the big oil spills. The whole time the HO's were having a hissy fit.
live and learn. I hear Cornelia oil is just as bad for fish.

 

[newsawtooth]

I hear Cornelia oil is just as bad for fish.

Usually better to use bacon fat in a pan or just grill them.

 

[swyman]

[I[/I]

I learned the hard way. By the time I saw the pretty colors in these two gay guys pond(this is Calif)it was pretty much contaminated. I though one of the grounds man had poured oil in there. I was being real carefull too. It took a while to realize it was bar oil throw off.
I had to do a containment operation, just like the big oil spills. The whole time the HO's were having a hissy fit.
live and learn. I hear Cornelia oil is just as bad for fish.

That would have sucked. Luckily no one ventured out by the lake. They just sat on the porch drinking watching us work. I can't wait till that day comes for me but doubt it ever will. I look at it this way, when I get old and can't do much, at least I can say I tried.

 

[swyman]

I run vegetable oil in mine during the Summer months. I've got several 5 gallon containers of filtered oil that came out of restaurants that a friend from this site gave me... Can you say free bar oil for life??? I only use petroleum bar oil in freezing temps, as the veggie oil will gel.

That is a great idea and should be environmentally friendly. Would a paint strainer be good enough to clean it?