Confessions: I spiked a trim today

[treeseer]

Ozzy if you spike as seldom as Bermuda lady no problem

If it is regular then time for old dog to learn new trix

No double standard; no idea if bermie is ca; irrelevant

10-4 on ladder use

Ms I was only talking about the brain bucket

 

[tomtrees58]

spikeing for pruning some times you have to i used pole spikes for that as for the power co. i have ben to bermuda 5 times love it but the trucks ther are altec 35' tom trees

 

[ozzy42]

spikeing for pruning some times you have to i used pole spikes for that as for the power co. i have ben to bermuda 5 times love it but the trucks ther are altec 35' tom trees

I don't know about that boom thing on there ,but that truck could be pimp,given the right metalic paint,and some ghost flames.:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Adkpk]

I got put into the tree about 50' up with the lift,

Oh ya, that's Bermie's truck alright but how did that thing plop her 50' up?:jester:

 

[Gumnuts]

:agree2:
As far as spikes in them go,,,,I am almost 200lbs,and can barely get them in 1/2 in or so .Dam things are like climbing concrete bridge pilings.
Let's see them pics girl

Funny but true.....

Don't know you Bermie ....but chicks up trees are cool down
here too.......pics you offered would be good.Oh you used spikes .....don't know if I like you now.
On a side note....Cas -great firewood and many of our sheoaks have beautiful milling / furniture timber..... an ancient tree species tooo.....ugly as tho.

 

[Bermie]

Your penance will be a tall fruity drink, "spiked" with your favorite rum. That should work on the bite of guilt. :greenchainsaw:

Oh I think I can handle that!

As for the pictures of my so called' bucket truck'....funny!

The picture shows the tree at the end of the day, minus another 25' in height. I tried to target prune where I could, the guys in the high lift just hacked it...

 

[Adkpk]

The picture shows the tree at the end of the day, minus another 25' in height. I tried to target prune where I could, the guys in the high lift just hacked it...

Ouch, the job from hell. How did you get those skinny little branches? Even at 100 lbs they look like they would be bending over. At that height, forget it. Obviously you had the brass set, that is really something girl.

 

[Bermie]

"...How did you get those skinny little branches?..."
SPIKES!!!

On the left side trunk, go up to where it divides in three, take the right side leader, go up, where there are two obvious cuts and a dinky branch sticking up...I had a tie in about eight feet higher, above that was the two highest tops, I was standing on probably 10" of trunk. I did those last so I could work the rest of the leaders from a high tie in then I came about 6' down that leader I just described, the lower portion of the tree was done from there.

I did have an 'oops' moment, I was standing on a little branch, dropped the top of another above it, it dropped and wiped out the branch I was standing on, TITS to the rescue!! (Tie In Twice Stupid) I only swung about a foot, enough to make me myself!!

 

[Bermie]

Funny but true.....

Don't know you Bermie ....but chicks up trees are cool down
here too.......pics you offered would be good.Oh you used spikes .....don't know if I like you now.
On a side note....Cas -great firewood and many of our sheoaks have beautiful milling / furniture timber..... an ancient tree species tooo.....ugly as tho.

Yup, great firewood, used a lot inthe winter here. Not many people try to use it for furniture, apparently it has to be cured very carefully or it splits and checks badly, or rots too quickly.
Don't stress the spikes thing, I only do it to noxious weeds...:jester:
I've been to the Mornington Peninsula, lovely part of OZ, was there last year!

 

[mic687]

I have 5 storm damaged cottonwoods to work on tomorrow one with the top broken off and hanging. Not much left to tie to and spiking the top has crossed my mind more for saftey than anything else. I just have to see how it goes. And I will use a ladder to enter a tree, never work off one but if I am climbing 5 trees it saves me energy and time vs rope climbing right from the ground.

 

[Bermie]

Yes...I do think there was some previous topping, but it was a long time ago and well surrounded in reaction wood. I think whoever did it had half an idea...Old cuts in casuarina where the subsequent regrowth is sound and the reaction wood is of decent size, and completely surrounds the old cut, is very strong. Having said that I did not use the worst looking one for a tie in or rigging point!
There was storm damage too, some fairly recent and some grown over.

 

[ozzy42]

Oh I think I can handle that!

As for the pictures of my so called' bucket truck'....funny!

The picture shows the tree at the end of the day, minus another 25' in height. I tried to target prune where I could, the guys in the high lift just hacked it...

Nice job on the casuarina there young lady.
Alot of guys around here wont touch a-pines w/out bucket or crane.I don't know if they are sissies,or just smarter than me.

 

[prentice110]

SPIKE EM' ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just kidding! I got a cash raiding hack crew come down from Minnesota in a beat up old pick up last 2 seasons.Did a job next door to em' and watched em' for a while. Climber didnt use a climbing line. Just spiked a yard full of oak trims up and down. Not to mention that it was may in a nieghborhood full of oak wilt. Red oaks look real nice with tic tac marks all the way up and down the trunk.:jawdrop:

 

[TreeClimber57]

My stand on gaffing a trim is that those who do it all the time do not take in the value of the tree. I have no problem when an arborist makes a decision to spike up a tree that is being treated as a partial removal to save cost on the job.

When I am doing bluff work for line of site trimming I will gaff up skinny poles that would take longer to set a line then do the actual work.

It is when the partially skilled workers gaff up a tree that is expected to stay in the landscape for generations were the "do no more harm then necessary" part of me comes out.

Well said. But if a tree is coming down, climbers can be faster so just do it. If the climber is knowledgeable and cares about the long term health, then I find they usually make the correct decisions.

 

[TreeClimber57]

"...How did you get those skinny little branches?..."
SPIKES!!!

On the left side trunk, go up to where it divides in three, take the right side leader, go up, where there are two obvious cuts and a dinky branch sticking up...I had a tie in about eight feet higher, above that was the two highest tops, I was standing on probably 10" of trunk. I did those last so I could work the rest of the leaders from a high tie in then I came about 6' down that leader I just described, the lower portion of the tree was done from there.

I did have an 'oops' moment, I was standing on a little branch, dropped the top of another above it, it dropped and wiped out the branch I was standing on, TITS to the rescue!! (Tie In Twice Stupid) I only swung about a foot, enough to make me myself!!

Well I admire you .. well done. No complaints about the spikes if you need em.. (but only if you need em..and you said you did)

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Some on here post as to sugest it is ok for an arborist to make the call to "spike them a little",but let somebody old school with 25 yrs exp take their spikes out of the trucks on a prune,and everybody calls him a hack.

It depends on the job, IMO, if all you are doing is saving time, then it is hackified. The only time I do it is if the tree is being butchered by the work.

I cannot see charging the client the time to set up secondary TIP's when the job itself is trashing the tree. I do take umbrage when guys say that they only do it when they contract on aesthetic jobs that are above their skill set.

But I do understand where you are coming from; when I posted my winter willow spiking I expected to get attacked.

[/QUOTE]
BTW,I have never spiked the lower base of a trim,as I use heavy duty werner ladders to get in the canopy,or a lift.Easier than spiking,and 5x faster.[/QUOTE]

For me footlocking with Mar-Bars is even easier then lugging those big fiberglass monstrosities around. Though if i have a groundie to do it for me I will use a ladder to get started. Some guys have this silly pride thing going about ladders...

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Well said. But if a tree is coming down, climbers can be faster so just do it.

Not always, we've had a number of discussion here about doing removals sans-spikes. On some big trees i find it easier to start without them.

 

[TreeClimber57]

Not always, we've had a number of discussion here about doing removals sans-spikes. On some big trees i find it easier to start without them.

True, can't disagree there. Faster mobility for sure.

 

[tree md]

Not always, we've had a number of discussion here about doing removals sans-spikes. On some big trees i find it easier to start without them.

Had to do a removal spikeless today. Had 6 maples to prune and they decided to take one down. Left my spikes at home because I was only pruning right? Wrong. One of these days I'll learn to bring the stuff I don't think I'll need because I always end up needing it. Went pretty smooth though. A little slower than climbing with gaffs but Didn't take all day. I was still done with all the trees in 4 hours.

 

[TreeClimber57]

Had to do a removal spikeless today. Had 6 maples to prune and they decided to take one down. Left my spikes at home because I was only pruning right? Wrong. One of these days I'll learn to bring the stuff I don't think I'll need because I always end up needing it. Went pretty smooth though. A little slower than climbing with gaffs but Didn't take all day. I was still done with all the trees in 4 hours.

Good work!! Generally for removals I prefer climbers.. but there are times that I can agree a bit more mobility can be had without them.