This topic has made me almost sick, and to boot I am so mad I would pummel anyone that came in the door right now and gave me a hard time.
As I mentioned in my previous posts on this topic, i took a second craigs list tree. Here is my first email from the guy before I came over there.
"yes, that's fine. while you're here, if u wouldn't mind cutting down some dogwoods & some off my magnolia & mulberry trees in the back that u can easily reach from the ground, i'd like u to do that, too. u can have any & all of the wood that u cut from those, too.
i also have some limbs hanging over my house from some kinda tree,i need you to climb up there and trim them back.my neighbor wants her litle trees trimmed in her yard next door, i told her that u wood do it for me.or i'll borrow your utility chainsaw & cut it up myself if u can just get it on the ground for me. thanks!
and my freind says that u can grind the stumps down to the ground with your chainsaw,just use a old chain and wash your saw with a garden hose real good to get the dirt out.is that okay?"
This is the message that I posted when i got back
Well, I'm back with the first load of wood off of this site, and it was a doozy.
It ended up being a white oak, a little bigger than a "medium sized".
After looking at it, it was apparent that the thing could get dropped without hitting the house,IF it went where I WANT it to go.
Basically I told the guy he had two choices. Call a pro and have them drop the tree, I would clean up after the tree is down, or pay me to climb it, cut the top off, and break it down from there, but he had to sign a waiver releasing me of any liability.He was hesitant at first, and i dont blame him, but he decided to let me do it anyway. The only thing he asked is before I dropped the main stem he reserved the right to call off the job if he thought I didnt know what i was doing.Agreed.
Climbed the tree and took off all the weight on the house side and took the top off, he looked pleased.
Long story short, the tree is on the ground. While I was limbing he helped himself to my little Echo sitting in the back of the truck and did the limbing and the dogwoods he had in the back. I had figured to say NOT NO, BUT HECK NO, if he asked to use my saw, but since it never came up I didnt even mention it. Needless to say, he tore up the chain when it got loose and jumped the bar and tore out 6 drive teeth.
After a thorough butt chewing that even got the attention of his wife in the house, we came to an agreement. he would pay me for the chain and I would beat him senseless if I caught his hands on anything that belonged to me
Then I got this email from him today after I went over there yesterday to take another load. I banged on his door, but he never came out so i cut a load and left. i was going to give him the bill for the damages that he did to my saw.
ed, i was here working, as i have an office in my home, & meant to get
out to see you, but you were gone before i got out there. sorry, i was
busy on the phone most of the time you were here.
ok, i'll pay you in cash for what i broke. will you cut up the mulberry
for me & haul the brush from it & from the pine that is already on the
ground up to the road for me when you come next week, & then come back &
finish cutting off the pine sometime soon when you can bring a spotter? i know you said that it is not a good idea to use spikes to climb a tree that is not going to be cut down, but maybe you can just jump from the roof on to the tree?
i'm concerned that those limbs will fall & mess up my fence even more.
what day will you be here next week?
by the way, it sure is nice having a yard boy around here, the neighbors want you to work at their place for free to
thanks, mark
Please, someone remind me of this the next time I mention taking a craigslist tree again.
