Crane Removal Technique

[cedar]

I have a large oak to remove and I would like to use a crane. I have done a number of crane removals in the past but it has been about 6 years. The way the company I used to work for did the removals was one guy in the tree and another guy who would tie into the ball of the crane, set a choker so that the butt of the large limb would swing out, and then lower himself down to the ground.

I told the crane operator this is how I would proceed and he told me that having the ground man tied into the ball to set the choker was no longer allowed. Is this the case?

Also, where could I go to learn up to date techniques for crane work. Are there any upcoming seminars near Virginia or videos that would help.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The bigger companies will not allow you to tie-in to the cable (hook tie-in being conter to z-133) because of OSH and insurance issues. They do not give a hoot about Z-133 and TCIA/OSH letters of agreement.

We can still find smaller crane companies that will agree to do it as long as you have "The Zee" on hand. Shop around, the justification is safety and climber fatigue. Switching the basket back and forth is impractical, which is the oft heard counter to cable tie-in.