Here's the story. Old historic community, 150+ year old house, 3 stories. 64" DBH red oak 5 inches from house on the back side. Left side 7ft from street wires. Front side 4 ft from concrete wallkway and 5ft beyond that was this old wood fence. The ground level slightly sloped toward the fence. Right side more concrete walk 19ft from large Jap Maple. The right side was our lowering zone. Standing at around 90 ft high with a canopy spready of approx 50ft.
I originally bid the job for a crane with no damage at $3600 since there was very little working room, however the homeowner said he would rather fix the concrete pad or replace the wooden fence for much less than the crane rental would be. I reluctantly allowed him to sign off on this. Booked the job at $2800. Wood stays, brush chipped. Start to finish I estimated 6hrs with 5 men, including myself.
My plan was that we set up plywood on top of concrete walk with two layers of tires on top of the plywood. The fence would normally be taken down but since it was wood and rotten dismantling the fence would not allow for it to be put back up. Fence stayed. So instead we took the larger limb wood and built a barricade in front of the fence.
Had the tree delimbed in about 4 hrs of real serious rigging. 3 ropes going simeltaneously. Then comes the spar. Started blocking down 8 ft sections with a block and whoopie sling. On each chunk had the lowering line(bull line), a tag line on top and a 3rd line to keep from the chunk from swinging into the house. Worked my way down to around 60ft, switched from the 20" bar on the 440 to the 24" on the 460. Next piece and it looked like the last piece I could rig off the spar with block, out comes the 660 with 32" bar. Now Im thinking if I rig one more big chunk down its going drop too low and hit the house. No choice now other than to see if I could trust in my tires and barricade. I sent up again for a bigger bar, this time 36" on the 660.
Bombed with tag line one 3ft chunk out. The tires cushioned the concrete and the barricade stopped the piece from roling into the fence. NICE! Then I felt something bzzz in my ear. Hit a bee hive in the trunk. Even though it is winter they started swarming. Customer runs inside gets wasp spray. I spray the hole and they start pouring out. Went through two cans of wasp spray(apparanetly it does kill bees well). Im now covered with bees and kept working because for what I always had believed that bees don't sting in the winter right? Wrong, managed to get stung twice before I got down.
Now im down to about 40ft on this huge trunk dangling a 660 36" that I could barely hold up anymore. Two more chunks and i'll be able to fit this spar in that 19ft area I mentioned earlier. Tag line only piece hit but end and hit tires punched so hard the concrete cracked and then flipped knocking barricade down and took out a section of fence.
Next piece was the last piece. Same thing tag line only. The next piece layed right next to the broken fence and concrete.
Now thinking back on it... I should of either set up a vertical speed line or placed another line down low on the tunk, tied off, strung out long enough to allow the piece piece to be pulled away from the house but locked out and short enough that it would stop the momentum keeping it from barging through my barricade, I guess we will call this a "stop line". In hindsight I could of done this job without a crane and not broke the fence, but didnt set up that extra "stop line". The concrete, two layers of tires isnt enough when you are dealing with huge wood.
Got down, customer was thrilled how well I did and paid me for the job plus handed me an extra $200 and said "Im 52 years old and I've lived in this community for my whole life, seen a lot of trees taken down and you are unbelievable, Thank you"
Never felt so good about damaging one's property, but like I said, it was expected. I love tree work!
I originally bid the job for a crane with no damage at $3600 since there was very little working room, however the homeowner said he would rather fix the concrete pad or replace the wooden fence for much less than the crane rental would be. I reluctantly allowed him to sign off on this. Booked the job at $2800. Wood stays, brush chipped. Start to finish I estimated 6hrs with 5 men, including myself.
My plan was that we set up plywood on top of concrete walk with two layers of tires on top of the plywood. The fence would normally be taken down but since it was wood and rotten dismantling the fence would not allow for it to be put back up. Fence stayed. So instead we took the larger limb wood and built a barricade in front of the fence.
Had the tree delimbed in about 4 hrs of real serious rigging. 3 ropes going simeltaneously. Then comes the spar. Started blocking down 8 ft sections with a block and whoopie sling. On each chunk had the lowering line(bull line), a tag line on top and a 3rd line to keep from the chunk from swinging into the house. Worked my way down to around 60ft, switched from the 20" bar on the 440 to the 24" on the 460. Next piece and it looked like the last piece I could rig off the spar with block, out comes the 660 with 32" bar. Now Im thinking if I rig one more big chunk down its going drop too low and hit the house. No choice now other than to see if I could trust in my tires and barricade. I sent up again for a bigger bar, this time 36" on the 660.
Bombed with tag line one 3ft chunk out. The tires cushioned the concrete and the barricade stopped the piece from roling into the fence. NICE! Then I felt something bzzz in my ear. Hit a bee hive in the trunk. Even though it is winter they started swarming. Customer runs inside gets wasp spray. I spray the hole and they start pouring out. Went through two cans of wasp spray(apparanetly it does kill bees well). Im now covered with bees and kept working because for what I always had believed that bees don't sting in the winter right? Wrong, managed to get stung twice before I got down.
Now im down to about 40ft on this huge trunk dangling a 660 36" that I could barely hold up anymore. Two more chunks and i'll be able to fit this spar in that 19ft area I mentioned earlier. Tag line only piece hit but end and hit tires punched so hard the concrete cracked and then flipped knocking barricade down and took out a section of fence.
Next piece was the last piece. Same thing tag line only. The next piece layed right next to the broken fence and concrete.
Now thinking back on it... I should of either set up a vertical speed line or placed another line down low on the tunk, tied off, strung out long enough to allow the piece piece to be pulled away from the house but locked out and short enough that it would stop the momentum keeping it from barging through my barricade, I guess we will call this a "stop line". In hindsight I could of done this job without a crane and not broke the fence, but didnt set up that extra "stop line". The concrete, two layers of tires isnt enough when you are dealing with huge wood.
Got down, customer was thrilled how well I did and paid me for the job plus handed me an extra $200 and said "Im 52 years old and I've lived in this community for my whole life, seen a lot of trees taken down and you are unbelievable, Thank you"
Never felt so good about damaging one's property, but like I said, it was expected. I love tree work!
