Dadatwins had a branch fall off a tree and whack him real good. See post: http://www.arboristsite.com/arboricultural-injuries-fatalities/206075.htm
Rather than adding to that thread, I thought I would post this idea where it will probably do more good for our community.
I have been in that same situation, and I often fear getting blasted from above. I have worked out a pretty quick way to assess the risk and make the job a lot safer, too: Use your throwball to set a rope over those dead limbs, then yank hard enough to either break them off or prove that they will stay on the tree.
Several times in the last year I have used this technique to good advantage. Once, we just didn't know whether a tree was sturdy enough to climb, or whether we needed to drop it entirely from the ground. 15 minutes later, we knew that the large pine was very unsafe, and we ended up crashing it into the street. I knew that each branch was so likely to crash on me, that I parked my bobcat bucket over my head while I cut it down. Nothing fell on me, but I knew it was a good idea anyway. That tree was fragile as glass.
Another job looked entirely too dangerous to climb, but we set ropes on each branch and broke that tree down using a gas rope winch. In this fashion, we were snapping off 16" diameter limbs, pulling them in the direction they needed to go, without ever climbing the tree. It turns out that it probably would have been sturdy enough, but the locust tree sure looked like a death sentence to climb. We did eventually get the whole tree small enough to fit the drop zone, and the customer was impressed. More work came to us from the neighbors that were watching.
When you guys KNOW that tree is going to try to clobber you when you cut it down, consider breaking off a few of the trouble branches overhead before it gets you. Maybe just the ones above where you will be standing to make the cuts?
You do have a good throwball system, don't you? If not, here is another good reason to spend the money.
Rather than adding to that thread, I thought I would post this idea where it will probably do more good for our community.
I have been in that same situation, and I often fear getting blasted from above. I have worked out a pretty quick way to assess the risk and make the job a lot safer, too: Use your throwball to set a rope over those dead limbs, then yank hard enough to either break them off or prove that they will stay on the tree.
Several times in the last year I have used this technique to good advantage. Once, we just didn't know whether a tree was sturdy enough to climb, or whether we needed to drop it entirely from the ground. 15 minutes later, we knew that the large pine was very unsafe, and we ended up crashing it into the street. I knew that each branch was so likely to crash on me, that I parked my bobcat bucket over my head while I cut it down. Nothing fell on me, but I knew it was a good idea anyway. That tree was fragile as glass.
Another job looked entirely too dangerous to climb, but we set ropes on each branch and broke that tree down using a gas rope winch. In this fashion, we were snapping off 16" diameter limbs, pulling them in the direction they needed to go, without ever climbing the tree. It turns out that it probably would have been sturdy enough, but the locust tree sure looked like a death sentence to climb. We did eventually get the whole tree small enough to fit the drop zone, and the customer was impressed. More work came to us from the neighbors that were watching.
When you guys KNOW that tree is going to try to clobber you when you cut it down, consider breaking off a few of the trouble branches overhead before it gets you. Maybe just the ones above where you will be standing to make the cuts?
You do have a good throwball system, don't you? If not, here is another good reason to spend the money.
Last edited:
