First climbing removal.

[randyg]

Am I alone in this?
Climbing up I am relaxed, tied in at any altitude I am relaxed. But if I have to spike down a tree more than 30 feet or so, I get down and my legs hurt. I can climb all day and have no pain, but that long spike down kills me.
I know it's nerves, but after 12 years I still have it. I bet there is a piece off rigging that I could buy and just tie in, but I have never seen anyone else do it.

I agree, spiking down is painful for me as well, so I haven't for years. Come down on my climbing line most of the time. Used to cut a notch in the top of spar to run line through. Once plunge-cut a square hole a foot down from top to run line through. To much time. Try to leave one limb couple feet long to run line over. Best for me is friction-saver, the strap with ring on each end. Once or twice around spar and climbing line runs through rings. You can run climbing line around spar with a biner tied to end and hook biner back to line to choke spar. Then use it to descend on, with munter or figure of 8 or whatever. If you descend 10 feet or maybe 15 and then set the spikes with flip-line and you can whip climbing line loose and it will drop to where you are at and then re-choke and descend another 15 feet and repeat. That way spar does not come down with climbing line in, chancing messing up your climbing line. I've come down on bull rope with munter on a large biner. You can make a false crotch with an eye sling and hook a biner in the eye to run your line through. You need to decide which method seems bullet proof for you. Till you find it, might want to loosen flip line/buck strap and leave it around spar as a safety. Having to stop and un-snag several times and you will soon be kicking out and riding down in style throwing caution to the wind.

Better safe than sorry. Not suggesting anyone try any of the above. Just sharing some of the alternatives that I have used to avoid spiking down.

 

[treemandan]

Did you free fall the blocks, snap cut and throw, or rope them?

To me climbing usually aint a big deal, some jobs it can be though. The biggest rush I get is freefalling pieces right on the money, I can't get enough of it. Freefalling big leads is awesome too.

Did a job the other day where all I had to do was go halfway up this 5 lead Silver Maple bring er' down. It was for a guy whose two son's own a logging company and they were right there ready to clean it up. I went up and dropped 3 long 15" diameter leads right on top each other missing all targets just like a feller buncher. They were all leaning and heavy, I bore cut them so when I tripped the backstrap it was all or nothin, I was pumped. The other two stacked up on the other side of the tree. Left those guys in a pile, especially since my bro was hammering down two other trees.

There's just something about that moment of truth, when the saws runnin' and you have to make it happen and you can't turn back.
Therein lies the rush my friend, what keeps me commin' back.

Its like you are just there, kinda like superimposed, surreal, everything so clear, watching fibres that hold massive energy fly through the air. When you get down you look at where you once where... there is nothing there now but what was there was there cause you were there, it was holding you there at some location in the universe that you can define, you touched it, now its gone.
Pruning is neat too.

 

[tree MDS]

Pruning is allright once its over- I do enjoy the finished product. Takedowns are the best though. I like do trees with absolutely no equipment access that are over everything, you know the trees no one else wants because they cant get any of thier toys to help make them look good. Those are the ones I love, nice and quiet, out over a lake- you can actually talk to your groundmen. Takes awhile to get good but if there is a climber in you you'll enjoy the road. I also like takedowns better because I can use my skill and expierience to make it go faster, where-as pole sawing deadwood just takes time. I like trying to get logs to land flat and make that whole bodied THUD, I usually get all into it like "NICE"! At 35 though I can feel some pains like never before however. I have a sneaking suspition that running big saws in a tree for years and years takes its toll on a 160 lb frame- but who cares! Its all worth it. If I didnt have this craft I'd probably be a real loser.

 

[clearance]

Glad it went well for you Parris. I love removals, its mostly what I do. It can be a real blast, a rush, especially when you have put everything you have into something but are still rolling the dice and it works.

 

[tree MDS]

Glad it went well for you Parris. I love removals, its mostly what I do. It can be a real blast, a rush, especially when you have put everything you have into something but are still rolling the dice and it works.

Exactly, like a probably too big tip tie/butt tie, when its rigged up and you start making the back cut and there is no going back- kinda like tman pam was sayin, almost surreal.

 

[clearance]

Exactly, like a probably too big tip tie/butt tie, when its rigged up and you start making the back cut and there is no going back- kinda like tman pam was sayin, almost surreal.

I do not ever rig anything big to the tree I am in, logs, never, ever. Only small tops or branches. I mean cutting of huge tops and not hitting the house or powerline, that kind of thing. The rush is when you risk property, and suceed for me, not risking my life.

 

[tree MDS]

I do not ever rig anything big to the tree I am in, logs, never, ever. Only small tops or branches. I mean cutting of huge tops and not hitting the house or powerline, that kind of thing. The rush is when you risk property, and suceed for me, not risking my life.

I meant in a controlled manner clearance, and when need be thats all. There is alot of roping in residential, big trees take bigger cuts. Not trying to get into it with you. MDS.

 

[clearance]

I meant in a controlled manner clearance, and when need be thats all. There is alot of roping in residential, big trees take bigger cuts. Not trying to get into it with you. MDS.

I know, no beef with you at all. I get concerned when I hear about big stuff being lowered, it makes me cringe.

 

[tree MDS]

I know, no beef with you at all. I get concerned when I hear about big stuff being lowered, it makes me cringe.

Good to hear man thanks- same hear no beef, lol. I do alot of red oaks it seems around here, pretty stout trees indeed- especially double crotched with your primary rigging line. You've probably seen it but if not check out Regs hobbs lowering vidio, some of that made me cringe a little.

 

[clearance]

MDS, climbing now, biggest rush ever from something planned. Big dead pine just inside the prop. line, little shed and friut trees below, backyard. Two completley green groundsmen, lowered a few big branches, got mad cause it would take all day with them, wasn't mad at them.

Had them send me up my 371 with a 28" bar, put a rope in the tree. Had the guys stand not in the nieghbors yard but the one past. Sawed of about a 50' top. No room for error at all, I knew there was a good chance something would get wasted, but f-it. It landed nice, the top branches were on the fence on the far side of the nieghbors yard, butt missed the fence closest by inches.. Probably coudn't do that again. Thats what I mean, felt good.

 

[tree MDS]

Nice. I cant really think of any incident that stands out more than this one BIG red oak I did last year, I roped a crane sized cut towards the end when I got more comforatabe with the tree- it was either that or flatted the customers and some of the niehbors smaller trees. Tip tie/butt tied that thing swung outta those woods and revealed itself complete with deadwood gangling over the skylights, the guys couldnt even see me some of the job because too much spread out into the woods. That cut saved hours. It went sweet, almost had to get Howard Dean when that sucker pulled off, EEEAAAAHHH.... Lol.

 

[clearance]

Nice. I cant really think of any incident that stands out more than this one BIG red oak I did last year, I roped a crane sized cut towards the end when I got more comforatabe with the tree- it was either that or flatted the customers and some of the niehbors smaller trees. Tip tie/butt tied that thing swung outta those woods and revealed itself complete with deadwood gangling over the skylights, the guys couldnt even see me some of the job because too much spread out into the woods. That cut saved hours. It went sweet, almost had to get Howard Dean when that sucker pulled off, EEEAAAAHHH.... Lol.

That sounds pretty cool, dead stuff hanging over the house, just waiting to fall off, good one.
When the top I was talking about landed I went Howard Dean for a second, but it a was like F----- Yeah! People were watching, I didn't care, it was better than any dope and almost as good as killer bj.

 

[tree MDS]

Yep, thats the feeling. I'm glad you get it brother.

 

[JS Landscaping]

The feeling you get from climbing and doing tree work is probably what keeps most of us going and getting up everyday. The job beats your body, is one of the most dangerous in the world, but doing what 99% of the population cant do and feeling that rush of being up there, chainsaw screamin, saw chips flyin and that creakin of the hinge as your top goes over and sails down is what keeps me going. Most of the population if not all think we are crazy for what we do, to hang on a 1/2" thick rope 80+ feet off the ground or stand on 2 spikes that only go in maybe 1/2" into the tree and add in a screaming chainsaw, hights, danger and the need to be precise......makes you think we should be getting paid at the level doctors are with the skill it takes to do this job right and safely...im sure some of us if not most of us, dont do this for the money, but rather for the sadisfaction and the "rush" you get from it....as I always say to gf's of mine, when they ask the question do you do drugs...and my answer is yes only one, the adrenaline rush in a tree, the look on thier face is priceless. There is definatly a certain level of pride that comes with this profession as well I believe, might make us a little cocky or arrogant, but for what we do, I think its normal.
I get the rush from being in the tree, not just doing big removals but also with pruning and really working around up in a tree.....love climbing spikeless now more then I do doing removals on spikes...getting way way out from the spar limb walking at dizzying hights pruning and preserving a tree and practicing proper arborculture is what I love...give me a huge tree with a huge canopy way the heck up there and being able to dance around and swing around and Im a happy guy. But then again...there isnt anything like blowing a top with your 200T at 90 feet.....I think its an inner battle within that Ill never decide....but I dont care, as long as I can climb!


Climb High and climb safe

 

[Nailsbeats]

Tree work doesn't make you cocky or arrogant, cocky and arrogant people do tree work. Got it??? biaaaaaatch. lol. Just practicing, lol.

 

[Nailsbeats]

Don't worry about it, get your rest, I know I need mine got a full day of logging tommorow.

 

[Rftreeman]

All I was trying to point out to you was that Cranes make this work alot easier and your three little trees would been a walk in the park for a crane and a good climber. And you would have made more sweet money.

Hope your wearing all your safety gear as well!

yes, they do but not everybody can justify a crane every time, I've used a crane once to lift a tree off a house and called about one a couple other times but their rates are more than I'm going to pay if it only saves me an hour or so worth of work not to mention that they make a good climber very lazy............


safety gear???????????? what's that??????

 

[Nailsbeats]

Just thinking about a crane gets me excited, I really want a piece of one. We don't even own a bucket because we are afraid to get lazy.

 

[arborworks1]

We use cranes on a daily basis and they sure as hell save more than an hours time. We lifted out 12 90ft tall pines yesterday in 35 mph winds.

chipped and raked, had to go back today for the wood. 2 guys in a tight narrow yard. Cranes save alot of hard work. They make you lazy to a degree. You make up for it with productivity.

 

[Ghillie]

Just thinking about a crane gets me excited, I really want a piece of one. We don't even own a bucket because we are afraid to get lazy.

They work great when you can drop half a tree right into the chipper!!