How can I put a rope in a Queen Palm?

[ForTheArborist]

The story is I have two queen palms to trim. I will spike a Washingtonia palm, but I won't spike a Queen palm because the gaff marks rot out. After a while the holes become so big...

Today I went to place a line over the top of one, and as I'm pulling up the rope the rope gets stuck. I can't pull the rope through the top because the fronds (branches) on this tree are in perfect V shapes to each other. It's like trying to thread a needle with bailing wire.

I check my Tree Climber's Companion, and it mentions the throwing knot. I practiced throwing that some, and I can only reach about a modest 15ft in the air with it. I suppose I don't have the technique for throwing that thing straight up. I throw about 70-75mph down a pitching mound, and I'd be up for learning the throwing technique for throwing knots.

Does anyone have any ideas about how to place the rope in this kind of tree without spiking the things. I'm trying to avoid hauling around the big ### ladder this time, and all the times in the future. I don't have one tall enough anyway.

 

[treemandan]

Are you pulling the line through with the ball still attached?

 

[ForTheArborist]

course not. Just the rope.

I tried taping up the part where the line ties to the rope to make it more conical for easier transition between the fronds. No luck

 

[sawinredneck]

Find a safe location, cut a v-notch in that direction, then make the back cut. Once the palm is on the ground attach an eye hook to it at the top. To this you attach a VERY strong rope. Now drill a large hole in the base of the tree and the stump, insert a pipe, then hinge the tree back up with the rope.
Now you can climb it any time you want.

 

[ForTheArborist]

Find a safe location, cut a v-notch in that direction, then make the back cut. Once the palm is on the ground attach an eye hook to it at the top. To this you attach a VERY strong rope. Now drill a large hole in the base of the tree and the stump, insert a pipe, then hinge the tree back up with the rope.
Now you can climb it any time you want.

:rant::rant:

HOs will have a blast.

 

[ForTheArborist]

Well, screw it. I'm just going to use the ladder. It won't even reach the fronds. I'll just gaff up the rest of the way.

I've never seen or heard of a queen palm fall over from gaff damage, but I've seen some that looked shot up by somebody's deer rifle. Big, rot out holes, and lots of them.

At least all of my pock marks will be quite a ways above heads kind of out of sight.

I'm going to opt for one of those climbing deer stands here very soon. I'll modify it with a cutter and welder or not too much if it's made of aluminum. Then again I could just fab one for a few bucks, and a little of my time after these 5pm dusks.

 

[RedlineIt]

Move further away from the tree, BEFORE pulling.

RedlineIt

 

[RedlineIt]

And posting up for help and crying like a baby when you don't get it within three hours is just ####in' sad.

RedlineIt

 

[treemandan]

yeah you are not going to get the throwing knot on the climbing rope to go very high. Man, who would have thought palms were such a pain? Oh, I guess all you guys who work on them?
I have seen the islanders climb them with a strap that goes on each foot and crosses over the trunk, if I was doing palms I would look into employing that technique but I don't know.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Dont pull so hard. Did you try srt? Did you try a false crotch?
Jeff
Where ya been?

 

[ForTheArborist]

I'm going to try the srt and a pole pruner. Nothing's wrong with it.

Hey, Jeff. I've been in the trees. There's money in them things, and I'm afraid somebody else might get it. I was looking forward to posting with the arbs around the world, and finally I found an excuse.

Thanks for the tip.

Good holidays.

 

[sawinredneck]

For real:
Just shoot over it, pull you rope with the ball end, tie it off at the base and SRT the loose end.
Palms wont do anything but kick your butt, if they don't kill you first!

 

[jefflovstrom]

Just be careful and remember the #1 cause of death in palms is the fronds sliding down the stem, catching the climber and causing suffocation. I don't know why it happens or how to prevent it from happening....but I've read about it at least a couple of dozen times in the past ten years.

He will okay, it is a queen palm.
Jeff

 

[ForTheArborist]

The problem is the weight of all of the fronds smooshing the guy into his gear mechanically unable to free himself. Then on top of that is all of the dirt that is there in the bases of the fronds. Their fibers that connect them to the trunk decay after about 5 stories of growth and above. It makes for one nasty, dirty, job that is also hard to breath with that **** flying around everywhere. I suppose if the guy doesn't have much strength in him, and he's shaking that dirt around trying to get out from under those things, I can see how it can take the breath out of someone.

This could only happen on a Washingtonia Palm judging by everything I've seen. Not a Queen Palm.

 

[sawinredneck]

F T A, everyone I've heard of gave up roping Palms for any number of reasons, tired of loosing gear, tired of getting halfway up and the rope geting loose, etc.
If you don't want to spike it, get a boom lift or a bucket truck, if that won't fit, then get a Spider lift.
If you want a coconut, then wrap a shirt between your ankles and run up and get one, then come down.
There sure is a buttload of money in trees, but at what cost?

 

[briggstwiggs]

The problem is the weight of all of the fronds smooshing the guy into his gear mechanically unable to free himself. Then on top of that is all of the dirt that is there in the bases of the fronds. Their fibers that connect them to the trunk decay after about 5 stories of growth and above. It makes for one nasty, dirty, job that is also hard to breath with that **** flying around everywhere. I suppose if the guy doesn't have much strength in him, and he's shaking that dirt around trying to get out from under those things, I can see how it can take the breath out of someone.

This could only happen on a Washingtonia Palm judging by everything I've seen. Not a Queen Palm.

Just out of curiosity how much do you get out of trimming queen palms here they only get obout 45feet. I dont trim them anymore cause here you can only get about 45 to 50 dollars if your luckey kind of a waste of time all the hayshen guys trim them around here for dirt cheap. But thats ok cause in about 4 mounths when it dies I go take it down due to poor trimming I notice a lot of them guys cut into the head of it. but when I did trim them I have a 28ft ladder go up to the top rung saftey in. take your rope roll it up a little and launch it take the pole prunner and grab the rope without cutting it. also you can make a monkeys fist hook it on the pole and put the rope up there with that. dont worry probably wont work on your first try.

 

[ForTheArborist]

Just out of curiosity how much do you get out of trimming queen palms here they only get obout 45feet. I dont trim them anymore cause here you can only get about 45 to 50 dollars if your luckey kind of a waste of time all the hayshen guys trim them around here for dirt cheap. But thats ok cause in about 4 mounths when it dies I go take it down due to poor trimming I notice a lot of them guys cut into the head of it. but when I did trim them I have a 28ft ladder go up to the top rung saftey in. take your rope roll it up a little and launch it take the pole prunner and grab the rope without cutting it. also you can make a monkeys fist hook it on the pole and put the rope up there with that. dont worry probably wont work on your first try.

Thanks for the climibing advice.

Those guys don't know they need to leave all but maybe 2-3 of those green fronds up there. Also taking off any green "frond shells" is bad for the tree. I figure take off up to the green shell if they peal off easily, otherwise take off up to the dead shell just before the green shell if these aren't pealing off with ease. Taking away too much of the crown obviously takes away the ability to grow the trunk, and that is why there are deep rings in a lot of them. It looks like the tree is just going to break off at the top after the tree has continued to grow passed a very narrow point in the trunk. It's crazy how bad some of these palms look around here.

Some of those dead husks don't want to peal off either, so it becomes a shaping job with the recipricating saw.

I always clean up like a nice piece of art. With Queens and Dates there is enough shaping work to be done it seems like an art crafts show half way through them. If that is the case, I charge appropriately.

As far as getting paid for Queens it's just like any other work. Somewhere between what it costs you and what they will pay. I go by how many hours I put into a job that they would not do themselves because they'd rather me risk my life than theirs. It's not the same as ground work, but if they have enough money to have someone deliver then dinners or cook and serve them dinners, then hold out both hands. If they were into saving money, they would just cook clean up themselves except for maybe climbing the trees.

For these two Queens I collected $150 - very light work. Somebody stopped in, and I'm going to do two more for him now. It's the same thing, but they are shorter, so $120 for him.

This is low, but given the circumstances I would not have taken the job if I were not squeezing the numbers. It's slow now, so I have to be careful. I would charge more, but...

To some people a $20 is a $20, and to others a $100 is a $20, while to others a $1,000 is a $100, and still to others a $1 is a $20. It's PC to know how each customer appropriates the value of their money. Ask for to little because you think that their $20s are $20s, and they will skip you over because they feel like their $1,000s are like $100s. "You must be a bad deal if you charge so little." And the same goes the other way around too.

Whatever though. The company needs money. The area needs a service. Therefore I see clearly the unwritten rule: get as much money from the community as is descently possible in order to keep an upstanding service within the community.

I'm there to take a lot if they have it. I'm not there to take a lot if they don't have it. That is as true as these tree deeds can be done.

 

[briggstwiggs]

true I will do palms every now and again when the customers want to pay.

 

[ozzy42]

true I will do palms every now and again when the customers want to pay.

:agree2: Palm trees suck ass big time .
People try to get a "how much per tree?" price for trees I have not seen.
Impossible ,as there is too many variables.
I bid them by how long it will take ,just like any other job.
If they want to do the math ,and figure how much pr tree that is their prerogative.



Oh,as for the OP of the thread.
Like a few others mentioned,best way is to use a ladder then spike up into the head.If they were trimmed w/out bucket before ,there will be visible old spike holes.I try to use the old holes as to not tear them up real bad.
You can natural crotch in the highest fronds going arond the head with your climbline ,and use a steel core or something equivilent as a second tie in.

 

[briggstwiggs]

:agree2: Palm trees suck ass big time .
People try to get a "how much per tree?" price for trees I have not seen.
Impossible ,as there is too many variables.
I bid them by how long it will take ,just like any other job.
If they want to do the math ,and figure how much pr tree that is their prerogative.



Oh,as for the OP of the thread.
Like a few others mentioned,best way is to use a ladder then spike up into the head.If they were trimmed w/out bucket before ,there will be visible old spike holes.I try to use the old holes as to not tear them up real bad.
You can natural crotch in the highest fronds going arond the head with your climbline ,and use a steel core or something equivilent as a second tie in.

:agree2: you couldnt say it any better where do these HO get that crap from o ya the people that dont know what there doing just out there tryin to make a buck and dont care about coming back next year