How would you finish this tree ???

[a_lopa]

climb up the god dammed thing and cut it down,f the wires, dont tell the power co theyl put an auto-reclose on and the lights will go out with a clash or 2.if you see a shot take it just dont get anything hung up on the wires and its no-problemo.

 

[timberbeast]

Ax-man,

There are some good ideas here.

From your 3rd picture, it doesn't look too dificult.

I would false-crotch it with a pulley on the other leader (to help absorb the loading), and lower it down with a tree brake at the base of the tree.

 

[Lumberjack]

The only problem I see is you can rig bigger pieces if you keep the friction up top due to the lack of 2:1 MA.

 

[Local # 17 T.T.]

I am just curious as to how some here would go about finishing this tree.

This is our latest project taking down this Hackberry for the city of Morris.

This tree was kind of a fooler when I looked at it, I knew it was a good 60 to 65 ft tall. Well it is probaly more like 70 to 75 ft.

I took two pictures from both sides. The red line is the working height of my boom truck 55 ft. that was the last cut I made comfortably with a chain saw, above that was all rope throws, power pruner, 12 ft pole saw work.

There is probaly at least 10 ft of tree left, stem diameter below the uncut branches 4 to 6 in, the crotches that are the highest would put the LZ right on top of the inside wire closest to the tree, there is only three maybe four feet of clearance between the tree and that 3 phase.

The tree intially had five leads, the no. 1 blue line was our number one gin that got most of the tree down, except for the heavier wood. The no 2 orange line was the gin that got the smaller secondary limbs overhanging the wire, but still allowed us lower limbs away from the wires. Flimsy as it was it worked.

Getting a crane is not an option.

Let's just say for the time being that getting the big orange A to finish is not an option either.

Larry

Two butt-checks (two half hitchs & running bowline) with a tag-line on each to guide them away from the house is how I would do it! Pay me...

 

[DDM]

O Geees Just move the Friggin House Drop the tree then move the house back..... :blob5:

 

[diltree]

Id run my line through crotch number one, double crotching it looks like it would be the best idea, the tree can be climbed so this should be doable. Then attempt to send the line up high on the second leader. Once you have the second leader tied of through the first; have your rope man take up on the line to assure you have a sturdy natural crotch. Once you are 100% sure that the crotch will hold descend in your bucket and suck off the second leader "Butt heavy" This needs to be done with a slip cut and a very sharp saw. Have your rope man take a couple wraps, and that he takes up on the line leaveing no slack so the piece goes away from the wires. Once cut let the piece settle, You can then proceed to lower the piece straight down as it will stay up parallel with the tree because the but weighs more then the top. This will leave the second leader standing away from the wires. You will need to rig a false crotch using a good sling and snatch block, both rated for heavy rigging; because of the shock load you will experience when you fall the head. Make your notch above your false crotch (away from the wires) then run your line through the snatch block and tie a double running bowline. Once again your rope man will need a couple wraps. Then make your back cut and send the top over, don't worry about swing, the contact with the butt will prevent any swing toward the wires. Lastly I would recommend at least a 3/4 inch stablegrade line for this type of rigging because of the shock. This is how I would approach this Job, keep in mind I have allot of experience working around the wires, If you don't feel comfortable with these methods, don't use them..... for future reference A 50 ft bucket is really not big enough to do municipal work, you may want to consider investing in something with an elevator 65-78ft, or at least something 60 plus. Good luck man and be careful

 

[Dadatwins]

Is it down yet???

 

[SCE1966]

I cant tell for sure, but is the drive way open? I would attach a pull rope with a pole saw, in the top of each limb. An < open face notch to go directly toward the driveway. Hackberry will do what you want it to cut it and pull it into the notch let the brush hit the driveway first absorbing shock. THat is if I am seeing right. Otherwise climb up and make a couple speed cuts to smaller limbs to send the tops coming down butt first.

 

[Ax-man]

Hey Dada,

No, it is not down yet. tommorow unless the city has something else going on. When we do these jobs for the city, they remove all the brush and wood, all we do is cut and grind stumps. On Monday's they like for us not to do trees so they can get all the brush pick ups done that come in over the weekend. On Fridays they like to get the brush pick-ups done as they come in so there is not so much to do on Monday's, no tree work on Friday either.

With it being so blasted hot here, I doubt they have much to do, the do it yourselfers are staying inside out of the heat. Only the pros are out doing trees right now.

Thanks for all the replies AS members, I hope this has been a good thread, I've enjoyed reading it.

Larry

 

[rbtree]

I cant tell for sure, but is the drive way open?

The service lines cross it diagonally. Which begs the question, why were they not dropped? Out here, the pwr companies all perform that service for free.

With them out of the way, the job appears to be a piece of cake.

Some of you appear to be making a relatively easy job harder? Dilcrow stated the need for a 3/4 inch bull rope for butt catching the spindly top that likely weighs at most 2-300 lb..but a good rigger could keep shock loads around 1000-1500 lb, meaning a 1/2 to 9/16 line would be adequate. Any higher loads on that high and small rigging point would worry me. But I wouldn't have done the job that way anyhow, just tie the two tops together if needed, and drop small pieces or pull small tops, with the service lines down, or carefully speed line the limbs toward the hedge and away from the wires, as Mike C suggested.
There is certainly plenty of strength in those tops to support a climber.

Here's a shot speedlining a brittle poplar lead...larger than anything that would be cut on the hackberry. I'm tied in to the other lead.

 

[diltree]

Rb

Why waist time droping service wires and rigging up speed lines when you can suck the inner leader off the outer leader; one shot(butt heavy), and crack the remaining top over on a false crotch in one shot. Speed lines are a huge waist of time, as are waiting for a Utility Company to drop service wires.

 

[ROLLACOSTA]

i'd want the lines dropped period !!! or i wouldn't do the job

 

[rbtree]

Why waist time droping service wires and rigging up speed lines when you can suck the inner leader off the outer leader; one shot(butt heavy), and crack the remaining top over on a false crotch in one shot. Speed lines are a huge waist of time, as are waiting for a Utility Company to drop service wires.

You're barking up the wrong tree, talking to me about speedlining being a waste...(which it probably is for this tree)

Also, when we ask for a service drop, the crew is always there on time or early..and prompt for the reconnect as well.
It makes no sense to make work harder when there is a quick and easy alternative.

By the way, we only break out the 3/4 inch bull rope and rigging gear for big stuff, not wimpy tops like those.

 

[tophopper]

Flop it...

Seriously though, I dont see why this so difficult. Its a tree with obstacles beneath it period.

I think someones been flying a bucket for too long thats all.

 

[SCE1966]

I am sure there are plenty of ways to do it, and each guy would feel comfortable one way or another. I would want a service cut though, its free here and just makes sense. With the service dropped there should be plenty of room to get that one down 1 way or another.

 

[DDM]

Ehhhh Just get a 22 Rifle and Shoot A little at a time off.

 

[Ax-man]

We finished the tree today, the service wires stayed up, it was no big deal. I climbed it and worked those two leads closest to that 3 phase down by sawing small pieces and pitched them away from the wires to where we could use that first gin to rope the bigger wood back away from the wires.

I appreciate all the replies, it was just one of those trees that you had to be there, the pics didn't tell the whole story.

I did this the way I felt the most comfortable doing it, no speedline, no tip tieing and pulling leads or butt hitching or shock loading. I tangled with a 3 phase before, I have a lot of respect for the voltage that flows through those wires. Besides Iwouldn't have been too popular of a person with the hot, humid weather we have been having by knocking the juice off to most of the east side of town, today. After getting that part of the tree down we just finished it with the bucket truck.

I took the camera this morning, and had my groundman take some pics of me actually doing some climbing, and not riding around in a bucket. They didn't turn out so good because it was overcast this morning, not a good morning for pictures. At least that darn sun wasn't beating down on us till the afternoon.

Personally, I don't call in sevrvice drops unless we absolutely need to, which is rare. The reason for this is because during a hot spell like now, no AC, opposite in winter, houses get cold, or food in frig might go bad if juice is off for a long time, plus people have so many things to reprogram if the juice goes out.

These were the two best pics, I tried to fix them, but without good light, just couldn't do it. The last is of my ground guy, with the city tractor rolling the butt away from the stump to be cut in half so it would fit in the front bucket.

That MS 200 rear handle I got felt really good today doing this tree, it is so light I did not even feel it hanging off my hip or when it was hanging down on the end of the saw lanyard.

Larry

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Good job Larry. In spite of all the nay sayers stupid armchair opinions, you did a fairly tough job, perfectly.
Going up and taking very small cuts to clear the line first, even if you use a hand and pole saw, seemed like the best approach. Then slowly work the stuff farther and farther away.
You sure can tell the newbies by their comments, but great pictures and some silly discussion, make AS what it is.

 

[a_lopa]

good work.things always seem to go a little smoother keeping it small peices lineclearing.

 

[a_lopa]

Going up and taking very small cuts to clear the line first, even if you use a hand and pole saw,

sorry mike but i must pull you up on this,handsaws ,polesaws have no place in a lineclearers kit (other than basic low voltage work) spearing off and chain speed can be everything between hanging something up and causing a f up let gravity do its thing get the danger away from the climber a.s.a.p between the line,the tree and climber the climber comes first.im proud to say ive rarely even hit a HV line and ive taken plenty of shots.