Made No Insurance Claims? I Know U Smashed Something!

[StihlRockin']

For you fellows who never filed a claim, I know it's because you're not good, but because you smashed something and took it in the pocketbook instead of filing. LOL!

I'm one of those fellows... and Yes, I'm good, but I won't harp on how well I am or I'll get some "BS" comments. LOL! Glad there's no smilies here with the "bs" sign held up.

Anyway, I've crushed some stuff, but nothing serious. The help has done worse than me. The worst was when one of my climbers dropped a brand new Stihl 036 Pro out of a White Pine from about 55' up. It's a sight to see when you just paid for the brand new saw just days prior, then stand there in amazement how something of that size can be reduced to so many smaller pieces!

I wish I could get $10 for every window one of my ol' buddies broke over the years. He got sloppy when it came to dropping branches near the house and when they landed, it would be any old way and sometimes the brushy end would hit first, then spring pole the butt end right at the glass! At least I learned how to re-pain a frame.

Had a customer once cry about a broken window pane that was behind a fence in a locked up area. Apparently... or "allegedly" one of my crew dropped a top on the fence breaking the pane, but to this day I NEVER believed it and whole-heartedly believe the owner set-up the whole scenario. He was PISSED when I took it to the local professional glass repair shop and had it fixed! I didn't tell him it only cost me $7. I knew what he wanted and that was for me to take money off the bill. Coincidently I never made that much money in that short a time doing tree work than I did that day in his yard.

I once tried to get cute and do a fancy drop knowing there's a nice Snapper riding lawn mower in the drop location, but that didn't stop me, knowing how good I am. LOL! I landed the dang tree right dead center onto the machine facing me. I lucked out that day because the steering wheel took most of the blow and the extra parts to fix came to around $75.. instead of $700! I have other little mishaps, but nothing worth mentioning.

How 'bout you Champs?.... what have SMASHED lately?

StihlRockin'

 

[BRCCArborist]

Lol just about an hour ago I came pretty close to dropping a branch on my 338XPT down below, luckily it missed. I guess the only thing I've ever really done is a broken car window with a brushcutter, although I still don't entirely believe I did it.

 

[advantage]

last fall I took down a large cotton wood. The owner had built and deck around maybe 10 years earlier and the tree had grown into the deck.

He was building a new deck as soon as the tree was gone.

He actually asked me to drop a few blocks on the deck. So once we got down to the big wood I dropped 3 sections 6 to 8 foot long around 2 foot diameter on it.:jawdrop: turned the whole deck into tooth picks! Then I droped the log on the rest of it. It felt really weird smashing up someone elses stuff.

After I was done his wife came up and said she really enjoyed seeing that.

 

[treeman82]

Around Christmas I hit a deck at one house. I listened to the guy working for me, and not to myself... a truck would have pulled this tree over just fine... guy couldn't get enough pull on it, and it hit the deck, amongst other things. Maybe $250? in damaged items. Not terrible, but I should have known better.

Knocked a TV antenna (not in use) off the roof of a house a little over a year ago with one branch... the groundies let it run too much and it got whacked.

Some VERY stupid stuff here and there; little POS piece of fence, a couple small pieces of lumber, a lawn ornament or two, knocked down 2 cable lines, and I think that's pretty much it.

 

[mckeetree]

We have been pretty smash-less over the years. Maybe it has been luck.

 

[ckliff]

gutters, my own truck window!, gutters, cable tv line, gutters, & dropped 200t about 40' - the bar stuck in soft dirt, nothing major. My deductible is $1000. I sure hope they all come out of my own pocket!

 

[ropensaddle]

I have not had anything major! Once a board on an old wooden
fence, and a couple of cable lines! I delivered some firewood this
winter and trailer caught an irrigation pipe hidden in the grass, had
to pay to deliver the wood that day.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

I bent a gutter taking down a tree in a back yard this year when the groundie who was supposed to snub it off let it run 10 feet. I offered to pay for it but the homeowner said it was no biggie as the house was going to be expanded anyways, I banged most of the dent out anyways. Other than that a cable line which got pulled a little that I retensioned, and I think thats about it. Nothing major..... knock on wood.

 

[clearance]

At the end of the day, as long as no one got hurt, its just money. I have broke a few things, fence, window, so what. You have to live, have to roll the dice every now and then.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I smashed a rain gutter that came out from the house about 8' under the snow. Really couldn't see it but, the top I was falling and pulling with a rope wasn't supposed to be that close to the house anyway! Very cheap fix. I think I broke a small cheap window once, can't remember if it was me or not. Close calls are countless.

 

[Magnum783]

At the end of the day, as long as no one got hurt, its just money. I have broke a few things, fence, window, so what. You have to live, have to roll the dice every now and then.

Clearance you must be a real hoot to work with! I like you attitude about life. I had a real bum one, I was dropping a rotten oak spar and it went a little to far left and whacked a shed and boat I paid for them both and went on my way. I built the shed back myself so that didn't cost much the boat that hurt the budget but was able to find the spare cash and pay for it. The customer was happy in the end. That is all I think is important, I am with clearance it is just money.
Jared

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Did my first TRIM back in 1958 & I've never had an incident ! HA!HA!HA!

 

[masterarbor]

Did my first TRIM back in 1958 & I've never had an incident ! HA!HA!HA!

WOW! that's almost hard to believe! you're a better man than I!

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Masterarbor : I was just joking as I've had my fair share !

 

[chucknduck]

Ive broken a window or two, lots of picket fence posts, and two days ago, i pulled down a cable line with my grapple truck! It sits higher than a bucket, now we have someone sit up there and lift the lines over it.

 

[Grace Tree]

A couple of years ago I took down a dead elm near a house and some dropped wood sent a small piece pinwheeling into the satellite dish; poking a small hole in the cover. He declined my offer to pay and told me it was covered under his service contract. I forgot about it and so did he until last fall when his TV stopped working. Bees had found a home in the hole I had made and the homeowner told me the poor service guy was stung 5 times trying to fix the problem. Things have a way of snowballing.
Phil

 

[corndogg]

Last summer I had to hire another small tree service with a bucket to remove an ugly maple. Everything was fine till it was time to drop the trunk. He told me he was older and more experienced and "watch how I do it". It went wrong, smashed a nice cedar fence. About 600 bucks. He knocked a little off his bill but it still cost me plenty. This is why partnerships and team jobs don't work. There's gotta be ONE boss who's responsible.

 

[minny]

On an Asplundh crew, we were doing a line clearance in south Minneapolis.
A private gig was removing a monster elm in the same parking lot.
The climber was hired by the ground crew. He was a damn good climber.
The ground crew was swinging down 400# chunks and well, one of the chunks destroyed a shed. Killed it.

 

[Jimmychips]

How's that for "precision felling"?

About three years ago I did a job for a friend of mine. He had an old Saab that was going to be flatbeded away the next day. He wanted me to drop the top of the tree on it, but the car was in the wrong spot. After I topped the tree, we used my truck to tow the car right where the stem was going to be dropped. For "insurance", I installed a pull rope. The impact was awesome! The rear window blew out, flipped over twice and landed on the roof of the car-unbroken! Kind of a PITA to remove the stem afterwards, but well worth it.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

wow..... alot of force there... impressive....