About three months ago I bid a job to take some limbs off over a roof about 30'up and 12-14". Easy 3hr job the HO thanked me for my time and said he would get back to me. Last week his wife calls to ask me to come take a branch off there roof. I get there and she tells me that he tried to do it himself and cut a limb on the roof .She wanted me to do it right so he wouldnt kill himself. I went aroud back he had a 20' extension ladder and an electric chainsaw duct tapped to the extendable pool skimmer pole.He had the limb tied off with a clothesline rope. I told the lady the price just went up, she didnt care. I did the job and while i was cleaning up two neighbors came up with more work. Any more good homeowner stories?
Need a good laugh?
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tree md
Addicted to ArboristSite
We were doing a job several years ago and had a guy next door ask us how much to drop two trees in his front yard. The guy I was working for at the time gave him a price and the guy thought it was too high. We were finishing up our job and saw the guy out there limbing up one of the trees with a ragedy saw and an extension ladder. We had another job down the street and went and started on that one. We had to come back and finish the next day and old Joe homeowner came down the road with his head bandaged up like the mummy. Somehow he had made a cut on the tree then pulled it over on his jeep with a rope that was too short. The boss told him we would be down there after we finished the job we were on. After he drove off we all fell on our ***** laughing... :hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:
RedlineIt
ArboristSite Guru
There was an HO job we got to drive by every few days in our normal course of work. Fellow built metal scaffolding up and up his tree, cutting pieces off here, building more scaffolding there. Every time we drove by, the scene had changed a bit, more scaffolding, less tree.
In a few weeks time the scene was reversing, tree out bit by bit, scaffolding scaling down, piling up in the driveway.
If the HO DIDN'T own a scaffolding rental company, he spent way too much to get rid of that tree. But if he DID...more power to him, it only took him a month...
RedlineIt
In a few weeks time the scene was reversing, tree out bit by bit, scaffolding scaling down, piling up in the driveway.
If the HO DIDN'T own a scaffolding rental company, he spent way too much to get rid of that tree. But if he DID...more power to him, it only took him a month...
RedlineIt
sgreanbeans
Treeaculterologist
I had a HO try and put a 4x4 deck post with lags thru my chipper! I stopped him, he got very angry! told us to leave!
One problem, we weren't even working at his house!
We were next door!
One problem, we weren't even working at his house!
We were next door!
brookpederson
Prairie Lumberjack
We showed up at a HO house(little old lady maybe 75 years old) her son had taken half of a blue spruce down, the branches were in piles around the yard.
She wanted us to finish and clean up, no problem. The very nice lady made us lemonade and a plate of cookies and sat on her patio to watch us work. Until she saw us move a pile of the downed branches that had a nest of rabbits underneath it. She went absolutely psycho, little old lady ran to the garage equipped herself with a machete and chopped up every last one of those little cotton tails. Screaming and yelling while the blood was flying(and i mean bloodcurdling bellows of rage, this lady must have had a thing against rabbits). I still laugh to this very day thinking about her writing us a check with rabbit blood all over her shirt and hands
She wanted us to finish and clean up, no problem. The very nice lady made us lemonade and a plate of cookies and sat on her patio to watch us work. Until she saw us move a pile of the downed branches that had a nest of rabbits underneath it. She went absolutely psycho, little old lady ran to the garage equipped herself with a machete and chopped up every last one of those little cotton tails. Screaming and yelling while the blood was flying(and i mean bloodcurdling bellows of rage, this lady must have had a thing against rabbits). I still laugh to this very day thinking about her writing us a check with rabbit blood all over her shirt and hands
^ winner!
Oh man I would of just about shyte myself if that happened. Must of been hard for him to come over after his epic fail.
:hmm3grin2orange:
tree md
Addicted to ArboristSite
Definitely a candidate for the Darwin award. I can't remember the price my old boss quoted him but it was the next door add on price and not more than a couple/few hundred bucks. Would have most certainly been cheaper than totaling his vehicle and paying the hospital bill. He had one of the older Jeep Wagoneers or Cherokees and the roof had a big V going down the middle of it where the tree had landed on it. If you saw it you would wonder how anyone lived through the incident. Yes, I'm sure it was not easy asking for help after he had busted his coconut. Probably did it out of self preservation and I'm sure his wife had something to do with it.
prentice110
SpongeBob *** Pants
One of my fav's was similar. Old guy threw a rope 40' up his oaks and duct taped an electric saw full throttle to god knows what kinda sticks or poles and went to town raised every thing he could reach. Saw scars everywhere. I'll never forget the sight of him with the pole in one hand and the rope in the other. Did it in the middle of summer and 2 years later they were all dead from oak wilt. Ive seen HO horror stories too. One time this guy was inspired by watching us and ran out an bought a saw and then hand climbed his American Elm in a tight spot. Using a extension cord for a drop line and his wife for a grunty, he went to town. After hitting every thing he could, (house and fence), and screaming obscenities at his wife for "not following his orders", I noticed him tying off a piece and telling his wife where to stand and to pull. I burned up a prussic cord diving out of the tree I was in to get her out of the way right before he dropped 30' of tree right where she was standing.
clearance
Addicted to ArboristSite
Thats is awesome. Once I dropped a real big maple, when it hit, a squirrel I didn't see was lying there kind of stunned by the impact. The h.o. beat him to death with a branch, almost instantly. I must have looked suprised, The h.o. said "he was parlysed" Like how would he know, it was over in seconds. No big deal, rat with a tail. But your story has mine beat, thats
nasty.
Cowboy Billy
ArboristSite Operative
Thats awesome I am laughing my butt off right now. My Grandma was about the same age when she was taking her golden retriever for a walk in the yard. He pulled out of her hands and squared off with a big groundhog. Grandma was worried that Ben was going to get bit. Ran back to the house and grabbed a big cast iron pan she used for Ben's water pan. Came running back threw it at the groundhog hitting and killing it!
Don't mess with grandma!!!!!
Billy
tree md
Addicted to ArboristSite
I'm LMAO at these stories! Gramma hacking up the bunnies with the machete is to funny!
I was doing a job for a little old lady last year and had to rip a squirrels nest out of a fork as I ascended. As soon as I stuck my hand in the nest I felt a squirrel in there and nearly jumped out of the tree. It was nothing but hide and bone though, the squirrel was dead. When I finished I told the little old lady about the squirrel and she said "good, I got him". Turns out she was putting out poison for the squirrel. Why, I have no idea. She was definitely a strange bird though.
I was doing a job for a little old lady last year and had to rip a squirrels nest out of a fork as I ascended. As soon as I stuck my hand in the nest I felt a squirrel in there and nearly jumped out of the tree. It was nothing but hide and bone though, the squirrel was dead. When I finished I told the little old lady about the squirrel and she said "good, I got him". Turns out she was putting out poison for the squirrel. Why, I have no idea. She was definitely a strange bird though.
those are funny! here is funniest thing ive seen on this site. funny part starts at 1:30
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3CzyBFLfkI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3CzyBFLfkI
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tree md
Addicted to ArboristSite
That was pretty funny. Tree needed to come down. It had been topped.
I think I saw Old Dirty and Boston Bull in there somewhere... Sounded like Treeseer was cussing them out at the end!!! :hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:
Hard to believe there eco whackjobs in Somerville, MA!
They should take some comfort in knowing the tree co. has upgraded to a hybrid truck.
yup treeser was there along with his wife, the lead singer. Reports have been told he tied himself to the trunk with many different knots and that the authorities had trouble getting them undone. if you look closer Guy is in the back of the cop car with no clothes on. The police report reads" my brave efforts to let the tree live for just another hour longer were worth while when they were cutting the rope off me and the tree, it was all worth it for Belinda"
LMFAO................this is just too funny, while watching that video I though about treeseer the whole time, I`ll bet it makes him cry to watch that video......God save the queen, HA!
LXT................
I've had a few memorable ones over the years. Once I bid a job to notch and drop a large sugar maple and trim a few other trees. HO says, I'll call you. Well, a few months go by and he calls for the trimming but said he took down the sugar himself. He's acting all proud he took the rather large tree down himself and after I finish the trimming and am cleaning up the neighbor comes over and asked if he told me what happened. Apparently he tipped the tree over backwards and landed it on his wifes new beamer! No, I said, he neglected to mention that.
Or the guy who calls me a few weeks after my estimate and answers the door with a cast on his arm. I can hear the wife in the living room yelling, "Go ahead Mr Toolman, tell him what you did!" He thought my price was too high and went out and bought a saw and was up on the ladder cutting the end of the branch it was leaning on. When it hinged and swung it took out the ladder, and "Down came Toolman, chainsaw and all"!
But the best one was the guy who thought I was too expensive and tried to take the tree down himself. A few weeks go by and he calls to see if I could finish the job, at half price, as he had taken down half the tree himself. I already suspected the worse, and when I showed up, I found he had taken about half the tree down. The easy part! He left me no crotches to swing the leads that were hanging over the house. I told no, I wouldn't charge him the same price I originally quoted, it was now double! He almost threw a temper tantrum and said it already cost him $500 to repair the cedar fence he crushed. Oh well, pay me now or pay me later...........
Or the guy who calls me a few weeks after my estimate and answers the door with a cast on his arm. I can hear the wife in the living room yelling, "Go ahead Mr Toolman, tell him what you did!" He thought my price was too high and went out and bought a saw and was up on the ladder cutting the end of the branch it was leaning on. When it hinged and swung it took out the ladder, and "Down came Toolman, chainsaw and all"!
But the best one was the guy who thought I was too expensive and tried to take the tree down himself. A few weeks go by and he calls to see if I could finish the job, at half price, as he had taken down half the tree himself. I already suspected the worse, and when I showed up, I found he had taken about half the tree down. The easy part! He left me no crotches to swing the leads that were hanging over the house. I told no, I wouldn't charge him the same price I originally quoted, it was now double! He almost threw a temper tantrum and said it already cost him $500 to repair the cedar fence he crushed. Oh well, pay me now or pay me later...........
