oh dear.....

[Little Monkey]

I know we have all had close calls at one time or other or broken something minor but what is the closest to disaster you have ever come or the biggest/most expensive thing you have ever broken/destroyed,
just to start the ball rolling ,,,,I nearly derailed a train a few years back(true) too long a story to type but basically some timber got on the line and i got it cleared about 30 seconds before a train flew passed, i still shiver when i think about what might have happened,, the lessen i learned was to trust my own instincts better ,, the boss isnt always right,,

 

[rngrchad]

T-800 c-14 cat diesel powered Kenworth Roll-off Truck on an off-cambered ice-covered road.

boss isn't always right

I agree 100% on that statement. After I eased my truck into a farm-field pull off I called my buddy (owner of the truck) and told him I wasn't driving an inch further and was leaving the truck in a field off of that state route. He was ticked off. Told me to put it in low-gear and "walk it home". Saying "I don't care how long it takes, you getting that truck home tonight" put it in low and lock it. Call me when you get it parked".

I called another friend of mine to pick me up and take me home. The truck sat there. Soon as I left, two semis jackknifed closing the road, and an oncoming s10 blazer crossed the median and flipped upside down into the ditch across from my truck. Scary stuff. Boss man was really really glad I didn't take his advice but never said it out loud(he's a proud kinda feller)

 

[Little Monkey]

yep any time something big 'n'bad happened to me i was working under instruction, now i am a little older i dont care who the boss is or who says what if it dont sit right with me i aint doin it ,,

 

[capetrees]

Wasn't work related but as a little monster, probably around 5 or 6, I was playing with my friends around newly constructed homes in a subdivision behind my house. Decided to start up the bulldozer on the site, of course having NO CLUE how to drive the thing. Just push the button and alls well, right? Started right up and somehow fell into gear and off she went as I jumped off and ran home as fast as could be. Next day we heard the thing drove right into a new foundation. Not crashed into the side but over the edge and INTO the hole! Never went back ther EVER.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I saw my dad rig a big chunk of wood causing the jin pole to fail and take half the tree down with it. He pulled his TIP out just before he cut it and tied in low by the cut. I didn't see him do this and thought he was a dead man when that section let go and started comming right at us. Luckily it lifted the big chunk off the garage like it was supposed to, then as the piece swung into the clear the whole lead let go right next to him and the whole thing came at us, just crushing a flower bed. I never looked at trees and rigging the same again.

I often won't tie in twice just for this reason, if something splits or goes wrong I'm bailing out on my life line, I don't care what the standards are.

 

[woodchux]

I set the bucket truck on fire once...

 

[Rftreeman]

I notched and was getting ready to back cut a top that I was still tied into and that was my only TIP, I was about 50 feet up and my foreman started yelling and yanking my rope and when I figured out why he was doing this it made me stop and say a little prayer.....

I also almost flipped over a skidder bucket while I was at full extend of the boom when I was working transmission lines.

 

[Blakesmaster]

I was finishing the first half of a silver maple a year back with my line set in the second half. When I got the butt down to about ten feet I told our groundie to notch and flop it so I can hop over and start the rest of the tree. He was afraid he'd hit the concrete garage entrance and didn't want too. Me, thinking it was an easy notch and flop got pissed cause I had to hop down and do it myself. I haphazardly made the cut and as the peice came about halfway over I realized I shouldn't have rushed it so much. I could have cut it damage free but my groundie was right, he probably couldn't. It crashed into the concrete and busted it up pretty good. Luckily the HO was cool and let us do a little more work than planned as compensation.

 

[Little Monkey]

I set the bucket truck on fire once...

L.M.A.O.....how ??

 

[arbor pro]

Wasn't work related but as a little monster, probably around 5 or 6, I was playing with my friends around newly constructed homes in a subdivision behind my house. Decided to start up the bulldozer on the site, of course having NO CLUE how to drive the thing. Just push the button and alls well, right? Started right up and somehow fell into gear and off she went as I jumped off and ran home as fast as could be. Next day we heard the thing drove right into a new foundation. Not crashed into the side but over the edge and INTO the hole! Never went back ther EVER.

So, that was you! What's your address? I've got a bill for dozer and foundation repairs that I've been sitting on for quite a few years...

You were 5 or 6 and playing near a construction site and mom and dad were where???

 

[ozzy42]

I saw my dad rig a big chunk of wood causing the jin pole to fail and take half the tree down with it. He pulled his TIP out just before he cut it and tied in low by the cut. I didn't see him do this and thought he was a dead man when that section let go and started comming right at us. Luckily it lifted the big chunk off the garage like it was supposed to, then as the piece swung into the clear the whole lead let go right next to him and the whole thing came at us, just crushing a flower bed. I never looked at trees and rigging the same again.

I often won't tie in twice just for this reason, if something splits or goes wrong I'm bailing out on my life line, I don't care what the standards are.

:agree2:
I know what you mean about the allways tie in 2x rule.I do tie in twice in certain curcumstance,like bombing chunks down from the main trunk ,where there is a possibility of cutting the flipline,or when at a severe angle while limb walking.But it is not a have to rule for me in any way Most of the other cuts I make with just the lifeline,and where the saw is away from it. Preferably somewhere between waist high ,and foot level.
Something tips the wrong way,,,I like to be able to swing away from it.
This method has kept me safe for a long time.






Back to the question at hand.
Once apon a time about 25 years ago ,back when I knew EVERYTHING lol
I tied a big oak log apr.22 in dia.x30in long with nothing more than a running bowline, I had it perfectly set in the middle of the log[or so I thought]that was about 10 ft above the roof and about about the same distance from the edge of the roof.bull rope thru crotch apr.30 ft up. Made cut ,log swung perfectly away from house ,and over front yard ,where it imidietly slipped out of the bull rope and dropped safely in the front yard and put a big ol dent in the sod.
Of course to any passer byers it looked like we planned it that way,but man was that ever a ****up.That thing would have went through the roof ,into the living room,and probably cracked the foundation too.
Never tied a log like that again.

 

[arbor pro]

Back to the question at hand.
Once apon a time about 25 years ago ,back when I knew EVERYTHING lol
I tied a big oak log apr.22 in dia.x30in long with nothing more than a running bowline, I had it perfectly set in the middle of the log[or so I thought]that was about 10 ft above the roof and about about the same distance from the edge of the roof.bull rope thru crotch apr.30 ft up. Made cut ,log swung perfectly away from house ,and over front yard ,where it imidietly slipped out of the bull rope and dropped safely in the front yard and put a big ol dent in the sod.
Of course to any passer byers it looked like we planned it that way,but man was that ever a ****up.That thing would have went through the roof ,into the living room,and probably cracked the foundation too.
Never tied a log like that again.

When rigging a branch down with a sling and bull rope, I cut the branch and watched in disbelief as the 6' log section along with my rope and sling plinko'd down the rest of the tree and stuck butt-end into the sidewalk below. I had cut 12" behind my sling instead of between it and the section to be removed. Whoops. My ground guy wasn't impressed but learned that day to lead plenty of rope out from the portawrap so as not to be within the potential drop zone.

 

[pdqdl]

I was working above the curved glass greenhouse/backporch

My customer asked my advice on what to trim on a silver maple, and I suggested that silver maple would be much better off without that storm damaged lead hanging over the expensive back porch made with curved glass. It was beautiful, and the limbs would destroy it if they fell.

I told him it was not an imminent threat, but it the decay on nearby (poorly pruned) stubs would surely spread, making it a threat in the future. Additionally, the worst limbs over the glass were 10 year old sprouts from old storm damage, and were not real well attached anyway. He was fond of the shade they provided. I was being honest about the risk, but basically, I talked him into doing the job.


During the removal, I was perched about 10' off the side of the main trunk, feeling a little precarious, as there were no branches above me that were sturdy enough to tie to. I had removed all the interfering limbs, (also removing more weight before the biggest drop), and I was rigged for removing the 20' long branch dangling over the glass dome.

I was tied to the branch with a timber hitch holding a full hitch, then over a stub with a 1/2 hitch right beside my left shoulder to hold the slack in the line (and to add friction during the drop, too). I left a bit of slack in the line to give me room for the chainsaw, and made a nice deep undercut, about 2/3rd through the 6" branch. No hinge needed, this horizontal branch was going to fall straight down when I was done. It was going to be a pop-cut.

I began making the top cut, the limb began to droop as the bottom cut closed...AND MY GROUNDMAN YANKED ON THE LINE, PULLING IT INTO THE CHAINSAW AND CUTTING OFF THE LOWERING ROPE!!! OH NOOO!!!! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO ME ?

The entire rope fell out of the tree, the wind had been blowing pretty briskly, and I only had a wafer thin strip of wood left holding the branch. I cried out frantically "I HAVE NO ROPE! SEND ME A ROPE NOW! HURRY! TIE IT ONTO MY CLIMBING LINE! $#@!!$ !@#$! 1%t!% HURRY!!!!!" (or something like that) Fortunately, the wind died down completely calm, right as the catastrophe came up. It must have been divine intervention.

I pulled up the line they sent me as fast as I could, climbed scary-fast out to grab the dangling end still attached to the limb, and quickly tied a square knot. The exact moment I yanked the second layer of the square knot tight, the last wood fibers holding onto the limb popped, AWAY went the branch. I grabbed the unguided lowering line, set it over the stub and burned hell out of my hand trying to hold the line.

Eventually the groundmen kicked in, caught the majority of the load on the line, and we were fine. The limb lightly swept the gutters of the second floor, missed the glass porch, and I finished the job without further complications. Except for the 3/4" wide rope burn running up the middle of my left palm from the heel of my hand to the tip of my thumb and first finger.

I was so relieved to save that branch, that I didn't care one little bit about the burn on my hand. I can't imagine how unhappy the customer would have been if I shattered the glass while charging him to remove the risk to his glass porch.

I still suffer from anxiety every time I tell this story. Deep sigh...

 

[pdqdl]

I notched and was getting ready to back cut a top that I was still tied into and that was my only TIP, I was about 50 feet up and my foreman started yelling and yanking my rope and when I figured out why he was doing this it made me stop and say a little prayer.....

...

I buried a climber that did that. His groundmen didn't yank on his rope. I'm glad your groundmen were more attentive than the ones I hired.

Up 'til now, I figured that accident was the result of the special variety of bad luck that we have here, as I had never heard of someone else doing that. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Nailsbeats]

I buried a climber that did that. His groundmen didn't yank on his rope. I'm glad your groundmen were more attentive than the ones I hired.

Up 'til now, I figured that accident was the result of the special variety of bad luck that we have here, as I had never heard of someone else doing that. Thanks for sharing.

I think it is one of the more popular tree accidents, cutting what you are tied to. I haven't done it but have been the groundman yanking on the rope and yelling.

 

[woodchux]

I notched and was getting ready to back cut a top that I was still tied into and that was my only TIP, I was about 50 feet up and my foreman started yelling and yanking my rope and when I figured out why he was doing this it made me stop and say a little prayer.....

I did the same thing once when i first started climbing...

 

[Rftreeman]

I buried a climber that did that. His groundmen didn't yank on his rope. I'm glad your groundmen were more attentive than the ones I hired.

Up 'til now, I figured that accident was the result of the special variety of bad luck that we have here, as I had never heard of someone else doing that. Thanks for sharing.

I think it is one of the more popular tree accidents, cutting what you are tied to. I haven't done it but have been the groundman yanking on the rope and yelling.

I still gets chills thinking about it and that was 20 years ago, the skidder thing was in 2006, I don't know which ones scared me the worst.

 

[woodchux]

I set the bucket truck on fire once...

Basically the gasoline pony motor would not start. So i take off the bowl from the carb and its full of water. Then i take loose the fuel line and drain out about 2 gallons of crappy water/gas .Once the gas is clear again i replace the fuel line and bowl, go back to the job site, set up, start working over this storm damaged cedar tree. I cut all that i can reach from my current location and come down to reposition the truck. I'm raising up the outriggers when i look over and see that the pony motor is on fire. ( the 5 gallon gas tank sits just above the fire) I grab the fire extinguisher blast the flames out, but it just instantly reignites. Fire extinguisher is empty now so i jump in the truck and haul ass through the customers mulch beds away from his million+ $ house. Now i figure the best thing i can do is keep driving so the flames are not directly onto the gas tank ( now they're blowing against the hydraulic tank) I made it about a mile before the fire finally went out. :censored: We got real lucky that day as the only damage was a $70 carburetor and a bruised ego apparently when i replaced the fuel bowl the seal was leaking and dripped gasoline on the muffler starting the fire. The only thing that saved the day was the fact that i had just raised the outriggers , and was able to move the truck.
Moral of the story is MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ADEQUATE FIRE EXTINGUISHER ON EVERY TRUCK
Be Safe!

 

[DK_stihl]

Oh Dear

I backed the bucket truck into the boss's wife's brand new GMC Yukon Denali. Does that count?

 

[capetrees]

You were 5 or 6 and playing near a construction site and mom and dad were where???

It was a bunch of houses in a subdivision all being built at one time and I was there with a few kids in the neighborhood, always the youngest one. My mom and dad at the time? Watching my 4 younger brothers and sisters at home arond the corner. :biggrinbounce2: