Old dads, trees and trouble

[Sunrise Guy]

(snip) I guess some people really take Jimmy Buffet's line to heart, "I'd rather die while i'm living than live while i'm dead."

I agree, 100% I can't stand seeing these old folks at the nursing home where my gf's mother now resides. They are the living dead (although my gf's mom is not, thankfully). I never want to be like them. If I started wasting away (not in Margaritaville), I would put my exit plan into quick action and be done with it. Who wants to be alive only as a vegetable?

My tree work keeps me going, at 56. Yeah, the aches and pains are there in the morning, and sometimes in the middle of the night, but as soon as I'm climbing and rigging down wood, I feel great. Life is good.

I always liked Buffet's tunes. He writes pretty good detective novels, as well.

 

[treevet]

Sounds like you might have just started out new branch company where your dad is!



We went to visit my dad one weekend and found a dead oak he was working on near the barn with two wooden ladders tied to it. 1 from the ground and the next up in a crotch about 20 ft. higher I had done differerent trees for them many times, I don't know why he wanted to risk it all for that without calling me? Maybe he figured I was busy with the kids or something?

Man, you know scary stuff is going on when you see the old "ladder tied in UP in the tree".

 

[tree md]

I agree, 100% I can't stand seeing these old folks at the nursing home where my gf's mother now resides. They are the living dead (although my gf's mom is not, thankfully). I never want to be like them. If I started wasting away (not in Margaritaville), I would put my exit plan into quick action and be done with it. Who wants to be alive only as a vegetable?

My tree work keeps me going, at 56. Yeah, the aches and pains are there in the morning, and sometimes in the middle of the night, but as soon as I'm climbing and rigging down wood, I feel great. Life is good.

I always liked Buffet's tunes. He writes pretty good detective novels, as well.

I like to read Jimmy Buffet as well. I love how he calls an airplane "the flying burrito" and a boat "the cosmic muffin" in his book. Some good stuff!

Glad all turned out well with pops Timber.

 

[TreEmergencyB]

yea good to hear he is alright and enjoyed himself, i love doing tree work i got hooked my first two days. my boss dropped a 65+/- blue spruce right i mean right in between 2 houses, and the next day had to climb out a maple over a house ropped it all down i thought, yea thats me!

 

[tree md]

yea good to hear he is alright and enjoyed himself, i love doing tree work i got hooked my first two days. my boss dropped a 65+/- blue spruce right i mean right in between 2 houses, and the next day had to climb out a maple over a house ropped it all down i thought, yea thats me!

I got talked into my first tree job by a friend who was a climber contracting with a larger company, I had a steady job at the time making good money for my age. He needed someone to work the ground. I kept getting yelled at because I couldn't keep myself from standing and watching the climbers work. I got paid a hundred dollar bill that day for 4-6 hours work and my friend asked me if I was going to be ready to do the next one. I told him "only if I can climb". I think I might have lasted another month or two on my steady job and it's been trees every since.

 

[arbadacarba]

Your best bet is obfuscation! Since you're a K1W1 I'd suggest welding some possum bars to the front end of his Vauxhall, buying him a plug in twelve volt bar fridge, and stocking it up with tinnies. He'll spend the rest of his life on the ground and he'll be able to keep you in fresh meat as well! opcorn:

 

[BlackenedTimber]

Being an old fart myself, I always prefer to stay planted on the ground. Got an email about this new system on the market that reaches 40 plus feet with out a climber. Thank God!
Google this baby, Extended Reach Chainsaw System. Why climb it when u can just reach it?

Stay safe boyz!
ChainsawGuy

2 things: First of all, I despise ChainsawGuy and his spam.:spam:

Second, My old man taught me climb when I was 16. He was in the line construction biz for as long as I can remember, and at one point was climbing 50+ poles a day stringing cable, back when men were men. I passed on a job trimming a maple at some old lady's house (I was in business YOUNG...) and he got pissed off, and forced me to learn to climb. I was at her house on saturday, took off two big leaders without destroying her house or killing myself, and have been hooked ever since.

I few years ago, my dad wanted me to take down 3 70+ foot pines in his back yard so he could get a clear shot for his satellite dish reception. I was busy, told him it would have to wait. A few days later, I drive by, and see two of the three down, and my dad up on the third one. He didn't have spurs or a saddle, just a piece of old manilla (?!?!) rope, and a dull bow saw. He had tied up a monkey paw, thrown the rope up, into, and around the pine, tied a loop around his waist, and hoisted himself up hand over hand. I watched from the ground as he topped the last pine, shaking my head before I drove off. He knew I had seen him, and was smiling from ear to ear. He was 63 then That's a stubborn old man.

The trees came down without injury or incident. From what my mom said, he descended the bare trunk match-stick (that's what we call him) by bear-clawing his way back to the ground. Tough, dumb old man. Love him to pieces.

He felled the trunks with the dull bow saw from the ground. How, I dont know. I bucked it up for him a few days later...

 

[Rickytree]

Being an old fart myself, I always prefer to stay planted on the ground. Got an email about this new system on the market that reaches 40 plus feet with out a climber. Thank God!
Google this baby, Extended Reach Chainsaw System. Why climb it when u can just reach it?

Stay safe boyz!
ChainsawGuy

That is not a good idea at all. That's dangerous for an unexperienced cutter forsure. The guy in the video almost gets it, but got saved by leaving on that small branch. Plus taking down that size of a tree with that contraption is idiotic. He should not be taking on jobs that you can't handle or do safely. Plus isn't the old guy pulling them over with his truck? Give the old guy some credit and see how he does. You did show him the notch cause a barber chair is not where he wants to be...

 

[TreeClimber57]

Being an old fart myself, I always prefer to stay planted on the ground. Got an email about this new system on the market that reaches 40 plus feet with out a climber. Thank God!
Google this baby, Extended Reach Chainsaw System. Why climb it when u can just reach it?

Stay safe boyz!
ChainsawGuy

Well, I am likley an "old fart" compared to many in here, but guess what.. I still climb. You are only as old as you feel..

 

[Rickytree]

Well, I am likley an "old fart" compared to many in here, but guess what.. I still climb. You are only as old as you feel..

sheer poetry!! Rock on TreeClimber.. And when your old and experienced then the job isn't as tough.

 

[TreeClimber57]

when your old and experienced then the job isn't as tough.

Very true. And you get to the point where there are not many jobs that you have not seen something remotely similar before.

But life does get easier with Hobbs, GRCS, etc.. things keep getting better. Gotta learn something new every day -- that's my motto and this forum helps