Protecting tile shingles

[NebClimber]

I have to remove one limb over a garage. The garage has a tile-shingle roof. $30 a tile. The limb is small and dead, about 8' long 4" diameter. It is about 1' from touching the garage roof, and has a very "bushy" end of dead 2' watersprouts. If this branch drops at all when I cut it, it will likely break a tile. I was thinking about putting two lowering ropes around it, one on each end, to prevent it from acting like a pedulum when cut. Any other ideas? Also, is there a way to protect the tile (short of putting a mattress on the roof ) in case something gets dropped/touches the roof?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Are there no limbs above to pull it up to?
At 8' and 4" dia, can't you work it out by hand?

I've never seen tiles that delicate before. Slate roofs are troublesome, but its not like their rice paper.

Can you tie it at the butt and control a gentle descent to the roof, and pull it clear by hand?

A limb that small should not be a problem. Wait until you get the same thing, only 3, 4 times bigger! That will be fun!

Lets see what others say.....

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ain't no way you can walk on a slate roof ,Rocky. I THINK thats the type of roof in question.

 

[SilverBlue]

What kind of wood are we talking bout? Sounds like all you could tie the rope at the limb base with a pulley, cut slow and let the tip drop on the roof and drag it slowly off. A HT 75 pole saw would work great too.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by SilverBlue
What kind of wood are we talking bout? Sounds like all you could tie the rope at the limb base with a pulley, cut slow and let the tip drop on the roof and drag it slowly off. A HT 75 pole saw would work great too.

I done did said that, SB! Brian, I don't know how the roofers do it, I just know there is NO WAY to do any type of tree work standing/walking on a slate roof.

If your real small(light), and you g e n t l y tippie-toe, you MIGHT get away with it. Anything more than that, and your busting shingles. I've tried it. They broke!

 

[SilverBlue]

Sounds like Neb is talking about clay tile, ok Butch how about this?

A few hundred helium balloons, some slings and a big shot. We will need Ken to figure out the logistics but the idea should fly.

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Lightly lower to roof (1" isn't very far drop anyways), reach down and cut it up then toss off while you are suspended from tree?

Might even lay 3-4'- across your lap before cutting...

You might consider running mars or half hitches part of the length at each hitchpoint to spread out stress on dead limb , more secure grip, some forgiveness if piece starts to come apart. if rigging. Sometimes i'll choke slings around some deader part and then clip to line as catch if dead piece gets knocked off over obstachle or person. Especially liked to do that in crane work; throw loop runner around loose piece, and then to crane cable, in case dry piece snaps off brushing trees etc.

i've soft shoed between the tiles on joints pressure cleaning (don't step on a wet, green spot!); but wopuldn't recommend it.

cutting in small pieces and lifting up and throwing can work, sometimes better with loop runners, to get more leverage and hinge to you better, then easier to hang on to.

Clay roofs pretty tough, even tin roofs can help by being slick and steep enough to deliver load on line to edge; sometimes clay might take a bucket ! But even hand-ing this small section shouldn't be to bad if ya can get full command of it's length, and piece it with slings/runners as handles.

 

[Reed]

Sounds like "mission tile" - ceramic and made in Saltillo, MX.

Each one has only one nail driven thru a precast-hole on the underlap into a 2x4 upright - most roofs more than 15 years old have that nail rusted, so it's a slippery s.o.b. to walk on.

I'd let the brush end drop, but secure the butt prior, lower that after the cut and your saw is clipped, leaving both hands to gently pick it up - assuming of course you're hanging from a high tie-in. You should be if you're not if you're that far out on over the roof. Skid it off downpitch...gently...ever handle a tripped "dud" claymore? Yeah, that gently.

Renovating sites - new construction and remodels on old spanish tile-roofed homes and businesses...they usually toss many old tiles like that. Anytime you see that type of construction stop-by and collect a couple for future reference. Usually free.

We gotz lots of them in South Texas. Too many. Ever work over a new copper roof w/ Range Rover owners watching you? That's just as tricky - they don't want "smears" on the finish. Go figure.

Yesterday dropped three chunks live oakx6'x28" down onto turf - thumb and a half...opps, dimpled the sod. Perfect crop circles. After the fact, they decided to allow me to rig and lower..increasing take-down costs but sparing the precious turf. All their grass was long dead anyway, soil solid limestone/clay.

'Scuze me for rambling. Drank two cups of Michelle's Missouri COFFEE and got a buzz goin'. Maybe open one of her homemade brews and calm down some.

Carefull on that roof now.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Everyones sayn whut I allready said!

 

[murphy4trees]

Spider leg it with lowering line... That is tie a short length of line to the end of the lowering line using a prussic, then adjust the prussic so that both ends of the both ropes are even. Then tie one end inside the center of balance (butt) and the other outside the CoB (tip). This will guarentee the limb stays level as it falls into the lowering line. With a pulley and enough pull from the ground you can even lift it up and away.
Have fun!

 

[ORclimber]

Originally posted by murphy4trees
Spider leg it with lowering line... tie one end inside the center of balance (butt) and the other outside the CoB (tip). This will guarentee the limb stays level

Click...now it makes sense, thanks for posting that.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by ORclimber
Click...now it makes sense, thanks for posting that.

Of course, thats assumming there is a limb above to pull it up to.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Murphy, what's up with your rope?
It looks like an old broken piece of crap. Do a butane backsplice, os wrap a hunk of tape around the end and cut it off...

 

[murphy4trees]

I'll get right on it

 

[ORclimber]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Of course, thats assumming there is a limb above to pull it up to.

Sorry, went off topic, was refering to using a spiderleg in general. Couldn't see what all the fuss was about, now I get how it works, gotta make one.

 

[Stumper]

Everybody has made good suggestions. I've used just about every one of them at times. FWIW I'll side with Brian. The fragility of tile roofs is overblown. Yes they are a pain in the behind but I've gently lowered or shortdropped little stuff onto them countless times and never busted a tile. Stupid, expensive roof though. If you're really worried, throw your mother-in-law up there to cushion the roof from the falling branch.

 

[coydog]

not being able to see the roof or the branch i couldn't recommend lowering onto the roof. any of the options of raising swinging away or taking apart could be feasible. here is a suggestion though, whether or not the roof can take it, why not use this as a training opportunity, present yourself with a challenge, don't touch the roof. maybe the roof doesn't crack maybe it snags on the gutter on the way down and you have to pay for some historical gutter replacement, why take the chance? the roof might be a P.O.C. with some pre existing flaw just waiting to present itself, without seeing the branch i'd go out on a limb to say there is almost always an easy way to deal with it without touching the roof. And if the roof is perfectly sound and you gently lower it as has been suggested, fine , you got the job done, but did you really learn anything? try not to touch the roof and if you fail and no damage was done, good for you, you tried and failed once so you have the experience to fall back on not to make the same mistake twice, if you succeed great, same story. If you don't try, what will will you do next time, when it is more critical? I try not to let opportunities like this go unanswered if I'm training a crew member. Time permitting , I'll set up a scenario with a newer climber, for example, a fairly innocous fir removal, spike up, limb everthing, bomb the top wherever, and chunk it down. OK we're ready to take the top out, that's where you want to make your cut? I'll send you your pole pruner with a tag line, don't climb any higher, set the line up high with your pole pruner, OK, so the top can go anywher, lets pretend there are some primaries over ther , put the top here, see if you can jump the top so it lands this way instead of that way, etc, etc, So maybe we didn't do the removal in exactly "production" time, but that climber is one step closer to being a safe, skilled production climber than had we not taken the time to spend on training. What if this dead branch was over a housedrop, would you suggest gently lowering it onto the wire then pulling it free( something wev'e all done,i'm sure) what is more professional ? that or being able to efficientl clear the wire without touching it, in the same amount of time?