Scariest climber ever!!!

[3yrclimberARK]

I recently took a much needed vacation. I told my bosses I was taking a week off and let them figure out how to replace me for a few days. The first day I was gone they got this local crackhead who's been doing trees for over 20 years. I've never met this guy before but rumors of his poor and dangerous tree practices are heavily spread throughout our small town. My bosses had him show up to do a 70 foot pine removal. I got the details of his technique from my ground hands and one of my bosses. He used his spurs till he got to the first limb and kicked them off. He then proceeded to cut the limbs off leaving about 2 foot stubs to use as rungs to move about the tree. He only started his saw once and left it running with the brake engaged hanging from the end of his lanyard. The only time he actually tied himself to the tree was when he dropped the top. He then bear hugged the trunk and slid to the ground where he dropped the stick without a pull rope. I can't believe my bosses were willing to use the guy for the rest of the week but they screwed up and payed him for Monday and he didn't show back up the next day. 20yrs experience and he's still alive? How?

 

[BostonBull]

We see that all too often in our area. There are so many tree co's in this small little area that the contract climbers will be used, no matter how scary they are.

I bet your bosses now see how important/productful a climber who shows up everyday is!

 

[TDunk]

I wouldn't even think of bear hugging a tree to get down, let alone kick off my spurs. To me it would have made alot more sence to top it, rapell down, and use the climbing line to pull it over (as long as it wasn't a bad leaner). But what do I know, i'm just a young buck.

 

[clearance]

How bizzare, I have cut down hundreds of pines. I just run up the tree with my spurs and steelcore cutting and chucking branches. When I have the room or know I can do it I blow off the top. Hey, at least this guy used his chainbreak, I rarely do. And I let the saw run the whole time unless there is a good reason to shut it off. And, what is wrong with dropping the stick without a rope? I only use a rope if it needs it.

What makes this guy a freak is the fact he got rid of his spurs and was not tied in, crazy stuff, WTF is up with your bosses?

 

[BostonBull]

On a side note:

Carbon buildup is a huge problem with saws, this is exaggerated tons by letting them idle for long periods of time.

 

[frodo]

I wouldn't even think of bear hugging a tree to get down, let alone kick off my spurs. To me it would have made alot more sence to top it, rapell down, and use the climbing line to pull it over (as long as it wasn't a bad leaner). But what do I know, i'm just a young buck.

if you want to make it to be an old buck you had better stop using your climbing line to pull trees with.:greenchainsaw:

 

[TDunk]

if you want to make it to be an old buck you had better stop using your climbing line to pull trees with.:greenchainsaw:

That's why I said "as long as it wasn't a bad leaner" as in pulling it over by hand. I would never hook my climbing line to a come-along or any other pulling device other than a person. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[treeseer]

What if the guy had lost his grip and died? Scary story.

 

[BostonBull]

That's why I said "as long as it wasn't a bad leaner" as in pulling it over by hand. I would never hook my climbing line to a come-along or any other pulling device other than a person. Sorry for the confusion.

I never use climbing or rigging lines for pulling. I cant stand to think of the effects of a spar, big or small, falling on the rope! Think about it, all those fibers being crushed.........:jawdrop:

 

[Rftreeman]

That's why I said "as long as it wasn't a bad leaner" as in pulling it over by hand. I would never hook my climbing line to a come-along or any other pulling device other than a person. Sorry for the confusion.

here is a scenario, you pull a stub over with your life line and the stub smashes it between a rock and itself but you don't see the damage to the inside of the rope and the next day you are way out on a limb and you slip and fall and when your rope starts to stop you it all of a sudden snaps right where the damage was from the day before, then you, well need I say more. NEVER USE YOUR CLIMBING LINE FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE BUT FOR CLIMBING AND INSPECT IT OFTEN and you will be able to call yourself an old buck as stated before.

as for the crackhead, no coment............

 

[BostonBull]

as for the crackhead, no coment............

Greensboro huh? I worked/lived there for 3 or so months. Plenty of those types in that city. Especially where we were working, MLK Blvd.

 

[Rftreeman]

Greensboro huh? I worked/lived there for 3 or so months. Plenty of those types in that city. Especially where we were working, MLK Blvd.

AHH, the beloved MLK Blvd, worked that street also, had to keep the boxes locked as I was trimming the lines. there is a nicer part of town though....lol. Who did you work for whil you where here?

 

[BostonBull]

AHH, the beloved MLK Blvd, worked that street also, had to keep the boxes locked as I was trimming the lines. there is a nicer part of town though....lol. Who did you work for whil you where here?

That was back when I was a linesman climbing poles. I remeber doing a easement down there, and an OLD black guy with no shirt or shoes on hanging a shotgun out of the back porch telling us to get down off that pole and leave his "batteries" alone. He said if the power co. sends one more white person out to steal his batteries and turn off hi power he was going to shoot first and warn after. We never did build that section of the network.

We were working for First South Utilities. We were a sub, Mackenzie Cable, building a Fiber Optic network in the power co's space on the poles. This was back in 01 or 02.

 

[oldirty]

i have noticed that any MLK boulevard anywhere is the last place you want to be.

again thats just my opinion of the places i have been. lol


in regards to the paying the guy same day, if he was a known degenerate then how are you going to give him all the pay? give half, that'll get him back the next day. those guys will never ever forget who owes them money. its funny though, they have zero recollection of what they might owe someone else.


oldirty

 

[TDunk]

here is a scenario, you pull a stub over with your life line and the stub smashes it between a rock and itself but you don't see the damage to the inside of the rope and the next day you are way out on a limb and you slip and fall and when your rope starts to stop you it all of a sudden snaps right where the damage was from the day before, then you, well need I say more. NEVER USE YOUR CLIMBING LINE FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE BUT FOR CLIMBING AND INSPECT IT OFTEN and you will be able to call yourself an old buck as stated before.

as for the crackhead, no coment............

I see your point and i know this is just a difference in opinions. But i'd much rather have somebody pulling on my line to keep it from getting smashed between the tree and a rock. And if it does get damaged chances are it'll be near the end, not in the middle. And i do check my climbing line very good when i roll-up and do a quick check before i climb. I just figure my line has alot less chance of getting damaged with somebody putting tension on it. Just my opinion though.

 

[clearance]

I see your point and i know this is just a difference in opinions. But i'd much rather have somebody pulling on my line to keep it from getting smashed between the tree and a rock. And if it does get damaged chances are it'll be near the end, not in the middle. And i do check my climbing line very good when i roll-up and do a quick check before i climb. I just figure my line has alot less chance of getting damaged with somebody putting tension on it. Just my opinion though.

Same here TDunk, I do it too, but I am just a utility hack, not a real arborist, whatever.

 

[newguy18]

well I hope that your bossess don't hire that guy again and I hope we don't end up reading about him in the injuries and deaths forum.

 

[Nailsbeats]

When necessary we tie a handline up top to pull over the stub and then rapel down on our climbing line. This crackhead must have been just that. I highly doubt that he has done that much work in 20 years with those tactics. Either that or he is repeatedly injured and too high to notice.