This could be the ONE

[BigJohn]

I'm just up thinking about tomorrow. I have an oak to take down that has been dead for quite awhile. It has been topped off at about 90 plus feet. The DBH is about 42 inches. I don't believe there is much left to the roots. I am not sure what besides the weight and balance of it is keeping it up. I plan on tieing in to a poplar that is about 16 feet away. I am also planning on using a three quarter bull rope to tie it back to the poplar. I hope it stays up long enoug to rope some of the top out and chunk down a few logs. I crane would help but not a big possibility. I've done trees this bad in the past. You can't help but wonder when you have this many cards stacked against you. The worse that could happen is it would fail and cause severe property damage and I would live through it. I'm not affraid to die. I've been expecting it since I was 26. I have had trees fail on me before and only fell twice due to that. Both times falling between 35 and 40 feet on my back. Each time I got up with out a scatch and managed to climb a few more that same day. If you have ever fallen out you may have felt as I did. It is a peaceful feeling. I thought I was going to die. I guess I should be glad I do these everyday like I use to. Maybe I can check back in and let you all know how it went.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Good luck to ya, John.

Go with your gut feelings!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I'm not affraid to die.im I've been expecting it since I was 26.

Me neither, I justr want to postpone it till I hurt so much I want to.

I've known I'll die since I was a teen, kinda looked for it for a while then too.

Good luck John, Just remember to cut the deck whenever you think it is stacked.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Mate, if possible use the poplar and bury some other anchors in and turf it from 3 sides nice and gentle to get some stablity on the main trunk. Charge them a heap. Take your time.

Its a dangerous tree but its neutral, any problems are your mistakes or miscalculations.

If its that bad, helicopter or BA Crane it. Always options, if its not priced to do that, renegociate. Your dead an aweful long time man.

 

[Lumberjack]

Re: Re: This could be the ONE

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn
...Just remember to cut the deck whenever you think it is stacked.

Thats priceless!

Good luck!! Is there any way to triangulate with guy lines?

 

[xander9727]

It's only money. Dying doesn't scare me but I wouldn't want my wife and sons to have to go through that. Remember, there are things worse than death. If you break your spine, mr. winky won't work anymore! I can't imagine life like that. The thought of blowing in a straw to get around while I urinate and deficate on myself doesn't seem worth a little money. Bid it so you can do it safe or smile and walk away. I like your post and I'd hate for you to have to respond by staring at each letter for .5 seconds.

 

[dbeck]

any evidence of armillaria? You stated it yourself, pay attention to any root loss...any construction in the last ten yrs, driveway, garage, landscaping, grveldrives present? Those roots are key obviously. Feel free to put a hundred hundred ropes/guys in that sucker if you need to...all it takes is time.
How Long can you drop the trunk? do you have to rig the whole thing down? Snap cut and toss as much as possible/if possible. speed line options? Drift lines?
just trying to help...

 

[kowens]

read post trunk snapping tom d thread

 

[MasterBlaster]

Go get em, John!

Ain't nothing to it but to do it!

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I never met a tree that couldn't be guyed. I keep 15 or 20 good ropes in my work truck every day. If there are no anchors close by, tied two ropes together, or install an anchor. There's no excuse for putting yourself at risk.
This post of yours makes you sound suicidal or ignorant, not heroic.
In many of your previous posts, you sound like you take pride in being a great climber, yet in this post you seem to be saying that that's where your skills end. A good arborist can also rigg a tree so it's safe to climb, or get himself tied in above his work, and know when to do it.
Our industry suffers greatly because of attitudes seen in this post and some of the ones on the trunk snapping thread. High insurance, personal suffering, the conception that all tree guys are hacks, are just a few of the problems caused by this, "I ain't afraid to die" attitude.
If I have to climb a tree that is dead long enough to have loose bark, I guy it, standard protocol. It takes all of 5 or 10 minutes.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Who said he wasn't gonna guy it? YOU?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

He did say he was going to tie it back and he hope it would stand long enough to get some work done. That's not what I mean by making it safe to climb.
Your "Ain't nothing to it but to do it!" comment is amaturish and inciting.

 

[MasterBlaster]

OK, Mike.

 

[DadF]

I.... a..g..r..ee..w..i..t..h..m..a...a...s....there I said it, Sorry MB but your post just didn't make it sound like you're taking this as serious as some of the rest of us are. There's something to be said about gut feelings-if it doesn't feel right then make it so it does feel right. A couple more guying ropes would certainly make a difference.

 

[MasterBlaster]

No need to be sorry to err on the side of safety. I sure John knows what needs to be done, and will take the appropriate measures. If he is like me, by this morning he allready has a plan worked out, which can be modified as he goes along.

Geez! I'm trying to give the guy some positive feedback, and ya'll are trying to spook 'em! If Big John can't do something about it, who can? Whaddaya do? Walk away?

Once again, I say TCOB, John. I'm sure you know what to do. And I won't even say 'be careful'. You know that allready!

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Whaddaya do? Walk away?

If you can not or do not know how to make it safe, then by all means, walk away!
If your salesman put a price on it the prevents you from doing it safely, walk away.
It will not reflect poorly on you in anyones eyes, I promise, not even the boss.

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by MasterBlaster
Geez! I'm trying to give the guy some positive feedback, and ya'll are trying to spook 'em! If Big John ???? can't you do something about it, who can? Whaddaya do? Walk away?

Once again, I say TCOB, John. I'm sure you know what to do. And I won't even say 'be careful'. You know that allready!

Excellent post!

The first one might have been a little too much to the point. Back
to that what you write, and how it is read.

No tree is worth a life. Everything should be done to make the tree as safe as possible.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Well I'm done.

I wonder how John is doing?

 

[Trees Company]

Master blaster, you seem like your a cut above the averadge tree man, right on. I agree with you and understand totally. Half the guys are gonna spook this guy. The point is its no big delema. Just don't do it. And if you don't know how to go about it right off the bat you shouldn't be there.

 

[BigJohn]

Just checking back in with ya. Its on the ground and gone. The day started with some good with gusts. The day started off good. I got my high crotch at about 90 feet on the first throw. I tied in another 15 up came down a ways and set up a 1 inch block on a 1inch sling. My ground guy got the bull rope set up in oak from ground. I took the end and fed it through the block and down to the ground where we sucked it up with the GRCS. Then I snapped into the bull rope and slid right down into the oak. The outside was pretty punky. I was able to bomb some out. I did have to rope two pieces out that were pretty big and leaning over some rodies. I took what was left of the top in about a 16 foot piece in one shot. Just notch it throw it. That cut was about 16". I came down a good ways another 12 or 14 feet and bombed another piece out. I then moved the anchor line out and chunked off two more good pieces. I guess all said and done all the wook out it was only 11:30.

I didn't say I wasn't going to make it as safe as I can. We do what we can with what we have. I have been around long enough to see stranger things happen. We can be as careful as we want but some things we have no control over.