Today's Job...

[wendell]

Excelsior Henderson

 

[FATGUY]

I knew what that means! But do you know what EH means?

I do

 

[MCW]

Heh heh. My mate who was in the Australian SAS in Afghanistan had a few funny stories regarding the American Special Forces units they were working with.
The Aussies here would understand but in typical Aussie fashion these guys would wake up in the morning and say to their mate "Good morning coc*breath", "How you going dic*head?" etc etc.
My mate reckons they used to laugh their heads off when the Americans would come over all concerned and say "Dude, I thought that guy was your buddy?".

Anyway, knocked over the last tree today on the property I've been working on for over 1 1/2 years.
Also cleaned up the rest of the gum that was growing over the 15" irrigation mainline. I also hit a tree sap mainline which absolutely covered me in Treacle like sap. I've seen sap but this was something else. To give you an idea of just how large these sap pockets are this log is around 16" in diameter...

I think I'll have to boil the MS261 and 7900 to get the crap off! The 261 was running a 17" bar and RSC chain. It ate this wood which wasn't overly hard but hard enough. It would make good firewood and I cut it into lengths for one of the company's employees to grab.

Simple tow over this one and just as I thought the ute had bogged and I wasn't going to get it with the first tug she fell over.

Also chewed into the stump a bit so it would soak up a reasonable amount of herbicide...

I'm still suitably impressed with the pop up top end on the 7900. It is making noticably more power than it did when fitted to the Makita and will run a 32" bar with non skip semi chisel and an 8 pin rim quite easily in this wood. As mentioned if it's not up there with my modded 390XP's it's damn close! Oh and the filter is better so it's back to being my "go to" saw again.

 

[MCW]

I also knocked over the last trees in the "Row From Hell". They'd been in and cleaned it up with the loader which made it easy for me to get in and and access the last few remaining trees. It also made it possible to get the ute in and a rope to tow the leaners over...

Lot of stress on this one. I roped it off and ended up with about the best result I could have gotten - dropped it along the treeline...

I was meant to start on the other property this weekend but there is another hold up as they decide what they're going to do to clean up my mess as I go. I'm yet to burst the bubble of that particular property's manager but I've already discussed it with the overall manager and these trees won't be coming down individually. They are simply too large and dangerous with interlocking canopies to fell one at a time which would make it easier to clean up.
For one you'd never be able to drop one tree at a time without either hanging it up or wearing a monster branch in the head. I'll be dropping these in runs like dominos and ensure I'm well out of the way of any hang ups Should be starting there in about a fortnight I'd say.

 

[MCW]

Back again. Started on the other property this morning and arrived at 7.15am. Temperatures were just on 0°c so freezing. Sun was only just up here in North Eastern South Australia. This property is only about 10 minutes away from the Victorian/New South Wales/South Australia border junction.

I am also cleaning out the bottoms of the trees with the 200T/Husky353 to access the trunks for felling.
Cleaning up is far harder than I imagined and extremely time consuming. A lot of the lower branches are embedded in the piles of needles making them difficult to drag out. Even gaining access to some trunks is a struggle. There are also a number of "suckers" that have to be removed to gain access.

Yep. Thats a trunk back in there that I have to fight my way into

 

[MCW]

Some of these 40 odd year old trees are quite sizeable. This is the 390XPG and 32" bar next to one of them. The XPG decided to die on me shortly after (fueling issue) so started using the pop upped 7900 again. As mentioned this thing is that close to the modded Husky 390's it's not funny. It was easily running a non skip semi chisel 32" bar with 7 pin rim buried in this relatively hard wood...

And cut and wedged ready to drop...

Messy...

And the first tree of the day - it wasn't that tall and was more of a shrub - still enough to jam my bar though. The wood in this particular Casuarina was very soft and despite being wedged it still managed to jam the bar - I removed the powerhead and later on recut another scarf above this one and felled it with the lean. Look at the crap in the clutch cover - it was absolutely rancid...

And the view on the way out of the row I was working on...

Slow going - in 5 hours I think I only dropped about 13-15 trees.
Also got some videos which I'll upload later on.

 

[parrisw]

That looks like hard work Matt! Having to clear that much around the trees must be a pain. I like Doug firs that don't have any branches for oh??? about a 100'

 

[MCW]

That looks like hard work Matt! Having to clear that much around the trees must be a pain. I like Doug firs that don't have any branches for oh??? about a 100'

Yeah Will. I was spoilt on the last property as some other guys cleaned all the bottoms out

 

[pgg]

OMG! that 200T wasn't used on the GROUND was it? How did you survive?? LOL

 

[MCW]

OMG! that 200T wasn't used on the GROUND was it? How did you survive?? LOL

Actually mate I was too scared to use it at ground level. I was just trying to act cybertuff by putting it in the photos and making out I was skilled enough to use it without climbing gear and 14 Arborist certificates

I tell you what though old son, these little things absolutely kick butt for pruning around the bases of trees like this.

 

[parrisw]

Yeah Will. I was spoilt on the last property as some other guys cleaned all the bottoms out

Hmmm, some other guys cleaned your bottom?

Actually mate I was too scared to use it at ground level. I was just trying to act cybertuff by putting it in the photos and making out I was skilled enough to use it without climbing gear and 14 Arborist certificates

I tell you what though old son, these little things absolutely kick butt for pruning around the bases of trees like this.

200T's are wicked for anything! Really great at the chipper too, for a quick trim on something that wont quite fit!

 

[Andyshine77]

I hate having to cut shrubs and small branches for an hour just to get to the trunk. This isn't common in my area, but it does happen and when it's poison sumac, the next week or so isn't all that fun.

 

[MCW]

Hmmm, some other guys cleaned your bottom? 200T's are wicked for anything! Really great at the chipper too, for a quick trim on something that wont quite fit!

Yeah they cleaned about 7,800 bottoms!
200T's are one impressive little saw

I hate having to cut shrubs and small branches for an hour just to get to the trunk. This isn't common in my area, but it does happen and when it's poison sumac, the next week or so isn't all that fun.

Yeah it sucks. I had to sit and have a breather after fighting my way into the trunks a few times. Apart from snakes, scorpions, and spiders we're lucky around here as far as stinging plants go.

You're right about that little 353 too Andy - great little saw, especially after a muffler mod

 

[Andyshine77]

Yeah they cleaned about 7,800 bottoms!
200T's are one impressive little saw



Yeah it sucks. I had to sit and have a breather after fighting my way into the trunks a few times. Apart from snakes, scorpions, and spiders we're lucky around here as far as stinging plants go.

You're right about that little 353 too Andy - great little saw, especially after a muffler mod

I told you the 353 is a killer little saw. From the sound of it I much prefer the poisonous plats compared to the creepy crawlies you guys have. We do have spider and snakes, but up here they're for the most part harmless.

 

[pgg]

here we are pruning pines, lots of PITA little branches and green shoots down low, this ones a cut-down ported 335, one and a half pounds lighter than a stock 200T with pretty much equal power, nice and agile, the safety nazis will be clucking like old hens LOL


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[MCW]

here we are pruning pines, lots of PITA little branches and green shoots down low, this ones a cut-down ported 335, one and a half pounds lighter than a stock 200T with pretty much equal power, nice and agile, the safety nazis will be clucking like old hens LOL

Madness. You'll kill yourself you silly fool!!!

Nice work by the way...

 

[MCW]

I told you the 353 is a killer little saw. From the sound of it I much prefer the poisonous plats compared to the creepy crawlies you guys have. We do have spider and snakes, but up here they're for the most part harmless.

I'll take the creepy crawlies anyday Andy

 

[Terry Syd]

Matt, you have obviously never been hit by the 'Sticky Bush' up in Queensland. I'll take a Bull Ant's sting rather than that SOB.

 

[pgg]

 

[masculator]

Matt, you have obviously never been hit by the 'Sticky Bush' up in Queensland. I'll take a Bull Ant's sting rather than that SOB.

I'll avoid both thanks!!!

That pine pruning job reminds me of one I did a few years back ran a pair of 009L top handle stihls. They were great little saws, mine often got used cutting up sleepers for firewood (redgum and iron bark) and felled many blackwoods up to 20 inches in diameter.