Went for a ride today

[SWAMPY036]

Pondarosa pine took down 15, all 8"- 15" last one was leaning over house but not bad. Removed branches on the way up tied it off at about 60' came down to about 45'. Doubled my laynard around tree. Put a notch, started the back cut and my groud guys really went over board when that top came out I went for the biggest ride I have taken. All the outhers went well, just enough steady pressure and they came out nice. I guess they got pumped up over the small back lean. Nothig like getting the blood going just before lunch.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I guess they got pumped up over the small back lean. Nothig like getting the blood going just before lunch.

A few months ago I had a whippy hard maple that I told the guy on the rope to make sure that he let it run. It was a long top on a narrow pole. Bucked me right off my gaffs.

 

[squad143]

The best (worst) ride I had was on a big white birch. Top was dead (as they go). Difficult tree, no access for crane, no other large trees around and leaning over the owners cottage.

So as I'm climbing and getting higher I realize the decay is a lot more than it looked from the ground. I decide to top a larger portion than I originally anticipated (so I could wrap on a live portion). Groundsman could not let it run (due to extended length above). Made my final cut and when the rope caught the falling top, the ride began. On the first swing (of the pole I was now attached to) my left spur kicked out, on the opposite swing my right spur kicked out. All subsequent swings I was like a ball at the end of a paddle-ball. Eventually I was able to push off with my arms and finally dig a spur in. That was a long time ago (I was fairly new & naive) but I remember it well. Not something I would like to repeat.

Still enjoy the ride when the spurs stay in though.

 

[jomoco]

In my opinion, and many years of experience, there are many preparations that definitely deserve consideration when taking a ride.

Swampy mentioned one of them, double wrapping your lanyard so you don't go down very far if you gaff out.

And with all due respect to Swampy, the seriously violent rides usually occur when you're catching whatever it is you're dropping. Push off rides are generally mild compared to catching rides.

It is your ability to triangulate with enough power to move as one with the wood until the ride is over that ensures your success when " riding the bull ".

If I know that some serious rides are coming, it is one of the few times I'll use a long chainsaw lanyard so I can drop my saw and use both my hands and push as hard as I can against the catching wood or trunk as it tries to beat me to death whipping back and forth. Getting the right length on your lanyard so that you can straight arm the wood during the ride helps alot.

If I know that the ride ahead of me is going to be truly nasty ( big wood catching on a block ) I'll take the unusual step of standing on just one gaff and using my other leg bent infront of me to aid both arms in pushing against the tree when the load hits and the ride starts.

Because some catching situations demand the load drop to be minimized to avoid targets, dropping your chainsaw on it's lanyard in the vicinity of the potential load contact with the catching trunk can result in a smooshed ms440, not a good thing. To avoid this problem I have learned to leave just enough holding wood ( even in bigwood ) that I can attach my chainsaw to my belt, then finish the cut with my handsaw and drop it to the ground in the second or so before the ride starts.

It is always a good idea to have your bodyline around the tree in addition to your lanyard, it will provide you a quick way down to the ground in the event that something goes wrong and you're injured.

In my mind, blocking down bigwood is very serious business that should only be attempted by true pro's that know the risks involved and how to mitigate the danger inherent in doing it.

I've seen quite a few climbers get in over their heads doing it and get beaten to a bloody pulp.

Use a crane if you can, otherwise work smart and work safe.

jomoco

 

[clearance]

Whatcha gonna do when it snaps off below your feet one day? No thanks.

 

[joesawer]

Catching big wood can make for a very hard shock.
But the worst ride I ever took was in a tall whip of a red oak tree with a very small canopy in the very top. The top leaned slightly to the house, so I put a rope in it and instructed the groundy to just hold a little pressure (made sure he understood that it would just take a gentle pull to tip the top over), until I signaled him to pull it over. The top and canopy were about twenty feet above my cut, the diameter was about 8" at the cut, about 60' up.
When I was part way into my back cut the groundy started pulling for all he was worth. I was racing the back cut to prevent a barber chair. the top tipped over and closed the face and its weight started pulling the tree. The weight of the top and my weight bent the tree over until I was looking at the ground when it finally broke the hinge.
When it was all over the groundy couldn't understand why I was upset. He claimed to be a climber with 17 years experience.

The worst ride I ever saw anyone take was on a very large black oak that had a 30" diameter horizontal limb that he was standing on about twenty feet from the trunk when he decided to under cut and over cut the rest of the limb. The sudden release of pressure launched him a good ten feet in the air. He must have had his knee locked, because it swelled up real big real fast.

 

[Magnum783]

Whatcha gonna do when it snaps off below your feet one day? No thanks.

I had it happen. You will have three surgeries call your self an idiot, and never regain full use of your left arm and hand. Then you will find AS and learn all the things you should have know to avoid such a thing from happening.
Jared

 

[beowulf343]

Most painful ride-topping a tree, had the end of a second tip line tied to my saddle(was going to need it after the top was gone.) The top went over, my groundies let it run and it got tangled up into that second line. Thought i'd ruined my knees. Valuable lesson learned.