Wisdom regarding using a lift to dismantle a pin oak

[Dan Thornton]

I will be renting a 66' lift for a large (52" DBH x 75' high and 70' wide) pin oak (Quercus palustris) removal. I'm wondering if some of you with a lot more experience have any rules of thumb that guide you in how to more efficiently work the tree with a lift. And then help you get everything in the optimum position, the lift with respect to the main rigging point, port-o-wrap, GRCS, and landing zone.
In my case, the tree has branches extending over the house on one side, and branches reaching over some other trees on opposite side. So there will be a fair amount of rigging plus raising some branches with a GRCS.
In the past, working previous trees, I have been frustrated with how impenetrable the tree can be for the lift. It has been careful work, and small cuts at the beginning, because it's a task to position myself where the cut pieces don't fall toward the lift. Of course, I wait until every cut is safe, but I'm wondering if some of you have found a step-by-step procedure that seems to be fairly efficient for decurrent trees like pin oaks.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[flushcut]

I might be inclined to say setup on the side you took the one pic with the red garbage cans. Cut yourself a corridor into the canopy and set some blocks. When in doubt cut it smaller.

 

[Muggs]

Might be better to climb first, cutting and rigging to open up a nice channel on the one side, then get the lift in there once you have room to work.

 

[Jehinten]

Either suggestion above will help you get going. If you choose to climb, I'd go through and do most if not all of the easier limbs to maximize the rental later.

I'd aim for a central main rigging point with a redirect towards the driveway and the lift on the opposite side of the trunk. All limbs swing away from the lift to the redirect and near the path to the street. Sometimes it's faster to rig a big limb down in two than to lift it

 

[Daniel]

If you're trying to get it all from one position then set up where there's as little directly over the set position as possible while still being able to reach everything you need.

If you're not familiar with eyeballing the lift, and your reach is questionable, which seems to be the case, probably better to count on 2 set ups.

First set should be to bomb as much as possible, open up rigging points. Make sure you're not reaching over the boom to cut and chuck.

Tough to tell from pictures how much open room you have to bomb, but you should be fine from the look of things...

Set up the lowering line with multiple overhead rigging points, so you can swing one way or the other. I refer true blue so you can use blocks/rings and NC. I tend to move the satelite rigging point around a good bit when in the bucket. Might be helpful to have a pole to set the lowering line NC as needed.

Use rip cuts to slow and control swing, since you don't have to worry about the rips tugging on a climbing line or lanyard.

Should be fun.


If you set up the rigging correctly you won't need to use the grcs of lifting much. Just pretension, near balnace point or tip tie, and and swing the pieces past the roof.

Looks like fun!!!

 

[Dan Thornton]

Thanks for the assist.
I love the idea of taking a partial day and climbing the tree first. I will be able to drop what branches I can while climbing, so I can be more productive during the time I have the lift.
I'll do the central rigging point, plus the redirect more directly over the drop zone. Great idea!
And I do like rip cuts, when they make sense.
You guys are great!

 

[Daniel]

Thanks for the assist.
I love the idea of taking a partial day and climbing the tree first. I will be able to drop what branches I can while climbing, so I can be more productive during the time I have the lift.
I'll do the central rigging point, plus the redirect more directly over the drop zone. Great idea!
And I do like rip cuts, when they make sense.
You guys are great!

You should be able to get the rigging done in a day with the lift... I wouldn't bother climbing unless you think you can't...
Two sets for sure.. start in the driveway and bomb as much on the left side as you can. cut and chuck a few tips over the house to shorten up the lower limbs over the roof, to make them easier to lower when that time comes. Then lower out the remaining limbs on the left side (whatever you can reach) from that set up before moving the lift out behind the tree in the yard so you can swing the limbs out over the drive or to the back of the tree. Looks like plenty of room to drop the stick parallel to the driveway... If it makes you feel better to pre-climb, then do it, but IMO it sholdn't be needed. Lot may depend ont he how fast the ground crew can chip though as that's a lot of material to handle.

Here's a video of a similar tree, big pin oak, I did earlier this year. Couple notable tips that might help.. use mats to protect the drive so you can bomb onto the drive (try getting tips top drop first with the cuts). And I was able to move the bombing DZ back and forth so the ground crew could chip without slowing me down too much..

 

[Daniel]

Notice the way the rigging line is set up here... all NC: up one side, through the top and over to the the other side before it drops.. true blue is the best rope for NC... I wouldn't use any other rigging line.

 

[davidwyby]

I cut and chuck//bomb small stuff that overhangs targets in small pieces and use the small stuff as a cushion to bomb the big stuff onto. No chipper so I also try to bomb straight into the truck/trailer.

 

[davidwyby]

...but I'd just flop the whole tree in the driveway

 

[Neill]

...but I'd just flop the whole tree in the driveway

No chipper you’d be cutting that pig up for a week haha

The temptation though. If it fits…

 

[southsoundtree]

@Dan Thornton

What kinda crew and equipment?

Looks like a lot of easy free-drop pieces for a climber. Maybe clearing out some material and returning fresh for a day of lift work another day would be smart. That's a lot of tree.

 

[Dan Thornton]

What kinda crew and equipment?

Usually, it's just me and an excellent groundswoman. For this job I'll hire a second person to load my 18' dump trailer. Fortunately, other people are taking all the wood for firewood. I will haul off brush and branches less than 4" diameter and take it to a yard to be chipped. This job is borderline whether it pays to rent a chipper, and I've decided to put more money into people rather than machines on this one.
Thanks to advice here, my plan is to take a partial day climbing alone, dropping the easy branches and opening up access for the lift. Second day will be with help to clean up the first day mess. Third day with me in the lift, one person on ropes, and second groundsman hauling and loading. At least that's the plan.

 

[Jehinten]

No chipper you’d be cutting that pig up for a week haha

The temptation though. If it fits…

That depends on what else your working with. If cut and stacked into a pile, I could have that tree loaded, raked and leaf blowed in about an hour; solo.

It typically takes me 30 mins to fill my 50 cuyd grapple truck, then another 30 to rake, blow and finish loading that smaller debris.

 

[Neill]

That’s a fair point,
I should have said
No machines/all manual is a lot of work!
Pin oaks are annoying as heck too, so many laterals and grabby bits.

 

[Jehinten]

That’s a fair point,
I should have said
No machines/all manual is a lot of work!
Pin oaks are annoying as heck too, so many laterals and grabby bits.

Absolutely. Even with equipment, so many grabby bits sometimes every grapple full grabs too much for loading.


Sometimes it seems like pin Oaks are the only Oaks we work with around here.

 

[Daniel]

I'd bring in the chipper and get it all down in a day with the lift, then clean up on day 2, if needed. At least access is good. You can chip right next to the tree

 

[davidwyby]

No chipper you’d be cutting that pig up for a week haha

The temptation though. If it fits…

I generally haul logs back to my lair to be firewooded and branches bonfired later

 

[RyanCafferky]

...but I'd just flop the whole tree in the driveway

That’s what I thought.

 

[Matias]

I am so glad that I can burn things all winter and spring. If you could flop it, chop it, and burn it, I think it could be gone in one easy day.