Wrapping up the job. Picking the wood went very smoothly with the big crane. The main crotch was 6,700 lbs. and the last stem pick (down to a 48" stump) was 14,000 lbs.
I posted these in a crane thread but seemed worth repurposing. Big dead pine removal. Just finished two days to brush it out. Big crane for the wood tomorrow.
I've heard of GRCS rigged with two large lag bolts driven into the tree at the top of the frame, or an extra ratchet strap just above the winch/bollard, or two large lags at the base of the stem with a ratchet strap making an upside down "V" from one lag to the frame and back down to the other...
It'd be fun to try one pick, but it's still a little too big for that. At the end of the day, I lowered off my tie in at 95 ft and I was a few feet below the top. Then there's the weight issue. We've got around 50' to the main crotch. There was no listing for Black Pine on the long weight...
Ok. The tree is now brushed out. Lots of rigging and then transferring the load to the 26-ton crane. Gotta give credit. It worked pretty smoothly. The crew was great. Tomorrow picking the wood with a 175-ton. That'll be plenty big.
Ps. The stem was measured at 52". Dang. One of the...
A pretty good day. 60% of the brush out and chipped. The easy part is done.
I'm still skeptical about the "big cranes won't pick brush in Seattle" answer. I heard mixed answers in that from crew members. We will see what happens.
So far so good. We have the small crane working at nearly max reach and picking limbs 2-3 at a time. It's kinda slow but working well. A bit dicey picking larger limbs at low capacity. But it's not my show. I'm just pounding the ground today.
Now transitioning to rigging and speed lines...
At the job site Monday morning. Here are the yard pics and drop zone (or not). Considering using our 26-ton as a secondary rigging point to set a drift line for brush. Maybe a speed line over the street, but ground anchor points are poor. More pics later.
So, I got an email back from the owner and learned a few things.
1. Crane companies in Seattle (all?) will only pick wood. They won't pick anything with brush on it.
2. The plan is to rig down the limbs and pick piles out of the yard with the small crane.
3. Then bring in the big...
Just visited the job site. Pics attached. Below is a summary of observations. Measurements based on reckoning, not tape.
- No drop zone, bad access to yard
- Tree is VERY dead (pros + cons)
- 7 tops with LONG laterals
- Stem is approx 40"+ dbh
- Height is approx 95 ft above the street
-...
Yeah, I'm skeptical, too. May be LZ issues. I haven't been in Seattle long enough to know the challenges of getting street closures. Hoping to run by the job site this afternoon and check it out. I'll post a few pics. Thanks.
I recently joined a tree service that does a bunch of crane work in Seattle. They have a 26-ton National with 100' of stick. This coming week we are removing a BIG pine over extensive valuable landscaping that cannot be damaged (i.e. drop nothing).
Evidentially the plan is to spend a day...
I recently had a disagreement with my employer about using a new piece of gear that I purchased.
Here's the situation. We do a lot of pruning on high-end properties with valuable landscapes which must be protected. To assist with limb removals on these jobs, I brought in a Rig N Wrench...
The broken codominant in the top and resulting wound should be a major concern and deserves a close inspection. It's possible that has compromised the top above it. Perhaps crown reduction can sufficiently reduce weight and leverage. Perhaps not.
You might want to pay a good arborist to do...
195# plus gear and clothing (235ish total)
NE KM III Max
9.3 Epicord, hand spliced 31"
VT 4/2.5 alternating with Michoacan 4/1 to extend life of hitch cord
Previously tried 8mm (bound up) and 10mm Ocean (too large for 11mm rope)