90 tonner

skew

skew

New member
Location
scenic Skew Gardens
We had high winds on Saturday that took down lots of conifers. I have one on a house that is 160' away from where we can set a crane. The biggest machine in the area is a 90 ton. We could definately use a 240 but the closest one is Albq. with a 10k delivery charge. I am pretty sure it is an insurance job but the homeowner has agreed to pay regardless. This spruce(30") is weighing around 10-12k. Today's mission is to lighten all of the stuff that doesn't have pressure on it and get ready for the crane tomorrow.
The worry is that at that distance our lifting capacity is going to be about 3 thousand- not nearly enough. We may have to construct some two story cribbing to hold the tree up.
Additionally there is a dearth of other trees around to rig off. I will try to get as many photos as time permits.
 

Attachments

  • 144423-Ironhorsecruiser.webp
    144423-Ironhorsecruiser.webp
    51.9 KB · Views: 362
Take small pieces...but you know that :)

Have fun!

Flying a flag upside down is a universal sign of distress. What does it mean when a pirate is in distress? Especially one from the shores of the inland coast of central Colorado? I know the Commander of the Navy in Wyoming...maybe he's chasing down the pirates.
 
OK we have got the tree as light as possible and got the crane a little closer- 110' to rotation point- at the expense of an old apple tree. A couple of lucky breaks: The top of the tree is broken off and just sitting on the roof. Also the trunk is resting across a big limb from an ash tree that it took down with is in turn resting across the top of the wall of the house. This wood frame house was built in the 1880s but appears to be holding steady. I will be able to take the part that extends beyond the ash and then it has to be the whole enchilada because the root ball is so far from the house. It looks like our load chart is about 8 k.
To make it mor interesting the gods have ordered up some foul weather with freezing rainy gropply snow this morning.
Will do my besst to get some pics but looks to be hectic going.
 
OK- got em all down. Pictures to follow. I think the Durango herald website is going to have some video on there tomorrow(www.durangoherald.com). Went absolutely perfect. Awesome rigging crew and the weather held out all day.
Right when I pulled up at half seven this morning there was a huge rainbow over the site- a good omen?
For part of the job a mama bear and cub watched from the safety of a big apple tree next door. The tree that fell was a known hang out for bears. I thought there might be one up in the brushy bits.
So the tree came off in 3 pieces not counting all the brush I stripped. I am guessing just about 10k for the whole kit. I won the calcutta guessing the weight of the final chunk with in a thousand- whoopee that's four whole dollars!
 
Thanks Allmark. And thank you for putting up the link that I was technologically verklempt at posting. Finally got all raked up yesterday- an incredible amount of limby coney debris out of these trees.
Footnote: The un safety glassed guys on the ground were crane company employees so I had no juristiction to force them to protect their eyes.
 
Nice work. We got hit with some high winds but not much happened, my wife said a pondo came across one of the main roads but the fire dept took care of it. Was in Durango for a couple of hours this summer, stopped at the steamworks and continued up to Ouray for a few days of wheeling. Beautiful little town that I need to spend some more time in.
 
Free professional video footage
pbj.gif
Can't beat that.

Nice job Tom.
 
Thank-you again. Funny I was on a mountain bike ride yesterday and some girl actually recognized me from the video even in my bike gear. The dates should start pouring in any time now. Ha! Also: upon further review I noticed that I used the international symbol for falling tree- fore arm bending over mimicing a tree falling. Funny I have seen this used by every one from a toddler to an elderly person ala" I think you can just drop it right there" . Ha Ha Ha I cracked my self up again.
 
The upside down Jolly Roger was about iron horse bicycle classic Durango to Silverton bike race being canceled for the first time in 35 years. The "cuiser criterium" event went on however." What does that have to do with a 90 ton crane job" you may ask yourself- the answer is - nothing.
But Stephan it's more about rockin your internal Jolly Roger everyday and bein a pirate inside your heart and knowin that the spirit of the Jolly Roger is with you be it knockin the top out of a big pine tree or sellin that big job to brand X tree co.'s former client.
Over the last few years the JR has kind of become a semi unofficial symbol for the West Slope Arborist Co-op(WESLAC) of which I am the self proclaimed "el presidente for life".
 
[ QUOTE ]

But Stephan it's more about rockin your internal Jolly Roger everyday and bein a pirate inside your heart and knowin that the spirit of the Jolly Roger is with you be it knockin the top out of a big pine tree or sellin that big job to brand X tree co.'s former client.
Over the last few years the JR has kind of become a semi unofficial symbol for the West Slope Arborist Co-op(WESLAC) of which I am the self proclaimed "el presidente for life".

[/ QUOTE ]


Everything you just said there was the smartest thing I have ever read about anything anywhere.

If you have a newsletter, I would like to subscribe to it, and possibly donate monetary funds for the upkeep of the editorial department.


SZ
 
EP, there are a few personalities on the forums that just make me keep wanting to come back and read their posts to make those unpleasantly dark days a little brighter......

Your are definately one of them.
grin.gif


Thanks mate
cool.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom