BiX Crane Pine

Bixler

Bixler

Participating member
Location
Nevada City, CA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phkHDSHAd38

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Fascinating video, thanks. Would the suggestion of stunts get someone hurt? Like the old school branch breaks, caught by the dorsal attachment, but it looks like your cardigan sweater is hooked on the branch above. Might be fun if you're into it.
 
watched it all Bix.

Decent job on the balancing.

Don't take this wrong:

But seeing how you are progressing, I think in 5 years, when you look at this video again, you will say, "I wasn't very good back then".

Don't get me wrong, you are high above the average tree guy.

Good video and nice safe job.

Nice element having the crane operator being able to be heard on video. Our communication is in the ear "muffs" and it would be hard to get on video audio. Wished I could.
 
I was just thinking, yawn, another crane removal. Cut, lift, cut, lift. But good video, cool looking tree, ect. I did find it fascinating. Almost pulled the trigger on a GoPro Black but glad I didn't as winter dragged into summer.

It might of been a stupid suggestion to put in stunts and I didn't mean while a crane is sitting on site (actually cranes are made for stunts) but for fun on the weekend. My dog goes Cujo a couple times a day at work, it looks and sounds nasty. See where I'm going, she could be a star. A tree B movie could be fun, I don't know how hard that would be to do, even a stupid looking one. Bix, I hear California and I think Hollywood. Someday maybe I'll hear Bix and I'll think Hollywood. Two thumbs up.
 
Thanks for watching Bevin, cranes are pretty neat. Imagine the pranks you could pull. You gotta get that GoPro, it can be a handy tool.

I left some longer clips in there for you guys. Remember, I've had no formal training and just pick up what I can from you jerks online. Thanks for watching the whole thing Xman, I hope to look back and say that a whole lot sooner than 5 years, I love using the crane for treework. There's gotta be a way for you to link your radio muffs to the GoPro. The radio chatter is neat for the vid, good thing we had those because he couldn't see a thing for most the tree.

Thanks JP, the hills around here are beautiful. Way too many Pine trees, you can't cut enough down. The picks went pretty smooth, I'd of like to have two straps on some of those last pieces if I could do it again... Maybe with a couple nice deep bypass cuts, I could probably have the saw all put away and then have him lift it. Using the steel core lanyard couldn't hurt either.

Although a bypass that needs a "snap" to release might shockload the crane I would think. Anyhow, trees down, no going back.
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Tricky set up for the crane, I was surprised he could fit in there.







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Photos by Tommy Richardson
 
I like watching your vids.

Was it a tight LZ? Seemed like you could have taken bigger picks. I'm no expert, same as you, learning as I go and picking up tips where I can.

Is that a gopro hero2?

Keep the vids comin'. you seem like a cool guy.

Bzr
 
One thing I liked about the chatter is the crane op describing the diff between the total load and the weight of the piece. Remembering the weight of the block and rigging is important in calculating the load you will be picking.
 
I too thought it was great hearing the communication with the crane operator. I've been looking into, and planning on getting the SENA bluetooth headsets. They've got two speakers, and I bet you could just mount one to the side of, or right next to the go pro, and it would pick it up.

Brian/anyone else who's done a crane job, would it have made sense to use two slings to balance the logs better so they weren't tipping/swinging so much as they detached from the spar? I've never done a crane job, so it's something I'm interested in. I enjoyed the video, as I have enjoyed all of your videos. You're an inspiration.
 
Lots of things bugged me about Bix's crane job.

But the thing that bugged me the most was the picks not being rigged and cut to go directly at the crane's center pin. Now I realize that a few of the picks had to stay away from the service drops, but that's when using two opposing chokers for a straight vertical lift is most needed.

The weakest component on every crane's powered moves ability is the rotation itself. Using the crane's rotation to move a pick off the trunk is a sure sign the CO and climber's a rookie playin with fire.

Aim every pick you possibly can towards that crane's center pin Bix!

What you were doin wasn't smart or safe in my book.

Hate to be a jerk, but how else are you gonna learn to do crane assisted removals right Bix?

jomoco
 
Bix, why do you feather the chainsaw trigger at the end of every cut? Just go ahead and cut it. That's the only thing that stuck out to me. Don't take it the wrong way. There might be a good reason I'm unaware of.

It was nice hearing the banter. Good video!
 
I reckon he feathers the last bit of the cut so as to slow the seperation in the cut (using the fibres to hold on)and let the cut section find its weight in the sling more gently, in apposed to blasting through the cut and potentially shocking the load.

This is moreso on horizontal limbs or odd weighted riggs.
 
Thanks for the input guys, even you Xman...

Before I forget, Happy Birthday Chop Chop, I hope you get everything you've ever wanted!
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BzR : We had a pretty tight landing zone on the job, the limbs were filling up the small space we had to work with. Filmed with GoPro Hero 3 (Silver)

Evan, your too kind... yes, it would have been best to have two slings for balancing the logs. We only had one long-sling on hand, although we could have put two slings together to make it work.

Jomoco, thanks for your jerky input. I'd rather not learn the hard way... you've already saved my a$$ a time or two to date, mate!

Ginko, pretty much what Chopper said, I figure the slower the separation, the more the Crane Op can gauge the weight.
 
I agree with Evan to a certain extent. But only when there's an overriding strategic need for a straight up vertical pick.

But when you're well within the crane's capacity, rigged and aimed straight at its center pin? A single choker is faster to rig, facilitates that pick moving towards the crane and away from you, and done properly, can be as smooth as a ballet dancer at their very best.

Remember Bix, the crane's most powerful moves are its spool up and boom up functions. Of those two power moves the boom up gets that pick away from you and closer to that crane's center pin faster than any other move the CO can make.

Anytime strategic considerations demand anything other than what I've described above? Fine, but in order to do something else, like say make the pick go the left, right or away from the crane's center pin? That's when you get real conservative bout your pick's weight and how close it comes to the crane's rated capacity at that distance and angle from the center pin. I mean less than half the crane's capacity or even less.

Time is money in this biz, particularly using cranes, but when you're well within the crane's capacity and rigged towards that center pin with no targets between you? The object of the whole exercise is to keep those picks moving smoothly and gracefully towards their destination, not straight up. That's a waste of time IMO, short of some strategic reason to pick it straight up.

Smooth flowing controlled motion, like an expert backhoe operator.

That's the productive ticket mate!

jomoco
 
I agree with most of what jomoco said. Good advice there. Except I like things to mostly go straight up, with a slight drift toward crane if there is any drift, but I like straight up and slow. Avoid having to do side movement of the boom to adjust with the moving limb; good point.

I pretty much always feather my saw at the end of the cut, try to get to the last little bit of sapwood without cutting it off right away, at that point the pick can rotate a little and equalize before coming off if it needed to do that. It also talks to the co-workers. Lets the crane op and co-workers know that I'm at that last little ribbon of wood.
 
Well, if you prefer straight up and slow X? That's fine, but I wouldn't suggest doing so with a single choker, because it'll kick back towards the climber every time. A single choker rigged on the crane side will kick the top towards the climber. A single choker rigged on the climber's side will kick the bottom towards the climber. Personally I don't like any portion of a trunk pick getting anywhere close to me period. But whenever strategic considerations demand I pick straight up vertically? You can bet your boots I'll use opposing chokers to insure that trunk section stays vertical on its straight up journey.

Dangling multi ton trunk sections anywhere close to me is something I go out of my way to avoid whenever possible as a general rule.

Cheers guys, here's to making it home safe every work day.

jomoco
 
Thanks for postin the vid. Great to hear all the input from the veterans to.

Just gotta say Bixler, It looked like a long time stompin on the iron and punchin the iron, sure hope you got laid good and hard after that day.
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Cheers
 
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