Funny (Scary???) Pictures

CaPowell · Feb 23, 2017

I came across these the other day. The first was on craigslist. I guess it's not as bad as I initially thought- I think I can see a climbing line now. At first, I thought he was out there with just a lanyard...

The second, I was looking for a picture of cabling and bracing and this popped up on google. I don't know about you, but I think it is time to call in the crane. The caption on google was "braced and stabilized 4-ton oak tree- ready for a good ol' chainsaw whacking." I realize we can't see the root ball and that she might stand up a little bit after all of the weight is off, but that looks pretty risky to me. Anybody ever seen somebody try this before?

FreeFallin · Feb 23, 2017

Safety first: Never leave your Bobcat blocking the sidewalk like this it can be a real hazard for bicyclists.

Also, make sure you have enough ladders to complete the job.

CaPowell · Feb 23, 2017

Haha, yeah that's a good one. If I remember right, the guy on the ladder was supposedly 84 or something. People will do anything to save a few bucks!

96coal449 · Feb 23, 2017

CaPowell said:
I came across these the other day. The first was on craigslist. I guess it's not as bad as I initially thought- I think I can see a climbing line now. At first, I thought he was out there with just a lanyard...

The second, I was looking for a picture of cabling and bracing and this popped up on google. I don't know about you, but I think it is time to call in the crane. The caption on google was "braced and stabilized 4-ton oak tree- ready for a good ol' chainsaw whacking." I realize we can't see the root ball and that she might stand up a little bit after all of the weight is off, but that looks pretty risky to me. Anybody ever seen somebody try this before? View attachment 43103 View attachment 43104

I've done something similar with a black cherry deep in an inaccessible back yard only it was a fence and not a house.

christreez · Feb 24, 2017

CaPowell said:
The second, I was looking for a picture of cabling and bracing and this popped up on google. I don't know about you, but I think it is time to call in the crane. The caption on google was "braced and stabilized 4-ton oak tree- ready for a good ol' chainsaw whacking." I realize we can't see the root ball and that she might stand up a little bit after all of the weight is off, but that looks pretty risky to me. Anybody ever seen somebody try this before? View attachment 43104

I've done similar that setup looks a bit sketchy but if it was actually solidly braced, instead of that X with one bolt holding everything together, I'd trust it. I've trusted far more questionable situations with my life...

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CaPowell · Mar 1, 2017

christreez said:
I've done similar that setup looks a bit sketchy but if it was actually solidly braced, instead of that X with one bolt holding everything together, I'd trust it. I've trusted far more questionable situations with my life...

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Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking. A single bolt in that X looked like it could just push the boards out and collapse. Now that I look at it though, there is an extra board at the base, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I guess I'm just used to cutting off all of the weight that I can first that isn't under pressure and then seeing what I have to work with. Looking at it now, I think it would hold the weight of the log once the branches are off, but then what? It seems like you would still be in a pickle- nothing to rope to and once you cut past the first set of braces, you would have pretty large chunks that could bounce into the house.

This is why we have such a cool job. Every tree is a little different and we get to use our brains to figure out the safest, most efficient ways to get jobs done. Granted, everybody looks at the situation differently and has different ideas.

Bucknut · Mar 1, 2017

I attended one of Tom D's EHAP trainings years ago. He had a pic of a bucket truck fully extended with a ladder in the bucket. The ladder was leaning against wires.

Possibly an OSHA violation.

christreez · Mar 1, 2017

CaPowell said:
Yeah that's kind of what I was thinking. A single bolt in that X looked like it could just push the boards out and collapse. Now that I look at it though, there is an extra board at the base, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I guess I'm just used to cutting off all of the weight that I can first that isn't under pressure and then seeing what I have to work with. Looking at it now, I think it would hold the weight of the log once the branches are off, but then what? It seems like you would still be in a pickle- nothing to rope to and once you cut past the first set of braces, you would have pretty large chunks that could bounce into the house.

This is why we have such a cool job. Every tree is a little different and we get to use our brains to figure out the safest, most efficient ways to get jobs done. Granted, everybody looks at the situation differently and has different ideas.

Once I make the cut to get the final point of attachment off the house I consider that a major accomplishment 90 percent of the time. I try to have a game plan for the whole tree by the time I make the first cut.

Once you get off of the house just cut little baby pieces, if you have to, until you get far enough away to go big. In this case as long as I felt the log was stable enough and not going to stand up Id jump up on it with the 660 and just slab off 4 inches at a time throw some plywood against the house with some sort of cushion factor built in and presto. If you are concerned about it standing up with you up there a few ground anchors and a strap or chain would add a bit of security. Like the twist in dog leash gizmos but longer..

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FreeFallin · Mar 9, 2017

I do think the bracing in the second picture is really poor engineering (I say knowingly from the comfort of my bed), but it reminded me of a Blaire Glenn video where he did some excellent bracing to save a 1920s timber framed home. You could argue that he did not have the right tools for this job trying to "crane" using his bucket, but sometimes you got what you got...

I am interested to hear any thoughts on this.

TreeCo · Mar 10, 2017

Even though I'd have done some things a little differently it's hard to find any fault with the end results.

I say 'Well Done'.

CaPowell · Mar 10, 2017

I agree- well done. The video was aptly named.

I saw my old boss rig a couple of huge chunks from his bucket truck in a similar fashion out of necessity. That is definitely not ideal, but I only ever saw that once in five years of working for him.

Blair did add some captions to the video stating that buckets aren't cranes and should never be shock loaded or have the weight capacity exceeded. I'm pretty sure they definitely exceeded the weight limit and was wondering why they didn't have an empty bucket and just use the ground controls. It seems like that would ensure they didn't exceed the limit. I guess hindsight is 20/20.