Heavy leaners

M

Mike_Cantolina

Location
PA
I occasionally (far too often after Isabelle) come across heavy leaners that are partially uprooted and leaning toward transmission lines. Often they are hung up in some tall small diameter tree that could break or uproot anytime. Let's say there is no access for equipment. Only what you can carry by hand which is often the case.

I'd like to hear what some of you do in situations like this?

Mike
 
1) Can the tree be dropped down freely without damage (and danger)to overhead lines or other things?

2) can there be made a guide line(s) / anchor(s) that directs the movement for a complete drop away form the obstacle? (tirfor or so)

3) is the tree still stable enough to climb and cut/rig down in pieces?

4) is it possible to anchor the tree with cables/ropes so it becomes climable?

4) use a chinook to lift it out.

I have removed leaners in 90 degrees angle from the hang to left or right in free fall. If they are given risk to property i placed a steel cable to steer it the right way. We do this a lot on our dutch dikes with poplars with overhang towards agricultural land and houses. If the overhang/lean is natural growth you can let the tree pull on the reaction wood at the backside. If it is a rootball lean i use definitly a cable to guide and hold it. In either way you have to get experienced at doing this the right way. A wrong cut can give a hell of damage if the tree splits or brakes to early. some tricks i use, a small piece of wood in the nodge on the leaning side makes the tree tip in more the right way. Using wedges on the leaning side in the final cut. making a cut backwarts from the nodge away. Then final just tick the last centimeters with the saw from the back.

All depents on the situation and possible damage/danger that can occur. I often practise this on free standing trees that cant give damage/danger and needs to be removed.

Ronald
 
Thanks for the reply. These trees usually would contact a 230 kv line if they fell straight out. I do guy them as much as possible with rope. They are usually too close to conductor for steel. I'm familiar with a triangle himge and dutchman which I use a lot but I do not rely on the hinge holding.

What is a chinook?
 
chinook =

Chinook_bus.jpg



/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif

And youre right dont rely on the hinge alone if things can go wrong badly. With lean over 10 degrees i think i place certainly a guide cable/rope.

ronald
 
I take 'em case by case. Sometimes I climb them, some get felled in the opposing direction with wedges, and some get pulled with a GRCS. Others will be cut from the ground and lowered from a neighboring tree. And then there difficult ones- ones that require a pull line installed to pull it away from the wires, then climb and piece it out and then releas the line. All case by case.
 
If the lines are a problem I get the power company involved.
Like Mark said, depends on the specific situation but I get a line in the top of the ones that are too bad to climb and either hinge them or cut them off the stump then pull them back.
It always helps to guy them from the side.
 
Just dump em into the lines and watch the sparks fly. Odds are that you'll trip some reclosers, or pop some fuses, but the lines won't break....probably. When the line boss comes out and starts screaming, just say "whattya think I am? MAGIC?"
 
When I was climbing ROW's we would pop the transformer's fuse on purpose, sometimes. We would call the pwr people to come out and kill the especially overgrown sections, but sometimes they would drag their feet. When you've got 1/2 dozen climbers waiting in the trees for the guy to show up to kill the fuse, and he doesn't, you get kinda cocky.
 
Some pretty good replies for such a vague question. I'll try to get pics of the next one. It may be a while though. I'm jumping between back lot climbing and rural areas here lately. I'd really like to have a GRCS. :)

Mike
 
i think more rotational force/support if ya go over high and then attatch low with pull line; also kinda cradles the tree. If having to go up and trim to adjsut balance better; i have taken weight from the heavy side and tied it off into the light or pull to side. So as to double impact balance by recycling.

It is easier to do that rigging from a higher point than load on heavy side is, that places more leverage to favour. When descending tie off lower part of branch so it can't swing around etc. (but that lower point doesn't bear weight. If fall is towards hauloff direction, less dragging etc.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Just dump em into the lines and watch the sparks fly. Odds are that you'll trip some reclosers, or pop some fuses, but the lines won't break....

[/ QUOTE ]

You might do that ....but you will not be around to even see the boss, St. Peter maybe. 230kv is some intense voltage. Outage #'s won't be in the 20's but thousands of members in the dark.
 
livin large Hammertime, This isn't an occupation for the meek...

or a suggestion to be taken seriously.

I went back and read your newbie post...
I'm an ex Asplundh employee myself, went through the apprenticeship in NW Oregon and out here on the coast. I have spent a little time pulling overhang on second growth spruce in the coast range, and trying to shape thundercloud plums in backyards that are planted right under the single phase.
I often forget that this board attracts a lot of people who have limited experience or education, and I'm not about to post my credentials after every remark. Suffice to say, my comments aren't geared to the new-tribe recreational crowd, nor are they meant to be instructional to the uninitiated.
 
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