Huge, scary top, could have been my life..

Treecutter22

Treecutter22

Ok,
So Im sure everyone here knows the tempation to get the job done fast.
I have it bad.
Now I can just hear all the folks telling me how lucky I am to be alive after this. (which is true)

I can also hear them say how stupid it was. (this is true as well)

I am posting this video in the "awakenings" section because any newbie who watches this needs to know that this was a super stupid thing to do that could have gottem me killed.

If you watch, the branch above my head cracks as it flips.
its one thing to hear little branches "cracking" but I knew it was somthing entirely diffrent when I heard the "boom" of the trunk breaking as it eccoed within itself. I remember it sounding veri ominous.

The crane company bumped me up a crane size that day which I was happy about. I had never used an 80 ton, and espicially only 24 foot off the center pin. we wer super super close.
I had 3 9000lb chokers so we were good to 27k. where the crane was, he was good up to 36k+/- (if I remember correctly). So fliping the crane wasnt an issue.

So I wanted to hook a huge chunk, because I had my videographer friend there filming me.

The delima was that it was a cottonwood (very snappy and weak). So if I hooked too high I was scared the thin limbs would flat out break. and if I hooked to low it would ....well... you know.

So Here it is for your viewing pleasure. One of thoes close call moments and one more lesson learned.

One huge top video-- Click here

Mark
THE 1-800-Tree-Expert
 
wow, thanks for sharing.

Too bad someone on the ground with another perspective wasn't knowledgeable enough to suggest you move the chokers up higher.

that was some thick heavy foliage up top and those chokers were sure low, sometimes hard to tell while you are in the tree.


I know cottonwood is a bit brittle, but it's amazing how small of a diameter you can attach to if there are multiple attachments and the pick is straight up with little movement.

Looks like the diameters were still 12 inch where you had the chokers.

I bet you could have gone way up to a 5 inch diameter and been very safe with 3 chokers.

Nice clear good video. Fun to watch. Thanks.

Oh, were you worn out when you made that cut? Looks like that saw was hard to pick up, looked like 120lb saw? Or were you doing that for the camera?

thanks again :)
 
Mark,

Next time you have a similar situation, marl the slings a couple times, thus spreading out the load.

I bid a job last summer that never happened. We needed a 210 ton crane to pick 2 lombardy poplars that the tops of which were at least 160 feet above and 70 feet away from the crane. I was going to have two long spectra slings made out of 5/8th, which would be rated at about 40,000 lb after the splice, and attach them with marls spread down at least 20 feet. Crane company might have required a certified tag or something on the slings, but that's what I would have used, as opposed to anything they had. I'm sure the fishing supplier where I get my ropes would have had no problem certifying the splices, as they work with huge huge ropes...up to 2.375" Plasma line, rated at 1.5 million pounds or some god awful high figure.
 
Yikes, glad you are OK. I've seen a few pieces flip on guys, it is scary shnit.

Quick question for you crane experts. Is it any quicker, at least in this particular situation to go that big? All that would hafe to be cut and at least moved until the next piece came right? Or is it just to get the crane out of there sooner?

WPArborist
 
bowdown.gif
Dear Tree,
Thank you for only rolling.
eek.gif

Love,
Dirty Pants
 
Well... THAT was exciting.

Man, what a huge chunk of wood to have swinging around out of control. Of course, since the cameras were rolling you just acted cool right?
cool.gif
"Naw man, that dark spot is just sweat."
 
Ok,

I am not sure if you are being cocky intentially or if it is just in your nature. (of course we are all climbers, so we probably all are just a bit)

but I will respond to acouple things you said.

If you were in that tree and you knew you were hooking 13k pounds, you wouldnt have gone any further either.

you said it your self, it has to be straight and without movement. look at the vid and see how spread wide---=-thus pulling sidways it would have been at 5 inches.

the best thing to do would have been not to hook that much to begin with, not have someone "with more nowledge" on the ground instructing how to replace the straps----?????

And yes, I guess I was showing off a little with the big "lug" of the big saw. At first I got a little bugged that you even said it. then I had ot laugh a bit buecaus in fact that IS what I did!!!!! Kinda funny when I think of it.



Mark
 
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Guys,

If you look close, you can see one of the main beams split right before it starts to roll fast!!!!

Thats what caused it to go fast.
 
wp,
In retrospect, it would have been WAY better to cut smaller picks.

I had a bobcat and an 18 inch machine there prosessing the material out on the street. however, it stoped opperations as we untangled the mess.

it was only a sliglt bend of a gutter that we straightend by hand, but it still wasnt worth it.

and yes, I wanted the crane gone asap. however it was also for the camera.

nextie I htink I willsettle for a slightly more borring shot.

Mark
 
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