I had to comment!

[Matias]

I am also not saying that the insurance rates are making it impossible to make money, but its extra money ya gotta charge, and that hurts everone but the insurance company

 

[flyingmosstreen]

Little devils advocate here,

Would you have rather seen them on a ladder instead? OSHA wants you “tied in” above 6’.

I guess he could’ve thrown a harness and lanyard to the bucket. But I would be much more comfortable on the bucket platform than a ladder….

Again devils talk here

 

[southsoundtree]

It sounds like that isn't helping the guy by explaining the danger.

A guy referred a dead tree to me. He said he didn't want to climb it. After I climbed it he asked if it was hard.

I said it was easy. I have the customer done gravy work because I was fine so quickly.

Point is that someone saying they wouldn't do something is way different than saying that it's a known danger to wrap the rope around one's body, a simple knot would provide ample grip without the danger of becoming one more "Superman" being flown through the air, possibly being led by mangled joints, and do you mind if I show you, passing forward wisdom that has been passed to me down from our predecessors and colleagues.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

Little devils advocate here,

Would you have rather seen them on a ladder instead? OSHA wants you “tied in” above 6’.

I guess he could’ve thrown a harness and lanyard to the bucket. But I would be much more comfortable on the bucket platform than a ladder….

Again devils talk here

Would have rather seen client pay for a skilled arborist who knows how to do this work. This kind of work should be done by those who are trained, equipped, and insured to do it, and compensated accordingly.

When people do the work cutting corners without the prerequisites, it means we are competing with folks who will do the work for a lot less and keeps us from paying our workers more.

 

[startree]

Wow you can afford heavy equipment and no helmet. I love the awaking thread to keep my own awareness factor sharp. I hope these guys find this thread and will turn from there wicked ways . Same thing happens to me as I read goods word daily.

 

[startree]

Gods word

 

[evo]

I grew up going for bucket rides every time my dad got his hands on a backhoe.
Never wore a hat. Very fond memories.
Probably wouldn’t do it with my kiddos but I do let them pull the levers

This though…. Yeah they look foolish. At least use a manual pole saw

 

[rico]

I hope these guys find this thread and will turn from there wicked ways . Same thing happens to me as I read goods word daily.

Wicked ways? Really?

 

[Treeaddict]

Ran up on this yesterday.

They need helmets and the guy on the grapple needs to be tied onto that loader with the proper harness and fall arrest gear

 

[Mick Dempsey]

I‘ve done worse.
I detest the thing on FB (and on these forums) where this sort of thing gets put up in the hope of everyone getting all high and mighty about it.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

everyone getting all high and mighty about it.

The Gotcha Pot Shot is taken too often if there is any variation from 'The Best' sometimes.

 

[treebing]

Safer than a ladder.

 

[Daniel]

I went to a work day in Philly, before the TCC, with a small crew. Wore my chaps and everything. I might have been the only company there with a loader, so that's how long ago it was. ASV RC-50 with the green turf tracks.... We finshed our job in the back of the property in an hour or two, so we were looking for something else to do.. there was a big blown over pine out front that no one had touched.. I think it had a major lead sticking up pretty high that was a danger to roll if the tree was cut from the ground....

I asked the loader operator to lift me up to the lead... I had worked with this guy for 20+ years and absolutely trusted my life to him, countless times. I got some dirty looks from the other arbs as he hoisted me and a 046 up, maybe 4-6' on the loader bucket (leveling as he went)... I made a quick snap cut, and was back with feet on the ground in under a minute. I stepped away and he broke the snap cut free with the loader and laid the big lead on the ground out of the way, where it was quickly and safely limbed and bucked in minutes...

Someone later made a comment about safety... And I don't care what anyone says, that was the fastest, easiest, safest way to get that high lead on the ground. The caveat there is that I was working with a loader operator that I knew wasn't going to kill me... Sending a man in there with a chaisaw and no machine was a lot more dangerous than taking a 60 second ride on the loader bucket.

 

[96coal449]

I went to a work day in Philly, before the TCC, with a small crew. Wore my chaps and everything. I might have been the only company there with a loader, so that's how long ago it was. ASV RC-50 with the green turf tracks.... We finshed our job in the back of the property in an hour or two, so we were looking for something else to do.. there was a big blown over pine out front that no one had touched.. I think it had a major lead sticking up pretty high that was a danger to roll if the tree was cut from the ground....

I asked the loader operator to lift me up to the lead... I had worked with this guy for 20+ years and absolutely trusted my life to him, countless times. I got some dirty looks from the other arbs as he hoisted me and a 046 up, maybe 4-6' on the loader bucket (leveling as he went)... I made a quick snap cut, and was back with feet on the ground in under a minute. I stepped away and he broke the snap cut free with the loader and laid the big lead on the ground out of the way, where it was quickly and safely limbed and bucked in minutes...

Someone later made a comment about safety... And I don't care what anyone says, that was the fastest, easiest, safest way to get that high lead on the ground. The caveat there is that I was working with a loader operator that I knew wasn't going to kill me... Sending a man in there with a chaisaw and no machine was a lot more dangerous than taking a 60 second ride on the loader bucket.

I give you credit here. Years of combined experience. Sometimes the safest approach isn't in the books.

I just did a sketchy crane pick last Fri. We finished up some back yard work and had 2 sugar maples in front of the crane. We boomed over the cab. The spider web of power lines negated this, without getting permission to use the neighbor's driveway and resetting the truck. Took the top out of the second maple. About 80' away from the boom's center on a 50ton rig. It was a sprawling top with ne lead reaching horizontally over the wires and away from the truck. Operator boomed down to keep the 3 slinged top away from me. After I cut it, we got a little day light under the rear outriggers. Wasn't drastic though and everything went smooth. I had trust in the truck, and faith in the operator.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

The articulated loader I had was a Waldon 5000. I made a forklift carriage with a grapple. I had a special pallet that clamped onto the forks when I used it for a lift.

The SOP was to position the Waldon, have the cutter get on the pallet and secure a flat anchor to the frame. The cutter kept their lanyard attached to this anchor and snubbed short. The Operator would not drive around or move to reposition with the cutter on the pallet.

No one ever slipped off the pallet. No one fell.

The issue in the OP's picture is the lack of fall protection.

Would anyone have different feelings if some knuckleheads were free climbing without fall protection?

 

[flushcut]

I‘ve done worse.
I detest the thing on FB (and on these forums) where this sort of thing gets put up in the hope of everyone getting all high and mighty about it.

Is there a tree person who hasn’t done some sketchy shit once or twice in their career? I have.
Honestly the guy on the mini is probably the mildest form of sketchy I’ve seen.

 

[southsoundtree]

That looks bad for the profession, safe or not.

 

[Stumpsprouts]

I asked the loader operator to lift me up to the lead... I had worked with this guy for 20+ years and absolutely trusted my life to him, countless times.

I totally get this. Only a sith deals in absolutes. I have used a ladder on a crane job and it was totally the best way to position for some cuts, it is impossible to explain without a long description but just trust me.

I think this photo and the posting of it is getting hella overthunk here. Double whatever.

 

[evo]

One thing is the controls on the mini are vulnerable, won’t take much to bop the operator on the head and bounce onto the controls.

That’s my biggest concern with the overall picture, that and lack of hats.

Last and lowest is the dude in the bucket being tied in.

 

[27RMT0N]

Not having helmets is what makes it look the most amateur to me... and yes standing on the loader bucket looks janky too. But we all know a ladder can be knocked over far easier than that loader and no one would blink an eye if he was on a ladder to make that cut. Not to mention you can't safely set up a metal orchard ladder on a concrete driveway without special feet....

I'll occasionally work off the roof of my service or chip truck to make a few cuts. Yes it is safer than a ladder, no I'm not tied despite being higher than 6 feet or whatever... There are lots of 'textbook' things that can be more dangerous than breaking some rules. The difference is having the knowledge and ability to know which is which.