Phil
Carpal tunnel level member
- Location
- Oak Lawn, IL
So I do utility trimming right now in southern IL. There are no shortage of redneck neighborhoods. Not a bad thing, but they definitely have a git r done attitude. There have been a few storms roll through here the past couple days doing some power line damage. We were out fixing the place up and got sent to a very rustic little row of homes. Super nice people. I went to the guy all the way at the end of the line to trim some branches of his triplex. That was the setup for the story, now let me break it down in an instant replay:
1. The tree is a big oak, the branch to remove is 15' off the ground and has some overhang of the triplex and is 6-7" in diameter.
2. I get the pole saw out of the truck to remove the immediate overhang so i can cut the whole branch off without hitting the wire. (no truck access)
3. As soon as the guy sees the wimpy little pole saw i have he says, "haha, don't bother with that. I want the whole branch off."
4. He goes to his truck, gets an extension ladder and a poulan chainsaw. Puts it against the tree, goes up, and starts cutting the whole thing with just a top cut. one handed
5. I take the pole saw and start whacking the branch right in front of his face to get him to stop so i can climb up there and do it. He completely ignores me and keeps cutting. As the branch starts to fall he stops cutting, backs down the ladder a few steps, goes back up and finishes the cut. The branch falls tip first and the butt, thankfully shoots back on the opposite side of the tree as the ladder.
6. I told the guy i was working with to get in the trunk we are leaving. Then i got out and told the homeowner, in a very polite manner, what I thought and the risk he just put himself in. It was like talking to the wall.
7. He had his wife and 5 kids out there on the front steps of the house watching him cut.
I shouldn't care, but it made me angry that he would not even stop when i was beating the branch with the saw in front of his face. I hate ignorance
1. The tree is a big oak, the branch to remove is 15' off the ground and has some overhang of the triplex and is 6-7" in diameter.
2. I get the pole saw out of the truck to remove the immediate overhang so i can cut the whole branch off without hitting the wire. (no truck access)
3. As soon as the guy sees the wimpy little pole saw i have he says, "haha, don't bother with that. I want the whole branch off."
4. He goes to his truck, gets an extension ladder and a poulan chainsaw. Puts it against the tree, goes up, and starts cutting the whole thing with just a top cut. one handed
5. I take the pole saw and start whacking the branch right in front of his face to get him to stop so i can climb up there and do it. He completely ignores me and keeps cutting. As the branch starts to fall he stops cutting, backs down the ladder a few steps, goes back up and finishes the cut. The branch falls tip first and the butt, thankfully shoots back on the opposite side of the tree as the ladder.
6. I told the guy i was working with to get in the trunk we are leaving. Then i got out and told the homeowner, in a very polite manner, what I thought and the risk he just put himself in. It was like talking to the wall.
7. He had his wife and 5 kids out there on the front steps of the house watching him cut.
I shouldn't care, but it made me angry that he would not even stop when i was beating the branch with the saw in front of his face. I hate ignorance
