NorCalBrock
Branched out member
- Location
- Chico
Yep - I need to slow down and double check. The universe is warning me to pay closer attention
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Rookie mistake
- Thread starter Yimboob
- Start date
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
I color code my hardware and ropes. All my Life Support gear is Lemon (yellow). Red is Rigging. Lemon yellow only goes on climbing ropes.
Having a contrasting color of tape on the end of the rope can help to find the end when in a pile on the ground.
Electrical/ vinyl tape doesn't fade/ change colors. Could be useful to put blue tape on originally blue ropes, red on red. I will probably put a stripe of color over the Rigging red tape, as I see the fading where yellow stable braid looks like dirty white rope.
NorCalBrock
Branched out member
- Location
- Chico
Same here but different schemes - all rigging is red/yellow and life support/climbing is blue/green
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- Location
- Austin, TX
I saw a two-ft-long, 5" diam stub near the middle of a 40-ft live oak branch. In the wind, it kept bumping the eave of the house. No, prob, I'll cut it!
Then the rest of the branch, the 20 feet that crossed over the stub and shaded a patio, slowly collapsed onto a glass table. The stub had been there for years just to prevent this. Luckily, the glass table was unharmed, but no more shade. The wife was pretty mad, but it turned out okay bc the husband wanted the firewood.
Then the rest of the branch, the 20 feet that crossed over the stub and shaded a patio, slowly collapsed onto a glass table. The stub had been there for years just to prevent this. Luckily, the glass table was unharmed, but no more shade. The wife was pretty mad, but it turned out okay bc the husband wanted the firewood.
Great idea on color coding. I should have thought about that before spending thousands!
SomethingWitty
Arkansawyer
- Location
- LR
Broke my finger yesterday. Thought I set a second rigging block above me - but didn't. Made my cuts, harnessed my saw, rest my hand just behind the rigging line, pushed the load free with my left hand while holding a branch above me my right hand.
Rigging line slid right down the limb above me and across my finger tips!
Ugh...it was supposed to be an easy peasy pruning job.
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Is that fancy thing aluminum?
I suddenly need a Rap-Rack glove for some reasons.
Lowering things quickly from the canopy that you can definitely hold, but couldn't let slide through your hand.
Maybe a bailout/goofing off system?
NorCalBrock
Branched out member
- Location
- Chico
Yeah - I got it at the pharmacy- I knew they'd just splint it and take an X-ray. Didn't want to wait 4 hours for an X-ray so I'm just treating it myself.
Had a ER friend look at it and said "splint and ice - if it is crooked in a month then go see a dr."
It wasn't crooked then and isn't crooked now. Should be fine in a couple of weeks.
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Treezybreez
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Lancaster, SC
I have a crooked toe after trying to stop a rolling log with my foot. Yeah, not the most brilliant thing to do.
Had a fairly knowledgeable groundie knock a tooth out using a pole saw to cut a 2" diameter branch about 10ft overhead.
Climbed a hackberry one time in a back yard with a 50-75% cavity. Painstakingly lowered all the branches and as I was about to cut and pull the stub I cut as if there was no cavity there. Smashed a fence with homeowner watching. Luckily had a 30yr carpenter on that crew and fixed it better than it was.
Climbed a hackberry one time in a back yard with a 50-75% cavity. Painstakingly lowered all the branches and as I was about to cut and pull the stub I cut as if there was no cavity there. Smashed a fence with homeowner watching. Luckily had a 30yr carpenter on that crew and fixed it better than it was.
southsoundtree
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Olympia, WA
I 'barked up' a fir tree last week when felling a stub of another fir tree, tangled in a beat-up native bush the homeowner wanted to save. I was distracted by the homeowner. The stub went right where the hinge was set. My fault. Homeowners around don't help, and often have a hard time seeing that the groundie is not their conversation partner while I'm up in a tree, or on the ground, for that matter.
They are a distraction, but to tell them to go away as they are a distraction, therefore danger, would rub a lot of people the wrong way. If I said "don't talk to my employees", I'd probably look like a slave driver jerk, rather than the guy who wants everyone to go home with all ten fingers and toes, unless I specifically say this is the reason.
I think that I should return to reminding that Conversations Kill.
I wonder if letting the homeowner sit in on the Safety Meeting would help the situation by the homeowner understanding more of what we are dealing with, safety and task-wise.
They are a distraction, but to tell them to go away as they are a distraction, therefore danger, would rub a lot of people the wrong way. If I said "don't talk to my employees", I'd probably look like a slave driver jerk, rather than the guy who wants everyone to go home with all ten fingers and toes, unless I specifically say this is the reason.
I think that I should return to reminding that Conversations Kill.
I wonder if letting the homeowner sit in on the Safety Meeting would help the situation by the homeowner understanding more of what we are dealing with, safety and task-wise.
- Location
- Greensboro
thank god for sena communication! Always tell the ground guy to keep the ear muffs down and the homeowner will go away
- Location
- Austin, TX
I understand where you come from in not wanting to offend the customer, but I think we have to take control to some extent to maintain safe work sites. If we play up the safety angle, I think most people would quickly get over any hurt feelings. I would probably keep my mouth shut if they came out and chatted while we dragged brush, but say something like, "As we rig this next part out, we need a clear work zone with no distractions. Please step back to [safe distance]." I think it would be smart to offer them an invitation to the safety meeting, but I'd be surprised if most customers accepted it.
I had a customer once with the most curious, free-ranging 6-year-old ever. I was clearing a fenceline, so I'd be on the ground cutting stumps with a chainsaw and she'd be right behind or beside me. At the end of the day she really wanted to chip something. I knew that was way beyond crossing the line, but I let her put one, long stick through that wasn't more than 1/2" diam. Luckily, no harm done, but that's a job I look back at and feel like I got pretty lucky. Control your job site.
NorCalBrock
Branched out member
- Location
- Chico
I now put it in the contract they can't be outside once the work starts or I walk from the job and charge them for work completed...I have had to give a couple reminders but they go inside once I refresh their memory for safety sake
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GreenMntnBoy410
New member
- Location
- Vermont
I've got a good one from a couple weeks ago. Out on the end of a leaning boxelder. Holding the top with my left hand, handsawing the shit out of it with my right. Like trying to cut through it as quick as possible. Fully aware that my left forearm was in danger, I've tagged myself before with a handsaw. Anyways, cut through the top, the weight loss naturally makes the rest of the tree spring back. Between the springing action and me handsawing like a madman I hit my forearm with the handsaw with maximum effort. 6 stitches on the outside, 3 inside. Lucky that it was the outside of my forearm and not the inside. In hindsight, I should have taken it a lot slower, there was really no reason to rush, no targets below other than a roof. Handsaws are sharp.
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I did the same with no permanent injury. Bucked a 20''ish dia ash log on a slight grade. I even put a wedge from a felling cut up against it that didn't faze it. It rolled over and started down a steeper grade towards my friends truck. I went running after it with saw still in tote. Got my foot in front of it, and my big toe got bent upwards. Instant bruising. My friend was rolling in laughter of how cartoonish it was. All I saw was dollar signs.I have a crooked toe after trying to stop a rolling log with my foot. Yeah, not the most brilliant thing to do.
Treezybreez
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Lancaster, SC
The long toe broke on my left foot when we were loading a 40" diameter Oak log. Onto a trailer. The guy I was working for motioned for me to prevent the log from rolling back down the ramps so he could get in a better position with the mini. I put my foot against the log with my heel to the ground and my toes against the log. The log laughed at me, then it bent my toes back against my foot. It would have been a lot worse, if the rest of my body was in the way.
Treezybreez
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Lancaster, SC
Did your friends truck get tagged?
evo
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- My Island, WA
Shit, I wish I bruise a toe the first time I chased down a runaway log. It was a steep grade heading straight for the homeowners fence. As I was sprinting after it I had a very short conversation with myself on the best way to stop it. I knew I didn't want to get infront of it so my plan was to jump on top of it just off to one side. The though (and I was right) was if I can just slow it down on one side it would pivot just enough to clear the fence or slow down on the short flat. I still have never landed so hard on my ass, not unlike trying to jump on a runaway skateboard and having it shoot out from under you landing ass first.
Took me more than a week to stop hurting
Took me more than a week to stop hurting
SomethingWitty
Arkansawyer
- Location
- LR
That is a good buildup to a good finish, but how did the fence fare?
