So I shouldnt post this due to the shame

As with everyone else here. Thanks for being transparent with sharing your mistake.

However, I do have some questions to further my understanding of the situation:

icon5.gif
--Were you trying to rush the tree removal?

icon5.gif
--While you were placing the straps in the tree, did you have an idea where the center of gravity of that leader was?

icon5.gif
--Did you think your placement of the straps were below your center of gravity?

icon5.gif
--Where was your tie-in & lanyard? Were they below your feet?

Thank you.
 
I have repeatedly encountered a situation with crane operators wherein they want to take the biggest piece that will not flip the crane. After working with an operator a couple of times they inevitably see the meticulous nature of the way I do it and understand. I take control on crane jobs. I have to explain that I am not interested in taking the biggest piece possible but getting the job done the safest way possible. As well as the fact that the climber is the one potentially in danger and so that is who should make the final call. Congratulaions on living to tell the tale. Bet you won't ever do that again.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I bet I coulda reached out with one hand and stopped it from flipping, until I let go. Ya'll are overreacting.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'd have to see that to believe it. That pic looked WAY unbalanced and I don't think anybody short of Superman could have stopped it.

The experience Chris mentioned above:
We were removing a good sized multi-stemmed Silver Maple and on the last brush pic, things got interesting. The piece leaned away from the crane, and I choose to stand with my back to the operator/crane just for comfort as I made the cut. I don't like doing that, but it was easier (hindsite and all that...). What the operator didn't see was a limb, low on the pic that extended away from the crane. When the lead was cut free, that low limb "pushed" the butt straight at me into my belly and pushing me down the spar. Luckily the operator was able to extend the boom, lifting the pic up and away from me before things got REALLY uncomfortable. I was able to stand right back up in my spurs (never even gaffed out) and continue the job. There was no way that I could have deflected that amount of momentum. And that was maybe a 15-17" cut.

In hind sight the operator said he would extended the tip further out to compensate for that low limbs push.
 
Thanks for posting I have done that more than I would like to admit, good for you she whent over slow, seen em go alot faster - damm scary when you really blow it and they flip and the cables slap the boom, and you just want to get out of the tree.
I would say the problem was where the chokers were placed not the size of the cut.
Big enough crane and a big enough landing Zone .. heck Cut em bigger. Not many jobs lend themselves to massive picks, but over 20 years you get a few - 48" oak(2/3crown) 4 picks 125Ton crane, 30" oak(fullcrown) 2 picks, you best make sure the crown is sound, your riggings balanced, and your crane can hold the load. definately not for the inexperienced

Kysawyer bet you don't do that again, glad you are Ok. One of my worst Nightmares is being squished between two logs like a grape!
 
Blaster,
actually the crack was my biggest worry.

You couldnt see it in the other vid as well,

HERE is the uncompressed shot in slow motion

Watch as the weight leaves the 2 higher tie in points and transfers to the lower one, the lower one totally splits.

that chunck where it split was around 24 inches at the fatest point.

That is what made that sound that i really didnt lie hearing.

Ive only heard big lumber riping like that once and I dont ever want to hear it again.

Mark
 
Notcha,

1. Yes I was moving Faster than I shlould have been. Mostly because of the video. I wanted to hang a big top because I knew my friend with a the video gear was there.

2. Yes, I spent about a considerable amount of time placing the straps, and debating the whole time. I knew that they were pretty low, however, just a few feet up were forks that would have split the diameter in half. So I was really scared of a thiner piece fully breaking under the load. If that would have happened, it would be a crane tipper/ climber killer. So I oppted to hook it lower as I had had other pieces flip in the past.
Plus one other thing. I was dealing with 3 tie in points. Thats is a lot harder to set correctly than compared to 2. I was dealing with trying to get them all tight at the same time.
no doubt it was difficult to do it right. I certianly didnt do that one perfect.

4. You are correct. My lanyard was below my feet. I had few foot stub that I was tied off to from another branch that i had taken off. I didnt feel real safe to be bucked directly to that trunk in case of an emergency.
 
Glad to hear everything ended with no injuries. Same thing happened to a buddy of mine, on a slightly smaller scale of pick, when he was with another tree company... He was knocked out cold and didn't come to untill he was rescued out of the tree.
 
1800,

Thanks for posting this. All that leaf weight, out towards the ends: I think it still might have flipped without it, but cottonwood leaves are heavy! I had a much smaller c-wood leader go toward horizontal this year, and the main factor was, looking at the amount of butt weight, I didn't factor in the length of a side branch, which had a lot of leaf weight way out at its end. This branch leveraged the butt over, rather than adding to the butt weight. Same amount of leaves on a branch half as long, and it wouldn't have happened.

From the way you reacted, it looks like you had it in the back of your mind that it might do that?
 
Tag lines are a good tool. However, I wouldn't want to be the guy holding it.
bigeyes.gif


Naw, I understand ya Butch. A tag line anchored to a neighboring tree (or truck) with a Port-o-Wrap III is a good choice to back up a swing.
 
1800 you did a good thing and learned from it you walked away in one piece and all where safe. Thanks for the vid and the advice from others. As the old man once said Mistakes are the things that teach us what not to do again .
 
I couldn't get the video, and couldn't find it on break.com, any ideas anyone on how I can see this clip??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom