Still tied into the load?!?!?

JesseHuffman

JesseHuffman

Location
Phoenix Arizona
This is an email form a friend who has been in the industy nearly 2 decades. I can't imagine making a mistake like this but then again...I'll bet John thought the same thing.
Im so glad he is in one peice.

"Jesse,

That traverse line is pretty cool. I’m not sure you should have rigged off the line you were on, but then who am I to talk. I just about killed myself yesterday. I topped 20 ft out of a fan palm and forgot to pull my climbing line out before letting her fly! I’m a very lucky man and glad I had on my old school harness with the large steel D-rings. Also glad I was double wrapped with a steel core flip line. My ground men saw it just as it was falling. They screamed but it was too late. The piece fell to end of my line, still 15 ft off the ground and jerked me off the tree and suspended me between heaven and earth. I wasn’t hurt except for a wrenched lower back. A few aspirin this morning and I was back to work doing more removals today. I think I either need to let you young guys do this stuff or I need to climb more often so I don’t do bone-headed things. I really like the second option. I was telling Kim yesterday, tree work is so much fun. I love it. And I think it keeps me young to keep climbing.



Well, climb safe my friend. I want to be talking trees with you in twenty years. We’ll be reminiscing about those good old days, or still climbing in the old farts competition and complaining about sore bums and weak knees…That wound be cool. See you soon.

John"


crazy.gif
 
Glad to hear he is ok. I was just telling our new climber a day or two ago to remember to pull his climbing line out of the tope before he makes his back cut. I've heard of guys forgetting to do it and getting yanked out of the tree. Happy to hear he wasn't yanked out and walked away with minor injuries.
 
This is an obviously very dangerous operation. Not that it can't be done safely though.

A protocol that Paolo shared with me is that his groundie will hold onto the tail of the climber's rope during any cutting from below the TIP. The groundie is not distracted and has a loud whistle to get the climbers attention just incase the climber doesn't resest the TIP.

Training groundies and co-climbers to do visual checks all of the time is a good protocol too.
 
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How often do people cut their face cuts while suspended from above?

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I will do this any time I need the higher TIP to manuver safely. Kinda spooky but Id like to think that I would NEVER proceed without untying above 1st. Im way too slow and WAY too paranoid to let that happen....knock on wood.
 
I will cut my notch in a chunk while being tied in above, only when it is over 24" Dia and no decay.
I tried it a couple years ago on a Black birch that was about 18". I was tied in with a monkey's tail and the pull down side was hanging down the back side. I went to cut the notch and the saw stopped, I had cut the last 6" (the splice) off the end of my climbing line. What eirked me most was I had 2 experienced climbers standing there looking right at it, and 1 on the rigging line looking right at it. They all said something after I hit it. I know it was my fault... But it would have been nice to have the other 6 eyes paying attention, we all make mistakes and its nice when one gets caught before it creates an accident.
 
[ QUOTE ]
How often do people cut their face cuts while suspended from above?

[/ QUOTE ]

on really fat trees it sure is helpful and especially if you need the notch to be just right for a small drop zone.
 
Jesse,

Glad he made it through with minor injury, hopefully. A wrenched back is bad, but could have been worse. Hopefully, any injury has manifested itself quickly, and doesn't show up later.



How large is large for people? What size trunk or saw are you using to make the most of this overhead TIP for facing it up?

I don't work on as many spreading trees where this is more of a challenge. I can see this being more of a help if the tree leans a lot. On heavy leaners, a smaller face cut can suffice often, whereas on straight upright stems, like a lot of the conifers that I deal with, it is not as difficult.

I will use a very deep facecut, Gord's "Magic Cut", that works so well. In which case, I would not cut with my line above me as I will be cutting somewhat deeper than the COG. I can reasonably easily spin myself around the trunk to double cut with a 20" or smaller bar, and rarely need to double-cut with a 28" bar, which I run on my MS 361 in the tree. Haven't had to use a large saw in the tree, especially since I have only recently gotten a larger saw than the 361.
 
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How often do people cut their face cuts while suspended from above?

[/ QUOTE ]

I've done it many a time. Sure can make life easier on larger diameter notches.
Then, before I make the back cut, or bore cut, I look up to make sure all is secure and eyeball the fall one last time, and ask the ground crew if everything looks good.
 
[ QUOTE ]
This is an obviously very dangerous operation. Not that it can't be done safely though.

A protocol that Paolo shared with me is that his groundie will hold onto the tail of the climber's rope during any cutting from below the TIP. The groundie is not distracted and has a loud whistle to get the climbers attention just incase the climber doesn't resest the TIP.

Training groundies and co-climbers to do visual checks all of the time is a good protocol too.

[/ QUOTE ]



I like this double-safety system.

I heard about a 13 year employee climber that disobeyed the bosses safety rule that a groundie would ALWAYS be there with the climber, even if it is just standing there, doing nothing but watching. This climber bombed a piece that he was still tied into, above him, and got wrecked in the process.




BTW, I asked how often people stay tied in above for their notches as an information seeking question, not challenging question.
 
I made that snafu about 32 years ago. Luckily, I was taking half an alder, and my lifeline just started to come tight as the top landed.

Ha, I'm gonna razz young Gord about "his" COG undermining trick....I've only played with it for, oh, 15 or so years....
 
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rarely need to double-cut with a 28" bar, which I run on my MS 361 in the tree. w in the tree, especially since I have only recently gotten a larger saw than the 361.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dang, and where were you Thursday. You coulda done the whole tree.....
wink.gif


To the board, this is an inside "joke" Ya'll will have to stand by till I find the time to put up the story of our latest "pecker pole" removal.....

Which Holly coulda done in, what, 6 hours, eh, Sean?!
grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I made that snafu about 32 years ago. Luckily, I was taking half an alder, and my lifeline just started to come tight as the top landed.

Ha, I'm gonna razz young Gord about "his" COG undermining trick....I've only played with it for, oh, 15 or so years....

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think that Gord is proposing it as a proprietary technique, at all. He shared it for the rest of us unfamiliar with the technique. People that search for it will be more easily able to find it with Gord's name as the original poster. He seems pretty humble, and not out for the worship of forum watchers everywhere, unless he's a closet Narcissist. I just call it Gord's Magic Cut for reference.

We could come up with a good name for it.




Roger-

Thursday would have been cool, but it just wasn't in the cards. I also woke up feeling sorta sick for no apparent reason. Would have liked to come and watch at least, but with the neighborhood being the fancy pants way that it is, with gates, and surely no street parking, I didn't want to make it any more congested with my truck there, in addition to your truck, chipper and truck, crane, log truck and HO vehicles. I got to spend the day with friends in Seattle, which was great. Went to Camp Long and bouldered a bit, and relaxed. I don't have many friends in Olympia, they are scattered around the NW and country, so it was a good opportunity

Day 1 was a good experience, and break into contract climbing, which I've started pursuing more.

We're looking forward to the pics whenever you get them done.
 
No problem......I was far from the first to do the COG cut.....and my ego isn't quite as huge as our Philly friend....

Just now got the video files recovered..and am putting them on a flash drive to move to my new computer....where they can be edited..if and when I find the time. There's four that I shot while in the tree that should be good.

Headed back to the site to take some pics of Robert grinding the stump.
 
I will often do my face cut then retie my line below to make the back cut. Before do make the final cut I look up, check all the lines and confirm with the groundsperson that we're good to go ahead. It takes a couple seconds more but it eliminates many potential disasters.
 
Not a huge tree, but one I stayed tied into to cut the notches and set up the block. (coming to a youtube... maybe next year?)

this was the most recent tree i did this, this past month.

Hot humid day and just getting back into removals.

Being still tied in helps in setting up the block too.

I can explain ropes and stuff if you want me to point them out.
 

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another still picture. 1500 to 2000lb log drop.

sorry, the rest is on video...
 

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