The tree is the weakest part of the rigging.

[allmark]

I was using a huge oak to rig a little oak down. I had someone else up the tree doing the climbing. All was well until that awful sound of a limb breaking. The limb the block was attatched to broke and everything came down. Good news. We had asked the neighbors to move back while watching.(the tree never would have hit them but things bounce). All of us were in safe positions and out of the way. The branches damaged the gutters on the house and a piece of siding.

Morale of the story. I should have had him take a smaller piece. Planning ahead for safety made a bad situation so I will only be out some money and no one was even close to being injured.

 

[BostonBull]

Great everyone was ok!

Could you not have attached the block to the trunk instead of a branch, and still had the same advantages of rigging from another tree?

 

[chris_girard]

Bull, that's what I was thinking too.

Mark, could you give us a little more detail of the rigging setup so we can get a better idea of what it looked like?

 

[allmark]

It was a big spreading Oak(the anchor tree). The point the block was attatched so it was directly over the tree being cut. I should have used another block to redirect the load to a different point in the tree or simpalist would have been smaller pieces. I could have also moved the block closer to the branch union.

 

[Norm_Hall]

[ QUOTE ]
It was a big spreading Oak(the anchor tree). The point the block was attatched so it was directly over the tree being cut. I should have used another block to redirect the load to a different point in the tree or simpalist would have been smaller pieces. I could have also moved the block closer to the branch union.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mark, how was the block anchored? Was there another lowering line holding it (the block) that was tied at the base, or was it anchored with an eye sling actually tied in the tree, or?

 

[joe]

Using hindsite, what would you have done differently that may have avoided this mishap?

respectfully,

Joe

 

[allmark]

Norm There was a whoopie sling anchoring the block to the limb on the tree. The lowering rope went from the tree being cut thru the block directly to the porta wrap so all the weight was on the limb that broke.


Joe in hind site I should have either moved the block closer to the trunk(so there was les leverage on the branch union) or redirected it thru another block attatched to the trunk. That way I would have still been right over the tree being removed but dispersed the load to the trunk. Or rigged the tree in several pieces which was probably the best option.

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

[ QUOTE ]
...I should have used ... redirect the load to a different point in the tree ... I could have also moved the block closer to the branch union.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's what I was wondering. I've never had that happen and I bet it was a scary event.

 

[Norm_Hall]

[ QUOTE ]
Norm There was a whoopie sling anchoring the block to the limb on the tree. The lowering rope went from the tree being cut thru the block directly to the porta wrap so all the weight was on the limb that broke.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks Mark. I was curious if you had a second rope holding the pulley in place creating a 4X load factor.
Musta been scary. I'm glad it all turned out OK.
See ya in Providence. I'll buy the 1st round, and maybe the 2nd.

 

[Blinky]

I'm curious about the size of the little oak was compared to the crane limb. Was he cutting the whole thing from the ground? Did it all come down on the first cut off the stump?
...cuz that would be pretty exciting.