Wish me luck

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Do you have a buddy or friendly competitor that could handle the job? Working as the groundie would be a good education.

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Sorry Tom, but here I do have to disagree big time.
If I had to climb that one, I would like the groundie that handles the rigging to be an experienced climber.
If not for the flying little pieces after the big bang just below you, than it would be just to prevent a big bang by a smooth catch.

I think a good climber has a better understanding of what it means to NOT wanting to shockload a succer like that tree.

That tree would be a big/high priced job to me. Take it or leave it. The high price would be the only thing that would get me out of bed in the mornig knowing I had to do a tree like that.

Wolter
 
This looks like a Willow i once did some 10 years back.... It was with a complete dead top, some nasty straight up 'bad crotches' and some already broke out limbs. The firedepartment wouldt work on it anymore.... The tree was about 1 meter from a shop brick wall. And about 10 meters from the railroad with electric high current lines. Grown in a deep trench between the railroad dike and backyards also on/sloping down from a dike.

When i showed up and checked the tree it looked save to me. Just drop the pieces straight down. All went ok but the firebrigade commander showed up and called me a freakin nut doing this work on that tree. (no way a crane or other equipment could get there. we winched out the wood up the dikes over 150 meters through wetland.) When doing the last 3 meters of the trunk in one cut it went wrong. (it was about ø90cm at breast height) I already noticed some trunk rot as the tree 'sounded' a bit hollow. When making my fell notch there was plenty of solid wood. When making the 'side' cuts to prevent splitting the trunk i noticed the saw got stuck doing about 3 cm in the wood. When i ripped my blade out i got all washed away by MUCH very dirty stinking water from inside the trunk. It seemed to me that because of that water inside i made VERY BAD ASSUMTIONS to the stability of that tree. I quess that the 'hollow' sound was very dampened by the water. So I placed a pull line for sure to pull the trunk away from that brick wall. (with the winch over a block in the right angle) It never did the trick, when the log topped over about 30 degrees on the side of the wall it collapsed and the log fell against the brick wall. That made me run like hell as it looked that the wall would collapse to. The wall was all the way in a wave by the impact. Just like a wave in the sea but this time vertical. Thank god the wall was ok and not even the plaster on the inside was broken or falling of.

So moral, when doing these kind of high risk trees its better to learn all tricks and gadgets first to do the job. There is little place for error and error will cost ya in such situations. I know for sure that i have encountered lots of trial and error situations in climbing. Those situations wont happen twice i hope, that would be to blame on me.
 
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When making the 'side' cuts to prevent splitting the trunk...

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Sounds like you'd just cut through the only viable hinge fiber!
 
I started creeping around, taking little by little. One thing led to another.
 

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It was a risk, but I looked the tree up and down over & over & went super slow and small. My roper is not a climber, but he's smart and we've been working a lot together on 'letting it run', absorbing the weight, and where to direct the forces. It went smooth.

Its comforting to know that there's help and advice to be found on this site. If nothing else your comments kept me honest.
Thanks, john
 

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I'm glad that the tree came down without mishap. Can you post some pics of the trunk wood? Seeing what the inside looks like with wounds like that at the base is interesting.

Just a nit to pick...helmet on your groundie?
 
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I started creeping around, taking little by little. One thing led to another.

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Like Jed Clampett used to say...

"Weeee doggies!!!"

Good job; glad it worked out for you..thanks for the pictures.
 
I knew there was some solid wood there, but not how much. If it was leaning even slightly the opposite way I wouldn't have gone up it.
 

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Took Riggs advice.......I like. There is always a way, and if you don't come up with the right way at the time of estimate you won't get the job. My first impression was climbable but no heavy rigging. Some times when I get a crazy job like that I find myself thinking that I must be the right person to do that tree the right way.

Of course if you don't come up witht the right way at the time of estimate, then you're up a creek without a paddle.
 
Hey Mangoes,
Will you be in Nashville? Competing or judging? There's actually a waiting list to volunteer. Looks like I'll have to kick back and enjoy the show.
Didn't need luck today. Could let nearly everything fly, so no need to show many pictures.
 

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she didn't want to pay for us to clean it up, and we didn't want to clean up. A lot of people around here have their own saws. A lot of times they just call us when its too close to the house.

See Rupe....this is why you shouldn't top. Our kids will be climbing these trees someday. (Just messing around /forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif)
 

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There was a bit of roping. Just the little brush. For safety's sake we did the 'set the rope and try to pull the tree over method' before I went up.
 

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