Dropping a tree on a tractor

[Cobleskill]

My buddy told me a good one last night. His neighbor [ and friend - I know him also] had a black walnut he wanted down. He enlisted another neighbor engineer type to help him. The tree had a bit of lean the wrong way so they decided if they put the small 4 WD John Deere bucket loader up a way on the trunk they could push it over. They put a wimpy notch in it and proceded to make the back cut about 6 inches above the notch. My buddy was across the road and out back a ways at his house. He heard a whole bunch of cracking and then a crunch. He knew from expreience that the amount of cracking was way too much to be normal. He ran over to see what happened and after seeing the fiasco told them "I don't mean to be a know-it -all but everything you did here was wrong" The tree came over on the bucket and fortunatly the but kicked out so it didn't center punch it. It lifted the rear wheels off the ground in the process. It did do some damage but they really got lucky. To bad nobody got it on video. DOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[MasterBlaster]

Ha! At least nobody DIED!

[Cobleskill]

And the tractor was only about a year old and 20 some grand worth. Does homeowners cover stupidity?

[Frans]

I have a vision of the bucket slamming down and the operator flying up and out of the tractor

[Banned by Squirrels]

PUSHING AGAINST A LEAN???? :|:


Engineer types are no good with trees...

[The Branch Doctor]

I've found that engineer types can barely tie their shoes let alone drop a tree.:|:

[Bounce]

You'd think the engineer types would have a better understanding of leverage. Or even common sense! I got a call recently from an engineer who wanted me to give him a bid for a difficult removal. It turns out that was just an excuse to get me to explain how I would do the job so he could try to do it himself! When I asked him if I could come and watch and video tape the debacle, he knew I was on to him.

[stehansen]

I have a friend who is an engineer for Lockheed-Martin and he went water skiing with us back when I had a boat. I figured he could back the trailered boat into the water, wrong, in about five minutes of backing he had made it about 40 yards down the ramp.

[olyman]

in all the time i worked in the factory--i only met one engineer out of about 30 or so that knew his butt from a hole in the ground!!! they must go to college thinking they are going to get smart!!!!!!!!!

[Al Smith]

Luckily I now work with some very bright engineers .It hasn't always been that way though .

I've met some good ones and some not so good .On occasion I have had to show the later where the bear chit in the woods .

Without going into ethninticity it seems to me that those of eastern origin are by far the most arrogant and also the dumbest . The best are those who grew up in a rural environment in my opinion . At least that group has a little common sense to go with that piece of paper called an engineering degree .

[fallguy]

The best one's I have worked with worked with tools then went back to school and got their degree.

[cuttenwolf]

about 11 years ago i saw this guy who was so smart he started lucent in italy. the tree he had tied to his car ended up leaning up against the secondary wires. it had a rope about 30% up the trunk and the all wheel drive car could easily pull over the tree leaning back. "i am college educated" he told me. i climbed the tree foolishly, placed the rope higher and pulled it over using a come along and a 16 year old. never was able to be faced again by that man.

[MasterBlaster]

WTH is a lucent?

[Stumper]

Lucent Technologies= techno weenie company.

[Al Smith]

Lucent Technologies= techno weenie company.
One I might add I kinda lost a chunk off my azz in the stock market over .:whine: Should have bought scrap metal .

[Cobleskill]

My oldest son is an engineer. He grew up on a farm and it did give him some common sense. I know a lot of engineers who are very smart in their narrow band of knowledge, but incredibly stupid about the majority of other things. It is funny sometimes and irritating other times.

[Frans]

Lucent Technologies= techno weenie company.

Sure employs alot of folks here in my county. But massive layoffs the past 5 years.

[Skwerl]

I'll say, Frans. Lucent almost went under before merging with Alcatel in 2006. It was just another in a long succession of AT&T incarnations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucent

[Al Smith]

I'll say, Frans. Lucent almost went under before merging with Alcatel in 2006. It was just another in a long succession of AT&T incarnations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucent AT and T was another one of my string of losers on the "big board " :(

[NeTree]

Just got to reading this thread through.

FYI, I'm an engineer... ;)

Al, trusty old stocks like Kimberly-Clark are always sure winners. (They own Scot tissue... and everybody will always need to wipe their butts!)

I'd rather take the small gains from the old performers than deal with tech stocks anyday.

Pushing a tree over with a tractor isn't stupid, if you do it right. :LOL:

[Al Smith]

Al, trusty old stocks like Kimberly-Clark are always sure winners. (They own Scot tissue... and everybody will always need to wipe their butts!)

--I'll add to that,Clorox is another good one .In spite of the losers in my little portfolio ,Clorox gains have more than offset those losers I have .:)

My dear old departed grandpappy gave me some advice when I was about 15 years old regarding investments .He said do not invest more than you can afford to lose on anything,stocks,land whatever . The old boy did pretty good at it himself but never had much money until he was about retirement age .

Now as far as engineers ,the reason I never pursued a degree myself is the fact I wouldn't make as much money as doing what I do now . I had the occasion years ago to be a controls engineer before there was such a thing even without a degree .However ,without that sheep skin the chances for advancement are slim to none . Water over the dam now ,in a matter of speaking .

[Blinky]

Do i dare mention... that I'm an engineer? :what:

[MasterBlaster]

You lucky bastids! I've never rode on a train!

[lumberjack]

I took a 36 hour trip from MS to NM by way of Chicago.

Boy howdy that was a while, good experiance though.

[No_Bivy]

:\::\::\:
Do i dare mention... that I'm an engineer? :what:

[Che]

Arguing with an engineer
is like wrestling with a pig:
you both get dirty, and after a while,
you realize that the pig enjoys it.

:P

[stehansen]

In 1962 I rode on the train from Sacramento to New York. 3 days of being couped up for a 9 year old. Then in about 1980 me and some drinking buddies took the train from Riverbank to Reno to party on new years eve and then rode back on new years day. Sort of our designated driver plan. The sierra nevada is beautiful that time of year.

[Che]

In 1962 I rode on the train from Sacramento to New York. 3 days of being couped up for a 9 year old. Then in about 1980 me and some drinking buddies took the train from Riverbank to Reno to party on new years eve and then rode back on new years day. Sort of our designated driver plan. The sierra nevada is beautiful that time of year.

They sound like some good memories. Wish there were trains connecting this area to the rest of the country.

[NeTree]

Che.. Yup.

[Al Smith]

For some reason or another every time I rode a train while I was in the Navy I got intoxicated . Too many nice people that wanted to buy the sailor boy a drink or three I guess .:|:

[Stumper]

My longest train trip was from Gaborone Botswana to Cape Town South Africa and back.That trip had Diesel , Steam and Electric Locomotives.A rather cool adventure.

[Cobleskill]

I got to ride in a locomotive twice. Once in a switching yard and once out on an actual run. I was hanging out the window checking it all out. It's amazing what you get to do when you know the right people!

[GASoline71]

I rode the "Bullet Train" in Japan to go to Nagasaki to visit "ground zero".

A very eerie place for an American to stand...

Gary

[Paul B]

not much train experience here, a one hour trip from vancouver to squamish on the Royal Hudson http://www.wcra.org/hudson/story/image4.jpgand a few hour trip in Holland http://www.councilmeeting.nl/Data/Images/train.jpg about 20 years ago. :)

[Cobleskill]

I jumped a freight train with a couple buddys in college. It was evening when we saw a train stopped in the valley down below the college. Train guys were walking the train looking at the cars. We found an open car and jumped in before the train took off. Albany Schenectedy and Troy were close by and I thought the train would stop there. Wrong!!! It started getting dark and we realized what the train guys were looking for was a wheel bearing on the car we were on. The whole wheel got red hot. Scary. After about 2 hours of 40 mph non stop travel I decided we better jump off. There were 2 sets of tracks and when we met a train coming at us on the other tracks our train slowed to 20 mph. I said next time we slow down let's jump. We were 80 miles from home and it took us all night to hitchhike home. We were the news subject of the morning as none of us made it to class untill afternoon.

My buddy came to visit at college and wanted to do a great train ride too. I jumped on a movin train no problem. He was pudgy and when he tried to jump on we was on the pivot point of his belly. He was losing the war with gravity and was going to end up under the wheels. I grabbed the door frame with one hand and his belt with the other and dragged his fat ass up into the car. The train went about 100 yards and stopped for an extended time. We gave up and called it a lucky night that he still had both legs. Ah the good old days!!

[MasterBlaster]

What an adventure! I've never hopped a train before, I bet you're the only one here who has! Tre Cool!