A little danger yesterday.

[woodworkingboy]

I was finishing a job to remove some limbs on a row of conifers, working by myself, when the property owner pops up and tells me to top the tree. It was a three day job, and I really wanted to finish and go home. Seeing it has some back lean, I get a rope I brought with me, not my regular pulling one which I didn't bring, a lighter one that has stretch, and the owner gets on the end to pull.

Standing on a limb and safetied in, starting the back cut the top sets back on my saw, I don't know if it was the stretch, or the owner took a vacation, but before I can yell anything, he then gives the rope a big yank, and the top starts to go over, but my back cut is shallow on my side, so it goes over more in my direction than towards the puller, and brushes past me on it's way down. I'm thinking whoa , and I look at the home owner and he's laying on his butt. Not a heavy top by standards, but I could barely move it when it was on the ground. I would not have liked to get that weight coming down in my lap, plus the limbs sticking out. A close call, I was very dumb. I won't do that again, hopefully. Both the rope and puller were bad miscalculations. One for the live and learn book, for sure.

 

[stehansen]

The tree gods were kind to you.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I'm giving much thanks.

 

[SkwerI]

The absolute worst part of climbing is having to rely on other people to perform complicated maneuvers. Too many times you have to put yourself in a position where their incompetence can hurt or kill you. My unwillingness to accept those conditions is why I now have a bucket truck with material handler. I cannot remember the last time I roped out a limb with the assistance of somebody on the ground running the rope. I do all my own rigging as much as possible.

Jay, you have my sympathies. Most people simply do not comprehend what it is we do when we're in a tree. That includes most groundmen (and a surprising number of tree service owners). Homeowners are pretty much guaranteed to not understand and are not to be trusted under any circumstances.

 

[Bodean]

Wow, Close call.
Homeowners are pretty unreliable as help,
I've worked with some decent ones, that realized they could run ropes.

I use the "if you see my head nodding it means pull as hard as you can, cause now's the time" signal with pull-off's.

 

[Mrs.B]

Set back top is a baddy, always. You came out good on this one, and a little wiser. be careful, Jay
GFB

 

[squisher]

I won't work with homeowners on big maneuvers. I need to know I can rely on my help.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Yes, indeed I will, Jerry. I really enjoy tree work, but there is so much to learn.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Happy you came out of that ok Jay...

 

[No_Bivy]

...and you get to live. lessonlearned

 

[rumination]

I have ended up with the top in my lap before, in a similar situation. It was not a pleasant experience. Fortunately, aside from a sore back from doing a ridiculous back bend the get the top off of me, mostly it was just my pride that was damaged. Very embarrassing. I'm glad you didn't have to learn the hard way like me, Jay.

 

[Old Monkey]

I like a nice steady pull before I start my back cut. What are you doing that you need stretchy rope?

 

[squisher]

I haven't had a top come off and hit/sit on me like that. But I have sent a top off course into an adjacent tree and had that sucker bennnnndddd back and then toss that top right back on me. Got real lucky that day.

 

[rumination]

I haven't had a top come off and hit/sit on me like that. But I have sent a top off course into an adjacent tree and had that sucker bennnnndddd back and then toss that top right back on me. Got real lucky that day.

That's the kind of situation that gives you a few moments for a healthy "Oh shit!" before things go all wrong.

 

[Mr. Sir]

That's the kind of situation that gives you a few moments for a healthy "Oh shit!" before things go all wrong.

Yup, you've got enough time to think, "Oh man, this is probably not going to end well."

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Funny how it always seems Slo Mo.....

 

[Blinky]

You must be living right.... damn glad you are too.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Frig that dynamic rope.

I've pushed many a butt away from my secured perch.

 

[Mr. Sir]

True dat. The trick is to start pushing while it's in the air, BEFORE it lands in your lap.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I like a nice steady pull before I start my back cut. What are you doing that you need stretchy rope?

That's all I had with me, when I could have gone to my shop five minutes away to get my bull

rope. :roll: I was using it to lower some small limbs from a tree that sat close to a water pump.

Holding wood is a real study.

 

[vharrison]

Glad you are okay Jay.

 

[lumberjack]

5-6 years ago I was dropping a top in a forrest and it caught another tree, rolled off the top of the spar and onto my lanyard. Aside from sinking the spikes up to the shank, it wasn't a biggy.

Glad you're ok, Jay.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks V, on to bigger and better. Today, I only got taken to task by the crane operator at his job, for nearly bombing the secondary electric line to the house where we were working. I didn't even see the darn thing, and fortunately the limb bounced off

Some big wood for a change, hope to get a few pics up.

 

[Chisel Tooth]

Mistakes are not bad things they are learning things, glad you are OK.

 

[thattreeguy]

glad your ok jay, i dont let homeowners or their family pull for me at all. my crew or no one.
i dont work with home owners because of stuff like that, once in awhilwe ya get an old logger who can help,but rare these days
i have a great story about being distracted, by 2 hotties that were helping, yeah they pulled a lill too much too soon, and pulled out 6to8 inches of holding wood, my whole hinge blew up in my face, top just missed the propane tank....i was watching it fall thinking, shit...thats gonna be a hell of a fireball coming back in a minute,
i watched, scared and angry, my anger wained when i saw em again....
wife wont let me work for em...too flirty, even in front of her.
just missed the tank by inches with a good sized top 20 to 22 in dia fir top at least 40 ft of top or more
lucky day