Cheap gaffs.

...And the drop would be cool, but they would have to take half the tree and several others would need MAJOR trimming for that to be possible. And these are BEAUTIFUL mature trees in an area of town that requires a perit with the "Historical society" for removal. So, do you walk, or go for it?

You lost me here. Is it a main high voltage line or just a service drop running through the tree? And then you jumped into a bunch of talk about major tree reductions in order for "that" to be possible... WTF is "that"?
:?
 
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  • #31
This is a HIGH tension line running through the WHOLE neighborhood.

"A drop", means dropping the high tension lines to work on the tree, but that means taking half of this tree to do that.
 
I'm still not understanding why half the tree needs to be removed because of a wire? Either you're leaving something out or else your local line clearance guys work WAAAAAY different than everywhere else...

A 'drop' is the wire going from the transformer to the house. Commonly called a 'service drop'. In verb form it can also refer to 'dropping' the service line from the transformer to the house.

High tension lines almost NEVER get dropped unless it's a verrrry big deal. You aren't the guy to tackle a job like that. If it's a high tension line, then you need to keep a minimum of 10' away from it at ALL TIMES. It will KILL YOU! If the job requires you getting too close to the high voltage line, then you are not qualified to do the job. Sorry bud. ;)
 
Brian, Tssk, tssk. "Dropping" is a gerund.

Andy, Your shorthand was a bit too short. Pruning the limb over the house is no biggie so long as you stay away from the high voltage with all of your gear.
 
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  • #34
The tree has grown so the wires are down the middle of the crotch of this tree!! And honestly, if the line clearance guys saw this, they might take out the whole tree! Ten feet? Yeah, maybe TWO feet in the tree!! I can get on the roof and get most of it from the roof, which I think is the better plan. Then have him call Ashplund and let them work their butchering!
 
THEY can get closer than 10'. YOU cannot. THEY have special gear and even special nonconductive saws in order to prune stuff away from the lines. They normally won't cut down a tree such as you describe unless it was a threat to the power transmission.

Call the power company, see if they will either trim it away from the lines or drop a shield over the wire for you, maybe both.
 
If there's a possibility that the tree may have to be removed by the utility then why not steer the customer down that road first. They'd probably end up pissed if they paid you some money to prune their tree and then the utility came along and removed it.
 
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  • #37
THEY can get closer than 10'. YOU cannot. THEY have special gear and even special nonconductive saws in order to prune stuff away from the lines. They normally won't cut down a tree such as you describe unless it was a threat to the power transmission.

Call the power company, see if they will either trim it away from the lines or drop a shield over the wire for you, maybe both.

RIGHTO!!!!! Thats the info I needed!! I wasn't aware of that posibility!

Yeah, this thing is 24-26" at the stump, and each of the leaders going up are around 14-16" and MIGHT be 10-12" off the lines.

Edit, I am so rude!!! Thank you again Brian!!
 
I've run into this a couple of times and I advised the customer to call the utility and tell them that she wants to prune the tree and requests them to clear the lines before the tree company can do their work. Both times they were out in a few days and then I did my thing. Can you get some pictures? I think we have some line clearance guys on the forum.
 
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  • #39
I am honestly kicking myself, in my sore ass, for not taking them today!! I thought about it, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I have to go back to get the addy, so I will take the camera then.

Sorry if I am seeming like an idiot, but I figured it was better to ask before I walked.
 
A picture would be good ,I can see pretty well but I can't see quite that far as from here to there .

Ok ,after that smart azz comment ,it's unusual for a utility compny to let the primaries or high voltage wires get entangled in a tree . However in some urban areas they run a secondary set on lines but lower on the poles .These carry the 120/240 service voltage that is then tapped into for the individual homes on the service sector .

Because it is obvious that you are not familiar with electrical distrubution ,are not trained in same nor have the proper equipment .it's my advice to pass this one up . If you get snagged into the primaries it could be fatal ,no more Andy .

If it is the primaries and the utility cuts back the tree they get pretty brutal with them and often prune them off at ground level . That however depends on the power company involved as they all do it slightly different .
 
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  • #41
Pics are comming in a bit. I went back to get the proper address.
I talked to Weststar energy and the lady was very nice, "Well sir, we can do a line drop for that." "No mam', these are pole to pole wires, and the tree is crotched in the middle of it!" "OH!!!!!!"
She forewarded me to the "Vegitation specialists" supervisors phone and I wait for a call back. Should be an interesting meeting!
Looked at an Elm removal also, that one needs a service drop:lol:
 
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  • #42
Wife made them a bit small.
 

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So how much clearance do you need off the house? The lowest wire already has a shield on it, so this isn't a new situation. It could be climbed by somebody with line clearance training but it's a bit ticklish. I definitely wouldn't be gaffing it (think about strapping sharp pointy grounding rods to your legs and sticking them in the grounded tree and brushing the wire). Your safest bet would be to just get what you can from the roof with a power pruner.
 
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  • #45
He just wants the low lying limbs clear of the roof if there is an ice storm.
 
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