Dropping a tree on a tractor

Cobleskill

Treehouser
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Dec 31, 2006
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Western New York near Lake Ontario
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!!!!!!!!!
 
I have a vision of the bucket slamming down and the operator flying up and out of the tractor
 
PUSHING AGAINST A LEAN???? :|:


Engineer types are no good with trees...
 
I've found that engineer types can barely tie their shoes let alone drop a tree.:|:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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!!!!!!!!!
 
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 .
 
The best one's I have worked with worked with tools then went back to school and got their degree.
 
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.
 
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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.
 
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, 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 .
 
I took a 36 hour trip from MS to NM by way of Chicago.

Boy howdy that was a while, good experiance though.
 
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