How I spent my Saturday morning.

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ScottThornley

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I'm sure I'm not the first guy to show up here after lurking for a bit, and then goes off and does a removal. Unfortunately, with the bark beetles we have here, this won't be my last. Doubly unfortunately, the other two removals are going to be a piece of cake, comparatively.

I'm hoping to get some constructive criticism, and please don't hold back. If I did something flamingly stupid, I want to know. Well, above and beyond getting in a tree with a saw in the first place.

The situation is, Utility wires on one side, propane tank on the other. There were three main limbs, the two smaller of which over hung the propane tank to one extent or the other. I took them off two weekends, lowering them with 7/16" static line. Total weights of each were probably between 75 and 125 lbs. The limb that was left had a good lean parallel to the utility lines, and probably weighed closer to 150 lbs. If the limb actually had dropped towards the utility lines, it would have hit them.

I used 1/2" static line to anchor the lowering pulley, using a clove hitch backed up with a half hitch. Pulley was a CMI 5/8" rated for 6000 lbs. I used a running bowline and a half hitch to anchor the butt of the limb that was being dropped. I then had my wife just walk the lowering line around the tree twice. Before the drop, the lowering line was snugged up nicely. Deviating massively from normal tree practice was the fact that the actual lowering line was my old 12.5 dynamic climbers rope. I used this instead of the static line, as I really wanted this to be a soft impact on the tree.

The actual cutting went amazingly smoothly. So much so that it has me wondering what I did wrong. I took a face cut, attached the butt hitch, made the back cut and over it went. The tree barely shook, and the dynamic rope absorbed the fall by stretching about 3 feet.

I don't have gaffs, so I just rappelled off to fell the spar rather then drop blocks. The spar was pretty vertical, but had to be felled sidehill to avoid the neighbors yard, street, propane tank. I used the cut up limb that had just been dropped to protect the propane tank on the down hill side from the butt rolling into it. The accuracy of my cuts leaves something to be desired, but the spar fell as planned too.

I can also post a picture of the spar on the ground. It's going to stay there 'til tomorrow, as I'm tired. As far as I'm concerned, you guys earn every single penny.


Regards,
Scott

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Scott Thornley: I'm hoping to get some constructive criticism, and please don't hold back. If I did something flamingly stupid, I want to know. Well, above and beyond getting in a tree with a saw in the first place.

:lol:

You sound very wise to me. Usually we get a post where a 'newbi' thinks it is a grand idea to climb up a tree with a chainsaw!
Then we hear about what went wrong.

If they are lucky enough to have survived.

Power wires, propane tank, dead tree, all the elements combined sure raise the risk level for a newbi.

One suggestion/ question I have, Did you have someone else there who could perform a rescue?
Never climb alone, always have at least someone who can help you if needed.

Also remember that calling rescue on a cell phone may lead to a real long wait time until the paramedics arrive. Always have the local dispatch number available.
 
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