How'd it go today?

Looks like it'll be a good one for dropping trees.
Don't do that. Allow you more time to normalize/mend. Moving around is a good thing to equalize the muscle's contractions, but don't try to push it so much too soon. Only starting the chainsaw can be a killer for your back, not saying to bend over with it, staying locked as is the time of the cut, and catching the saw in the air at the end of the cut while bucking the felled tree.
Take care of you, it's a delicate process and that takes time.
 
Did nothing today. It was raining, and my back was sore. Went into the office and played on the computer awhile, then got some groceries at aldi. Went to the one close to me, and I hate going there. I prefer going to the ghetto location, but didn't want to drive. I hate this town I live near. Too many people, and it's a real hassle getting around. 1:30pm wasn't terrible, cause I was in between periods when everyone goes out to ruin my day, but still worse than I'd have liked.

It's been 9 days since I cut my leg with a knife, and I haven't looked at it since. I put the bandaids on, and they've stayed in place. Haven't felt anything odd, or seen any redness, so I left it alone. Wonder how long it takes for skin to stitch together? Never paid attention in the past. I give my full endorsement to BAND-AID® Tough Strips™. It's a fabric bandage that's thinner and more flexible than the classic fabric, and the adhesive holds like a rabid pitbull. It leaves gummies on your skin when you take it off, but so far, I've always had to take them off. They haven't fallen off. Highly recommended.
 
Had a rough morning trying to finish up the brush mowing. I cut a bunch of scrub growth between abandoned RR tracks and tossed it out to chew up. With the fresh snowfall I missed seeing a discarded tie plate. Well ka-bleuie happened. Sheered a tooth pocket off the cutter head. After calling the mechanic to come weld a new one on, I noticed a crack in the housing. Further investigation showed a sheered bolt that holds the hydraulic motor. Not an easy in the field fix. The mechanic chewed on me for a minute but then calmed down. He noticed a lot of things wrong that were from neglect. He apologized and promptly made a few phone calls to make sure the normal operators would all be present tomorrow morning for their ass chewing. The day got much better when I had returned from hauling the Rayco back to the shop. My two guys had finished the felling and had everything bucked and staged for chipping. This included the rest of the scrub brush that I was going to mow. We ended up working an hour over tonight but finished the job a day earlier than I anticipated and two days ahead of the bid time. Boss was happy enough to tell them they can stay home tomorrow instead of working in the single digit temps we are supposed to have tomorrow. Best part— paid for 8 to relax. I still have to come in but no big deal. I have a pre-job meeting with the gas company to set up a clearing plan for a ROW that runs through a country club golf course. I think it’s just on the edge but will still be touchy. My transition to a less physical role in the company has begun and I guess meetings are gonna become more common. Still waiting on that damn laptop and printer to show up and apparently a shiny 2020 F-250. I hate to say it but I’m kinda looking forward to driving a Ford. Not my first choice but since I’m not paying for it, I ain’t gonna bitch.
 
Best of luck getting better Stephen.

Rich: I've been way out of the loop... I guess that I hadn't heard... was you're transition to, "a less-physical role," the result of a given injury, back pain, personal goals/aspirations, or other? Just super curious... got a ton of friends my age in transition right now, big time.
 
So, finagled an old friend to shake loose his checkbook and let me do the trees I quoted for him early last year. Take down of 3 spindly, 50-60ft crooked oaks, removal of a 35ft EAB victim, removal of a 50 ft red oak lead threatening the back of the house, and some other small prunings. Had to climb the spindly oaks due to limited drop zone to drop the tops. Easy peasy work, and allowed me to work w/the brush monkeys on falling skills for the sticks. Then the brother in-law stopped by, and got a bonus EAB victim out of him right next door. Both paid right on the spot, and 3 neighbors came out asking for cards (the whole development has ash trees planted in the front on the street; half are already EAB victims). Definitely a 2 thumbs up day! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
The whole bunch of went us out saturday and moonlighted.
Took a large and very inconveniently placed beech down.
The joy of working with a great crew that can get stuff done and have fun with each other while doing it.
That netted us 3 grand for the company travel fund.
 
Last edited:
I can sorta imagine, but I'm curious how that works, how you choose to contribute to the 'company travel fund'. It sounds like a great team building concept.
 
I can sorta imagine, but I'm curious how that works, how you choose to contribute to the 'company travel fund'. It sounds like a great team building concept.

I’m guessing it was cash, everyone knew the price and all were agreed it went towards the holiday.
 
Cory, anything we do that is not on the books, be it work, renting the chipper out or selling oil and fuel goes into the travel fund.
Sometimes a job like this shows up, and we'll all go out and work on a weekend together.
Then once a year, more or less, we do something together.
We've been to California 3 times, climbing big trees. To the Czech republic and on motorcycle trips to Norway and Schweiz.
In 22 we plan to go to Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
It is indeed a great team building concept.
 
Wonder how long it takes for skin to stitch together?
From a past injury, I'd say 3 weeks, more or less one or two days.
It was a cut by my handsaw on the side and base of the left index finger, a good 5/8" long, completely through the skin but not deeper. No stitch of course, as I didn't want to live the job and spend at least 3 hours in the ER for that, just some gummy band-aids (no electric tape this time:)). They didn't stay put due to the cut's place and the griping movements, so each days it was a new one. But in the wild, the animals don't get some stitches and they still manage to heal their wounds. So my point was this must repair itself alone. I was a little worried though, because the cut's lips stayed mobile longer than expected, leaking some serum and didn't seem to begin to weld back together. But suddenly, in a span of very few days at 3 weeks, all the thing froze and closed.
Phew!
 
Hands are the worst. Aside from the movement, you're always hitting it for obvious reasons.

I changed the bandaid out Friday night. The cut was mostly together, but I had a mild infection in the center, and it was still open. Nothing concerning. I'm down to one bandaid in the middle, and I guess I'll take it off next Friday.
 
Due to weather changing, had to try and finish up a job for a friend's mom. Dead, 70 ft. stick (species unknown) removal next to garage in tiny back yard, reduction prune of a 100 ft green ash over driveway, and major reduction prune of 120ft red oak over driveway, front yard/utility wires and house. Friend was doing as a gift for his mom getting ready to sell the house, and she asked me about another tree, which turns out was a dead, EAB victimized, 70ft twin stem green ash (with thinner stem going over street lines 50 ft up). 2.2 days in so far, and today was the most interesting. Due to the utility lines and sketchy situation with the twin stem ash (very dead and spars were very thin), took advice from a back & forth with @Tree09 (thanks Kyle!) from another thread and rented this lift for the day:


All that's left now is one annoying limb left on the oak (way over house; couldn't get lift close to it) and drop/cut up the 25ft spar from the ash. Both paying in greenbacks, so that will help keep that side of funding plush! :big-money:💰💲
 
The lift definitely was a home run for the oak limbs over house/lines and the ash I didn't trust. A little taller would have been nice, as the first top out of the ash was definitely dicey (a little too big; one limb grazed the lines; no spark or downed lines, so we survived) and the last one on the oak I have to go back for tomorrow. It will have it's uses now and again, but unfortunately, I live in the land of 80+ft trees being the norm, so the height factor is limiting (and no place close has anything taller that I can move like that one). Big bucket is in the plans for year 2, as long as projections stay in line.
 
There's a few tricks i use/ have heard of for maximizing a shorter bucket. First, I'm a big fan of using as little rigging as possible to accomplish the goal, so I'll use speedlines all the time. For example, a limb is overhanging a house, but if i could move the butt away from the house 10 feet it would clear. So I'll do a speedline combined with a bit of directional felling, the speedline pulling the butt and therefore the limb away from the house. I recently did something similar to clear a fence, the tips would land first but the speedline forced the butt to clear the fence. By thinking of directing the fall rather than catching it you can do stuff that you sometimes can't by rigging alone.

You can also use a short rope to remotely set a speedline sling. You could just toss over a crotch, tie a running bowline, clip a crab in the loop, clip your speedline, pull it tight and then tie off. Then you can put another sling on the butt, so now the limb has to travel tip first down the line, and will then follow in line. The 2 slings trick is also very handy swinging limbs because the ground guy can simply pull and it pulls the top and provides directional control for the falling as well.

I work in spreading trees a bunch, so with overhanging stuff I've learned that tip tying and butt tying used together are amazing, especially with a pull line. I have a handmade grcs, so i can tension the tip, make a notch in the side, natural crotch the butt, make a back cut with a thick hinge (very thick if you are in the way so it has to be pulled first), then get out of the way while a ground guy pulls it to the side. The limb swings over and then gets caught in the rigging, and you didn't even have to get out/up there because you can rig it remotely. I use crotches as rigging points all the time, and can often set up the entire system with a throwbag.

I've also found leaving the brush and stuff on the ground to make a landing zone helps control bad bounces, because the wood falls into the mess and can't really go anywhere, and doesn't bounce as much. It makes a mess to clean up (by hand), but i would rather clean up longer than break something or rig a bunch. Letting the guys cut it up if needed does help. With your winch i would imagine this isn't a problem at all, and would actually protect the ground a bit by making everything drag on sticks rather than dirt.

Another guy in town doesn't climb at all, but he uses a power pole saw to great advantage from the lift. Pole tools allow you to reach farther, and can be used to set lines as well. It can also get you out of the way when releasing cuts, so you can make it safer. You can rig the tops remotely natural crotch style, and cut above you to lessen the load. I've seen things where you can attach them to the upper boom, so they are out of the way until you need them. Just a few tricks that might help for next time.
 
A power pole saw from the bucket is a great trick and have used it many times from a 55' bucket but now at 72' reach I am golden for a good 95% of the trees in the area.
Image 1.jpg While a loft I'll use this if I need to set a line. It has about 50' of skinny Zing It. I copied Jerry's idea. Works great.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top