In need of some friendly advice.

[Lukeastanley]

Hello,
I am a novice in the tree care department but I've been asked to do this job by an older friend of the family. I really want to be able to do the job because he has helped me personally with several repairs on lawn equipment. The mission is just to get this broken section on the ground and cut into 6 foot logs. I have an idea of using his tractor with a chain and performing a large snap cut up a few feet past the break (followed by attachment of the chain), then tackling the rest when it is all on the ground. Any friendly advice from seasoned tree professionals on how to get the large section onto the ground safely with minimal equipment is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Luke S.

 

[Grendel]

Start walking it up from the tips, you'll reach a point where everything is suspended, and can then use the tractor to piece out the rest. Cut small and often, and mind the tension in those grounded leads.

 

[Spellfeller]

Hi, Luke. Welcome!

As Sam pointed out, your initial work plan was in reverse order. If you plan to do this sort of stuff more than once, you owe it to yourself to get a copy of Jeff Jepson's To Fell A Tree. Here's a shot of page 117. Good luck!

 

[Lukeastanley]

Wow, thank you both for the prompt and sound advice. It is greatly appreciated and will make this job much safer for me now. I definitely will check out this book and others by Jeff Jepson. Thanks again!!!!

 

[BlackSmith]

I’m no tree man Luke but like Sam said, be VERY mindful of tension. The one you think won’t get you will get you.

 

[Lukeastanley]

Yes sir, I intend to take it slow and cut carefully. Thank you as well

 

[MrMoon5shine]

my .02 clean up the trunks first ie remove all small branches first, so you can see the tension better and less of a chance of tripping or getting whacked in the head

 

[SeanKroll]

Splintered wood traps bars/ chains. Cut away from splits and splinters.

Storm damaged trees are DANGEROUS. Slow, small, steady. take breaks and think. Clear out the footing.


May have been mentioned, clear the not-supporting limbs as convenient. Beware spring-poles/ loaded limbs. If you're not sure how to cut loaded limbs, we can walk you through it.

 

[SeanKroll]

Expect that to fall off at any point. Looks like the fibers may be entirely broken...a very different scenario than if there are still holding fibers.


What kind of tree?

All different reactions from all different species and conditions (dead, decayed, brittle). Checking on the wood on the small stuff can indicate how the larger stuff might be supple or brittle, stringy, strong, etc.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Welcome to the Treehouse, Luke!

Just remember that kinda job can cripple or kill you before you know what happened.

 

[murphy4trees]

Looks like you can get that down without leaving the ground which is almost always a better option than cutting aloft, especially for a newbie...

Clean it up and get it down to two pressure points on the ground, then keep undercutting carefully, one side to the next until it starts to get straight.. That should be safe to keep cutting until it gets straight. It may fall off first, which would be good. if it doesn't , then use the chain, rope or whatever, making sure the tractor is far enough away from the piece that it can't be hit if it comes over that way. This is all assuming there its bombs away on that tree: nothing under the tree than can be damaged.

 

[SeanKroll]

breaking ropes or chains can be deadly

 

[Mellow]

My friendly advice would be to let someone else do this tree for you.

 

[murphy4trees]

breaking ropes or chains can be deadly

Good point.. gotta hope he has some sense.. One precaution would be to hang some weight on the rope/ chain, like a wet towel or another hank of rope on the rope/chain

 

[Lukeastanley]

Thank you all once again. This tree is a double trunked water oak and has only a few inches of wood left at the breaking point. I only plan on using the chain when the majority of the trunk has been cut off and if I feel like it's too much tension I need to stop the process and consider my options. I have been a part of the process of cutting storm damaged trees but not on my own or without the aid of a bobcat etc. There is plenty of room to pull with the tractor and nothing in the area for almost 80 feet. I may need advice on the best way to cut into the leads stuck into the ground but regardless I will take my time watching every reaction from the tree. I will also make sure all small brush is removed first.

 

[pantheraba]

Why not just use a rope to get the chain installed on the broken/hung part...don't get YOU near it. Or just use a rope (choked bowline to trunk)...and use the tractor to pull that piece off the pedestal. That should take a lot of maddness (risk!) out of it. Not all, though.

Keep away from the spar/pedestal since the top is barely attached. If you can't pull the broken piece off use that tension to give it a "lay" while you make any spar cuts...capisce?

 

[Lukeastanley]

I had considered trying to pull it off with a chain before making any cuts I just thought that the position of the two trunk sections coming down and the weight would be too much for the tractor to handle. I'm not entirely sure how much force the broken section can withstand even being mostly detached. Thanks

 

[Lukeastanley]

Everyone has been very helpful. Im going to attempt it this weekend so I still have a few days for further planning.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Welcome to the Treehouse, Luke!

Just remember that kinda job can cripple or kill you before you know what happened.

Just wanted to stress this point, brother.

It would really be best to have someone experienced overseeing your actions, seeing as this is your first time dealing with this potentially deadly scenario.

 

[Lukeastanley]

Yes sir that would be ideal for me also but unfortunately the few professional treeguys i have worked with would either be too busy or require a good amount of money for their time which I understand. The dangers are very real and I have a great respect for my own life. I am determined to being able to accomplish this job so I will give it my best shot. If I sense that the situation is too much for me to handle I can walk away without any regrets

 

[MasterBlaster]

One concern is your lack of experience with wood under compression/tension unless perhaps you have experience in that. Hopefully, the worst that will happen will be a saw pinch.

Just beware - use a tiger eye in your approach the entire time.

 

[Lukeastanley]

I have memories of a very particular day. I was working as groundman for my first real full-time tree service company. I was determined to be a climber one day.
The boss was a very hard man to work for. He was arrogant, disrespectful, and had no regard for safety or ppe but he was giving me my first experiences and I felt loyalty towards him. He had just bought a used nifty-lyft so there was never any opportunity for me to climb. One day we pulled into a subdivision in senoia, GA. We walked into a pretty tight backyard and he pointed out a couple narrow 90ft pines to us. There was no room for the lift so this was my moment. My first climb, I was nervous and excited beyond words. He told me to grab his spurs and his old Weaver harness from the truck. We shot my climbing line into a pretty good position close to the top. I started climbing and immediately noticed that the spurs were completely dull. This made me even more nervous but I hurried up the tree slicing through the small limbs while gaffing out and hanging by the climbing line and lanyard. When I reached the top it was swaying from my weight and the breeze and I continued to slip on his dull spikes trying to hammer them into position when I remembered that nobody had ever taught me how to properly cut the top out of a tree. I began to panic and froze for a second. I knew he would be mad but I shouted down that I decided I wasn't comfortable and I was going to rappel down. He insulted me a couple of times and shouted profanities as I slid down the rope. I told him that I didnt know how to do it and I was not comfortable so he quickly put his gear on and climbed up. He topped the tree and began bucking the rest down while the rest of us ran the tree through the chipper. When he was about 30 ft from the ground I watched as he put his line around a dead stub that was still attached. He unhooked his lanyard to swing to the other tree and plunged to the ground straight onto his back. That moment was haunting. We immediately rushed over and called an ambulance and luckily he was not seriously harmed. The point of this long/short story is that I'm not afraid or to proud to walk away and I know my limitations.

P.s. I worked for another tree company after that which was great (where I learned much more) but had to take another job offer because the hours weren't enough for me to support my family. I also climbed after that and it went much better.

 

[Lukeastanley]

I have some experience cutting wood under pressure but with more and better supply of equipment and experienced personnel around. I am just always open to open to expert advice and this is one of the bigger solo jobs I've taken on so far.

 

[MasterBlaster]

There are a lot of moron bosses in this biz.

Many others too, I suspect.

You sound like you're good to go, aware-wise.

 

[Merle Nelson]

Another option to be a bit safer is to use an extendable power polesaw to trip the limbs/tops under tension. It can put you 12 to 15 further away and transfer risk more toward a $600 tool.