Powerlines

Yes experience is everything!!!
Did I ever tell you the story about a big top I took out of a pine tree about 65 feet up
So I'm spiking up the tree like a bad ass limb in my way up way out in the back yard
With no targets insight (not anuf room to fell the tree mind you)
So I get about 60foot up and decided to top DAT sucker.
Customer is waving giving me the thumbs up.
So I make a bad notch and begin my back cut the top goes over and pushes the spur around far felt like the spar was going to snap
Didn't think that was going to happened never happen in all the vids I watch on utube
When the tree stopped swaying I thank god 50 times on my repeal down to the ground( I'm not very religious)
When I got to the ground the customer was standing there with some ice tea and said you scare the sh#t out of me with that last cut!!
My pride got it the way and I lyd and said I knew that was going to happen and I had plenty of round bla bla bla.
But when I turned around to take my harness off she had seen I shit my pants for real l shit my pants!!!
So I had to go behind a shed and clean up.
Experience is everything!!!!!!
What I learned that day was climb higher cut smaller!!!
 
Bermy said:
Mr popper gets top marks for correct use of the possessive apostrophe!
Neighbors' well done sir!

Total derail here but that's one thing we are really good at :)
Click to expand...

O.k, but what do you do when it's only ONE neighbor?! E.g.: "My neighbor's porch."
 
sawman said:
Yes experience is everything!!!
Did I ever tell you the story about a big top I took out of a pine tree about 65 feet up
So I'm spiking up the tree like a bad ass limb in my way up way out in the back yard
With no targets insight (not anuf room to fell the tree mind you)
So I get about 60foot up and decided to top DAT sucker.
Customer is waving giving me the thumbs up.
So I make a bad notch and begin my back cut the top goes over and pushes the spur around far felt like the spar was going to snap
Didn't think that was going to happened never happen in all the vids I watch on utube
When the tree stopped swaying I thank god 50 times on my repeal down to the ground( I'm not very religious)
When I got to the ground the customer was standing there with some ice tea and said you scare the sh#t out of me with that last cut!!
My pride got it the way and I lyd and said I knew that was going to happen and I had plenty of round bla bla bla.
But when I turned around to take my harness off she had seen I shit my pants for real l shit my pants!!!
So I had to go behind a shed and clean up.
Experience is everything!!!!!!
What I learned that day was climb higher cut smaller!!!
Click to expand...

Too funny! I don't think I would have had the courage to tell that story on myself. Good on ya.

Tim
 
Better to have to get new shorts then be dead.
I was very lucky that day!!
My point I was trying to make is its pretty easy to get over your head.
I respect Mr. Popper attitude, but its real easy to get over confident and do something dum and get yourself hurt
With out even knowing what your doing in a tree is dum!!!!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #135
Like working around the main power lines without the right gear or training? Lol. I'm itching to go back up just cause. I haven't been in a tree since I had my profile picture taken and that was almost a week ago. I feel werid. Ya know what I mean.
 
It took me awhile to find someone that knew what they are doing and take me under their wing..
Learned more in one day then I could by myself thanks billy:thumbup:
I Try to get him here, I know he lurks:lol:
 
Just lucky Butch? Electricity is like the freakin boogy man to me. I don't really understand it, and it can kill me instantly. poof.

I was topping a Poplar once and the wind pinned it. Let go just as the stem started to split and kind of flopped off sideways. Had an inexperienced ground guy lock off a White Pine top once and just about shook me out of tree, I thought the rope was going to break. :\:

We should have a "Near Misses" thread. . .
 
I've been tapped several times.

Glad I'm here to tell the tale.

All of them were climbing, clearing powerlines.
 
We were at a structure fire in the winter one time. The fire had burned away the service drop and it was lying live in the snow. It was night time and we never saw it but a fire fighter nudged it with his boot by accident and the most gawd awful white flash scared the shit outta us. Thankfully it was after the transformer, still enough to kill of course.
 
Like branch contact? Or was it just kind of traveling around in the trees? I've had to watch several limbs burn through the lines on the fire dept. it's nuts.
 
Holy cow jim, I bet that got his attention. We really roll the dice sometimes hey? I think about that when everything around the house is burried in foam, and you're sloshing around in it up to your knees. . . now where was that service drop? :/:
 
MrPopper said:
How did you find him?
Click to expand...

I followed him around from job to job begging for workI finally told him I would work for free if we were climbinghe just laughed at me and said meet me at the job at 6a.m. tomorrow
so I showed up at 530 with coffee and donuts and started to set lines.
he didn't show up to 7 AM when he got out of his truck he just laughed and said I didn't think you were going to show up
that was about 2-3 years ago we still work a lot together.
But know its 50\50 because I bring a lot of work to us.
I also cut about 30 lawns so that's where a lot of the work comes from.( word of mouth tpye thing) yes insured!!!
 
I've been tapped once...my hands and wrists ached for half an hr, very tip of a green branch brushed past the primary as I was holding it to drop...bbbzzzpppp, momentary but very scary.
I heard about three regiment soldiers that were cutting up a fallen tree after a hurricane, three of them got stuck to the tree, didn't see the power line it had fallen on. I think someone rugby tackled them to get them off.
 
sawman said:
I followed him around from job to job begging for workI finally told him I would work for free if we were climbinghe just laughed at me and said meet me at the job at 6a.m. tomorrow
so I showed up at 530 with coffee and donuts and started to set lines.
he didn't show up to 7 AM when he got out of his truck he just laughed and said I didn't think you were going to show up
that was about 2-3 years ago we still work a lot together.
But know its 50\50 because I bring a lot of work to us.
I also cut about 30 lawns so that's where a lot of the work comes from.( word of mouth tpye thing) yes insured!!!
Click to expand...

You guys are just awesome. I absolutely love how much you guys love tree work. I'd kill to have a couple of guys like you in the shop of the company that I work for. I remember the days of such raw enthusiasm, when I marched into the office of the only tree company in town (in Santa Fe, NM:lol:) and told the guy (Robert Coates) that if he hired me, I would be just as fast as his best climber in two weeks. :lol::lol: Man, what an arrogant little ass I was... however... youthful idealism can take you a long way if you're hardheaded enough. I only thank God that his best climber, Chris Blea, for some unknowable reason, took a liking to me, and, with almost infinite patience, showed me everything he know. Thank God for that guy.

Hang in there Proper... you'll get a job doing what you love... Might be a circuitous route, but you'll get there.
 
A few years back. Broken service line to my neighbours house, broke midspan from rubbing in my front yard tree. Flip side of the coin I did call the electric company many times to tell them that the cable has been worn away pretty badly, but to no avail. Finally broke one morning, no wind, no apparent extra stresses to the line.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FDNqNN5HpUs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Dopey
Need some equipment advice for my pruning job.
Replies
11
Views
437
Bermy
Bermy
Treeaddict
Spruce thinning
Replies
8
Views
674
BeerGeek
BeerGeek
M
Gravely Pro Chip 495. Feeder wheels stopped working. Hydraulic fluid almost empty.
Replies
6
Views
623
WoodCutr
WoodCutr
Knotorious
What is the MEANING behind your USERNAME here at The Tree House?
2 3
Replies
53
Views
2K
flushcut
flushcut
Knotorious
Seeking Advice for Proper Rope Walking Technique and Any Other Relevant/Helpful Information!
Replies
10
Views
1K
Knotorious
Knotorious
Back
Top