What's the smallest diameter tree size that can be safetly worked?

Etho

Etho

TreeHouser
Joined
May 4, 2015
Messages
8
Hello You all. Wish I would have found this forum sooner, but o well, I guess now is a good time to start participating.
I have to go do some trimming on some small diameter pine trees in Southwest Florida. I think they are slash pines. Does anyone have any experience on working with small diameter pine trees? The client I am working for said they are about 30 fooot tall and between 4 and 6 inches in diameter. I have yet to see them. The client needs some branches along a fenceline removed on one side. Provided that I could tie in my main climbing line to the strongest leader at the top and place a ladder half way up (that a groundsman would remove) and climb the remaining distance between the ladder and leaders that need to be trimmed, any experience on the safest diameter to be be working? I weigh about 175 lbs.
 
Tie in incrementally as you go once it starts getting sketchy, so if at some point part of the tree fails, you don't fall all the way back to start. Once they stop recovering from lean you are a little bit higher than you ought to be. YMMV.
 
You come to to the right place, Etho. There's lots of people in this forum that can give you good tips to your question. A wise member here once said, "Safety up close to the stem, and keep your back to the wind."
 
Welcome Etho! I do a few climbing removals on small pines here in the Great Northwest (Florida that is), mostly sand pines, which are pretty limber with a small root system. Are you planning to spike up past the ladder to remove the limbs? If you're just side trimming and the limbs are small, a better Idea might be to use a pole pruner/saw off the ladder. Just tie you and your ladder off well. Four inches is not much wood, six is climbable, but you'll do some major damage on trees like that with your spikes.
 
I have tied into three inches before in elm, oak, and ash but it's really up to you if you are comfortable or not. I would use pole saw from either a ladder or limbs while safetied in.
 
16 foot orchard ladder
Extinction on extinction on pole saw=20 plus me 5 foot 10 inches = high enough or about
I use this set up in pear trees around my way( new Jersey)..shaping them into nice little balls..
Works great first job paid for the ladder..
 
Welcome Etho.

8 to 21 foot extendable Hayauchi is pretty tough to beat for a light weight polesaw. The pruner head is great for occasional high cuts up to 2 inches in dia..

Not tools to beat but, used with a little finess they can sure make you a bunch of money.
 
Another tip to remember, is to take a double wrap with your lanyard on small dia. trees.

I learned that from a VERY wise member of the TH (who posted #3) in this thread :)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
Thanks you all for the great information and welcomes.
An Orchard ladder would work great, but unfortunately I have to travel 4 hours south to the job from Northeast Florida where I live and fit all my gear in the back of my 1500 truck (and I don't have an orchard ladder yet!). Whats the double wrap on the lanyard for? Is it extra protection from falling if I would slip or is it to add strength to the tree to keep it from splitting? On straight trees such as sabal palms that I am sketched out on, I'll often use my wire core as my main leader and keep my rope 2 in 1 hooked up below me as added security once I'm positioned to do some work.
 
You get better control with that 540*/ double-wrap. It gives fall arrest if you gaff out.

A thing to do it climb to the very top of a tree, while tied into another taller tree or two (don't fall and get hurt).

Its interesting when traversing, or standing on a limb during a limb walk when the climb line goes slack, what small tree part can hold body weight. Not a good thing to push the limits on, but good for understanding.

A limb breaking during a limb walk could increase the danger of the swing back toward the trunk. Easier to do SRT with a HH. Have a groundie trunk wrap your tail out beyond the limb tip at ground level, so they can arrest a swing.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14
image.jpg
Thanks for all the tips. I gaffed out at about 4" diameter and rode the stem down about 2 foot. The double wrap on the lanyard caught a little nub and stopped me from dropping about 6 foot on my main TIP. Nice pucker factor.
 
One slip is what it takes to gain wisdom...oh and where's yer helmet!
(We will look after your safety here :) )
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18
Yes, one slip. I was up about 25' - 30' and put my left foot into gaffing down and it hit the hardwood and kept going. Instinctively, I grabbed the trunk and slid about 2 feet until my double wrap on the rope lanyard caught a nub. I also caught a nub right at the bottom of my ribcage. No biggie. Got the heart racing a bit. Got back up and made the last available healthiest rope off and cut over the fenceline. The branch dropped and the tree started swaying in the wind and I had to sit still for a minute until the sway stopped to start my descent. Great learning.

I started the day in full hardhat and safety glasses until they started getting beat around by the branches and the Florida heat started taking its toll. No excuse to take them off, but they got chucked out of the tree. I need to order a lightweight, lowcost strapped climbing helmet. The next pine I climbed after taking off my helmet and safety glasses had posion ivy on it. I was up in the tree, reached up to rip the vine off and it broke in half, dripping poison ivy oil down the side of my face and into my left eye. I had to work another 2 hours before I could rinse it off with Gojo. My face around my eye and the top part of my right hand that got hit the heaviest is the only part that still burns after a few days. Lesson learned.
 
I am imagining a helmet with a screen maybe and no chin strap. Thus he became frustrated with it being knocked off regular and hot so he took the risk of brain injury and blindness wearing no helmet and glasses the rest of the job...
 
Etho said:
Yes, one slip. I was up about 25' - 30' and put my left foot into gaffing down and it hit the hardwood and kept going. Instinctively, I grabbed the trunk and slid about 2 feet until my double wrap on the rope lanyard caught a nub. I also caught a nub right at the bottom of my ribcage. No biggie. Got the heart racing a bit. Got back up and made the last available healthiest rope off and cut over the fenceline. The branch dropped and the tree started swaying in the wind and I had to sit still for a minute until the sway stopped to start my descent. Great learning.

I started the day in full hardhat and safety glasses until they started getting beat around by the branches and the Florida heat started taking its toll. No excuse to take them off, but they got chucked out of the tree. I need to order a lightweight, lowcost strapped climbing helmet. The next pine I climbed after taking off my helmet and safety glasses had posion ivy on it. I was up in the tree, reached up to rip the vine off and it broke in half, dripping poison ivy oil down the side of my face and into my left eye. I had to work another 2 hours before I could rinse it off with Gojo. My face around my eye and the top part of my right hand that got hit the heaviest is the only part that still burns after a few days. Lesson learned.
Click to expand...
In a bit dumbfounded that you got PI clearly on your eye and face and "had to" work two more hours before first aid.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #24
Easy guys. I am fully aware of the consequences of my actions and I am fully responsible for my own safety. I appreciate your concern. Maybe someday I'll be fully perfect. I am sure that no one else has taken there hard hat off because they got hot or had issues with there glasses fogging up because of heat and humidity.
 
Nope.
But on the other hand I've smashed 3 hard hats while wearing them over the last 40 years.
 
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