Tree Machine

The main problem with J-lags is they can pull out, even if you slightly undersize the lag pilot hole as is recommended. This is uncommon, but happens. When it does happen, it can be bad, like the event you're trying to prevent happens.

I spent the better part of a decade cabeling trees as described by Newguy, usually 1/2" diameter J-lags, though I like left and right threads for tensioning and helical wraps for thimble attachment, end termination. On bigger trees I use the 5/16" extra high strength cable. On smaller ones, like bradfords, 1/4" soft-annealed cable with hand-wrapped terminations.

I still do small trees like that, but big ones, where forces are greater and stakes are higher, I had to look for a better, more secure system.

It was one of my big-tree J-lag cables that pulled out in a storm and dumped the stem onto the house, just as I predicted would happen if we did not install a cable. Quite an embarassing call, as you can imagine, but I didn't get sued.

I have also used big through-bolts, far-side terminated with big washers, nuts, heavy hardware, same helical terminations, thimbles, etc. Very secure, fairly expensive, just a lot of work to install, but that basically was about the fat thru-hole for the long eye bolt. Plus, that bolt needs to be longer than the hole you drill, or you're totally screwed. Generally speaking, you want to drill your through-hole horizontal, in line with the direction of the cable, so the hole drilled can be much longer than the diameter of the limb itself, depending on the angle of the limb you're drilling into

With wirestops, you get that far-side termination advantage, the diameter of the thru-hole you drill is the same as the diameter of the cable, affixing the termination is really slick and easy (one end can be done on the ground). The process is pretty fast and if you can get fast at drilling the (smaller diameter) thru-holes and cutting the cable, the whole process is speedier than anything else I've tried.

But, you DO need to drill completely through the stem. This takes serious drill power. If you use cordless drills on something like this, you're gonna heat and fry batteries (more correctly put, you will diminish their life). If you run out of battery power, You must have a second battery, if not, you're screwed. If so, you better hope the second one lasts or you gotta come back later. This is not a way to make an income.

A washer can be installed as an option, but the diameter size of the wirestop itself, compared to the diameter of the cable hole it would have to be pulled through, basically the wirestop termination acts as the washer.

Trees I used to slate for takedown, I am now more willing to cable because of the security over lags, and the swiftness with which I can do an install. I charge $175 per cable, $250 for a dual and compare it to the possible costs of the one single event that the cable would be there to prevent. Makes it seem like cheap insurance to the client when viewed like that. An install is usually around an hour, faster on smaller trees but I generally only cable bigger trees. The bulk of that hour is assembling all the tools and getting them up there, and the put-way after the install. The actual install itselff is remarkably fast if you have the right tools at hand. It would be way faster and easier if one was working out of a bucket.

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