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Originally Posted by TreeDimensional  WOW! There are two VERY important thins to remember when using cranes to do trees. First, the crane operator MUST relay the maximum weight for each pick to the guy doing the cutting. Secondly the climber has to have a good head calculator (knowledge of the weight of the particular wood and leaves) to make sure he doesn't exceed the limits of the crane.
My crane guy and i work very well together, communication is the key. Once the cut is made, the crane MUST lift the piece OR it s a disaster. IMO there are NO little crane boo-boos with trees. They are ALL potential life threatening situations.
That all being said, cranes are a ver valuable asset when used properly. Like anything being done at height, gravity is always the winner!  |
Different strokes for different folks TreeDimensional, I have never discussed weights with a crane operator. I get different equipment and sometimes different companies on jobs but most of them have done tree work and most of them many times with me. If they have no experience they will be sent home as I have neither the time or the inclination to train another company's personel. Also for non gigantic rems I have my own 14 ton 70 footer without the jib included and experience, experience, experience is the key. Ofcourse you must know the capabilities of the equipment. I am going to decide what gets taken out but crane op can veto. It is my liab that will be activated if an incident occurs. I ve been doing craners for over 3 decades and do multiple on a weekly basis.
I also disagree with "the crane operator must lift" opinion. At times even a huge limb will be dropped into the pick as butt heavy. Other times a huge leader may be made to fall into the notch/scarf when hooked tip heavy. Shock load must be accounted for and pick size be reevaluated. Some are picked when balanced and the piece is simply detached with no lift at all.
All these types of picks are made according to what the tree and targets/surroundings will allow with safety and NO (no) damage ensuing (even to other canopies) the main considerations.
I ve seen many pictures of cranes and boom truck units going over in the paper and on the news but it is usually sideways. This unit went over backwards where it should be the strongest/most stable. Would be interested to hear more about this story.