Aerial rigging & lowering whilst aloft in tree - Attn: Tree Machine

kiwi_tree_steve

hmmm can i ask.............why?

i mean, they sum prity good looking trees

why u cutin them down??

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"You have to feel and touch a tree" Shigo

Garry Brockley

Straw when you work in this industry for as long as alot of the guys on here have, you automatically try to find the safest and easiest way to dismantle a tree, it comes naturally to you, you dont mess around just get it down safely without breaking people and property.
now you asked the question to some of the best arbs in the world so dont be surprised when you get an answer you dont expect, they do it day in day out, please dont throw your teddy out of the cot, just be professional and take in what these people say, they are useing thier time to make sure you are safe in a very dangerous industry.
Remember the people here have been there, seen it, done it and have the tshirt to prove it.

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Straw

I'm not upset or anything guys, hope no one thought that. I appreciate input from all angles.

The trees have disease and have dropped a few huge branches in the heavy wind they get around here. One almost killed a couple of the horses from that pasture and one almost hit the ladies car so they just want them out. The branch that almost hit the car was 46" in diameter. It fell from the big tree to the right reveling a rotted center of the trunk and hit the tree to the left causing a very large crack. Plus the tree on the left is semi close to the power pole so the utility company came out and hacked it all up.

Straw

Tree Machine

Bogus maximus. Trees that large and old become dangerous, you've had close calls, er, well, the horse did, anyway. Eventually the trees would need to come down, the point is, the time is now and you gotta take em down.


Needless to say, ideally, we prefer to drop the tree all at once. That's ideally.

Then there's the practicalness of lowering loads, and should you lower the material? See, second next to ideal is climbing, lopping big limbs that free-fall safely, dropping blocks to free-fall.

Then third in line would be climbing, zip-lining the brush & limbs, and block down the stem in lengths to free-fall.

Fourth in line of preferences is to lower material. If you lower it yourself it may be faster, with practice. Lower brush on rope, piecing down the trunk to free-fall.

Fifth in line is lowering limbage and lowering trunk sections and having the ground crew working ropes. This is the very slowest way to go about it with the most manpower for a high overall time and labor cost. Only used when over delicate, sensitive areas, no-impact zones.



I always look at how the wood ultimately needs to be processed in deciding the manner of takedown. Your cleanup can either suck bad, or suck really, really bad. You need a strategy. This job is going to go on and on for days. There is nothing small about it.

Eric Frei

A dang crane would be nice eh.

Big wood is heavy, when you double the dia you quadruple the weight.

I think you'd be setting up camp on that job, it's a bigg'n, I certainly would feel like a dick taking that wood on with my Kanga, I often get bigger machinery in.

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Eric Frei

A dang crane would be nice eh.

Big wood is heavy, when you double the dia you quadruple the weight.

I think you'd be setting up camp on that job, it's a bigg'n, I certainly would feel like a dick taking that wood on with my Kanga, I often get bigger machinery in.

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Straw

HI all,
Things are going very slow right now, between the high winds up the valley and the smoke from the California wild fires the last week, it's been a real pisser job!

My gm has had a sore eye about the second day in, so needless to say I have been rigging and lowering from "aloft". I rigged up a single rope zip line to the base of the tree to the left with a shackle, 2x steel Carabiners, 2x 9/16" Stable Braid slings (12' & 15') a SS Arborist Block, 1/2" Double Esterlon, works good. He just has to unhook my sling at ground level and peeve the chunks off to the side for right now. I am seriously restricted to the size chunk I can lop off and lower safely, but it works (ie.. loading the two fixed points plus the snatch). I am almost done with the rigging and getting set to drop some big sections in the next day or so.

In the past I never wore gloves to work except during the winter, but this tree is ripping my hands up to shreds! Any recommendations for good in tree gloves?

The little 021 I had brought with me to use up top seemed under powered so I bought a used 025 off an old farmer. He had it sitting in the barn for who knows how many years. Got a good deal on it $50. bucks. I cleaned it up a little and took out the plug and pulled the muffler, then poured Stihl mix oil all down inside and slowly worked it with the cord till I thought it was "pre-lubed". Then I put gas mix in it and started it up and let it idle for an hour while it smoked up a storm. I am mixing 2.6 oz to 1 gallon gas, I figure maybe 48-1? I know 2.5-1 gallon is 50-1 so just a touch heavier on the oil. At first it had a little rattle in it that went right away after about 1 minute idling. Today in the tree I heard it again through my muffs like a short screech every now and then. This is the first used saw I have ever had and never heard anything like it before. Think I should pull the pan? Its not like I have the tools on me to fully rebuild it. Or should I just run it and see what happens. I don't want to blow it up because it puts the 021 to shame for power and cutting speed. I know it isn't a pro saw but do you guys think it would be worth it to rebuild, with new piston /rod assembly? Or should I use it till it goes then drag my "hopped up" 044 into the tree? lol

Sorry this post is so long like a book, I am just attempting to "smooth" out some bumps in my plan . Also I value your opinions here on this awesome site.

If you have read this far and have any constructive input for me thank you.

Cheers