A little topping...

[edisto]

Before I even begin, let me preface this by saying I know there are guys that do this for a living, and know what they are doing. I am fully aware I haven't the first clue about what I'm doing, and won't pretend to...but I sure had fun doing it!

There is a big pine at the corner of our garden that needed dropping. Plenty of space to drop it, but it had a huge lean, aimed right at the pole that feeds power to our neighbor. If it was my line, I'd have given it a go, and taken the heat when I called the power company, but knocking on the neighbor's door to explain why her power was out is very high on the list of things I want to avoid.

So...I figured I'd have to take the pine down in sections, which meant I'd need climbing gear. A quick look at the Bailey's catalog was all it took for me to realize I couldn't afford it. What I could afford was the $50 I spend on eBay for a set of lineman spurs, and climbing belt and strap. Vintage. Circa 1956.

The straps for the spurs were dry rotted, so they needed replacing, but the rest of the leather seemed ok, Just stiff as hell. A little bit of glycerine and water each day, followed by some daily rubbing with olive oil, and then another working in some of the salve my wife makes, which has all natural oils and beeswax (she has a fear of chemicals), and everything was supple.

Here's the set after refurbishing:

 

[edisto]

Before I could get to the leaner, about 3 weeks ago, I noticed that a pine between our house and the other neighbor's was looking a little scary:

We were supposed to be getting some storms, so I thought I'd cut off the rotten bit. Limbed my way up with my little 141, but it got a little soft before I could get to where I wanted to cut. Not knowing how rotten it was, I went up an adjacent tree, tied in a rope, and managed to toss it over the stump of a broken branch.

The arrow shows the climbing rope, the white rope was one I put in at the same time, because I thought I could get the live limb down safely with a little pressure from my come-along. I decided against that (because it leaned over the other neighbor's house). I'll have to clear some space, and bring the rest of the tree down in one shot.

Climbed back up, anchored to the rope (I put a climbing harnedd on under the belt), climbed up to where I wanted to cut, and tied in a sling with a carabiner for the safety rope. It would have been an interesting tug of war had the tree fallen, with my strap attached to one tree, and my climbing belt to the other, but the tree actually was in much better shape that I had thought.

In the middle of cutting, I had to stop the saw, and twist around far enough to see who was shouting at me. It was my neighbor. Guess I should have let him know. Especially given that it is his tree.

Concerned, I twisted a little farther, to try and see/hear him better...at which point my spurs started slipping. After a minute or so of my acting out a "monkey humping a football" charade, my spurs found some purchase, and I managed to make out what he was saying.

"Be careful!"

I waved, fired the saw back up, and dropped the rotten bit. Then I climbed down and listened to the neighbor for half an hour. As I said, the rest will have to come down, if he'll let me drop a pecan that is in the way, but here's the after shot:

And here's all that was keeping it up in the air:

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Looks like something I'd try!

Well.....it looks like it went very well! You've got all of your arms and legs, and the houses and power lines are still functioning!

Looks like something I'd try!

 

[promac850]

Wow. Glad that went well. I really hope things continue to go well for you. I have heard too many disheartening stories of guy cutting through the rope and falling from the tree, and accidents like that. Be careful!

That tree does need to come down, as does the other leaner. That leaner will test you... be really careful with that one, seems to have a much heavier lean than any tree I've ever seen.

Overall, you seem to have a good idea of what's gotta be done and how it should be done. If there is any doubt, stand back and observe the situation. I don't want to hear another sad story.

I can't climb... Kinda scares me... :msp_sad:

P.S. I haven't cut any trees down yet, so in all respects, you're doing better than I am.

 

[edisto]

Today, with thunderstorms looming, I had a chance to tackle the leaner.

Climbed up with a hatchet for the dead limbs, and dragging the 141 behind me for the larger live ones. Took longer than I thought. As I was deciding how far up to top the tree, the thunder started rolling, so I figured I was up high enough.

Here's a question: how do you get yourself on the side of a tree that has a huge lean with a belt and spurs? I couldn't manage it, and decided that I'd rather cut from behind where the tree is going than in front. It was weird cutting a wedge from behind, but to my surprise, it went quite well! What;s that pappy used to say? Always cut towards yourself?

Rather than try and lean over to get a bore cut, I just cut a triangle (with the point backwards) before starting the back cut. No barber chair, but when that top let go, I remembered the thing that i told myself not to forget.

I'll bet the new top of that tree (with me on it) swung 5 feet in the opposite direction in a big hurry, before settling in to a slow see-saw. Fortunately, I was set pretty well, even though that was the last thing on my mind, so it was actually a fun ride.

The tree had a little hitch in it where I made the second cut, so I could use a bore cut. This time I was ready for the swing, but there really wasn't one.

By this time the rain was picking up, so I climbed down, took a few pics, and packed it in. It's short enough now to drop the rest from the ground.

I took a pic from the side, so that you can tell from where the top and second section dropped, how much of a lean there was:

The next pic is a little out of focus, but you can see the 141 at the base of the tree for scale:

Unfortunately, no-one saw the first cut. I'd have like to have heard what it looked like from below. My mother-in-law said she came out at some point and took a pic while I was in the tree, so if I can get that, I'll post it later.

 

[promac850]

Cool, nice work!! When it's on the ground and the rain is coming down, sit in the chair and drink your beer. :beer:

 

[edisto]

Well.....it looks like it went very well! You've got all of your arms and legs, and the houses and power lines are still functioning!

Looks like something I'd try!

If you do, I'd recommend spurs designed for trees, not power poles. Mine worked well, but in thick bark, or a little rot, your one leg will get awful tired while the other tries to dig in!

If I can get the rest of the rotten one down without hitting the neighbor's house, I'll be home free! The one live branch at the top stretches over towards their place.

Wow. Glad that went well. I really hope things continue to go well for you. I have heard too many disheartening stories of guy cutting through the rope and falling from the tree, and accidents like that. Be careful!

The belt going around the tree is really thick leather. I definitely pay attention to where it is, and I think it would survive a nick. I also have a piece of climbing rope that runs behind it because the leather appears to be strong, but it is gear from the '50s.

 

[edisto]

OK...finally got the pic from the mother in law. This is the second cut I made:

 

[ZeroJunk]

Next thing you know you'll be giving up your real job.

 

[oscar4883]

Your spikes where on the short side but it also looks like you are humping the tree. This puts you points in at a shallow angle and makes it easier to kick-out. A saw can cut a wire-core flip-line easy so your old pole belt probably wouldn't stand a chance either if a mishap happened. As a general rule, it is usually best to be tied in twice. Suppose you cut your pole belt, or the top peeled down and tried to drag you with it? If the stem split and sucked you in, how easy would you be to rescue without a rope in place already? Did you climb that mushy rotten pine? I got a little confused reading the description. Please don't take my comments as being offensive. Just a few things to think about.

EDIT: I re-read and and see that you did climb that rotten pine. Tough to tell without being there, but that top seems pretty sketchy. I would be working on plan B or C.

 

[chucker]

looks good how you planed out your drop! taking it slow and steady is the way to go when your shaky in your new/old spurs... hats off to you.

 

[edisto]

Your spikes where on the short side but it also looks like you are humping the tree.

I was there! I had to to get around that bend, and in doing so, realized it was the one spot where I could get to the side a little. That's whay i decided to cut there. There was a big lean on that tree, and I couldn't work out a way to stand to the side.

This puts you points in at a shallow angle and makes it easier to kick-out.

Excellent point. I don't have any problem leaning back in the belt though. I'm quite comfortable with it. The pose int he pic is the exception. Once I got above the thick bark at the base, I had no issues with the spurs digging in.

A saw can cut a wire-core flip-line easy so your old pole belt probably wouldn't stand a chance either if a mishap happened. As a general rule, it is usually best to be tied in twice.

I have a length of climbing rope hooked the same way as the belt, so I'd have to hack through both to get turned loose. On the rotten tree, I was tied in twice, because I was worried about the top falling over. Didn't think it would be an issue on the healthy tree.

Please don't take my comments as being offensive. Just a few things to think about.

They weren't offensive, and I wouldn't mind if they were. Clearly I could use the advice.

EDIT: I re-read and and see that you did climb that rotten pine. Tough to tell without being there, but that top seems pretty sketchy. I would be working on plan B or C.

Well, the worst part is down, but I do think the whole thing needs to come down. That long branch has me a little worried, but I figure I can climb back up as high as I can go with healthy wood, wrap a tow strap around it, and use a comealong to help make sure she goes the right way. If I can get the tree to go the right direction, the branch is sure to follow.

Thanks for your comments!

 

[edisto]

Next thing you know you'll be giving up your real job.

Cutting trees used to be my job a long time ago. Never had to climb in them to do it before though.

looks good how you planed out your drop! taking it slow and steady is the way to go when your shaky in your new/old spurs... hats off to you.

Definitely slow and steady!

 

[oscar4883]

Something to think about would be getting a rope in the rotten thing with a throwbag and see if you can pull the top out. Throwbags are a few bucks and even I can use them and I throw like a girl scout. lol When pines start losing bark like that IMO it is a good idea to explore other options. Stay safe.

 

[edisto]

Something to think about would be getting a rope in the rotten thing with a throwbag and see if you can pull the top out. Throwbags are a few bucks and even I can use them and I throw like a girl scout. lol When pines start losing bark like that IMO it is a good idea to explore other options. Stay safe.

We might be talking about different things, but the last 2 pics show the tree with the rotten part cut out, and the heartwood of the rotten piece on the ground, so the ugly part is done. To get the rest of the tree down (once I clear space for it to fall), I thought I'd go up about 15 feet, secure a tow strap, and pull on that while making the cut on the ground.

I think a throwbag would be a great idea. To get the ropes into the rotten pine, I had to climb an adjacent tree and toss the ropes over. I got lucky that both went where I wanted them to.