Attaching a dog run cable to a tree

[ksimolo]

Hi,

In the past, I have installed dog run cables with eye bolts drilled through a tree. However, I was wondering if it was okay to use the typically 2" wide tree saver straps that one uses when winching out an ATV, logs in the woods, etc. One could attach a turnbuckle to the strap in order to adjust the cable tension. Using this method, one could later remove the dog run and also never have to worry about metal buried in the tree that someone could get hurt on when cutting the tree up with a chainsaw at some future date. I realize the straps would have to be replaced every so often. My biggest concern would be that the strap would be compressing a fairly large section of the bark and I would be concerned that this might interfere with the good health of the tree by possibly crushing the layer below the bark that transports water and nutrients for the tree. However, it does not seem like this is much different than using straps, etc. to help support tree limbs that have been damaged.

Any advice you can provide would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[arboristman]

dont use straps,as the dog runs and pulls the straps will slide and pull on the bark.your right,its no more damageing then when cabling a tree. screw in some eye hooks and call it good,your tree wont mind at all.

 

[jrizman]

i have run the cable thru a section of garden hose and put that around the tree loosely and it has worked. what type of tree is this?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

If you use a lag type eye bolt, you can back it out as the tree grows or remove it completely at anytime.
If you do let it get buried by wood, and by some chance somebody did hit it with their chainsaw, it would simply dull the saw. It would not cause injury.
I work on residential trees daily, and have hit hundreds, maybe thousands of objects in trees, and was never hurt. It just means you need to take 5 minutes or so and sharpen the chain.
I suspect the logging companies started the rumor, that hitting spikes can cause personal injury, to discourage spiking trees by tree huggers.

 

[rbtree]

It's not a rumor, Mike! A band mill blade can break when it impacts metal, fly apart and hit the operator. Ouch!!

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Band Mills are designed to cut through metal. That, and a thin kerf are the advantages over a circular saw blade. And, if a broken band is a hazard, do you think it's advisable to stand within harms way?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Dan, did you ever see how they cut steel at a fabricating shop? They will often use a bandsaw. The bands are made out of the same type of metal as a hack saw, which is designed to cut metal.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

They don't use hacksaw blades, they're the wrong shape. The blades are perfectly capable of cutting small metal objects in the wood with out suffering harm.
But let's consider the odds of this urban tree being harvested, and used by a sawyer that is running a band saw that will shatter and injure or kill the operator if it hits metal.
I suggest the sawyer find a new line of work, or simply let Darwinism do its thing.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Here are some comments about hitting nails from the woodweb:http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Resawing_Old_Beams_With_Nails.html
Notice the picture of the J-lag cut lengthwise, it did dull the blade, but luckly no fatalities.

 

[RockinB]

It's prolly just me...but if I had to teather a dog like that I would'nt have one.