Brain overruled ego!

[turnkey4099]

I have one more tree plus a snag to get down at Ed's place:



Camera was tilted again. Both the tree and that power pole stand verticle. I've been stewing over that monster for over a month, taking alook at it every time I was out there. Best solution so far was Ed's - get a cable over that bent over part of the snag (looks to be about 18" diameter) and pull it down with the tractor. Doable but:

The tree itself is a nightmare, About 30" DBH. Hard to predict where it wants to go as it has top hamper going both directions but the real problem is the base. There is a huge hollow under it almost the entire base is gone with just a ring of a couple inches of wood; looks like an animal den. I can't tell if the stem above that is solid, rotted or what.

Then today I recalled a passing comment Ed made. "I'd be willing to hire you to take down". The light dawned. I called Ed and told him I was going to pass on it but suggested he hire the local tree service to put it down and I'd be willing to clean up the mess.

YES! For once I chickened out on a hazard tree.

Harry K

 

[flashhole]

Harry if I were anywhere near you I'd come and help. I'd drop that snagged branch first and the rest of the tree becomes a non problem. It's not that big that you couldn't get out of the way of it. Smart move though, if you are not comfortable with the project walk away.

 

[Cheesecutter]

Its hard on the ego to let a tree best you, but then its usually not the best trees that are the bad ones .Smart move let someone else knock it down.!

 

[zogger]

I have some I have passed on around here, but working towards them. Been trying to gradually work up in difficulty on trees. Widow makers in thick woods are the worst I see. Eiither broken branches hanging up, or so many obvious dead branches you know a bunch will go flying once the main trunk starts going down.

 

[flashhole]

I have two storm damaged trees that had the tops knocked out of them and are hung up in adjoining trees. I will cut them as soon as I get some time. Yes, there will be pics. Like Harry, I've been studying them for awhile planning my assault.

 

[Iska3]

I’ve walked away from a few and glad when I did. “Maturity, Experience and Wisdom Can Sometimes be Our Best Friend.” The only difference between you and the next guy is… He has the proper equipment to get the job done. Sometimes it's our Ego that get's one hurt.

 

[turnkey4099]

I’ve walked away from a few and glad when I did. “Maturity, Experience and Wisdom Can Sometimes be Our Best Friend.” The only difference between you and the next guy is… He has the proper equipment to get the job done. Sometimes it's our Ego that get's one hurt.

Yep! I had the moves all planned to take it down until on one of the most recent trips I spotted that big hole under it. I could crawl in there and almost stretch out. No telling if the butt above it is hollow, rotten, ring of solid wood...

Harry K

 

[zogger]

Yep! I had the moves all planned to take it down until on one of the most recent trips I spotted that big hole under it. I could crawl in there and almost stretch out. No telling if the butt above it is hollow, rotten, ring of solid wood...

Harry K

If it is that rotten, it might just bust off with a rope up high and a tug with tractor.

And if you do that, do it now before the bees get active....

 

[flashhole]

If it is that rotten, it might just bust off with a rope up high and a tug with tractor.

And if you do that, do it now before the bees get active....

Yep ... good advice there. I got into one last year with hornets in the ground underneath the main trunk. Got stung 4 times before I figured out what was going on.

 

[turnkey4099]

If it is that rotten, it might just bust off with a rope up high and a tug with tractor.

And if you do that, do it now before the bees get active....

Still waiting on Ed to call and say it is down. Knowign the local tree service, he might have been scared off by the high charge.

Sure wish it was likethe olden days, I'd just go down to the local hardware for a couple sticks of dynamite.

Harry K

 

[VW Splitter]

I walked away from a big popular tree once that, had a huge hollow inside like yours. It was straight and tall. I was afraid that after I notched it, that before I could finish my back cut that the whole thing could colapse on its self, or there was not enough wood in there for a hinge. It is good to know your limits. Live to cut another day. By the way some guy that knew what he was doing, drove up, parked his truck just a few feet away, jumped out, no ropes or wedges, just notched and droped it.

 

[turnkey4099]

I walked away from a big popular tree once that, had a huge hollow inside like yours. It was straight and tall. I was afraid that after I notched it, that before I could finish my back cut that the whole thing could colapse on its self, or there was not enough wood in there for a hinge. It is good to know your limits. Live to cut another day. By the way some guy that knew what he was doing, drove up, parked his truck just a few feet away, jumped out, no ropes or wedges, just notched and droped it.

My first experience with a chainsaw was at 16 working for a farmer. He wanted to cut some posts and had a big dead tamarack in his timber. Threw saw and other equipment in trailer and off we went. He put me as the outboard man on an old Mall with a 4' bar. We were most of the way in on the level cut for the notch when the entire tree just collapsed straight down like a pile driver. I was long gone by the time it hit the ground. He stayed long enough to try to pull the saw out. He survived, the saw was still put, put, putting away but the bar now had a perfect 90* bend.

Needless to say, I don't like trees that have a rotten core and I think this one does.

Harry K

 

[MotorSeven]

3 years ago I cut a standing dead that was 40' & about 18" in diameter...no branches but was still solid. Had a mind of it's own and went the way it wanted...leaning against another living tree. I studied it for about a half & hr, packed my stuff and left. The damn thin has not moved one inch & every time I ride through the woods I swear I hear it laughing at me. You don't know how bad I want to defeat that thing, but the little frog voice say's..."let it go Louie, let it go"

 

[Chris-PA]

Yup, I'm not too proud to walk away, especially from ones with defects and hollows.

 

[woodchuck357]

Still waiting on Ed to call and say it is down. Knowign the local tree service, he might have been scared off by the high charge.

Sure wish it was likethe olden days, I'd just go down to the local hardware for a couple sticks of dynamite.

Harry K

You might look up thermite!

 

[turnkey4099]

You might look up thermite!

Or some black powder. I think one can still buy that stuff. I liked my dad's method of blowing stumps with dynamite. He was of the "if a little is enough, a lot more is better" persuasion. Wasn't much left to pick up when he was done.

Harry K

 

[brenndatomu]

You might look up thermite!

I was just gonna say, a couple pounds of well placed Tannerite...

Heck, they sell the stuff at our local Rural King store!

Just go to your local gun shop, ask for target powder, that's is basically what you're after, no matter what name brand it is...