Friday's Speedline Removal

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Great photos!

I love the speedline technique. It looks like the right amount of slack was in the line to lessen the side loading of the top you were in.


Great job!


Thanks Treeco. I love the speedlining because the line itself can be routed to actually support a leaning head, like in the first pic. And at real close to 100 feet up, it can be very comforting.

I speedlined all the brush and most of the wood off that tree, and landed at curbside to be chipped, and it was a fairsized medium euc over a condo.

IMG_1623.jpg


jomoco
 
Hey Jomoco-
These are great pics.Speedlining always looks good on film but seems really inefficient on the jobsite.While your monkeying around 2-3 guys are just waiting for the brush to come to them. When your lowering, you can send down much bigger loads and the whole crew is involved. It seems like it's only applicable on one or two trees a year. I do work with a 4 man crew, so I can see if you only had one man on the ground this becomes more practical. What's your opinion and are there any tips that speed up the process.Much thanks-Drew
 
Looks like a pretty fast way to get it done to me. Got to take up a whole lane of the road too!


Are you wearing moto pants ? Hmmmm, they are pretty tough but all of mine are too baggy.


Nice clear pics too.
 
Hey Jomoco-
These are great pics.Speedlining always looks good on film but seems really inefficient on the jobsite.While your monkeying around 2-3 guys are just waiting for the brush to come to them. When your lowering, you can send down much bigger loads and the whole crew is involved. It seems like it's only applicable on one or two trees a year. I do work with a 4 man crew, so I can see if you only had one man on the ground this becomes more practical. What's your opinion and are there any tips that speed up the process.Much thanks-Drew

Well it's like they say, the old one chop drop, or one chop pick with a crane is always going to be the most efficient means of doing a removal these days.

But in my opinion speedlining probably has far more usefulness on strategic removals than most climbers realise, not only from up top wise, but perhaps more importantly on the ground on precarious, uneven, or steep slopes capable of propelling a runaway log though a home.

In my opinion one of the handiest aspects of speedlining is that the load whether branch or wood stays tethered and controlled until it comes to rest on the ground.

In my case nobody calls me because they have an easy removal to do, pedro does all those around here like most other places, when my phone rings it's because there's a strategic or high risk element involved in the job.

Some trees have speedline written all over them, others demand a hobbs or grcs, and some just seem to fall right into your chipper without a fight, it all depends on the trees and the terrain.

Another aspect of speedlining well is that it distinguishes you from the average tree service, and that wow factor when your customer sees you landing logs and brush that was hanging over their condo, 60-70 feet away
behind your chipper on the street.

My best tip for speedlining is to use steel carabiners and rated nylon loops, about a dozen of each is a good start.

My most important tip is to never involve a rookie groundman in speedlining operations, only experienced veterans who fully realise they have your life up there, in their hands on the ground down there.

jomoco
 
Re: jomoco

Hi,
Nice job. I'm impressed. Nice quality pictures too. What did you anchor the end of your speed line to? And how did the ground crew know how much to tighten it?
eljefe
 
Hi,
Nice job. I'm impressed. Nice quality pictures too. What did you anchor the end of your speed line to? And how did the ground crew know how much to tighten it?
eljefe

Since the vertical drop exceeded any lateral travel by a 2:1 factor, the 2-3 groundies anchoring the speedline had to be experienced enough to know when to drop the load and run, particularly the wood loads.

IMG_1144.jpg


jomoco
 
The dynamics of an unrestrained speedline with bigwood zipping down it are incredibly dangerous.

I dang near killed my best friend who was at the winch control at the back of my tooltruck, anchoring a 150 foot lateral reach speedline.

This one in fact.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4hcNYEoXdA

My mistake was letting my mainline termination point at the winch cable hook get to close to my truck/friend, however had he not stayed there winching in to tighten the speedline, lateral side to side wobble would have slapped a condo. The 500 lb piece stopped only one foot from him, and waggled in his face as he franticly kept on winching in baby!

Needless to say I learned a valuable lesson, aqnd will never let my winchline get that short again.

Have a safe and productive day guys!

jomoco
 
Looks good, thats a pretty skinny top. Don't know if I would like rigging of that, but you know.:cheers:

Ha Ha.... Ha. :jawdrop: That? Oh I am gonna have Plas looking like that one day!

Nah, nah, we'll see about that but that rig job seemed fine. You might think by the way J is cowboying it that it might not be but it was. Looks like he saved the smaller ones for last which helps absorb a lot of shock combined with use of good cutting skills it went over like a dream. Other than that live wood is strong.
 

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