EngineerDude
ArboristSite Operative
Dada,
I expected it to be difficult, but I must admit that yes, it was at times far more difficult than I thought it would be.
In retrospect these two trees were probably not optimum removals for a novice, but my real point with this comment is that the process of insuring I was confident that my actions were safe to both people and property led to an unanticipated inefficiency. As it relates particularly to the potential for property damage, had these trees been in the open, I could have been more aggressive in my approach. Bottom line on this, these were probably not the place to learn the paths that long limbs follow as they drop, etc.
Also, as many suggested to me before I began, running a saw in a tree is different from running it on the ground. Firing it up aloft for the first time was definitely an adrenaline moment! And, my saw was too big (Jonsered 2159) and the rear handle was awkward. If I had it do over again, or if I had more of these to do, I'd probably go with a Stihl 200T. The difficulty and overall challenge of running this too big saw in the tree was made worse by doing it without climbers. I'd buy some of these too if I could roll back time or if I had more to do.
Summarizing, proper planning and lots of preparation yielded successful results, but lack of experience and $$ constraints that affected equipment decisions made for a slow and difficult experience. But if I had it to do over again, I'd do it over again, just with the noted equipment changes.
By the way, having gone through this, if ProblemTree is reading this, with reference to his post "Hello !!!" in the Commercial Tree Care and Climbing forum, if you're not a troll, as some are suggesting, then my advice to you is to follow their advice and hire a pro. I know this sounds hypocritical, as they told me the same thing and I went ahead anyway, but as challenging as my removals were, they pale in comparison to yours. I spent conservatively a hundred hours researching, gathering data, and planning, and still I wouldn't tackle that tree as my first (or second, or third, or ...)
Last item, just for grins I'm tacking on a couple of photos from dropping the maple. Not fishing for comments, but just adding these because I know I like looking at pics and guess others must too. 133 is the best shot I have of early in the process, 213 and 218 are obviously later.
I expected it to be difficult, but I must admit that yes, it was at times far more difficult than I thought it would be.
In retrospect these two trees were probably not optimum removals for a novice, but my real point with this comment is that the process of insuring I was confident that my actions were safe to both people and property led to an unanticipated inefficiency. As it relates particularly to the potential for property damage, had these trees been in the open, I could have been more aggressive in my approach. Bottom line on this, these were probably not the place to learn the paths that long limbs follow as they drop, etc.
Also, as many suggested to me before I began, running a saw in a tree is different from running it on the ground. Firing it up aloft for the first time was definitely an adrenaline moment! And, my saw was too big (Jonsered 2159) and the rear handle was awkward. If I had it do over again, or if I had more of these to do, I'd probably go with a Stihl 200T. The difficulty and overall challenge of running this too big saw in the tree was made worse by doing it without climbers. I'd buy some of these too if I could roll back time or if I had more to do.
Summarizing, proper planning and lots of preparation yielded successful results, but lack of experience and $$ constraints that affected equipment decisions made for a slow and difficult experience. But if I had it to do over again, I'd do it over again, just with the noted equipment changes.
By the way, having gone through this, if ProblemTree is reading this, with reference to his post "Hello !!!" in the Commercial Tree Care and Climbing forum, if you're not a troll, as some are suggesting, then my advice to you is to follow their advice and hire a pro. I know this sounds hypocritical, as they told me the same thing and I went ahead anyway, but as challenging as my removals were, they pale in comparison to yours. I spent conservatively a hundred hours researching, gathering data, and planning, and still I wouldn't tackle that tree as my first (or second, or third, or ...)
Last item, just for grins I'm tacking on a couple of photos from dropping the maple. Not fishing for comments, but just adding these because I know I like looking at pics and guess others must too. 133 is the best shot I have of early in the process, 213 and 218 are obviously later.