undirectional notches

[TheTreeSpyder]

If i can't drop an unsafe climb; i a)tie into another tree on , b)perhaps brace against the lean (if no lean, pull one way with a couple guys on a 3/1,then straighten back with truck) at high leverage guying/compressing sometimes using the constricting choke of the sling/bowline hitching to brace a vertical fracture, perhaps on a ladder c)get a bucket orrrrrrrrr d)invoke my final safety right, and walk while these lil'feats still can!

Personally i always notch instead of fighting the compressing of wood where the face would be, i think of it as removing a chock from in front of a tire so that force can flow. Though, i've not tried to uproot something! If it was safe i might try violating roots on the off side of the pull (perhaps after bracing tree with rig some) that had the most leveraged (outreaching) resistance to the proposed pull.

Sounds like a lot of line, 5x line supported by another line, really it seems that you would just need enough to fight line stretch and make the tree commit and not settle back. Seems to me that the 5/1 placed 40' in the tree (not the top?), and the men pulling in a clear area outside the fall would be over 60' of travel for the 5/1 or 300'+ of line? Even if the final return (from load) line (that can have a knot for it doesn't flow through any pulleys)was a seperate 60'+, that would be 1 stick of line @ 240' +(my longest is 200' without knots). If, that 40 ' anchor isn't the top, you would need even more line, or kinda fudge that the men would be clear by the time it dropped.

i speak a lot about slow controlled drops; this doesn't go for bad wood above or below ground, for all that slow dropping and steering depends on the hinge and roots for brake force and anchoring respectively. For, even a healthy tree's root system can move underground the more brakeforce (slow dropping massive weight on the end of a 40' lever using the stump as anchor for hinge/ braking device) that is called from it, if there is tightly bound wires or pipes they can break very easily in the most successfull drop, because all of that force is being fought somehow!

Hmmmmm, o yes in accordance with the Maas Full Disclosure State-Meant, my real name is Ken Casey; when i started on another webboard, it wouldn't let me be KC(my initials and phoenetically last name, that i usually go by.........-in polite society anyways!! ), said that was too short (how'd they know?). So, i just went with my emailname (that took years to come up with, the first computer i was on the net with had a whopping 10meg drive........)TheTreeSpyder that i had for those many years previous, kinda felt that was less bold(not really that way hence going by 'short' initials and small i's) and others seemed not to use theirs; but anyway it is "Spy-der" for the quiet watcher; kinda on purpose........

 

[geofore]

tip over

480' of rope, a double and three singles, tied to the truck and drove away. The tree came over sideways as planned parallel to the wires on the telephone pole, slow motion as the roots tried to hold back. Got the throw line into a crotch at about 60'up, ran up 120' of blue and used a carb to pull up the double block and tied off the rope to the base of tree, ran to a single up the hill, tailline to a single down the hill and redirect to a single next to the street and tied it to the truck. It went smooth and now they can bring in the backhoe to dig up the sewer line as soon as I cut up the wood tomorrow. This turned into more work, now the homeowner wants the hillside cleared of dead elms. They are going to get pulled over also but they are far enough away they can't reach the power lines so the worries are less. They are weak enough a single rope (120') will tip them over, the backhoe guy refused to push them over and would not use the backhoe to pull them over, said he wouldn't come back till they are down. They will all be down tomorrow.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Good Show!

Ummmmmmm ; did i read a 4-5/1 on a truck pull against a true blue??

 

[geofore]

lost true blue

The True Blue will snap at about 5,800# so it was with the Blue Streak which breaks at about 8,100#. Everything down and cut today, light drizzle which is miserable to work in but it beats the heck out of waiting till tomorrow when it is supposed to snow and rain. The CMI pulleys got a workout. The homeowner threw in a new pair of chaps as a bonus said he got them but never uses them. His saw is in the repair shop, thank God for that, there is nothing that scares me more than the helpful homeowner with a saw in his hand trying to help by standing in the way or under you with a saw running.
No stump grinder needed on this one as the roots and all came out as the trees came over. The backhoe guy will bring a load of topsoil to fill in the holes the uprooting left. Only one big danger was the trees snapped in half just above the TIP as the roots broke loose, not the climbable type of trees we are used to. My weekend starts today, I need a rest.

 

[treeclimber165]

Sounds like you earned your long weekend, Geofore. Neat using pulleys to your mechanical advantage, isn't it? Even though I've done it for YEARS in my mind, I've never had much opportunity to apply my thoughts on the job. I'm finally starting to use more complicated rigging than throwing a rope over a natural crotch, and some of the crews I work with are willing to learn (if it doesn't take too long). I bought several pulleys from Sherrill this month since they are on sale, and my Vermeer guy added my 15% discount from a Sherrill postcard on top of that. I still spent $200 but it will pay for itself in time.
Anyway, it's amazing how we can manipulate huge objects with a little engineering and thought.

 

[geofore]

rigging

This is were Brion Toss has all the fun. If you go sailing you will see some amazing rigging. A neighbor sailed around the world by himself some years back, he knew rigging. I learned to rig doing steel, bridges, buildings, towers and that sort of stuff but sailing ships are the best. If we could wind the clocks back i'd have loved to seen a crew moving trees back in the early days when there were 250' oaks in PA., only pictures left now and today machines do it faster. I will say the truck was faster than hitching up a team of horses.