went for a ride.

[beastmaster]

Today we were removing some big eucs with a small crane. This one branch about 40 ft up, shot out almost Horizontal where it forked and dipped down over a fence. The branch was only about 8 inches thick and vary smooth. Not wanting to set on that branch(the whole multi trunk tree was rotton at the base) I suggested, why not let me just hang them off the hook and I can stay hooked to the boom also and ride down with the pick.
I put a sling on both branches. The knockle boom crane was fully extended. I cut the first branch and it didn't have to fall far. But the next one had some slake in it and was farther from the hook. I put some slake I'm my safety line and disconnected my lanyard in case the branch failed. I cut the branch. It shook the hell out of the boom. It snached me off that branch with a vengeance . I became one with the two branches. It happened so fast I didn't have time to be scared. Luckily I was tied in high enough I wasn't smashed between the hanging branches. . I used the same tech on two more spars with out incident.I wish I had video.

 

[ShermanC]

Today we were removing some big eucs with a small crane. This one branch about 40 ft up, shot out almost Horizontal where it forked and dipped down over a fence. The branch was only about 8 inches thick and vary smooth. Not wanting to set on that branch(the whole multi trunk tree was rotton at the base) I suggested, why not let me just hang them off the hook and I can stay hooked to the boom also and ride down with the pick.
I put a sling on both branches. The knockle boom crane was fully extended. I cut the first branch and it didn't have to fall far. But the next one had some slake in it and was farther from the hook. I put some slake I'm my safety line and disconnected my lanyard in case the branch failed. I cut the branch. It shook the hell out of the boom. It snached me off that branch with a vengeance . I became one with the two branches. It happened so fast I didn't have time to be scared. Luckily I was tied in high enough I wasn't smashed between the hanging branches. . I used the same tech on two more spars with out incident.I wish I had video.

You are lucky and maybe blessed from injury. Check out the ANSI standards on cranes and crane hooks. After that is done I suggest you'll find other safer ways to tackle that type of task. I admit we must find ways to deal with gravity but man gravity will always rule.

 

[beastmaster]

I know ANSI rules. I was tied in on a ring next to the hook. And in situation's were the tree may be to weak or damaged to be safe, your allowed to ride down with the pick.
I do a lot of hazerous trees, mostly without imcident. Lots of the time I'm thinking outside the box.

 

[jefflovstrom]

You are lucky and maybe blessed from injury. Check out the ANSI standards on cranes and crane hooks. After that is done I suggest you'll find other safer ways to tackle that type of task. I admit we must find ways to deal with gravity but man gravity will always rule.

You sound condescending,,
I suggest you know the person you are are suggesting to.
Jeff

 

[JRoland]

"It happened so fast I didn't have time to be scared"

Sometimes after the fact it's like, " did that just happen?" Or to the groundsman, " how did that look from there I didn't like it from here...."

Glad you're ok.

 

[beastmaster]

You know truth of the matter we were laughing so hard my sides hurt. I was prepared for a jolt, just not so much of one. I took precautions and was positioned in a safe secure spot. I work for this company a few days each week for years. There knockleboom crane is 60 ft. We're guilty sometimes of pushing its limits, but I have complete faith and trust in the operator. I like to post things that might be interesting or funny. I do trees that most can't or won't with out no problems the vast majority of the time. I work very intuitively and have lots of tricks I've picked up or invented to fit special situations.
There are trees I normally wouldn't do that I'll do for the right amount of money. I've done some trees just for the challenge(still got paid).
Been doing high risk removals for 30 + years. Never had an injury(knock on wood) I know someday something catastrophic could happen. But that's true of any of us.
I still wish I had it on video.

 

[newsawtooth]

Nice work, Beast. With the **** you deal with, hooking into the crane sounds like a safer bet. How far did you swing?

 

[newsawtooth]

You are lucky and maybe blessed from injury. Check out the ANSI standards on cranes and crane hooks. After that is done I suggest you'll find other safer ways to tackle that type of task. I admit we must find ways to deal with gravity but man gravity will always rule.

I get it man, physics determine what we can get away with. So, I usually defer to specifically engineered pieces of equipment not the natural organisms we are working in.

 

[Zale]

You know truth of the matter we were laughing so hard my sides hurt. I was prepared for a jolt, just not so much of one. I took precautions and was positioned in a safe secure spot. I work for this company a few days each week for years. There knockleboom crane is 60 ft. We're guilty sometimes of pushing its limits, but I have complete faith and trust in the operator. I like to post things that might be interesting or funny. I do trees that most can't or won't with out no problems the vast majority of the time. I work very intuitively and have lots of tricks I've picked up or invented to fit special situations.
There are trees I normally wouldn't do that I'll do for the right amount of money. I've done some trees just for the challenge(still got paid).
Been doing high risk removals for 30 + years. Never had an injury(knock on wood) I know someday something catastrophic could happen. But that's true of any of us.
I still wish I had it on video.

Thats all well and good but was your hitch pin in place? ANSI regulations state...........

 

[Pelorus]

Glad you're ok, Beast!
Sadly, as we get older, the bones get crunched easier.

 

[ShermanC]

Glad you're ok, Beast!
Sadly, as we get older, the bones get crunched easier.

So true Pelorus. I hate it when a person is injured or killed while working. I was 59 in 1999 when I foolishly worked a 12 tree pruning job alone, forgot to tie in and fell 20' fracturing my right pelvis and breaking the right hip. I had known pain before but not like this. It happened so fast just like every person in an accident talks about. I had a wooden whistle in my coveralls pocket and blew it as hard as I could. Help soon arrived from the new building I was working by. An ambulance had me at the hospital within 45 minutes. Eighteen months later I was back in the trees but no more climbing. I switched to aerial lifts in 2001 and still love this work.

My heart is still grieving for the 33 seamen on the 790' freighter El Faro (Spanish for guiding light or lighthouse). Their ship sank a few weeks ago in 15,000' amid a hurricane. I believe they had engine problems and radioed for help but there was no way to get help to them.

 

[squad143]

Glad you here to laugh about it and no worse for wear. Thanks for sharing

 

[Stayalert]

Thanks for sharing - I've read so many things lurking on here that have helped to keep me from serious injury or worse. I think I'll take a little whistle off one of my old life jackets and put it in on my harness….