What would you charge to drop this tree?

[JimR]

Hey Ekka,

My intentions are to climb a few trees just for the fun of it. First I need to buy the gear. I may be a little defensive, but I won't knock the nay-sayers. I know where I came from and what I've done to get where I am today. I do have that other big tree to drop on the farm and that is going to be my learning tree. I am really looking forward to sitting way up top in it knowing that I climbed it all on my own. I'm in pretty good physical condition now since the barn completion. I worked on that project for almost 3 months 7 days a week. I also dropped 20 pounds and can't keep my pants up anymore. Suspenders may be in order someday. It won't be because I have a fat gut that my pants can't go around. I'll post a picture from up high once I get my gear and learn how to use it.

 

[woodshop]

Like most others here, I think you were risking life, limb and possibly your house taking down a tree like that yourself, but like Stumper said, without better pics from different perspectives, hard to say. Looks like you dodged a bullet this time.

That said, I have to admire your barn rebuilding skills. I love to see old barns that have seen much better days, that most people would knock down, be rebuilt. Old barns are slowly disappearing here in PA. The Amish still build them.

 

[newb]

Wow, Thats scary. You want us to price with a pic, and you cant understand why its not possible. How did you climb the tree, ladder? What did you use to rig it down, luck? You said you cut half way through and pushed it down with a tractor. And your thinking of doing this on the side. Count your lucky stars it went good and remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day!!

 

[Molecule]

Don't be so defensive, I know where you're coming from. [ ... ] next thing you know some jerks gonna make a law that you can't do your own gardening. Have fun, and climb a few trees, it's free.

Ekka ... you'll like this one ... as reported by Dan Lutz, an American farmer in West Virginia, in a recent issue of the most feared and free newspaper in the United States ...

The Paul Bremer Administration [in Iraq] issued "[Executive] Order No.81," to bring Iraqi law into compliance with the protected practices of Monsanto, Cargill and other multinationals. Under Order No. 81 (titled Patent, Industrial Design, Undisclosed Information, Integrated Circuits and Plant Variety Law), it is mandated :
1) Iraqis will dispose of and destroy all existing stocks of seeds held.
2) Cease planting from these seedstocks, and sowing these seeds.
3) Purchase crop seeds from the genetically engineered strains sold by the multinationals.
[ ... ]

West Virginia Family Farmer Lutz continues ... "We face the prospect of paying a license fee [to Monsanto] to plant a backyard garden. [Thru user and inspection fees levied on the home gardener and small farmer, and tax relief to cover the debt frauds of the multinationals, this privitized tax] might be paid to Monsanto-Cargill, depending on what seed the producer farmer/family gardener plants. The grower must keep a record of the harvest—that is, what was grown, when it was harvested—and the crop volume and how disposed of. You will be taxed [on your own food production] as income on your IRS 1040 Farm Income Line. [And] what happens to the producer who inadvertently or deliberately transports these seeds anywhere without authorization? Monsanto maintains a police and litigation force for enforcement against farmers."
Way to go Paul Bremmer ... 500 Billion for Iraqi "freedom," not a dime for the American Family Farmer.

 

[JimR]

Wow, Thats scary. You want us to price with a pic, and you cant understand why its not possible. How did you climb the tree, ladder? What did you use to rig it down, luck? You said you cut half way through and pushed it down with a tractor. And your thinking of doing this on the side. Count your lucky stars it went good and remember, even a broken clock is right twice a day!!

I used a ladder on this tree. I said I cut the limbs off and dropped the other two sections in two pieces. I then cut through the tree and pushed it over with my tractor. That was the remaiing 8 feet of the trunk. Most of the limbs on the tree fell exactly where they should have gone. Two needed to be pursuaded by my tractor using a 1" 100,000 lb test rope.

 

[JimR]

Like most others here, I think you were risking life, limb and possibly your house taking down a tree like that yourself, but like Stumper said, without better pics from different perspectives, hard to say. Looks like you dodged a bullet this time.

That said, I have to admire your barn rebuilding skills. I love to see old barns that have seen much better days, that most people would knock down, be rebuilt. Old barns are slowly disappearing here in PA. The Amish still build them.

This was not the biggest tree that I have dropped. Risky, maybe if your squeamish. I find that riding my motorcycle in rush hour traffic is more dangerous than being up in that tree. I have no control over idiot drivers in vehicles. In that tree I felt in control.

Thanks for the compliments on my barn work. I couldn't see taking it down either. The cost to replace it would have been out of this world.

 

[Ekka]

Hey JimR

When I climbed my first big tree. (the guys on here will hate this)

I got a ripper of a shot in nice and high, pulled my lifeline through, bounce tested it and here we go. Had 2 beers before the ascent for clinical reasons.

I had hooked on the back of my harness another throw line tied to 2 more beers in the esky below. I climbed to the top of this big gum, got comfortable and then pulled up those beers and just chilled out. It was great, you could see for miles, no-one knew you were up there, people walking dogs in the park below etc. Then I stuck on the figure 8 and did an abseil descent, fantastic.

It's all about the high point mate, learn to trunk walk and it's a blast. Go out on limbs, take a swing, no worries.

Common sense is what's required, look for defects on your ascent.

You might choose to pull up a coffee, but it's always hot here so I use beer. (not on the job though)

 

[JimR]

Hey JimR

When I climbed my first big tree. (the guys on here will hate this)

I got a ripper of a shot in nice and high, pulled my lifeline through, bounce tested it and here we go. Had 2 beers before the ascent for clinical reasons.

I had hooked on the back of my harness another throw line tied to 2 more beers in the esky below. I climbed to the top of this big gum, got comfortable and then pulled up those beers and just chilled out. It was great, you could see for miles, no-one knew you were up there, people walking dogs in the park below etc. Then I stuck on the figure 8 and did an abseil descent, fantastic.

It's all about the high point mate, learn to trunk walk and it's a blast. Go out on limbs, take a swing, no worries.

Common sense is what's required, look for defects on your ascent.

You might choose to pull up a coffee, but it's always hot here so I use beer. (not on the job though)

That's funny. I've had quite a few beers up on the roof before, never in a tree. Coffee is not for me. I don't need it. I'm strung out enough without it. You gotta love the view from being up high. I remember climbing a Maple tree in my mother's yard when I was about 10 years old. I climbed that tree all the way to the swinging branches at the top. You could see everywhere from up there. It was breezy and the tree top was just swaying in the wind. I also remember having one hell of a time getting down. I jumped to quite a few branches because that was how I got up to the top. After that I used a rope to climb that tree to the top at the hard spots. Of course when you are a kid you have no fear whatsoever.
You should see the view from the top of the barn roof. I've been up there admiring the countryside in the fall. We have a hatch on the south side of the roof for roof access. Those roof days all almost over. The other side of the barn roof gets done this spring. That should be the last time in my life that I should need to go up there for repairs. I can't wait to learn to climb. Right now money is tight as I am trying to keep expenses down on tools and equipment while I work on the old farmhouse. The farmhouse is where my daughter will be moving in hopefully this year once I update the place. It needs a complete rewire, replaster, insulation job. My daughter and I have already started tearing the walls down to insulate the place. I also need to convert the heat over to a closed forced hot water system. It has steam heat now. That will not work well with a tight house. Steam makes too much moisture buildup inside the house in the winter. I was also considering making a tree house up in the other Ash tree that I want to remove. I could use this as a climbing tree. I need to talk with my daughter about that one. She likes climbing trees too. Before she went off to college she was always goofing off up in our trees or the trees at the farm. She is a very strong tough little 5' peanut.

 

[JonnyHart]

Hey JimR

When I climbed my first big tree. (the guys on here will hate this)

I got a ripper of a shot in nice and high, pulled my lifeline through, bounce tested it and here we go. Had 2 beers before the ascent for clinical reasons.

I had hooked on the back of my harness another throw line tied to 2 more beers in the esky below. I climbed to the top of this big gum, got comfortable and then pulled up those beers and just chilled out. It was great, you could see for miles, no-one knew you were up there, people walking dogs in the park below etc. Then I stuck on the figure 8 and did an abseil descent, fantastic.

It's all about the high point mate, learn to trunk walk and it's a blast. Go out on limbs, take a swing, no worries.

Common sense is what's required, look for defects on your ascent.

You might choose to pull up a coffee, but it's always hot here so I use beer. (not on the job though)

I'm not sure that's a very good idea. Then again, it's always fun peeing out of the top of a tree. Ya don't buy beer, ya rent it.