Crane removals....

[Ghillie]

I thought a discussion started in another thread should be brought out to another thread. Here are some pics from when our aerial was broken back in August.

It was a "shingle" oak between a garage and some wires. The groundman had a break while I was rigging to take half the spar so he took some pictures....And yes I know I'll never look like a squirrel in a tree!!!

 

[ddhlakebound]

Did you see the size of that squirrel???:jawdrop:

Nice pics Ghillie, I'm patiently waiting for my first crane job too....Hope I don't have to wait as long as Nails has been.

Nice pics.

 

[Ghillie]

Last four pics of this job.

D@mn it was a HOT day with NO wind....And yes that is underwear on my head..

I think I have some more of a row of white poplars we took down after we got our new aerial.... I'll see if I can post them tonight.

Be safe,

Fred

 

[Nailsbeats]

Nice to see the black panties on the head, lol. Now that's what I'm taliking about.

Looks like you are running a 440? Love mine, both of them, muffler modded of course.

 

[460magnumMOD]

I love crane jobs. I'm just the groundie on them, but they move so fast. I gotta get some pics of my boss up in the tree with our crane guy. I just hope we find another decent guy to help on the ground for our next one cause man it is hell buy yourself. Those pieces just come in so fast and so big. We have a bandit 254 chipper with a winch and i struggle to keep up. They're usually hanging another large leader over my head buy the time I'm getting the last bit through the chipper. Our crane guy is great though, when things get backed up he'll actually come out of the crane and help out even if just running the winch for me while I cut 'em and hook 'em. We all have head sets with mics on them for communication which helps out greatly.

 

[Ghillie]

Pics of a job from last week.

No we didn't NEED it but it is a part of our "arsenal" and the only time we don't use it is when we can't get it in a back yard for one reason or another.

We left the aerial in the drive with the chipper in the LZ so we had little to no dragging. Once it was hooked and cut, the crane operator lowered it right behind the chipper.

We set the choker on this at the break, cut as low as we could. Then layed it down nice and controlled, trimmed to size and loaded on the crane. No holes in the yard and no "out of control wood" LOL.... (I said wood)

The last one is just because I look GOOD!!!

 

[Ghillie]

I love crane jobs. I'm just the groundie on them, but they move so fast. I gotta get some pics of my boss up in the tree with our crane guy. I just hope we find another decent guy to help on the ground for our next one cause man it is hell buy yourself. Those pieces just come in so fast and so big. We have a bandit 254 chipper with a winch and i struggle to keep up. They're usually hanging another large leader over my head buy the time I'm getting the last bit through the chipper. Our crane guy is great though, when things get backed up he'll actually come out of the crane and help out even if just running the winch for me while I cut 'em and hook 'em. We all have head sets with mics on them for communication which helps out greatly.

Yep, with an aerial and a crane, you at least need two ground guys. When things go smooth you can keep the chipper awfully busy.

What kind of comm set-up do you use? That is an area that we are lacking. My partner and I have hand signals down pretty good but sometimes you come up against something that is better explained with words. And I think it is a pain to yell down 55' over the sound of the chipper, crane and bucket truck.

 

[Ghillie]

Nice to see the black panties on the head, lol. Now that's what I'm taliking about.

Looks like you are running a 440? Love mine, both of them, muffler modded of course.

I left the lace ones at home.... LOL... If I knew you would be seeing them I would have dressed up a bit! :biggrinbounce2:

I like the 440 and the 371 about equally.

Haven't modded the 440 yet but it is on the list. I usually leave the 440 with 20" bar on the ground for those guys and take the 371 with 24" bar up with me. You might be suprised how much I use the whole bar... And the leaders come off soooooo much nicer when you don't leave an uncut sliver on the other side that you can't see!

 

[Ghillie]

Did you see the size of that squirrel???:jawdrop:

Nice pics Ghillie, I'm patiently waiting for my first crane job too....Hope I don't have to wait as long as Nails has been.

Nice pics.

LOL... I really confused a neighbors dog walking out on a limb on one job.. Came rushing and barking right up to the fence after they saw movement in the tree. Should have seen the slam on the brakes when they saw the "size of that squirrel"

Thanks, I think I have some of one more job from the bucket looking down.

 

[Ghillie]

This is the last of some white poplars we took down. The first is a limb from the previous tree we lowered right into the chipper.

The last few we took the whole tree and set it down by the chipper, limbed it and took the trunk and loaded it on the bed of the crane. Winched the top and limbs into the chipper.

 

[Ghillie]

 

[epicklein22]

Nice pics Ghillie. If I was still attending Ohio Wesleyan I would have loved to work with you sometime. Over the summer, crane jobs were the best. We got a lot done and a lot of firewood/saw logs. Our crane guy was sick..he got that crane in the tightest positions and on slopes, wish I had pics. I was the only ground guy and usually kept up pretty well. We used a 17 morbark that just ripped. I would keep a lot of limbs for firewood, but usually my crane guy could guide them right into the chipper. I would start the limb and then unhook the cable and continue to chip it up. Very proficient. The best is when you can get the tree in one cut and then feed the whole thing in the chipper, gotta love technology.

 

[oldirty]

hey ghillie try this.

stay clipped into the ball while you are setting the choker then rappel to your cut spot, buckstrap in and then pull your line free. then retie in. that way you can get around the tree with the choker and do what you gotta do to make sure all is all set.

what i try to do with the choker/strap is set it so that the ball is on the backside of the wood as the crane guy picks up it will get pulled toward the boom. also try to make your cut directly to the boom so you dont have to worry about getting it pinched.

its much easier to explain in person but if you dont understand what i mean i'll do my best for ya.


dog's do tend to give you that look when they see you in the tree. lol

 

[oldirty]

think of a clock.

you set the choker at 6 the boom is at 12 you are at 3.

reach the saw around and cut 9 to about 1130 then (saw is still in the kerf) bring the saw back to 6 and push to 12. as you are almost done with the cut the CO should be tensioning the pick and as you finish your cut you will notice the wood is rising off the stem but still connected because you havent gotten to 12 yet. its at this point you should be able to tell if you can finish cutting to 12 or if you need to pull out the saw and finsh with a quick backcut/relief cut to set it free.


this is on a straight up and down piece.


if you have a big lateral and you got it strapped near the end and you are not just fast cutting to let it go (maybe you got a house or wires under the pick) put a scarf cut on the topside of the wood (piecut whatever you call it) and start the under cut. as you are cutting the CO picks it up and finish the cut leaving no holding wood. just dont rush the cut, let the crane continue to pick it up. that face cut you just made should be closed by the time you finish the cut.

there are so many different ways to do crane work though. i'd love to hear of the way others do.

great topic ghillie. if we can only get jomoco away from the political forums i am sure he knows a trick or two.

 

[Ghillie]

I know exactly what you are talking about OD.

I've used all those tricks. Best advice I can give anyone is cut slow. You don't want it to just pop off. You might not like where it wants to go.

Check that... Best advice is keep your head below the cut. YOU ARE NOT quick enough to duck if the butt comes flying at you!!!

OD... We had an eighty some foot dead elm we took down that was taller than the crane but the crotches where lower than the tip. I would choke the limb as high as the crane would reach and still have room to snug it up. I would then scarf the bottom to about half the dia. (for a strong hinge) and start a slow back cut making sure the tip of the crane is not above where I was cutting (so when the limb breaks it doesn't swing away from the crane but to it instead). As the limb starts to lean into the scarf the CO needs to slowly lower the limb but not let any slack in the line so it free falls. edit: make the scarf WIDE so it won't break the hinge untill the limb is upside down.

If you can understand what I was trying to say (kind of a slow motion butt-tie). You can take down bigger trees with a smaller crane.

Just use your felling experience at height. Watch the angle you are cutting and which way the limb is going to swing when you cut it free.

Watch for barberchairing!!! I cut slow and usually keep the kerf at a little above eye level so I can see if it is twisting. I do a lot of plunging to keep the kerf open and not bind the bar.

Hope that is understandable.

 

[Ghillie]

think of a clock.

you set the choker at 6 the boom is at 12 you are at 3.

reach the saw around and cut 9 to about 1130 then (saw is still in the kerf) bring the saw back to 6 and push to 12. as you are almost done with the cut the CO should be tensioning the pick and as you finish your cut you will notice the wood is rising off the stem but still connected because you havent gotten to 12 yet. its at this point you should be able to tell if you can finish cutting to 12 or if you need to pull out the saw and finsh with a quick backcut/relief cut to set it free.


this is on a straight up and down piece.


if you have a big lateral and you got it strapped near the end and you are not just fast cutting to let it go (maybe you got a house or wires under the pick) put a scarf cut on the topside of the wood (piecut whatever you call it) and start the under cut. as you are cutting the CO picks it up and finish the cut leaving no holding wood. just dont rush the cut, let the crane continue to pick it up. that face cut you just made should be closed by the time you finish the cut.
there are so many different ways to do crane work though. i'd love to hear of the way others do.

great topic ghillie. if we can only get jomoco away from the political forums i am sure he knows a trick or two.

One thing... Put the tip of the crane directly over the scarf and hinge so the limb isn't pulling away from the tree but up. It will stand up nice and pretty and won't (shouldn't) jump at you or swing back into you.

 

[toddstreeservic]

Man I wish that we could afford a crane! It would make some jobs sooo much easier! Oh well too many other things neede first. Great pics!

 

[oldirty]

One thing... Put the tip of the crane directly over the scarf and hinge so the limb isn't pulling away from the tree but up. It will stand up nice and pretty and won't (shouldn't) jump at you or swing back into you.

yup. thats what i was trying to say. lol


i stink with terminology. lol


and i like how you emphasize the fact that you should make your cuts at eye level or almost above your head. thats something not everyone under stands. even when using the bucket and crane, same thing.


there is almost no way to get out of the way if you are cutting in a bad position.

but seeing how the crane pics the wood up and a way you should make the cut so that there is no way the wood can get you.

you are a pretty smart guy ghillie.

lol

 

[Blakesmaster]

This treads chock fool o' goodies. Thanks guys. Keep it comin'.

 

[Ghillie]

yup. thats what i was trying to say. lol


i stink with terminology. lol


and i like how you emphasize the fact that you should make your cuts at eye level or almost above your head. thats something not everyone under stands. even when using the bucket and crane, same thing.


there is almost no way to get out of the way if you are cutting in a bad position.

but seeing how the crane pics the wood up and a way you should make the cut so that there is no way the wood can get you.

you are a pretty smart guy ghillie.

lol

Yep, I didn't fully understand untill I almost broke my hand trying to deflect a 10" butt of a limb that wanted a piece of my face!!

Really put things in perspective since 10" is the lower range of the picks we usually take off a tree.

Man!! That hurt!! But it is a lesson well learned.

Another thing is that there is a learning curve to understanding where to balance a branch. I always choke it up as high as I can and still be on good solid wood (enough to hold the whole weight of the branch/ leader). But always be prepared for the butt to go skyward and the top to invert and come at you. You can look at charts to see how much a solid section should weigh but it takes some experience to tell how much all that foliage and little stuff weighs on the end.


Smart...........and good looking!!!........LIVIN' THE DREAM!!!!


LOL