Hello,

[BigUglySquirrel]

well..ok

Good sir:

I strongly suggest you follow the advice of the people on this site. They're pros. Also, if the trees aren't actually a hazard at this exact moment in time, save the money up and pay the $500 to have someone take them out for you. (YES THAT"S CHEAP) You're still doing less work when it's said and done. Besides, how much is the chainsaw going to cost you? the fuel to run it? the bar oil? The rope? Your back killing you the next day? Make no mistake. We MAKE it look easy cheif. It's taken a long time to get it down and it IS labor intensive. I'm also curious about whether or not your HO policy actually covers acts of homeowner tree work that goes south. $1000 deductible? That should clinch it. If you drop the tree on your crib (I sincerely hope not, but it's a major possibility) your $500 bid is going to triple. Maybe more. So I'll put it this way:

One weeks pay, or two or three weeks. Welcome to being a homeowner. Good luck!

 

[aarcuda]

okay, im getting the gist that you guys dont want me to do this. whether thats because youre concerned about my safety or possible damage to my property, thats great. but if its because you dont want to see a homeowner taking a chunk out of your busness thats a no no. with the posts about the making a video and wanting to watch without giving help as to how to take it down, you sound like you want to see me fail so you can say, i told you so. or youre just cruel.

Ive asks lots of questions on lots of forums and I must admit, this is a rough crowd.

so let me ask it this way. forget all other posts ive written.

I'm stuck on a deserted island and have this tree that need to be taken down because its a hazard and its near my house. Its me and two of my friends to do the work or its no one cause theres no one else around. No certified arborists. no professionals. what would you do? leave it or take it down? if it should be taken down, how would you skilled professionals do it?

I would also like to thank those that responded by PM giving helpful instructions. its a shame that these other professionals didnt want to help.

 

[rb_in_va]

okay, im getting the gist that you guys dont want me to do this. whether thats because youre concerned about my safety or possible damage to my property, thats great. but if its because you dont want to see a homeowner taking a chunk out of your busness thats a no no. with the posts about the making a video and wanting to watch without giving help as to how to take it down, you sound like you want to see me fail so you can say, i told you so. or youre just cruel.

I'm sure the concern is for your safety. Also if you hurt yourself while taking this tree down, it affects insurance rates for those that require it to do their job.

 

[Kate Butler]

hello with help

OK, here's the deal....it's not that we don't want to help.....what we want to be sure of is that you really do know what you're doing AND that you are completely aware of the things that can go wrong in a heartbeat (and sometimes do - even for the pros).

No one here is saying that you CAN'T do it - we're saying you need to be sure and to absolutely consider ALL the possibilities (including the REALLY BAD ones) before you try it.

 

[appalachianarbo]

The only tree that looked like it may come down on its own was #100_0895 on your picture site. All the trees look like they have some pretty severe compaction, and the tree with the twin trunks looks like it's been backfilled.

If you are going to do it yourself, I wouldn't recommend dropping the hollow trees whole (especially 4' from your house). Like someone said, rent a lift, remove the branches, then fell the trunk. In a hollow tree, your hinge (the area you create in a cut to act as a pivot point and steer the tree on its way down) will be severely compromised, leaving you with little control. By removing as much weight as you can, and definitely using a pull rope (forget your truck - all you need it 1-2 warm bodies to pull just to get it going in the right direction), the tree may actually go the way you want it.

I think the main reason people on this site don't want you to do it is because of your safety and property. Most of us are used to getting work stolen out from under us, so by cutting your trees yourself, you're not really taking a whole lot from us. It is, however, a whole lot easier and cheaper for us to come out and do it right the first time, than to come back after the tree is on your house and have to remove it then.

Good luck

 

[antigrassguy]

aarcuda, i feel we live many miles apart so not getting the job isnt a problem. 2 years ago a 50 year old gent wanted to save $500 and had at it himself. (not my bid) He was crushed and died before help got there. I dont want to read about another person trying to save money. BUT, I would like to help. SOO, my advice is hire it done for the $500 to get it on ground. Then spend your time to cut up and split and sell $500 worth of firewood next season. Your problem trees are taken care of, you get to run your saw and splitter and you get $500 just before xmas and all is well.
As for island thing, hope one of your friends is a gal friend and maybe the home would be better on other side of island. No sense getting hurt unless one friend is EMT. P.S. did any beer make it to island? Good luck with your decisions.

 

[Trinity Honoria]

okay, im getting the gist that you guys dont want me to do this... but if its because you dont want to see a homeowner taking a chunk out of your busness thats a no no.
Ive asks lots of questions on lots of forums and I must admit, this is a rough crowd.

I would also like to thank those that responded by PM giving helpful instructions. its a shame that these other professionals didnt want to help.

and i am fascinated by your attitude... i have yet to see anyone on this site be greedy to make the buck or to deliberately mislead... i am definitely a chicken waiting to be plucked if anyone here is just in it for the buck...

just because you aren't getting the answers you want is no reason to get hateful... in the past, many of members have posted abundantly on the situations they have had to go back and fix after a homeowner attempted some tree work beyond his or her ability; or after a hack sold himself as capable...

don't forget to post pictures of your success...

 

[aarcuda]

OK, here's the deal....it's not that we don't want to help.....what we want to be sure of is that you really do know what you're doing AND that you are completely aware of the things that can go wrong in a heartbeat (and sometimes do - even for the pros).

I dont know and thats why Im asking. but I'm rellay not getting much help other than people telling me to either forget it OR film it so they can see how I messed it up

No one here is saying that you CAN'T do it - we're saying you need to be sure and to absolutely consider ALL the possibilities (including the REALLY BAD ones) before you try it.

actually, a lot of the replies have been that I should not do it and that I should pay the guy $500 to do it for me.


Sorry if I seemed out of line here but this is a Homeowners Helper Forum. I'm just looking for help and some of the guys here arent helping but hindering buy making those comments and not providing meaningful replies that are directed towrds actually cutting this tree down.

 

[aarcuda]

and i am fascinated by your attitude... i have yet to see anyone on this site be greedy to make the buck or to deliberately mislead... i am definitely a chicken waiting to be plucked if anyone here is just in it for the buck...

my attitude was brought about by some of the replies that would not be helpful but were somewhat making fun of me ie., please film it so we can watch it" and get some earmuff caps and etc." without providing any details on the proper method to do this. to all others, i apologize.

just because you aren't getting the answers you want is no reason to get hateful... in the past, many of members have posted abundantly on the situations they have had to go back and fix after a homeowner attempted some tree work beyond his or her ability; or after a hack sold himself as capable...

I'm not being hateful. just frustrated that there were way more "do not do this" answers as compared to the responsive answers. the response from Axeman was the reason for most of my attitude- now that I re-read it, i see he was replying to the offer of a show by trinity. therefore, I apologize again.

When someone asks me for advice on how to do something, I give it. if its dangerous, I point out the dangers and how to counter them or avoid them. I will stress the dangers so he is aware of them. if he decides to go ahead and proceed, its his decision.

This is a tree. people cut them down. they have a technique. I would like to know what that technique is. I understand there is skill involved. I am a very skillful perosn. If the required task is explained ,I can most likely accomplish it.


all I need to know is how they would do it if they were doing it. I dont mind the "dont do it" answers but I was hoping they would be followed by the "BUT if I were going to do it, I would..................."

heres some more pictures showing the tree's height and the relation to the house.

 

[aarcuda]

the tree is topped at the top of the picture.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

my attitude was brought about by

Not getting what you want when you want it. Don't blame other people for YOUR attitude. You own it, you control it. Nobody else.

just frustrated that there were way more "do not do this" answers as compared to the responsive answers.

Maybe there's a reason for that. Could it be faintly possible that the pros here have good reason for advising you to leave it alone? Maybe from their vantage point of years of training & experience they see something that you don't?

Nah, they're just greedy and don't want to help.

 

[aarcuda]

yup, and if someone could just tell me what that "something" is and stopped treating me like a child, i could deal with it.


and getting what I want??? This is called the "Homeowners Helper Forum. all I am doing is, as a homeowner, asking for help.:bang: i didnt mean to :sword: with anyone.

anyone else??

 

[rb_in_va]

This is called the "Homeowners Helper Forum. all I am doing is, as a homeowner, asking for help.:bang: i didnt mean to :sword: with anyone.

With all due respect, most homeowners post in this area asking for pruning tips, what type of trees will grow in their region, etc. Not how to take down a rotten tree 4' from their house. It's hard to give advice over the net, even with pics because their are some factors that cannot be ascertained unless the expert visits the site. Also I think there may be some liability if someone gives you advice, then you get hurt carrying out the plan laid out over the web. Not sure about that though.

 

[gumneck]

Start with some books. Tree fallers and Timber knockers(err something like that),Tree climbers companion,etc. Keep it tuned to this station and read as much here as you can. You dont have to ask questions here (and get ripped) to learn. Just keep reading and search on specific topics as you learn more about the task at hand. Then you could probably ask that question that is not so open-ended.

You wont get the answer you want or need neatly bundled in one thread. But you will get some good knowledge from alot of cool folks on this site. So dont get turned off from here just yet.

These guys are lookin out for your arse!!

 

[Kate Butler]

grammatical hairspliting

OK, here's the deal....it's not that we don't want to help.....what we want to be sure of is that you really do know what you're doing AND that you are completely aware of the things that can go wrong in a heartbeat (and sometimes do - even for the pros).

No one here is saying that you CAN'T do it - we're saying you need to be sure and to absolutely consider ALL the possibilities (including the REALLY BAD ones) before you try it.

You can or you can't - means that you have the capability either to do or not to do something. It's a yes or a no. No one here can refuse to allow you to do something, even though some of us might think it not to be in your best interests, safety-wise.

You may or you may not - means that you have to make a decision (or get permission from someone else, as in Mother, may I...) to do or not to do something. It's a yes, a no, or a maybe.

These terms are familiar to anyone in a business that has mandated regulation. If the reg. says "shall" then you MUST (required by law). If it says "may" there is room for some decision making on your part (preferably using large amounts of common sense).

If you're gonna do it, go for it. We'd all MUCH PREFER to see successful pictures than unsuccessful ones. But we would like to see pictures.

 

[treeseer]

Dear Mr. Homeowner,

You want advice here it is: Think before you pronounce a tree too hazardous to stay. I asked you, before all this tangential tangling, to measure the diameter of the tree that had the hole in it. Still waiting for that datum. Until you gather some intelligence, you cannot make an intelligent decision.

Tree Risk ManAgement involves more than asking a bunch of random strangers HOW to cut a tree down. First comes the WHY.

 

[Ax-man]

This thread reminds me of the guy who wanted to get into the complexities of climbing a dead Cottonwood tree to remove from his yard, a DIY thing, Engineer Dude was his name I think. He drew the same kind of flack, or supposed flack from the members here. We might at well save our breath on this one, the man's mind is made up, no matter what we say.

AARCUDA, the help and technique you desire is all here buried in the archives. The search function leaves a little to be desired on this site, the best way is to go to the Commercial Section, Forestry Forum, start from the very beginninging and work your way forward looking for key words that pertain to your task. A good thread will have many replies. Cruise the Chainsaw forum also, some info there, but seek out the chain sharpening threads, your going to need a sharp straight cutting saw to do this.

If you want free advise do some legwork, then if you have questions no one here will steer you wrong and everyone will be on the same page. Busting into this forum saying your pre qualified to do anything with no experience and wanting free advise on how to cut a hollow tree in three easy steps just isn't going to happen. Your just being unrealistic and this is why your drawing the heat or supposed heat. You have gotten some good advise, tree work differs from the other the projects you have done in that you don't get a second chance to correct a novice type mistake.

Larry

 

[geofore]

help?

Now, I have no doubt you can do this yourself but do you already have the tools you need to get it done safely? Let's start with the saw, what do you have? Bullrope what do you got and how long is it? Do you have a 40' ladder or are you going to throw a rope up the trees? Do you have a truck or tree to tie your rope to when you use the come-a-long? You have more than one rope right? One for the come-a-long and one for the tree? You have a clevis or two? Some wedges? A sledge hammer? Extra chain for your saw? PPE or are you going to wing it? I'd like to help you but when I put BOONIES into mapquest search, I get no driving directions. Do you have/need the local permits to remove these trees?
When you say $500 is over the top pricewise, do you have any idea what it costs to buy what you need to do this? Maybe you have what you need already but most homeowners don't have ropes long enough. Saws big enough to stay out of trouble. Chains sharp enough to cut through a tree without needing sharpening. OR buddies who can wait till the tree is down to crack open a beer. Beer and rope work don't mix! Then the problem of what saw cuts to make pops up.
Let me know if you have the tools before you ask me for advice on how to beat the guy out of a reasonable price for putting a couple of hazardous trees on the ground. So what have you got for tools?

 

[Tree Frog]

Aarcuda,

Everything that you are asking about has been delievered to you on a silver platter. You just have to find the dining room in this mansion. Ax-man is correct use the search function. As per my advice on page one.

If you want real help heed treeseers questions about specifications on the tree.

Geofore brings up a good point, start pricing out what you need to complete the job safely and see how quickly it starts to exceed the $500 mark.

If you read between the lines, everyone has been more that willing to help you but first educate yourself and then once you know what is involved, start asking the right questions.

 

[jp hallman]

It's hollow right? Pack it with a few pounds of black powder and let her rip.
If it goes wrong...blame it on the Democrats. If it were'nt for them you'd of had locals ready, willing and able to blow that som' buck out of your yard for you..for nothing but the chance to practice dude! How are folks supposed to protect themselves from commies if they can't practice blowing things up? I ask you, how? Chainsaws just give your position away. Folks hear them, they start looking for falling trees. Unless you're the guy in a previous post that was nailed by the falling tree. He was a dumbass. Probably thinking about nekid women and crack. Well readers. Got you to read anyway. Hard to tell what to do with a tree unless you're standing there looking at it.