Line work

[Kevin]

What`s the safest method to remove a tree from a cable that`s lashed to a 3/8" steel support strand.
The strand and cable are pulled to within just a few feet from the ground and is under a lot of tension.
You can`t reach the tree with a bucket truck.
I`m not certified and I have no intentions of tackling a job such as this but it`s a common occurrence up here in the north.
Just to make it interesting lets say this is a fiber optic cable and you can`t let it spring back up or the glass fibers will shatter.
There`s nothing below to anchor a support line to keep tension on the strand and you`re all alone!

 

[treeclimber165]

My first thought would be to use a power pruner (extension chain saw) and whittle at the top to reduce the weight on the cable. When I have either lightened it enough to where A) I can't reach above the wire, or B) I have cut the top to within 12" of the wire, I would undercut the trunk approx. 12" below the wire. When the cut starts to break, I would drop the power pruner out of the way and grab the rope that I had previously tied to the wire in order to dampen the 'spring'. Tree drops and I guide the wire up with the rope. ( gotta tie a bowline on a biiiiiiiiiiiigggggg loop so you can untie it afterwards)

I didn't refer to any safety literature or anything, just what I would be most comfortable doing.

 

[Kevin]

Brian;
I was thinking along the lines of the power pruning saw but I have a feeling the tree would snap under all the pressure and you wouldn`t have a chance to grab the line to dampen the spring, some of these strands are within a few feet of the ground where they are normally thirty feet in the air!
I`ve never watched the contractor take them down and I`m pretty sure they aren`t certified to tackle a job like this.
Usually you can get close to them with a boom truck but there are many you can`t.
If you had a line long enough you might be able to run it between poles, over the strand and anchor it to the base of each pole so that it can be released slowly once the tree has been removed but the spans are anywhere from 150 to 200 feet.

 

[monkeypuzzle]

IS the tree dead or alive?Would you make a top cut so the wood just snaps or just undercut and let it peel slowly?When I have had trees hang up in other trees(only)I usually start a few feet from the ground, undercut and let the tree stand up a little more.Repeat this a few more times until tree is on ground.With cables this procedure would not be the best I'm sure but if I was alone and bossman said get it down who knows.After reading that short story in the accidents post I see that these so called Tree Experts(the orange guys)is run by a bunch of Important wanna-be slicks and that the little man usually gets it in the ass.Being self employed I would just say no.

 

[treeclimber165]

It all depends on how much weight is on the wire, and that will need to be re-evaluated after every cut. I was envisioning the wire slowly raising up as the top of the tree was whittled away with the power pruner. That is why I said the part about not being able to reach above the wire with the power pruner. If I had the whole top off and the wire was still stretched down considerably, I might consider what monkeypuzzle said about working the trunk from the bottom up using a larger saw.


This is all hypothetical anyway, because we ALL know it is stupid to tackle any situation like this without a second person around.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If it is fiber and there are no conductors on the pole, tie in to another tree, climb down and piece it out. Then get a a rigging device (GRCS) and slowly raise it up with a DWT, first anchor is in a tree another tree, second anchor is in a third tree and block is in between.

Now someone else figure the forces.

 

[Chain Gang]

Kevin,

If this is a low voltage line, like cable TV or telephone, put a sling around the base of each pole. Put a piece of doubled webbing over the wire. Then put a rope through it, connect one end to a sling on a pole and the other to a rope puller attached to the other sling.

I'd probably cut the tree in the middle so that it would slowly sag and drop. If your rope puller is snug, and the wood moves slow, you should be okay. Continue cutting the stem until it can be pushed away, or until you can slowly feed out rope, making the stem fall safely away.

If there is power on the line, don't do it. YOu'd have to get someone to install a sleeve on the wire for your pull rope. And then, you'd be wise to wear lineman's gloves to handle your saw. Not something for the non-linemen to try.

Let us know what you decide to do

Carroll

 

[Kevin]

Carroll,
I don`t remove any of the big stuff, I`m not equipped and not certified for any commercial saw use but the sad part is either is the contractor that does this work for us.
We have qualified tree men here but our contractor won`t hire them and we can`t hire them because we have a contract with the contractor!
These cables are for telephone communications, we maintain part of the trans Canada fiber route along with hundreds of miles of copper cable.
Trees on our lines are a near daily occurrence because of the huge area we service.
I`m looking at becoming certified in the near future, I`m interested in the climbing skills involved with the tree job and because it`s related to what I do now my company is willing to cover some of the training costs.
The hydro boys are pretty well equipped to keep their lines clear, they have all the goodies.
The one thing about cutting the tree in the middle or working up from the butt is there can`t be any branches left on the top of the tree or the tree will get hung up on the strand and just hang there verticle off the ground.
It`s a good idea to take the top off as close to the support strand as possible.
I`m heading for the bush and won`t get a chance to respond for a few days but thanks for the suggestions, I might have a chance to use them down the road but only after acquiring the proper equipment and training.

 

[sonny]

It seems to me, the owner of the electric, Communication, guy wire, or what ever it is would be responsable to remove it. Alls you need to do is cut it, & wammo it shakes so much that it knocks out power lines pole spans down the road.Then you would be in a world of hurt.BIG $ to have them fix it.Just have them remove it & you get paid to clean it up.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If the occurance is so frequent here are some questions.

Is it lack of access do to small ROW cleance or the sixe of the tree down, or the terain?

Could a bucket on a timberjack or franklin get in?

Is there room for a crain to do a pick? If the angles are high, smaller cranes can lift big trees. I'ts when the boom is out that you need the big boys, like 85 toner to lift 500lbs chunks over a house.

 

[sonny]

You cant just disconect the line, from the poles ?

 

[Deere John]

If this is a bush lot situation, I would pack in my 8,000 lb portable winch, guy the tree side to side to adjacent trees, or the bottoms of the poles, and with a couple of 12v batteries, winch the tree back to vertical ( I assume the stump is still attached) and keep going to let it fall into da bush. No shock, no stress. Hardest part is packing the 150 lb winch, and batteries, but that's what they make ATV's for.

I did this once before, but I did not consider the recoil damage to the fibre optic line. No damage that I was aware of, though. Be very careful with fibre optic - electrical tape will not patch you out of a break!

Have fun.

 

[Kevin]

The problem with dropping these cables is they can only be lowered by climbing the pole and dropping the strand from the hardware and it would be risky to climb a pole under that much stress.
A tracked vehicle with a bucket would be the answer but we don`t have one and our contractor won`t spend the money on one.
It`s amazing that companies are aware of the dangers and look the other way until someone gets hurt and then they rush to hang it on the ill equipped.
We hired a second rate digging contractor for all our needs then nickle and dimed him to death and the results are very prevalent.
John, most of these trees are along the side of the highway but well off the road and some of these cables run through right-of-ways, sometimes for a mile or more.
Some run with power above and some don`t.

 

[Deere John]

For the one-off tree, you can get by with any one of the above ideas. For the long term, the only answer is to get properly rigged up and trained, like you mentioned. Is there a business opportunity here for you? A skidder or bombadier- equipped with a bucket is not that expensive relative to a long-term business plan. Lots of business expertise here on this site.

Here's what my wife said: If it is really remote and you are a good shot, get your 30-30, (or your wife's ) and shoot all the branches off above the fibre optic line. Shooting below the line may give you a richochette you do not want. That should take the weight off gradually. If the root wad is still attached, it may settle back onto its root, to allow you to deal with it without the complication of the wiring. I love her ingenuity - she'd love to try this.

Refer to the last line in my last post!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I looked at a highlift on a franklin, used, referb'ed and painted 31k US.

 

[Kevin]

It`s not something I would consider getting into but often times we get called to go and look at a downed tree on the cable and it only makes sense to me that if I have the equipment and the job can be done safely with one person , I`m already there so why not remove it.
The tree men can deal with the big trees in the city, there`s little doubt in my mind that only qualified full time arborists with the necessary equipment should handle these jobs.
My sideline is milling and I`m quite happy producing lumber on a small scale.