Boom Lift for some minor tree work.

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Pictures would be amazingly helpful.

Avoid using a chainsaw from the lift unless it is a top-handle or smaller saw than you list in your goodies. At least use it as little as possible. A sharp handsaw would reduce your risk substantially.

Scissor lifts are only for hard, flat surfaces.
What is the access and ground conditions where you will want to position the lift. Has there been any ground disturbance near the outriggers. If it is right near a foundation that you will be using a machine or outrigger of the machine, be aware than that soil may be less solid than other undisturbed areas. You need a hard/ compact area that is relatively level.

If you catch any limbs that you cut, you are most likely dynamically loading the lift. Not good. Much safer to rig them with quality rope that can stand up to the abrasion, and has the right strength, or cut pieces very small to reduce your loading.

More information and pictures would help to get you the best advice.

I suggest that you not undertake this job yet.

Im deffinitaly not talking about a sissor lift? A boom lift, tophandle, full harness, some rope for rigging if needed.
 
Had a bunch of work to do at my dad's place this past spring, rented a Bil-Jax towable lift for a day [full 24 hrs. actually], only cost $199 to rent it. Nice thing is we were able to tow it around the property with an ATV.

One man in the bucket, with safety harness on, doing the trimming. One man on ground working the controls and handling limbs that came down. Very straight forward setup overall. Found out that it does work best with the unit running off electric and not trusting the battery. Unit is fairly heavy, will leave tire marks in soft ground.

But for $200, I thought it was a great investment and allowed for us to safely and efficiently trim many many more trees in a day than we could have otherwise. In fact a small 4-man tree service company [that I know the owner of] happened to stop by and was so impressed with the Bil-Jax unit, he's using them now too just so his guys don't have to climb as much.

http://www.biljax.com/Products/Described/Product38.aspx
 
Had a bunch of work to do at my dad's place this past spring, rented a Bil-Jax towable lift for a day [full 24 hrs. actually], only cost $199 to rent it. Nice thing is we were able to tow it around the property with an ATV.

One man in the bucket, with safety harness on, doing the trimming. One man on ground working the controls and handling limbs that came down. Very straight forward setup overall. Found out that it does work best with the unit running off electric and not trusting the battery. Unit is fairly heavy, will leave tire marks in soft ground.

But for $200, I thought it was a great investment and allowed for us to safely and efficiently trim many many more trees in a day than we could have otherwise. In fact a small 4-man tree service company [that I know the owner of] happened to stop by and was so impressed with the Bil-Jax unit, he's using them now too just so his guys don't have to climb as much.

http://www.biljax.com/Products/Described/Product38.aspx

You can controll it from the bucket rite? I wouldnt trust anyone from the ground controling me 40' up....
 
Matt,

Look, im saying if there is rope work & the need for a lift you need HELP! see if a climber or bucket operator from a tree company would come and assist you!

that person may only charge you a couple hundred bucks but atleast you will have some one on the ground who can get you down in case of an emergency, or someone to say " I wouldnt do that" & some one who knows haw to run ropes!

I read the TCIA mag. & the serious injury/fatality section is full of experienced people & people like yourself...... the point is that noone is above getting hurt/killed in this profession, its just the experienced person knows better or should know better!


Good Luck & Be Safe


LXT................
 
Yes you can control it from the bucket, but in general, I liked having my brother operate the controls as I was able to focus on being stable and not falling out of the bucket. Plus I was better able to let him know how much farther up/out/in/etc. we could safely move. Really worked out well. T E A M W O R K.
 
Matt,

Look, im saying if there is rope work & the need for a lift you need HELP! see if a climber or bucket operator from a tree company would come and assist you!

that person may only charge you a couple hundred bucks but atleast you will have some one on the ground who can get you down in case of an emergency, or someone to say " I wouldnt do that" & some one who knows haw to run ropes!

I read the TCIA mag. & the serious injury/fatality section is full of experienced people & people like yourself...... the point is that noone is above getting hurt/killed in this profession, its just the experienced person knows better or should know better!


Good Luck & Be Safe


LXT................

Thanks, i have talked to a couple pros and have had some out for three work when inshurance was paying. They said i could do it with a lift but didint tell me it was the best thing since they didint want me to die and they wanted the work. They look at what i needed done and said it wasnt veary tecnical. The tree over one of my sheds i would get a pro to do.

A freind of ours does alot of tree work but hes not certified..... hes been around it so long he knows what hes doing, i could get him over while im doing the work to make shure everything looks good. He already recomended the lift. Again hes not certified so.....

Another guy I know is a lineman and had to get certified for tree work so next time hes out here ill get some tips from him.

Im still looking around for what would be the ideal lift... the towable ones would work but thats alot more work moving it around. A bigger safer one would be ideal.
A full harnes, top handle saw. And i think i can accomplish a majority of the work safley without dieing.
 
Yes you can control it from the bucket, but in general, I liked having my brother operate the controls as I was able to focus on being stable and not falling out of the bucket. Plus I was better able to let him know how much farther up/out/in/etc. we could safely move. Really worked out well. T E A M W O R K.

agreed, but idk if i would trust my brother or oldman... LOL
 
Im still looking around for what would be the ideal lift... the towable ones would work but thats alot more work moving it around. A bigger safer one would be ideal.
A full harnes, top handle saw. And i think i can accomplish a majority of the work safley without dieing.


Not sure what could be safer than a boom lift? You said these trees were along a driveway, so moving a towable should be easy enough. In addition, an off-road style scissors lift or motorized boom lift is going to be significantly more to rent- which seems to not fit within the budget you're talking about here.

I think at this point you're just going to have to pick a method and run with it...no way to speculate which method is going to be perfect.
 
Not sure what could be safer than a boom lift? You said these trees were along a driveway, so moving a towable should be easy enough. In addition, an off-road style scissors lift or motorized boom lift is going to be significantly more to rent- which seems to not fit within the budget you're talking about here.

I think at this point you're just going to have to pick a method and run with it...no way to speculate which method is going to be perfect.

Thanks, i may have a boom lift form my uncle.
 
You can rent the towable 50ft buckets for around $250/day but you'll need something like an F250 to tow one. Make sure you don't get one with a broken or missing bubble-level. It's nice to be in a bucket when the tree is totally crap.
 
Throw bag, throw line, couple hundred feet rope.

Throw bag tied to line over dead limb. Tie to rope and pull it over. Tie BOTH ends of rope to back of pickup and drive. If no break, try that limb again next year.

No need to bring chainsaw up to dead limb, when you can bring dead limb down to you.

Cheap too :)
 
Throw bag, throw line, couple hundred feet rope.

Throw bag tied to line over dead limb. Tie to rope and pull it over. Tie BOTH ends of rope to back of pickup and drive. If no break, try that limb again next year.

No need to bring chainsaw up to dead limb, when you can bring dead limb down to you.

Cheap too :)

Some live ones 2 it needs to be cleaned up its a mess and it should be done right instead of hillbillyed every year.
 
Just tryin to add levity.

Are you familiar with "oak wilt" and the proper time of year to trim oaks? Not sure if its prevalent there as is sure issue around here. Is ground pretty level where this work needs done? Some lifts can be moved while extended and this on uneven ground results in injury and death as lift often tips over. Rigging down of large limbs should be done to the tree, and not to the lift. Most have material capacities that are not very much to begin with, and shock loading runs the force up sky high with just a few feet of free fall. Careful that part of cut limb can not fall that 40 feet you keep talking about and strike the lift, be it tire or outrigger or whatever. Very bad.

GOOD LUCK, and keep researching. Plan on making mistakes. That way they will hopefully be small ones.

randy
 
Just tryin to add levity.

Are you familiar with "oak wilt" and the proper time of year to trim oaks? Not sure if its prevalent there as is sure issue around here. Is ground pretty level where this work needs done? Some lifts can be moved while extended and this on uneven ground results in injury and death as lift often tips over. Rigging down of large limbs should be done to the tree, and not to the lift. Most have material capacities that are not very much to begin with, and shock loading runs the force up sky high with just a few feet of free fall. Careful that part of cut limb can not fall that 40 feet you keep talking about and strike the lift, be it tire or outrigger or whatever. Very bad.

GOOD LUCK, and keep researching. Plan on making mistakes. That way they will hopefully be small ones.

randy

Thanks, i would never rig to the lift... I'm not retarded. I would be saying the same thing to whoever posted such a thread since i don't know them. I stay aware of whats going on and am not oblivious like so many. If i didn't believe I could do it safe I wouldn't even have though of it.
 
A local rent place has a towable for $250 a day. only 33ft. I think I need more height. I'm goign to see what I could do with 33ft and go from there. I got a smaller top handle saw as well.
 
A local rent place has a towable for $250 a day. only 33ft. I think I need more height. I'm goign to see what I could do with 33ft and go from there. I got a smaller top handle saw as well.

The nickname for Richard, that is what you can do with 33 feet.
 
A local rent place has a towable for $250 a day. only 33ft. I think I need more height. I'm goign to see what I could do with 33ft and go from there. I got a smaller top handle saw as well.

Would be good to work on old pear or apple trees.

You mentioned oaks along the driveway, we worked on several oaks last week 80' - 100+'.
 
Would be good to work on old pear or apple trees.

You mentioned oaks along the driveway, we worked on several oaks last week 80' - 100+'.

Yea, I know. I just got the email back last nigh and posted it here. Most of the branches are 1/2 up the tree that need to come down. Ill look into it and contact a few more rental places.
Thanks
 
my advice some people are jealous thats why they get mad at you for doing it yourself. now its simple math the cost of your rental x days v cost of tree service a good one could bomb out the d//w from those trees in one day unless they all are 3 foot in diameter get a price compare it to your cost .oh yeah tie in so you are safe aloft and use a top handle saw.if you need some advice pm me so you dont get the bull.
 

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