Customers says it's ok if this gets damaged

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John464

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Here's the story. Old historic community, 150+ year old house, 3 stories. 64" DBH red oak 5 inches from house on the back side. Left side 7ft from street wires. Front side 4 ft from concrete wallkway and 5ft beyond that was this old wood fence. The ground level slightly sloped toward the fence. Right side more concrete walk 19ft from large Jap Maple. The right side was our lowering zone. Standing at around 90 ft high with a canopy spready of approx 50ft.

I originally bid the job for a crane with no damage at $3600 since there was very little working room, however the homeowner said he would rather fix the concrete pad or replace the wooden fence for much less than the crane rental would be. I reluctantly allowed him to sign off on this. Booked the job at $2800. Wood stays, brush chipped. Start to finish I estimated 6hrs with 5 men, including myself.

My plan was that we set up plywood on top of concrete walk with two layers of tires on top of the plywood. The fence would normally be taken down but since it was wood and rotten dismantling the fence would not allow for it to be put back up. Fence stayed. So instead we took the larger limb wood and built a barricade in front of the fence.

Had the tree delimbed in about 4 hrs of real serious rigging. 3 ropes going simeltaneously. Then comes the spar. Started blocking down 8 ft sections with a block and whoopie sling. On each chunk had the lowering line(bull line), a tag line on top and a 3rd line to keep from the chunk from swinging into the house. Worked my way down to around 60ft, switched from the 20" bar on the 440 to the 24" on the 460. Next piece and it looked like the last piece I could rig off the spar with block, out comes the 660 with 32" bar. Now Im thinking if I rig one more big chunk down its going drop too low and hit the house. No choice now other than to see if I could trust in my tires and barricade. I sent up again for a bigger bar, this time 36" on the 660.

Bombed with tag line one 3ft chunk out. The tires cushioned the concrete and the barricade stopped the piece from roling into the fence. NICE! Then I felt something bzzz in my ear. Hit a bee hive in the trunk. Even though it is winter they started swarming. Customer runs inside gets wasp spray. I spray the hole and they start pouring out. Went through two cans of wasp spray(apparanetly it does kill bees well). Im now covered with bees and kept working because for what I always had believed that bees don't sting in the winter right? Wrong, managed to get stung twice before I got down.

Now im down to about 40ft on this huge trunk dangling a 660 36" that I could barely hold up anymore. Two more chunks and i'll be able to fit this spar in that 19ft area I mentioned earlier. Tag line only piece hit but end and hit tires punched so hard the concrete cracked and then flipped knocking barricade down and took out a section of fence.

Next piece was the last piece. Same thing tag line only. The next piece layed right next to the broken fence and concrete.

Now thinking back on it... I should of either set up a vertical speed line or placed another line down low on the tunk, tied off, strung out long enough to allow the piece piece to be pulled away from the house but locked out and short enough that it would stop the momentum keeping it from barging through my barricade, I guess we will call this a "stop line". In hindsight I could of done this job without a crane and not broke the fence, but didnt set up that extra "stop line". The concrete, two layers of tires isnt enough when you are dealing with huge wood.

Got down, customer was thrilled how well I did and paid me for the job plus handed me an extra $200 and said "Im 52 years old and I've lived in this community for my whole life, seen a lot of trees taken down and you are unbelievable, Thank you"

Never felt so good about damaging one's property, but like I said, it was expected. I love tree work!
 
great job man, its important to cross the t's and dot your eyes.
 
Good job! That guy should be good for some referrals or at least references.:clap:
 
Hmmm sounds a little sketchy I mean I have worked in seriously tight quarters between house's with air units below and not damaged a thing. I have had to block big wood into firewood in the tree ad cut and throw the ripped and cut sections to prevent damage. When the very rare occasion say every ten years I do damage property it is usually very trivial a board on a fence sod repair etc.Most times it is when nothing should have been damaged, or on easy jobs that for some reason, I become complacent and have a stupid moment. I am way too careful on the bad jobs heightened focus knowing what can happen and taking great pains to prevent them. Anyway customer happy I guess but at 2800 sounds a little high for damage jmo.
 
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Great post! A couple of things you may want to consider. Alturnamats are great replacement for plywood. We keep a set on the truck at all times and they have more than paid for themselves. Damage to property, even if the customer said it OK, is something that should be avoided at all times and repaired as soon as possible even if it is just a rotten fence. Too many potential customers see you in operation and evaluate if they are going to hire you based on your performance in the neighbor’s tree. We get more work from drive bys than any other form of advertizing. Lastly, I have never and will never accept a tip or bonus for doing my job properly. Numerous times I have been handed “extra moneys” for “doin’ a good job” and I always return it to the homeowner. The price is the price. You don’t need to pay me more to do my job or to do a good job. Just some thoughts.
 
Man I think you did a great job. Huge tree! Holding a 660 in the air that long stinks. I took out a white pine last year that was growing through a deck. Of course someone had the brilliant idea to build around a white pine. Anyway, after holding the 660 for an hour or so and throwing 1/4 size firewood chunks like frisbees, my arms were dead. Last round and i nailed the top railing near the drop zone. Luck has it it just took a chunk out maybe the size of your thumb. I felt bad, but that's all that went wrong that day I was thrilled and so was the customer. Small drop zones always make the price go up. So great job.
 
You slept well that night. Big, physical job, mmmmm. The broken concrete was just a tarnish on an otherwise excellent job where a lot could have gone wrong. It was predicted, you did all you could to prevent it, you did your best.
 
Numerous times I have been handed “extra moneys” for “doin’ a good job” and I always return it to the homeowner. The price is the price. You don’t need to pay me more to do my job or to do a good job. Just some thoughts.
Thought acknowledged and respected. I like the line, "A tip is the highest form of compliment. Thank you."
 
Good job. :clap: I understand you get alot of customers while they watch you. I agree with what you told the HO, the HO wanted the lower price and you hooked him up. This year the fence was going to get replaced or whatever, and he probably wanted cobble stones for a walk way. You saved him a rental fee on the jackhammer.:cheers:
 
I had a job a number of years ago, big cottonwood.

We did a short speedline into the little parking court on this old inner city farmhouse, left over from when the place was the boonies and had truck farms all over.

I cannot remember how it went, but after a small one either made small divot in the rotten asphalt I said we cannot go any bigger withough wrecking the drive. "I don't give a ****" said the young H/O. "I'll be replacing it anyways"

I anchored the end to a PW around 8 ft up a Siberian elm, and we let huge chunks fly down. Asphalt and balast flying everywhere. The H/O screaming how "!cool that was!"
 
Nice work man. For me the only thing worse than holding the 660 that long is holding the 394 that long. That thing is just a pig, and that long recoil for starting, doesn't help.

I agree, the vertical speedline would have been the ticket. Did a White Pine this summer where I used one on the house side limbs, really blew my dad's mind. He didn't know what to do with all the slings and carbs.

64" is one huge Oak tree.
 
I agree, the vertical speedline would have been the ticket. .


yep, I wish I could get a second chance to set one. Would of saved the fence. The concrete I still cant think of a way to save it. When we dropped the spar it held up fine since we placed logs in front of concrete it and behind it. This alllowed the log to fell, without impact to the walkway. Just that large chunk that hit in the middle of it, no tires,foam, mats, plywood etc is going to provide enough dampening to prevent damage in a situation like that. Im guessing the last two pieces I popped out where around 3,000lbs each.
 
Yep, it doesn't get much heavier than Red Oak. I have a nice one comming up here when we get the time. If I remember right it was in the 34" range, not sure. I know it all has to come on a rope. It'll be GRCS work, with some good size pieces. All over a new asphault driveway. Might get another one just like it from the guy, over the power and the garage, he's hoping the power company will take it down, I don't think so.
 
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yep, I wish I could get a second chance to set one. Would of saved the fence. The concrete I still cant think of a way to save it. When we dropped the spar it held up fine since we placed logs in front of concrete it and behind it. This alllowed the log to fell, without impact to the walkway. Just that large chunk that hit in the middle of it, no tires,foam, mats, plywood etc is going to provide enough dampening to prevent damage in a situation like that. Im guessing the last two pieces I popped out where around 3,000lbs each.

Cut them smaller I know it sucks but I have ripped and sawn firewood on many
bid ole tree to prevent damage. Or get a dump truck load of chips or sand for
a bomb shelter!
 
That sounds like a nice takedown john, too bad no pics. That sure was a big oak. The thing I've found with roping wood with the block is you can rarely get it down below about 16' (the point where I usually lower the pulley and sling down and drop it) before you have to abandon roping (I've read that you can pretention the bull rope with a grcs to go lower, but never tried it). Thats why I have the guys strategically place the last bigger logs I rope so that I have a nice "pad" to chunk onto. But that tree sounds huge! Did you climb it?
 
MDS,
I used 3 weapons. Needed bucket truck in street for overhang near wires. 23gt in backyard behind the jap maple which got me to everything on the house side. Climbed out of the spider for the top and climbed when blocking out the spar since the boom got in the way of the lines I had set up.

I spent about equal time between the spider and climbing. Bucket truck maybe 45mins.

Should of took pics. One of the more challenging ones of done in quite a few years.

ropensaddle,

No room for a dump truck to drop chips in the backyard. Access through backyard was one 42" gate. Thats a good idea though. I guess we could of wheel barrowed enough chips to coat the backyard walkway, but by the time we got enough chips back there it would of upped the price atleast another $400. Remember, the guy didn't want to pay for the crane.
 
John...from the sound of it, Good Job! Ive got a huge silver maple coming up with very similar surroundings that you described & 1 leader that looks like the hand of God hanging over the house!! gotta love these jobs uhh?

Ropes....I think $2800 is a good price, the s.maple I bid at $2600.00 & told the home owner to move the upheaved bricks from around the base...he asked me if I would relay them when we finish....sure for another $200, he didnt like that soooooo, the bricks are his responsibility!! Not to mention there are only a handful of guys capable of doing this tree locally.

capable or stupid? I dont know!


LXT..............
 
MDS,
I used 3 weapons. Needed bucket truck in street for overhang near wires. 23gt in backyard behind the jap maple which got me to everything on the house side. Climbed out of the spider for the top and climbed when blocking out the spar since the boom got in the way of the lines I had set up.

I spent about equal time between the spider and climbing. Bucket truck maybe 45mins.

Should of took pics. One of the more challenging ones of done in quite a few years.

ropensaddle,

No room for a dump truck to drop chips in the backyard. Access through backyard was one 42" gate. Thats a good idea though. I guess we could of wheel barrowed enough chips to coat the backyard walkway, but by the time we got enough chips back there it would of upped the price atleast another $400. Remember, the guy didn't want to pay for the crane.

Yeah you likely did a good job, I was having a bad hair moment lol.
Did you clean this tree up? I have used chips sand on some occasions and
it works great but has to be thick 1 1/2 foot at least. He wanted what you
did so you done great don't sweat my observations.
 
Yeah you likely did a good job, I was having a bad hair moment lol.
Did you clean this tree up?

no prob man. Im usually harder on myself than anyone. The wood was cut to firewood size length. His future son in law wanted it. Brush was chipped, stump ground.
 
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