How not to cut a tree down

[MindFork]

Yes! Minto Flats!!! And yes, the fact that we had only flown for a half hour there and spent an hour fishing was probably tempting too... but he still followed the rules... and even that third or fourth rung is enough to change your life forever. Ya'll are gonna do what ya'll are gonna do. I'm just gonna say when you take a saw into the tree, everything changes, and enough "pros" get hurt doing it. Stay safe, Jeff

I had a couple pros out doing some felling and limb chipping for me a few months ago. The owner had a guy doing all of the climbing work, and it's a lot of fun to watch that much skill on display.

I asked the owner if he does climbing work and he said that he had done it for 30 years, but now he lets the younger guys do it. I asked him if it is as dangerous as it looks and he said, "Yep. You only get to Fk up once and you're dead."

 

[TheJollyLogger]

And I guess that's why I'm so passionate about it. It is a zero tolerance business. I see a homeowner with a ladder and a chainsaw and I just cringe. I've seen too many bad things over the years. To me this site is about learning and promoting all aspects of it in a safe way. So slls, I'm glad you walked away from that one, but I can't condone the method, because someone else might take a look at that pic and think it's ok to copy. Jeff

 

[heyduke]

Here's the worst I've ever seen. I watched this guy thumbing his nose at Darwin for two days, working the smaller trees. Then he changed his work flow for his grand finale. The ladder is on his neighbor's roof. It was not even tied in at the top. His saw was an 18 volt reciprocating "sawzall". Yes he survived. He was working at that height where if he did fall he'd have a 50/50 chance for the curse of survival.

 

[mainewoods]

What are these people thinking? Total disregard for safety and complete lack of common sense.

 

[madmarksolomon]

You mean I was not suppose to do it this way, topped 30 ft.

All I can say is WOW #tool

 

[avarageerod]

Here's the worst I've ever seen. I watched this guy thumbing his nose at Darwin for two days, working the smaller trees. Then he changed his work flow for his grand finale. The ladder is on his neighbor's roof. It was not even tied in at the top. His saw was an 18 volt reciprocating "sawzall". Yes he survived. He was working at that height where if he did fall he'd have a 50/50 chance for the curse of survival.

I have so many questions and observations about this photo I'm not sure where to begin...

I can't tell because of the tree in front, but with the pitch of the roof his ladder is on, what is under the ladder to level it?

Where can the top of the tree fall that it won't hit anything? Power lines, two houses, a fence, his head?

Is he using the limb he is cutting to support him self?

It looks as though the ladder he used to get on the house is a short A-frame ladder leaned against the house. Not a question, but a observation of incorrect use of a ladder.

 

[KingDavey]

Here is a video that makes me cringe every time. Ouch!?!? It's amazing how many people do not know how to act around chainsaws and falling trees. It's actually one of my favorite idiot videos.:hmm3grin2orange:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/L-eV12fUbEw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[pdqdl]

I think the point being made here though is that no matter how much thinking and planning you've put into a tree job; it s impossible to be safe running a chainsaw from a ladder. It's simply a gamble that you won, but its only a matter of time before you lose and end up injured.

I disagree. Everything with respect to tree work is situational, and there are not really any hard and fast rules. Sometimes that ladder is the sturdiest thing around to support your weight. An absence of a good tie in is a good reason to use a ladder.

For the most part, I agree that ladders are for amateurs, and it is generally a bad idea to use one during a cut.

 

[slls]

Well, you've got one thing in common with all those guys on that video, they all thought they were fully capable, too. All it proves is you got the tree down. It doesn't prove you did it safely. A guy sticks a round in the cylinder, gives a spin, points it at his head and pull the trigger and hears a click.that doesn't prove Russian roulette is safe, it just proves there wasn't a round in that chamber.

What I did was just as safe if not more safer than a guy with rope, spikes, and chainsaw going up a tree. topping the tree and then coming down.
I had 2 ties, 1 more than the climber.

I'm not a threat to your job.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

What I did was just as safe if not more safer than a guy with rope, spikes, and chainsaw going up a tree. topping the tree and then coming down.
I had 2 ties, 1 more than the climber.

I'm not a threat to your job.

Yes, we can agree on that. You are no threat to my job.

 

[madmarksolomon]

Are you girls going to start pulling hairopcorn:

 

[TheJollyLogger]

I disagree. Everything with respect to tree work is situational, and there are not really any hard and fast rules. Sometimes that ladder is the sturdiest thing around to support your weight. An absence of a good tie in is a good reason to use a ladder.

For the most part, I agree that ladders are for amateurs, and it is generally a bad idea to use one during a cut.

There are hard and fast rules. Rule #1: your feet don't leave the ground without being tied in.

 

[svk]

Helpful post.

Belongs with murphy4trees' video:

using ladders for tree work - YouTube

Philbert

The one where the guy cuts his arm open still turns my stomach.

 

[Bob95065]

About 5 years ago someone posted a video that a guy took of himself cutting a big limb off a tree. He set up the camera and started climbing and cutting. The limb came around and knocked him diwn but his keg was caught breaking it really bad. Anyone know where that video is?

 

[TheJollyLogger]

About 5 years ago someone posted a video that a guy took of himself cutting a big limb off a tree. He set up the camera and started climbing and cutting. The limb came around and knocked him diwn but his keg was caught breaking it really bad. Anyone know where that video is?

Pretty sure it's still on the injury and fatality thread. Probably a few pages back. Unfortunately, there have been a lot more since then.

 

[pdqdl]

What I did was just as safe if not more safer than a guy with rope, spikes, and chainsaw going up a tree. topping the tree and then coming down.
I had 2 ties, 1 more than the climber.

I'm not a threat to your job.

If you knew a bit more about tree climbing and chainsaws, you wouldn't say that. Besides, climbers are supposed to use two ties. I do.

The simple fact is that when you are standing on a ladder, the ladder can be knocked down by what you cut, idiots on the ground, or just bad luck. If the trunk of the tree is even slightly sturdier than the ladder leaning on it, it is safer to be standing on the tree.

I cut off two rather large branches from a walnut tree last week; I had already been in the tree and overlooked the need to remove them. I made both cuts from a ladder, mostly because I was too lazy to rig up and do it right. If I had not been particularly skilled at controlling the butt of the branches, I could easily have knocked big dents into the ladder.

No, I wasn't going to fall, 'cause I had really roped the ladder and myself to the trunk. Still, it wasn't the bright thing to do. It is not too wise to attempt defending your actions when they are indefensible. Just admit that you took a risk and got away with it; we can all respect that.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

If you knew a bit more about tree climbing and chainsaws, you wouldn't say that. Besides, climbers are supposed to use two ties. I do.

The simple fact is that when you are standing on a ladder, the ladder can be knocked down by what you cut, idiots on the ground, or just bad luck. If the trunk of the tree is even slightly sturdier than the ladder leaning on it, it is safer to be standing on the tree.

I cut off two rather large branches from a walnut tree last week; I had already been in the tree and overlooked the need to remove them. I made both cuts from a ladder, mostly because I was too lazy to rig up and do it right. If I had not been particularly skilled at controlling the butt of the branches, I could easily have knocked big dents into the ladder.

No, I wasn't going to fall, 'cause I had really roped the ladder and myself to the trunk. Still, it wasn't the bright thing to do. It is not too wise to attempt defending your actions when they are indefensible. Just admit that you took a risk and got away with it; we can all respect that.

And when climbers get lazy.... time to call it a day.

Sorry, you left yourself wide open there. We wouldn't let ya get away with it in the climber's forum, why here?

 

[JanThorCro]

I can't tell because of the tree in front, but with the pitch of the roof his ladder is on, what is under the ladder to level it?

He has a "Hover Pad" under that left ladder foot.

Another great advertisement to stay off ladders when doing tree work. It's a wonder he lived to sawzall another day.

 

[mainewoods]

Everything about that is wrong. Apparently he has limbed and topped all the trees in his back yard and got away with it. So he figures he can do anything-anywhere when it comes to trimming. He is one lucky *******. Anyone pulls a stunt like that needs an "evaluation" !

 

[JanThorCro]

Here is a video that makes me cringe every time. Ouch!?!? It's amazing how many people do not know how to act around chainsaws and falling trees. It's actually one of my favorite idiot videos.:hmm3grin2orange:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/L-eV12fUbEw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

This is not one of my favorites, just fits here.

Compound fracture from tree cutting accident - YouTube