So... you're pretty sure you've cleaned up a bigger snag mess than that, that wasn't leaning on a house... so what constructive advice do you have for the homeowner?
How To Remove Tree Suspended at Both Ends
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I'm really wondering about you guys. That really doesn't look to tough, although I think it's beyond what a newbie should do.
1. Disassemble the fence under the trunk, remove what will be damaged when it all comes down. So far, all you need is to straighten or replace the top rail.
2. Get a powered pole saw (Stihl, Husqvarna) and get on the balcony and start cutting off little pieces. Make them small enough that they won't hurt anything when they fall. Remove anything that qualifies as "weight" and leave any branches that contribute "support". It looks to be like that job can be stripped right down to size with patience and a pole saw.
3. Once you get it pruned out enough to reduce the weight and properly evaluate what is still holding up the tree, then you need to pick out the next step. I'm betting that the house and porch can be cut free, that much of the weight is carried by some of the branches not seen hitting the ground or by the backstop and goal post. That net & backstop looks surprisingly sturdy, which will simplify the project.
4. If my guesses are correct, I'd prune all the branches loose from the house, then see about cutting the trunk somewhere to the left of the basketball goal, allowing both pieces to fall to the middle. Obviously, that will be a very tricky cut, and the trunk is probably too thick for a pole saw to dent. An aerial device would pay off big here. I'd manage it by riding in on a loader bucket, but that's a bit more risky than some folks should try.
The alternative is to cut the support out from under the tree. That is most likely some heavily loaded branches, or perhaps the BB goal or structure behind it. Those heavily loaded branches are both tricky to cut without trapping your chainsaw, and can be quite dangerous as well. That's when you make sure you have someone with a lot of experience (or good worker's comp insurance). GET A CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE WITH YOUR NAME ON IT. And make sure it is from the broker, not the salesman!
There might also be some options on cutting it down from the large trunk, although that cannot be evaluated properly from the picture given.
1. Disassemble the fence under the trunk, remove what will be damaged when it all comes down. So far, all you need is to straighten or replace the top rail.
2. Get a powered pole saw (Stihl, Husqvarna) and get on the balcony and start cutting off little pieces. Make them small enough that they won't hurt anything when they fall. Remove anything that qualifies as "weight" and leave any branches that contribute "support". It looks to be like that job can be stripped right down to size with patience and a pole saw.
3. Once you get it pruned out enough to reduce the weight and properly evaluate what is still holding up the tree, then you need to pick out the next step. I'm betting that the house and porch can be cut free, that much of the weight is carried by some of the branches not seen hitting the ground or by the backstop and goal post. That net & backstop looks surprisingly sturdy, which will simplify the project.
4. If my guesses are correct, I'd prune all the branches loose from the house, then see about cutting the trunk somewhere to the left of the basketball goal, allowing both pieces to fall to the middle. Obviously, that will be a very tricky cut, and the trunk is probably too thick for a pole saw to dent. An aerial device would pay off big here. I'd manage it by riding in on a loader bucket, but that's a bit more risky than some folks should try.
The alternative is to cut the support out from under the tree. That is most likely some heavily loaded branches, or perhaps the BB goal or structure behind it. Those heavily loaded branches are both tricky to cut without trapping your chainsaw, and can be quite dangerous as well. That's when you make sure you have someone with a lot of experience (or good worker's comp insurance). GET A CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE WITH YOUR NAME ON IT. And make sure it is from the broker, not the salesman!
There might also be some options on cutting it down from the large trunk, although that cannot be evaluated properly from the picture given.
If this was posted in arborist 101, I might agree with you. Are you suggesting this is what the homeowner should do?
I have no clue which Portland it is, so I would want more info before I gave a firm bid... assumptions can be a bit challenging in this business... you just made my point, lol
Again, it is April and there is snow on the ground, hence my question to the veracity. And I'm not on the ground to see it in person, nor am I a pro, which is why I wasn't offering advice. No way I would pay to have that removed though. I've paid enough for my own saws, and sweated over bigger trees.
If that were my tree, I'd pick it up as near to the crown as I could with a skid steer (again, I think it's smaller than it looks), cut as much out of the top as I could, and then chunk it up. Hit the high stuff with pole saw, if I had to.
If that were my tree, I'd pick it up as near to the crown as I could with a skid steer (again, I think it's smaller than it looks), cut as much out of the top as I could, and then chunk it up. Hit the high stuff with pole saw, if I had to.
I'd start at the top...reduce weight and work my way to the trunk.
Hour, maybe 2...pile o brush and a pile of firewood...
Hour, maybe 2...pile o brush and a pile of firewood...
Hell, for $20K, I could fly to Maine, rent a car, buy a saw, have a boom lift delivered to the job, and fly back and still make decent money. Only take 3 days with travel time.
I'm not suggesting it is overly complicated. I said call insurance because:
1) The cost to repair/replace the fence will probably be more than the deductible. The hoop is more than that. ANY damage to the house / railing and you are money ahead with that call. Now the cost of a cleanup crew is covered by insurance that is already taking care of the rest.
2) There are most likely some forces in there that we aren't seeing from the picture. An inexperienced operator won't see those until it is too late and still won't understand why it happened IF he gets out of the hospital.
3) Is that White pine? If so, 24" diameter white pine weights 113 lbs per foot of length.
There are some optical trickeries here, but I think I'm seeing:
A) That trunk where it sits on the hoop is +/-24". A rim is 18"...
B) The hoop wasn't that low before the tree assisted it down a little.
C) The tree that @KarlD wants to anchor a winch to is either too small or too far away to be of any use.
1) The cost to repair/replace the fence will probably be more than the deductible. The hoop is more than that. ANY damage to the house / railing and you are money ahead with that call. Now the cost of a cleanup crew is covered by insurance that is already taking care of the rest.
2) There are most likely some forces in there that we aren't seeing from the picture. An inexperienced operator won't see those until it is too late and still won't understand why it happened IF he gets out of the hospital.
3) Is that White pine? If so, 24" diameter white pine weights 113 lbs per foot of length.
There are some optical trickeries here, but I think I'm seeing:
A) That trunk where it sits on the hoop is +/-24". A rim is 18"...
B) The hoop wasn't that low before the tree assisted it down a little.
C) The tree that @KarlD wants to anchor a winch to is either too small or too far away to be of any use.
Bid It for 25, and I'll fly up and supervise, and then we'll go see if those overgrown crayfish those guys are always bragging about are as good as they say...
Eh. I posted my caveats.
A while back, there was a very long thread that involved an obviously dangerous tree, and everybody went on and on about hiring a professional. They guy went and got a lift, and did it himself anyway. No problems. Tree work is very dangerous, but it isn't rocket science, either.
I don't consider that it is my job to protect fools from themselves. It has been mentioned to not work from a ladder, to hire a professional, etc, etc. I'm just aswering the question that was asked.
Besides! I know of a few homeowners that are much better than some of the "pro's" I have seen. Did you notice the large branches lower down the trunk that have been removed? They seem to have gotten those down safely.
You do have the Weather Channel, don't you?
There's not a skid steer in the country that can pick up that tree. (excluding large steel-track loaders) It's just too big.
Gehl V420 tipping load=8400lbs (largest skid steer in N America)
All you will be able to do is cause some vibrations, and maybe make it fall off something else holding it up. Then your dinky little skid steer is going for a ride.
He doesn't even watch the weather...
I don't watch the weather channel either. I go straight to the source:
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapCli...8&textField2=-94.5676&site=all&unit=0&dd=&bw=
You can tune it for your zip code.
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapCli...8&textField2=-94.5676&site=all&unit=0&dd=&bw=
You can tune it for your zip code.
I live pretty close to PDX.... it was 65 degrees this afternoon, but I had 8" of new snow last week!
I sent a PM to the OP...... perhaps I can help!
I sent a PM to the OP...... perhaps I can help!
First thing I would do is have a couple of beers and wait for the damn snow to melt so I could REALLY see what the problem is. jmho
OTThis is along the lines as to how I would attact this project. I do not know if this is difficult or not because I have done so many like this. My first step is to secure tree to keep it stable. Then set up scaffolding near basketball hoop. Cut all the top limbs and put in pile. Put a section of scaffolding under neath the upper section of tree and start cutting. My scaffolding is rated at an excess of 10,000 lbs so it will support tree just fine. I never meant to use scaffolding for tree work but I have plenty and it comes in handy. A well thought out plan will make this project boring. Thanks
I am NOT a pro either but as a homeowner I have learned to do a lot of other things other than what I made my living at, including cutting down trees. I know I do NOT always call my insurance company as I have had to switch from one that raised my premium because my wife called about an issue that we didn't have them pay out on. That was a new on me that totally did NOT make sense. Regardless I'm sure there must be a reason why the homeowner didn't just let their insurance take care of it. With that being said I see clearly that someone has cut off some limbs from the truck end in which they could not reach from the ground and had to be on something to do so. What I do not understand is why they left the smaller stuff towards the balcony beings they already cut the stuff from the other end. It appears to me the limbs towards the balcony are much smaller so however they cut the other end limbs should suffice for the balcony end. Once the tree is open to see the trunk, that very same means that they have safely used to cut limbs should also be safe enough to cut the trunk from the smaller end into firewood sized pieces dropping onto the ground. That tree doesn't look that far off the ground as the basketball goal post is even bent down from its original height. I will say that I have cut many such tree limbs out of the bucket of my tractor's front-end loader on my 106 wooded acres. AGAIN, I'm not a pro but I do cut a lot of firewood as that is how we heat our home and I do NOT pay for one single piece of wood. My point is that it appears the homeowner has already done some work that they had to utilize something to reach, and those limbs appear to be bigger than the ones on the other end. Getting down to the trunk then lets one see better how to tackle the rest of the project. I suspect that by seeing what has already been done the homeowner or whoever did it, is not someone that has never used a saw before. Just my observations and how I would tackle this issue "IF" my insurance was out of the question. The easiest, safest way for any homeowner is to have someone else do it, period.
