I hate the sucker who.................

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cliff-1972

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Jan 18, 2003
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Location
South Carolina
I hate the sucker who nailed railroad spikes into a live oak I cut today.I got a job cutting down a huge live oak about 5" in dia.I set up my ropes and limbed.Got done with that and setup to fall the rest of it and notice a few nails thought no big deal.Well 4 chains later and a mangled up looking notch it finally fell over.The reason for all the chains was railroad spikes,about 10 of them through out it.I guess someone years back most of had a deer stand in it or just got off torturing the tree.The tree was next to a abandon railroad this is the reason for all the spikes I figured.I was going to sell the trunk to a friend on mine who has a saw mill.You think he would still want it.............not!The only good news was the freshly muffler modded 066 made short work of the blocking.I used the 090 to fell it.If I can get a brother digical camera I'll get a few pics.What a long,bad day it was:rolleyes:
 
That sucks!:( i was 35' up in a maple doing some stormdamage work back in december and went to cut of a 5'' limb and cut into 16 penny nails!! brand new chain too:mad:
 
I know some people who maintain & mark ATV & snowmobile trails. They're using aluminum siding nails on the trail markers, the theory being they will be safer if a chainsaw is used on the trees later.
 
A nail every now then I can deal with,but railroad spikes there is no way.Two of the chains were fairly new.Now,they will make great racing chains,cause I'll probably have to sharpen them close to the last rivet.Aluminum nails might not be bad,but no nails is better.
 
Sounds like something I might have done when I was ten, if I had thought of it!:blob2:
When you are a kid, you don't think about the later.
 
Metal

I was doing a removal on a 32" red oak in a yard one time and ran into some big metal. Blew up a brand new 91 driver chain. The customer paid though so it was OK. Man did those logs weigh a bunch.:eek:
 
Tramp Metal

Last weekend I hit a broadhead arrow tip that was buried in the but of a White Oak. Looks like the hunter missed, unscrewed the arrow, and walked away.
 
my ganddad planted a hardwood at the family gravesite,in the 30s. at one time some county folks were bugging him about cutting it. every day on his daily walk he would ad another nail or what ever.
the trees still there.pity the poor chainsaw that locks into that one.:)
 
It's not unusual for me to find nails and wire in trees. Fencing wire is the worst actually. If I think there is going to be nails i just leave about a 5 foot sump and don't use that as firewood. (Which is fine to do oput here in the country in some back woods or a farmers field). It wouldn't be so nice for trees in public veiw however.

I own one big oak which is the only large tree i left standing in a half mile fence row. The tree is extimated to be 400 years old by the ministry. I leave it standing for historic value. But even if i wanted to cut it down it's doubtlessly filled with wire and nails.

Cliff, you said your tree was 5 feet? That tree could easily have been 250+ years old. Imagine all the stuff people could put in that thing? I don't mean to make fun of you, but I would have stopped trying to cut it down after the first, or maximum second, chain. :D But if you really needed the tree to be fully cut down i can undertsand using 4 chains.

And don't get even get me started on maple syrup taps. *starts cursing uncontrollably*
 
It was probably every bit of 250 yrs old.I would have quit on the second chain and are right the customer want it all the way down.I wonder if a carbide chain would have done better?I finished cutting and hauling today.
 
I remember the first time I hit something other ..... It was a big , hollow white oak . I totally rocked my chain , but luckily I saw the hole in the tree and looked in to find a stash of wine bottles . Turned out a resident of a fosterhome was keeping his affliction from those whom housed him.
 
Run a search or two on the board for some real metal stories. IIRC, guys here have found spikes, barbed wired, crowbars, and a pistol or two in old trees. You never know...

As far as carbide chain, you'd be singin' for about two seconds. Then all your carbide inserts would have broken off and you'd be out mucho $$ for that fancy loop of RS. Those chains are good for abrasive, not metal. Very brittle.
 
You mean like the 'hit' on Husseins' chainsaw ! Don't you know somebody over there that can put sand in his carburetor ? Pounding it up his a$$ just won't make it !
 
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