lifting a limb

[beastmaster]

Before risking those kittens, tip tie some limbs with nothing under them. In other words practice on limbs that can't hurt any thing. There are a lot of Technics and tricks, for tip tieing branches that run from quick and easy to detailed and time consuming, lot depends on the size of the limb, the species of tree and what you want the limb to do. Next time your in a tree and things are a little slow, tip tie a long limb and cut it and see what happens. Do it in a safe tree, don't do it for the first time when it's a do or die situation.
One time in real life will show you more then a hundred explanations on the internet. Don't forget to duck.

 

[Limbrat]

I asked the power company and a few electricians around here. Not the big power bringing in the power to the town buit the secondary power, prior to the transformers.

Secondary voltage is that which serves the customers, be it for your house, (120/240) or various voltages for businesses up to around 277/480v.

Primary distribution voltages vary widely, but most are in the 7200 to 14400 volt range. These are the lines that are normally not insulated and are at the top of 40-55 foot poles. These run through towns and neighborhoods mostly in a three phase configuration, three primary wires at the top of the pole with a neutral wire five or six feet lower. They may be on cross arms or stacked vertically on insulators. In rural areas there may be only one primary wire on the pole along with the neutral wire. Primary is what feeds the transformer by your house and the transformer steps the voltage down to "secondary" voltage that you use.

Transmission lines are what you call "big power". In our area, they range from 69,000 to 500,000 volts and are on poles from 65 to over 100 feet tall, along with steel towers. Hope this helps.

 

[capetrees]

***Primary distribution voltages vary widely, but most are in the 7200 to 14400 volt range. These are the lines that are normally not insulated and are at the top of 40-55 foot poles. In rural areas there may be only one primary wire on the pole along with the neutral wire. Primary is what feeds the transformer by your house and the transformer steps the voltage down to "secondary" voltage that you use.***

It does NOW!! (but still not funny)

 

[capetrees]

So let's ignore the power lines and say a basket of kittens that cannot be moved. Would: A hinge on the top of the limb with the back cut on the underside. The branch tip tied with a block high enough to close the angle then down to a porty. Between the porty and block use mech adv and take up slack on the porty until the hinge closes and breaks the hinge :work?

Something else I've done with awkward limbs is tie a second rope to the base of the limb while also tied out towrd the tip. Once free, the limb is maneuverable at your discretion. A third rope could even be used to guide once free.

I come up with these hillbilly ideas because these are the situations I am called to all the time. Did it just yesterday with a broken limb in the tree, balanced perfectly so if one side is cut, the other will drop on the house. Had to secure one side where it was, second rope to one of the limbs, cut and free that, repeat for the other limb, free that and then raise and free the base which was initially tied off. Entire branch was too big and woven into the branches of the living tree to be raised up.

 

[futbalfantic]

That makes since cap. I can foresee a need for that. But when lifting a limb using mechanical advantage how do you get it to release the main line to allow it to lower the limb. Say you use a prusik to attach to the main line. It will not allow the main to "free spool" through you hand/porty

 

[KenJax Tree]

Like others have said practice on an easy tree not one where its do or die.

Volts and amps always are found together.Volts are simply flow of electrons.Amps are the force that creates increased electron flow per given equal time intervals.When amps and volts are combined power is created called watts.W=VxI,I being the symbol for amps.It is the amps that will kill you not the volts.The capacity of the human to survive depends upon the circumstances.A person can survive a bolt of lightning and yet be killed by ordinary house current and vice versa.. STAY SAFE.

 

[Del_]

Like others have said practice on an easy tree not one where its do or die.

Volts and amps always are found together.Volts are simply flow of electrons.Amps are the force that creates increased electron flow per given equal time intervals.When amps and volts are combined power is created called watts.W=VxI,I being the symbol for amps.It is the amps that will kill you not the volts.The capacity of the human to survive depends upon the circumstances.A person can survive a bolt of lightning and yet be killed by ordinary house current and vice versa.. STAY SAFE.

You've got amps and volts mixed up. Volts are the 'pressure' and amps are the 'flow'.


In fact an amp is 6.241×1018 electrons, or one coulomb per second, constituting one ampere.

 

[Limbrat]

Like others have said practice on an easy tree not one where its do or die.

Volts and amps always are found together.Volts are simply flow of electrons.Amps are the force that creates increased electron flow per given equal time intervals.When amps and volts are combined power is created called watts.W=VxI,I being the symbol for amps.It is the amps that will kill you not the volts.The capacity of the human to survive depends upon the circumstances.A person can survive a bolt of lightning and yet be killed by ordinary house current and vice versa.. STAY SAFE.

Del is correct on the volt/amp discussion. Volts and amps are also not always found together. A line can be charged at 115,000 volts but with no load on it the amp reading is zero. In fact I'VE been charged at 115,000 volts working in a live line barehand bucket and as long as the boom is clean and I am touching nothing but the wire, there is no current flow (amps) through me down the boom and to ground. There is an ampmeter on the boom to ensure it's integrity. You are in effect, like a bird sitting on the line. However, if I reached out and touched the pole while energized at 115,000 volts, not only would many amps be generated and a huge electrical fire ensue, but I would be a crispy critter. Moral of the story; don't be a crispy critter!

 

[abidingdreams]

I was workling around an open wire secondary, 14K, last month or so and paid the price and I'm lucky to be alive to tell about it. Never again. Just walk away and don't F with power. This never should have happened, completely my fault, just being stupid.

As ar as tip tying or upward force, I usually try to cut it in smaller pieces and that way a ground guy can usually lift the limb without too much trouble. Or try to cut it and have gravity swing the branch or limb where you want it to go. Every siuation is different but STAY AWAY FROM POWER.

Wow guys I cant believe y'all have been zapped and are still alive! I absolutely hate working near current. I don't even like climbing around insulated stuff.

You're a business owner, correct? There's nothing wrong with hiring a guy you can learn from. Watching a guy do it from 10 feet away is a better way to learn than asking for advice on an internet forum every time you run into a potential hazard.

How long is the limb, what kind of tree, how high above the primaries? Is it a brittle species that'll snap as soon as the saw hits it? Is the limb fat enough to notch and stand upright as you undercut. An experienced climber on your staff can show you what to do for those situations that come up.

In my area there is only one other company that climbs and to be honest with you he scares the livin daylights out of me. My ground crew that works for me now worked for him for about 7 years and he tells me that he free climbs with no attachment in the canopy, no climbing line, and will limb walk without even a lanyard attached. The limbs I was talking about were about were probably 20' tall 8" in diameter and at about a 50 degree angle. It was two elm trees so it would have been strong enough to get some mechanical advantage on for sure.

 

[chief116]

Grab a fiddle block and learn to set up a 3 or 5 to 1 on a portawrap, then show your groundie if you aren't planning on investing in a GRCS. Larger limbs notch the top and back cut slowly while he tensions, smaller limbs you can just undercut while he stands it up.

Not to beat a dead horse, but your ground guy with 7 years experience can't help you out while you learn? He doesn't have to climb, I know lots of guys than can tell you how to take apart a tree that don't every leave the ground.

 

[treeclimber101]

I've never heard of primaries being as low a 2KV. More like 10kv.


Here's a good video showing electrical fires spreading house to house. Better have your insurance paid up!

Bucket truck & Power lines - multiple house fires - YouTube[/crazy stuff , it should of never happened like that .

 

[treeclimber101]

I got bit pretty good off a bare pencil wire feeding a farm house , basically 3 phase stacked and bare , I cut a silver maple branch brushed it with just the tip not even enough to slow down the branch ...... However , it was a shot to me that I won't soon forget , I squeezed the trigger on the saw and curled my toes to the point that I rubbed the skin off a few From the sock and the top of my boot , And that was 240 ... I have a friend who works for Nelson and he hit low hanging 69 wires with a skidder , machine basically burned to the ground in less then 5 minutes , he was smart enough to make a clean jump , he was burned severely and has taken another position with the company . It's a nasty thing to be juiced , I watched a video of a guy in the early 80's who accidentally came into contact with a garage service line through his belt , burned his intestines and damaged his spine , he's paralyzed from the neck down , I have taken ehap and fires and wires ..... Still I am not comfortable with alot of trees and proximity to wires , that's why I have the bat phone number of a guy who works the trouble truck , one call clears emall

 

[Limbrat]

I got bit pretty good off a bare pencil wire feeding a farm house , basically 3 phase stacked and bare , I cut a silver maple branch brushed it with just the tip not even enough to slow down the branch ...... However , it was a shot to me that I won't soon forget , I squeezed the trigger on the saw and curled my toes to the point that I rubbed the skin off a few From the sock and the top of my boot , And that was 240 ... I have a friend who works for Nelson and he hit low hanging 69 wires with a skidder , machine basically burned to the ground in less then 5 minutes , he was smart enough to make a clean jump , he was burned severely and has taken another position with the company . It's a nasty thing to be juiced , I watched a video of a guy in the early 80's who accidentally came into contact with a garage service line through his belt , burned his intestines and damaged his spine , he's paralyzed from the neck down , I have taken ehap and fires and wires ..... Still I am not comfortable with alot of trees and proximity to wires , that's why I have the bat phone number of a guy who works the trouble truck , one call clears emall

That's the thing about lower voltage, it makes your muscles contract just like the electrical impulse sent from your brain. You can get locked up and not be able to break yourself free until the limb or whatever is making contact comes clear.