Someone started cutting a tree down for us and hasn't finished the job

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Hard to believe this thread is still alive. But to those who fault the operator who finally put the tree on the ground--for any criticism of fence damage--Oh, c'mon.

Said operator came in on short notice, resolved a true hazardous situation that he/they were not responsible for (at some risk, had anything gone south), and put the wood on the ground.

Fence damage? Small, collateral mess that someone else can deal with later.

Jeez, folks--you want to check the tire pressure on his equipment against environmental damage?
 
This lady got burned twice!

It was an easy job with some rope, a shot line and two lugalls anchored to something way out there. This is a complete **** show from start finish imho.
1/3 up front and not dime more till it hits the ground. I wouldn't ask for anything upfront on one day or less.

Sadness here.
 
Question for the group, do you need permission to tie off with ropes and pulleys to another persons private property? Any liabilities assumed, presumed? Possibly need permission to even access another persons property. Running willy nilly setting up rope and riggings upon anothers property seems un American without permission. What if said adjacent property owner was out of town, country? Just a thought.
 
Question for the group, do you need permission to tie off with ropes and pulleys to another persons private property? Any liabilities assumed, presumed? Possibly need permission to even access another persons property. Running willy nilly setting up rope and riggings upon anothers property seems un American without permission. What if said adjacent property owner was out of town, country? Just a thought.
Trespassing
 
Question for the group, do you need permission to tie off with ropes and pulleys to another persons private property? Any liabilities assumed, presumed? Possibly need permission to even access another persons property. Running willy nilly setting up rope and riggings upon anothers property seems un American without permission. What if said adjacent property owner was out of town, country? Just a thought.
Always ask.
 
Hard to believe this thread is still alive. But to those who fault the operator who finally put the tree on the ground--for any criticism of fence damage--Oh, c'mon.







Said operator came in on short notice, resolved a true hazardous situation that he/they were not responsible for (at some risk, had anything gone south), and put the wood on the ground.







Fence damage? Small, collateral mess that someone else can deal with later.







Jeez, folks--you want to check the tire pressure on his equipment against environmental damae?



No, for $1800.00, you fix the fence. There's no such thing as "collateral damage" unless you are a hack, or it's a situation you have discussed with the homeowner previously.

.
 
This thread has taken on a life of its own. Years ago I hired a small tree outfit to take down a big storm-damaged locust. Three foot trunk and the other side had already fallen across my neighbor’s yard. Just wanted it on the ground, I’d do the rest. I recall they quoted me $160 which was cheap even back then. Ok, let’s get this tree down. Things quickly went south. They got their saw stuck and probably spent the next four hours battling that tree. Finally dropped it, however. They were the experts, that’s why I hired them. At least it didn’t fall on the house. For the ash trees, they are snapping off like toothpicks on my place. One would probably fall over If I sneezed hard enough. Anyway, can’t offer much help with the current situation other than to say it’s fixable. Just have to find the fix.
 
If you ever doubt that the final authority over the completion of a job belongs to the customer, just try telling them that you will do it your way when the government is your customer.

True, the customer can't tell you how to do a job. But they can damn sure tell you to get off the property, I don't want it done that way.

Who am I to say that? Common sense, it seems, at this point.
My advice to the homeowner was to use it. Your argument to the contrary shows a lack of it.


Only a few times in my career has a homeowner tried to tell me how to do my job, and once it was a friend (who was losing her mind to stage-three brain cancer.)

It can be handled in a few ways. Explain that I do the job my way or they can hire someone else. Explain to them IF IT'S SAFE that I can do it their way but it will take more time/be less efficient/increase risks. Simply refuse and walk away.


So far, I've never had a client try to tell me how to fall a tree. Lots of clients surprised by putting trees opposite (45-180*) the lean/favor or spinning trees on the stump out of other trees.


I also had someone else get mad at me for "how slow I split firewood" when they provided me with a failing 40 year old splitter, despite telling them I could do it faster with an axe and maul, lol.
 
Ok. have you ever tried to pull a large dead ash tree over center with a weak rope, working all by yourself?

The fact that our missing perpetrator failed to get it done means that he was unqualified. The repeated trips out for more & better equipment was a good sign that he should have been stopped. Of course, it was probably too late at that point.

Had you or I been the homeowner, we would probably have known the guy didn't know what he was doing as soon as he picked up a saw or set the rope. Some things are obvious to those that know, while completely invisible to the uninformed.
 
The fact that our missing perpetrator failed to get it done means that he was unqualified. The repeated trips out for more & better equipment was a good sign that he should have been stopped. Of course, it was probably too late at that point.

Had you or I been the homeowner, we would probably have known the guy didn't know what he was doing as soon as he picked up a saw or set the rope. Some things are obvious to those that know, while completely invisible to the uninformed

I completely agree.

Just trying to offer an alternative perspective.

These situations often work two or more ways.
 
What I'm wondering is why the professional tree service that finished the job didn't just set two ropes in the tree and pull it over?

That tree didn't look too tough to pull if you knew how and had the right tools. I guess it would have been hard to justify an $1800 fee if you were only there for a half hour.
 
What I'm wondering is why the professional tree service that finished the job didn't just set two ropes in the tree and pull it over?

That tree didn't look too tough to pull if you knew how and had the right tools. I guess it would have been hard to justify an $1800 fee if you were only there for a half hour.


I couldn't see the photos all that great on the phone screen. Nor do I know anything about the properties or tendencies of East Coast trees. I wouldn't venture a guess other than safety/liability issues.

I'm always amazed at what tree companies charge, but for an emergency, hazardous tree on [extreme] short notice, it's not that surprising to me.

My mom had a hickory uproot and lean on her garage a couple years back. City refused to mitigate it prior to uprooting, despite being on their right of way.

For the cost of a flight, I could have flown there, round trip, and done the job for her, saving her a few hundred dollars. It wasn't even a hazard, no large equipment needed. They insisted on driving and using a bucket truck in the backyard on a one-story garage.

Either OSHA nonsense, insurance nonsense, or they have to justify the cost of the removal + three crew members.
 
I couldn't see the photos all that great on the phone screen. Nor do I know anything about the properties or tendencies of East Coast trees. I wouldn't venture a guess other than safety/liability issues.

I don't either, really. Given that the homeowner told us they never used a chainsaw to finish the base cut, I don't know why they didn't simply pull it over with better equipment.

If you've got a tracked lift, surely you have a GRCS, right? Throw a bull rope in the tree and just pull it over. All that removing the top branches did was make it lighter, smash up the fence, and change the balance point a bit. Given that it held for about 5 days on just the hinge wood, I don't think we should assume the hinge would fail in the middle of a good pull.
 
I don't either, really. Given that the homeowner told us they never used a chainsaw to finish the base cut, I don't know why they didn't simply pull it over with better equipment.

If you've got a tracked lift, surely you have a GRCS, right? Throw a bull rope in the tree and just pull it over. All that removing the top branches did was make it lighter, smash up the fence, and change the balance point a bit. Given that it held for about 5 days on just the hinge wood, I don't think we should assume the hinge would fail in the middle of a good pull.

Griphoist!
 
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