The Big Hurt
ArboristSite Member
Did a job today that required the removal of 3 dead magnolias each about 60 feet in height. These mag's were all in a 15 yard radius with one standing 5 feet from the owner's privacy fence the other standing 12 feet from the pool and the other standing a foot or so from the house and 5 feet from the privacy fence. I got up in the first one and topped it, dropping the large dead limbs less than a foot from the fence. The one by the pool wasnt hard but did have to scoop a few small twigs out of the water. The last one was the hard one though. I couldnt just climb up and hack away without hitting something so I looked at the angle of the tree to the position of the fence's gate. Now the gate was double the tree's circumfrence but if I were to drop it from the base it would be coming into the gate at an angle leaving me little room for error.
Imagine throwing a baseball through an open box with the open box standing upright and then imagine throwing the baseball through it with the box angled 45 degrees....it makes for less room for the ball to go through. This was kinda what I was facing in dropping this tree.
I looked at the angle and the tree circumfrence and said "I can do this." I threw my throwline up into a crotch 3/4 the way up the tree and sent up a tagline. I had a groundy take the rope and extend it right in the path I wanted the tree falling and began to make my cuts. As it began to come down I had my groundie(whom I trust very much by the way) pull it right in the direction I wanted and BAM! Only had 12"-15" on both sides to spare. I pulled out my big saw to start loggin it and said Hell Yeah!
Imagine throwing a baseball through an open box with the open box standing upright and then imagine throwing the baseball through it with the box angled 45 degrees....it makes for less room for the ball to go through. This was kinda what I was facing in dropping this tree.
I looked at the angle and the tree circumfrence and said "I can do this." I threw my throwline up into a crotch 3/4 the way up the tree and sent up a tagline. I had a groundy take the rope and extend it right in the path I wanted the tree falling and began to make my cuts. As it began to come down I had my groundie(whom I trust very much by the way) pull it right in the direction I wanted and BAM! Only had 12"-15" on both sides to spare. I pulled out my big saw to start loggin it and said Hell Yeah!
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