KarlP
ArboristSite Operative
That's what I try to help my fellow unfortunately homeowners!!! Do you guys SEE what passes for professional arborists these days?! All it takes is $3500 worth of equipment, insurance, and a business card.
I'm just giving NoTree a hard time. Unlike a lot of the arrogant jerks on this forum, this arrogant jerk can usually tell when someone was joking.
On one hand I had a recent experience that made me see where SOME of the pros are coming from...
I have a friend who I had only seen using a chainsaw one handed while standing on the wall of his newly framed garage with one foot and the fork of a lumber delivery boom lift with the other foot wearing no PPE. He wanted to borrow my 385xp to take down a big tree in the middle of where he was installing a septic system for his wife's new business. My wife said sure without asking me. :jawdrop: He then mentioned to me something about a tight squeeze with the powerlines. Since I like the guy and a 390 costs a lot more today than the 385 did in 2003, I told him I came along with the saw.
The tree was a 34" diameter waist height white ash. It was fairly balanced, but I wanted to take one limb off with the stupid homeowner chainsaw on a rope before we dropped it. There was then enough space to comfortably drop the tree whole, but had to aim for the corner of two perpendicular power lines. I installed a pull line 15' from the top of the tree, checked the notch cut about 4x, bore cut most of the back cut, and had him back up his bobcat anchoring the pull line another foot to add more tension to the pull line. The top fell within two feet of where we wanted it. We cleaned it up with the bobcat, I dropped five more 12-18" ash trees parallel to each across the top of the future septic field using wedges, and went home. The next weekend they took down a pine tree about 9" DBH with her driving the bobcat and him driving the chainsaw. I'm not sure what happened. I think she didn't push high/hard enough with the bobcat on the first pass so he took more wood and broke through the hinge. The tree went perpendicular to the direction they expected.
I was very happy I said I had to come along with the 385. I believe there was much name calling between spouses, but for once it didn't involve me. :msp_biggrin:
On the other hand there is the homeowner point of view here too...
He installed the new septic system when time allowed over the next two weeks. His wife then wanted three 80-100' white pines (and 3-6" dbh crap trees) blocking the view of the business from the road taken down. He learned his lesson and asked me to give him a hand. The pines had to be dropped almost parallel to a third set of power lines 35' away. Other than we called it off for 40+mph winds the first day, I suck at aiming a throw weight high up in a pine, and kept getting my throw line tangled in brush, it was easy.
While we were taking them down I was thinking of the AS homeowner threads and kept (jokingly) calling him a stupid f'n homeowner with no business driving a bobcat or a backhoe and a moron for asking an uninsured obviously incompetent fellow homeowner to help him take down the trees. LoL. He had just installed his wife's commercial septic system. Since it was a commercial septic he had to become a licensed installer in his state. He said he had to read for about 4 hours, take a multiple choice test, and pay $150. I (jokingly) called him a stupid f'n homeowner who had no business installing a septic. He should have left the work to a professional sh** director. Followed by lots of very funny comments about people going to die from raw sewage poisoning.
After springing for his license, upgrading the tank to one they could drive over, AND buying him a JCB backhoe/loader his wife still saved more than $3k over the lowest septic quote. He got a free backhoe out of the deal. She saved over $3k having us do various tree removals. I got 6-7 cords of firewood and a future favor. We both had fun along the way.
When she wanted/needed a bunch of concrete moving and site work done, he didn't need to go out and buy another backhoe just some diesel. I didn't need to spend $3500 to help them take down their trees. I burned a couple gallons of gas and wore out one round file. *shrug*
My friends dad is an excavator and grew up using his dad's equipment. I feel comfortable with that stupid homeowner putting his bucket within 1/2" of where he wants it. I feel comfortable with this stupid homeowner putting the top of most trees within a few feet of where I want them. Putting the bobcat in my hands and the chainsaw in his would probably lead to what most of you says will happen if a homeowner dares to remove their own tree. IMO people need to know their own limitations. I know which trees I can't tackle a lot better than pros who have never met me.
OP - If you don't feel comfortable felling that tree, you probably ought to get a pro to do it. Not because someone on here said so, but because you thought it before ever asking the question. Don't try to do it just because a bunch of arrogant jerks told you that you are too cheap/stupid to do it.
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