Hinges can be totally ineffective on dead trees, as they can snap or disintegrate before performing their job. I've had the plunge method of felling result in a barber chair before. I was experimenting with some tricky scenarios and staying out of the way, the holding tab simply failed . I would only use it in certain scenarios. Two of the biggest dangers when felling IMO is not cutting a clean apex in your notch, and cutting through your hinge by making the backcut too far above the apex of the notch and not paying attention. ( i guess not paying attention would be the biggest danger)
Trees jobs gone wrong
- Thread starter HUSKYMAN
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Treeman14
Addicted to ArboristSite
Ummm...if you don't know what you did wrong, then how are you going to make sure it doesn't happen again? I'm not trying to be a smart alek. Just posing a valid question. I always try to analyze/post mortem anything that doesn't go the way I planned. It sounds to me like the weight of the tree crushed your hinge. Why did you make a plunge cut? Why not just do a traditional back cut?
Eric E.
ArboristSite Operative
All this talk of felling techniques...How many of you have read any modern techniques or attended any trainning? I haven't read the husky link posted by chain gang but I bet is Soren Eriksson / Tim Ard type information which is excellent stuff. If you want lots of excellent info get Tim Ard's ebook availabe on www.forestapps.com . This is a great resource on directional felling that is worth far more than the $20 it costs.
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Seems that every time I make an improper cut when dropping a big piece of wood or felling, I see my error and what I should have done just as the wood starts to let go. In a Homer Simpsonesque way - doh!! Never crushed anything though.
As long as life and major property damage is not at risk , - It is better to be lucky than good any day.
As long as life and major property damage is not at risk , - It is better to be lucky than good any day.
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Dan Flinn
ArboristSite Member
I haven't had many near misses in my short 9 year tenure. I always put a rope in the tree when felling,especially having a throwline and bag. A little tug with a truck goes a long way!
Dan
Dan
hollow trees
Coydog, hollow trees can be as bad as dead trees if you make the face cut and don't have enough good wood to hold the weight of the tree. You hear the wood crushing out as you walk around to make the backcut. Drill it, take a brace and 3/4" bit and see how much wood is there to work with before you cut. It didn't go wrong but if I'd not roped it and run a safety rope to the stump of another tree it would have ended up on a house. As I'm about to make the backcut the tree cracks and takes the backside of the stump with it, not enough good wood to hold or the facecut was too big or too deep. The sound of the wood crushing is enough to put a knot in your stomach, you know what I mean and you know the sound as soon as you hear it you want to run. Pretension the ropes so if it takes off early it is headed in the right direction from the start.
Coydog, hollow trees can be as bad as dead trees if you make the face cut and don't have enough good wood to hold the weight of the tree. You hear the wood crushing out as you walk around to make the backcut. Drill it, take a brace and 3/4" bit and see how much wood is there to work with before you cut. It didn't go wrong but if I'd not roped it and run a safety rope to the stump of another tree it would have ended up on a house. As I'm about to make the backcut the tree cracks and takes the backside of the stump with it, not enough good wood to hold or the facecut was too big or too deep. The sound of the wood crushing is enough to put a knot in your stomach, you know what I mean and you know the sound as soon as you hear it you want to run. Pretension the ropes so if it takes off early it is headed in the right direction from the start.
What i meant bye i wont make that mistake again is i wont underestamate a tree like that. My problem with it is i didnt think it would be a problem. <-- problem with that.. i didnt think . And not thinking is not a good thing. so i geuss the lesson i learned is to think long and hard about what could happen if something goes wrong. And have a plan ready to put in action if anything Does go wrong. and all in all just to be more carefull with what im doing .
treeclimber165
Member A.K.A Skwerl
I've made MANY bad cuts over the years. Anyone who claims otherwise is bullsh!tting. What I have found is that bad cuts/judgement calls happen when I get complacent and DON'T think about ALL possible outcomes of my cut. I strive to anticipate all possibilities on EVERY cut, which usually helps me decide, in less than a second, exactly which type of cut I want to make.
Many times I have been rigging a limb to cut and stopped in the middle because a possible (negative) outcome occurs to me. Then I will stop and re-think the setup, sometimes even asking a trusted groundman to give me his perspective. I'd rather take an extra minute or two and avoid damage than to 'cut and hope'.
treeman82
Addicted to ArboristSite
I have had a couple of close calls in my 5 years climbing. 1 tree (dead sugar maple) had 1 inch of wood PERIOD out of about 12" in diameter. I wound up getting it down, but took a chunk out of the customer's dog house which was not occupied. I couldn't trust anything higher on that than 20 feet, and it was probably 35 feet in height. 5 feet off the ground that thing was shaking. I was in one today that was a PRUNE that gave me the same feeling. Automatically became a removal.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
We had a sugar maple last week, half dead from vert wilt. Oneside stone dead and some leads punky through.
I crashed most of the top out without a hitch tied into the one live side stem. The a dead one failed 1/2 into the cut about 30* left of the hinge direction. No biggie, just did not go into the brush pile I was making for my dragger boss. Though it did change the rest of the plan for the tree.
So I started chunking off the stubbs so we could pull the whole thing over (had to anchor on a nieghbors tree, so we had first not wanted to go that rout.) I jump cut a 45# chunk and when it popped it shook the whole tree like I have not felled in a long time, and I was low too.
I had thumpped the base because the bark was off all the way to the fair, but it seems that the root were bad only a short ways out.
I crashed most of the top out without a hitch tied into the one live side stem. The a dead one failed 1/2 into the cut about 30* left of the hinge direction. No biggie, just did not go into the brush pile I was making for my dragger boss. Though it did change the rest of the plan for the tree.
So I started chunking off the stubbs so we could pull the whole thing over (had to anchor on a nieghbors tree, so we had first not wanted to go that rout.) I jump cut a 45# chunk and when it popped it shook the whole tree like I have not felled in a long time, and I was low too.
I had thumpped the base because the bark was off all the way to the fair, but it seems that the root were bad only a short ways out.
thinking about some of the bad cuts ive made, when felling its really important to cut with a sharp chain. dont get lazy or in a hurry about it, if your chain is dull, its very difficult to be precise.
TheMDTreeman
ArboristSite Lurker
Close Call
Had a scary one today.
happen to be going by a job site where a couple of my guys were working. They had a 70 to 80 foot oak tree. The tree had to be spiked to get to the first limb as a bucket was inaccessible to it. Instead of tying the hand line near the top, he tied it way below half way. He then came down attached the rope to another tree with a block and tackle, then hooked it to the bucket truck. We knew this did not look right but before we could stop him he made the notch. I got into the truck to pull the tree in the deired direction as he was making the backcut. At about the moment the tree should have started to fall, CRACK!!!!!, the rope broke and it was like slow motion, the tree came back and almost seemed to want to stay there. But it didn't. I was barely able to get the bucket out of the road backing up mind you with a chipper in tow. It came down both lanes of the road, caught the top electric wire on a pole in its path and hung somhow by the cable and phones wires. It broke no wires and noone got hurt but we were all a little shook up.
Had a scary one today.
happen to be going by a job site where a couple of my guys were working. They had a 70 to 80 foot oak tree. The tree had to be spiked to get to the first limb as a bucket was inaccessible to it. Instead of tying the hand line near the top, he tied it way below half way. He then came down attached the rope to another tree with a block and tackle, then hooked it to the bucket truck. We knew this did not look right but before we could stop him he made the notch. I got into the truck to pull the tree in the deired direction as he was making the backcut. At about the moment the tree should have started to fall, CRACK!!!!!, the rope broke and it was like slow motion, the tree came back and almost seemed to want to stay there. But it didn't. I was barely able to get the bucket out of the road backing up mind you with a chipper in tow. It came down both lanes of the road, caught the top electric wire on a pole in its path and hung somhow by the cable and phones wires. It broke no wires and noone got hurt but we were all a little shook up.
TheMDTreeman
ArboristSite Lurker
treetx,
I think he forgot his throwing ball, he took it home over the weekend to do a buzzy
I think he forgot his throwing ball, he took it home over the weekend to do a buzzy
I have been guilty of leaving my throw ball behind.
Used a horseshoe I had floating around in my truck and some kite string.
Ouch!! That was pretty stupid but it worked. Just glad I didn't knock anyone's Chicklets out.
Used a horseshoe I had floating around in my truck and some kite string.
Ouch!! That was pretty stupid but it worked. Just glad I didn't knock anyone's Chicklets out.
TheMDTreeman
ArboristSite Lurker
treetx,
I'm sure OSHA would have loved that! I think I would pass on a horseshoe.
I'm sure OSHA would have loved that! I think I would pass on a horseshoe.
treeguy347
ArboristSite Operative
I onece used an 1 7/8" ball from a trailer hitch and surveyor string, because my only throwbag got stuck.
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