Author Topic: Cutting tree from top down..?? (Read 4289 times)

Woodhog · « **on:** April 26, 2008, 10:22:54 am »

Does anyone know the proper way to cut a tree down starting at the top.....

I would assume you have to throw a rope to the top area for a safety line for step # 01...

The tree is an old spruce about 60 feet high and 2 feet dia at the butt end..

There is no room to fall it, no place for a bucket truck (too expensive anyway) and close power lines...

Thanks

Nate Surveyor · « **Reply #1 on:** April 26, 2008, 11:06:38 am »

First off, I am an idiot.

But, I have done stuff like this before. 34" butt white oak. Leaning over house. I wound up climbing to the top, and slowly cutting SMALL pieces, one at a time, and throwing them to a place where no damage would occur. The bigger pcs had to be TIED off, and lowered.

For some trees, I don't think there is another way, unless you have a nice helicopter, and the helicopter can take the whole tree away at once! (wink).

It was my dad's house, and it took me all day to remove it.

Anyway, I am sure somebody else will have better ideas than me.

Nate

beenthere · « **Reply #2 on:** April 26, 2008, 12:38:44 pm »

Woodhog
Check out a recent video put up by Kevin....he showed a way to tie-off what he was cutting out of a top, so he could fall it in the direction he wanted it to go (to avoid some tele or elec lines).

kevin in tree

Do you like heights?

Also check out some of the AxMen shows...they have men in tree tops, removing them, and attempting to stay out of the fall path. Not the every-day guys work tho.

Where are you located? Nothing in your bio, but you've been a long-time member.

Chet · « **Reply #3 on:** April 26, 2008, 12:57:29 pm »

Quote from: Woodhog on April 26, 2008, 10:22:54 am

There is no room to fall it, no place for a bucket truck (too expensive anyway) and close power lines...

Da last thing ya want ta do, is mess around power lines. They are very unforgiving.

My advice is ta see if da power company can help ya out or hire someone that is capable (trained)for such a task.

beenthere · « **Reply #4 on:** April 26, 2008, 02:13:26 pm »

And I agree 100% with Chet...

PineNut · « **Reply #5 on:** April 26, 2008, 06:47:54 pm »

Had one case of a power company not wanting to remove a dead tree by their line. The only other way for it to fall was on the house. Took a cable and tied it off so that the only way it could fall was on the power line. Power company took the hint and removed the tree.

Woodhog · « **Reply #6 on:** April 26, 2008, 07:33:07 pm »

I am up in Canada (Maritimes)..

It is not close enough to the lines for any problem except for felling it in one piece...

I have cut thousands from the ground but never from the top..\

I guess its just a matter of climbing up, and start sawing off pieces one at a time and letting the pieces fall to the ground... there is loads of green limbs to stand on... and probably a small saw should be used..

Ironwood · « **Reply #7 on:** April 26, 2008, 10:44:57 pm »

My friend just took down an urban walnut, I bought the log from the landowner. I chainsaw and I climb (rock and ice, so good rope experience), but I NEVER mix the two. I have been mountaineering with my friend in these pics, and I have rock and ice climbed with him, TREE WORK is a VERY different animal, I am in complete AWE of how good he is at what he does. He has been at it for 23 years, it shows. He was in the tree hanging from his harness for 9 hours+ on Friday. I showed up thinking he'd come down to share the lunch I'de picked up for him, "NOPE, I aint coming down, send it up" WOW. at times he'd have two saws and a pole saw, fuel and supply bag hanging up there, THIS IS SERIOUS stuff, the stamina alone, let alone the forsight of rope skill/ management, and the physics of this was INCREDIBLE

.He is a high angle take down tree surgeon. This is his specialty and all that he does, other tree sevices hire him to come in on the difficult ones. All I can say is if I ever needed a high angle rescue, I hope he is running the show. Don't mess with the high stuff, way too risky. I deal with a few other local "climbers" for tree work. The saying holds for this pursuit as well " there are old climbers, there are bold climbers, there are NO OLD BOLD CLIMBERS". Get a pro, your life is worth it.

Ironwood

Woodhog · « **Reply #8 on:** April 26, 2008, 11:30:32 pm »

Nice pictures, yes I agree, most should not get up in that type of tree.

The tree I am concerned about is a big old white spruce tree, limbs are so thick you could hardly crawl up thru them, so there is all kinds of footholds and limbs to climb on.

It would be almost hard to fall down thru the dozens of limbs.

rebocardo · « **Reply #9 on:** April 27, 2008, 03:52:46 am »

> Does anyone know the proper way to cut a tree down starting at the top.....

Hire a pro

Everyone I have hired starts by taking out all the lower limbs. If you drop the top, not only do you have to pull it away from the tree, you have to be belted to the tree, at a min., so you do not get whipped out out of the tree.

What many do is delimb the whole thing, bottom to top, and then drop the trunk in 2-3 foot sections while leaning back on their flip line.

If you leave limbs on the top, it stands a chance of hitting the tree on the way down or worse bouncing when it hits the ground and knocking over or breaking the trunk.

If you take a 16 oz weight and arborist line up with you, you can lower it and use it to pull up (how I have done it) bigger rope to tie to the top for the ground helper to tie off to direct the top.

nas · « **Reply #10 on:** April 27, 2008, 09:07:16 pm »

It would be almost hard to fall down thru the dozens of limbs.
[/quote]
Just make sure it's not the stupid tree or you just might hit every branch on the way down

Jeff · « **Reply #11 on:** April 27, 2008, 09:22:42 pm »

It might be hard to fall down through the tree, but it might be quite easy for a little old dead dry stub to stick you in the throat or somewhere else vital. Get someone to do it for you that knows what they are doing so you or someone else doesn't get killed.

LeeB · « **Reply #12 on:** April 27, 2008, 09:24:36 pm »

Can I get an amen to that.

Ironwood · « **Reply #13 on:** April 27, 2008, 09:38:53 pm »

AAAHHHMENNN.

beenthere · « **Reply #14 on:** April 27, 2008, 11:04:35 pm »

Amen....shoot it down

cuttingman423 · « **Reply #15 on:** April 27, 2008, 11:32:40 pm »

i wish i had the knowledge to do that kind of climbing then again i might want to lose a few punds 245lb might not be ideal for climbing and falling trees from the top down.

Chet · « **Reply #16 on:** April 28, 2008, 12:31:11 am »

If'n ya don't know da purpose of each of da ropes in da above pics, yer better off hire'n someone dat does.

LeeB · « **Reply #17 on:** April 28, 2008, 12:36:31 am »

The first thing you gotta do with them is find one that has a "lever B" on it.

Nate Surveyor · « **Reply #18 on:** April 28, 2008, 07:28:31 am »

I heard a story about a NEWBY to tree work, wanted a job, and so to IMPRESS the boss, be tried the STYROFOAM trick. Tree leans over house. Cover house with STYROFOAM. Hook rope to tree, and to bumper of truck. Pull OVER the top of house, TOWARDS house. IDIOT in truck is BURNIN his tires off, and finally manages to PULL the tree down ON the house. Apparently he had first partially cut the tree! It crashed through the living room, and several other improvements!

I wish I had that on video!

Nate

Ironwood · « **Reply #19 on:** April 28, 2008, 08:45:59 am »

My friend Tim in the picture IS quite a beefcake. Maybe 230 lbs, built like an OX, I have no idea how he can hang in that harness ALL DAY. I am 245, similar build, it would kill me.

Ironwood

rebocardo · « **Reply #20 on:** April 28, 2008, 01:08:52 pm »

> he can hang in that harness ALL DAY

Look at his legs, that is how he stays in the tree that long, he has a few muscles there

Ironwood · « **Reply #21 on:** April 28, 2008, 07:18:39 pm »

I guess what I am talking aobut is the HARNESS, cutting into your legs and such. No matter how well it fits you are still hanging all your weight on it all day, ouch.

Ironwood

leweee · « **Reply #22 on:** April 28, 2008, 08:26:27 pm »

That's why they make good .$$$

Ironwood · « **Reply #23 on:** April 28, 2008, 09:17:48 pm »

Lewee,

Yes, the risks are real, the talent is real, it is like watching a master musician, or any other skill that has been honed to an edge.

Ironwood

Jeff · « **Reply #24 on:** April 29, 2008, 06:24:59 pm »

Chet took some trees down for me a few years ago. That was the first time I had seen someone do it that was a trained professional. What an awesome site to watch. Dont consider it paying to have the trees taken down, consider it as paying to watch a professional show. Every move makes you want to stand up and applaud.

Kevin · « **Reply #25 on:** April 29, 2008, 06:41:27 pm »

It's one thing to learn how to do the work and invest in the equipment required in order to preform the task on a regular basis and something else to just have one or two trees taken down.
You can always save money by offering to be the ground man and run the ropes .
Just have them drop it and walk away, you do the clean up.
Check with local utility foresters, some guys will be doing it as side work, they may or may not have insurance.
Get a couple of quotes just to see what they want.

Kevin · « **Reply #26 on:** April 30, 2008, 10:29:21 pm »

I stumbled across a Spruce today that needs topping, if the weather holds on Friday I'll take it down and get a few pictures.

Kevin · « **Reply #27 on:** May 06, 2008, 05:34:51 pm »

This is one way to take the top out of a spruce tree.
Used a single rope technique to safety in.

Took all the limbs off one side to load the top in the direction of the fall.

Open face, back cut and one top on the ground.

Not a bad spot to spend the day,

Tom · « **Reply #28 on:** May 06, 2008, 10:14:05 pm »

New boots?

Kevin · « **Reply #29 on:** May 06, 2008, 10:24:02 pm »

Summer slippers.

This is the other one I was chewing on, the river washed away the bank causing it to work the cable.
If it broke the lashing wire the cable would have to be delashed and relashed over the river.

News:

Author Topic: Cutting tree from top down..?? (Read 4289 times)