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Help with widowmakers needed - ice storm cleanup on isle 9!

Started by Bibbyman, December 13, 2007, 03:14:31 PM

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Bibbyman

Would you guys with experience removing widow makers from storm damaged trees please pass on some ideas,  instructions and words of wisdom (that is caution) that us novices folks could use to clean up storm damage?

I'm not going to even try to clean up all the broken limbs on our 240 acre farm but I about have to do something with the ones in our front yard and some others around the mill and road. 



Some are hanging free in the trees and some are still attached.  Most are too high to reach from the ground.



Here are some the size of my arm 60' high in the top of a red oak in our front yard.  They are still attached but will come down someday.



Here are a couple of big ones that are touching the ground.

I'm not much for climbing trees or ladders for that matter.  I was thinking of getting in a box on the lift of the Terex and having Mary lift me up there so I could tie a rope on them.  Then get back and pull them down from a safe distance.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Tom

Whatever you do, be careful.  That Terex could tip over and get Mary hurt. :)

ronwood

Tom,

Are you talking about tipping over with Bibbyman on the Terex??  :D :D
How about Norm's 50 cal?

On the serious side make sure if you pull with the rope that if it snaps it don't get you.
My Dad's place has a couple of trees around the house that have the same issue. The one nearest the line the coop is going to cut.

Ron
Sawing part time mostly urban logs -St. Louis/Warrenton, Mo.
LT40HG25 Woodmizer Sawmill
LX885 New Holland Skidsteer

sandman2234

I have a Ford 7710 with a Turner boom mower on the back, that has a 4' heavy duty flail mower on it. It will reach 25' in any direction behind the tractor, and anything smaller than 4" it will eat as fast as the boom will lower. Anything larger than 4" requires a couple extra seconds of descent time. There are probably some types of wood that it won't eat that fast, but I am sure it would reach a lot of those and make chips out of them without having to risk getting near the trees. I will assume that your location isn't anywhere near me, since you have ice to deal with.
   David from jax

Bibbyman

I don't want to give them a buzz cut.  I just want to pluck off a few loose feathers!  :)
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

submarinesailor

BB,

We built a box to work in that mounts on the folks of the JD 4520.  It works great for a large number of things; from cleaning gutters, taking off limbs to pruning apple trees.  Ours is about 6' x 3.5'.  We built it out of left over PT lumber.  4" x 6" for the skids and 2X for bottom and sides. Oh yell, it works great for moving larger loads of fire wood – much larger than just a bucket full at a time.

Bruce

Timburr

The safest and quickest way I know, is to "pluck" 'em out with a knuckle boom loader and grab.

We had a bad storm in January and it blew out hundreds of tree tops in our wood.  Many were still attached.  Out of necessity, we had to make the roads and tracks safe to the public.  The easiest method was to 'land' each offender with our knuckle boom.

Maybe one of your log delivery trucks can help you out, providing terrain/traction is adequate.

The alternative is to use the Beenthere method and shoot them down!  :D                                                                                                                                                                                               
Sense is not common

Bibbyman

Quote from: Timburr on December 13, 2007, 06:40:04 PM
The safest and quickest way I know, is to "pluck" 'em out with a knuckle boom loader and grab.

We had a bad storm in January and it blew out hundreds of tree tops in our wood.  Many were still attached.  Out of necessity, we had to make the roads and tracks safe to the public.  The easiest method was to 'land' each offender with our knuckle boom.

Maybe one of your log delivery trucks can help you out, providing terrain/traction is adequate.

The alternative is to use the Beenthere method and shoot them down!  :D                                                                                                                                                                                               

There would be no way to get a knuckle boom loader where the limbs are. 

But I do have a Remington 870 12 gauge 3" magnum with full choke barrel.  I don't think I've ever shot it.  I bought it from my son Chris when he was in the Marines and needed some quick cash.  I'll have to look around and see if we have some shells for it.

Quote from: submarinesailor on December 13, 2007, 06:05:44 PM
BB,

We built a box to work in that mounts on the folks of the JD 4520.  It works great for a large number of things; from cleaning gutters, taking off limbs to pruning apple trees.  Ours is about 6’ x 3.5’.  We built it out of left over PT lumber.  4” x 6” for the skids and 2X for bottom and sides. Oh yell, it works great for moving larger loads of fire wood – much larger than just a bucket full at a time.

Bruce






Boxes we got.   ;D

Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Faron

Bibbyman, I have never had much luck pulling limbs down after I got a rope on them.  Usually they hang on and won't break completely off.  Most times the few that do leave a pretty nasty jagged wound.  Can you reach many of them out of that box on the Terex with a chainsaw?  If not, maybe you could rent a cherry picker type man lift, and get them that way. Rental on them around here is not too expensive, and they do work well for that kind of work.  You probably aren't going to be too impressed with the outriggers on them, once you extend them all the way up, though. ;)  I know I wasn't, first time I used one, but it stayed right side up. :)
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner.  Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote. - Ben Franklin

Kevin

Bib, send the Warden Sawmill limousine up here to get me and my equipment.

I'd say if it was one or two limbs have at it but that looks like more than anyone can handle without the proper equipment.
You could get hurt real quick trying to deal with that mess yourself.
All I can suggest is get a quote from a local tree climber and deal with the branches that are a threat and let nature deal with the rest if it's too costly.
Maybe your insurance might pay for most of it, might be worth checking into.

Bibbyman

The Terex can reach 19'.  So while standing in it I could work to say 25'.  But then the box would be almost right over the cab of the Terex.  Not good to drop a limb on Mary!

But some that I'm worried about are in the top of the tree - I'd guess at least 50' up.

Professional tree service people are going to be in short supply here for a long time.  We drove through town today and saw many PUs, trailers and dump trucks loaded with branches and cutup trees.  Just up our blacktop leading into town there was a PU pulling a trailer loaded with walnut "chunks" about 1' to 3' long.  Looked like it could have made a nice log about 16" dia.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

limbrat

You may need to borrow kevins throw bag, sling shot and some .25" line to get a line on them tall ones.
I stopped trading with them recently but northern toolhttps://forestryforum.com/board/index.php?action=position"> Note:Please read the Forestry Forum's postion on this company has what they call a high limb chainsaw. Its a length of .325 chain with every other cutter reversed and a .25" line hooked to each end. You toss it over the limb and pull it back and forth, it works real good on limbs up to about 4" bigger than that it starts pinching the blade toward the end of the cut. We have cut limbs up to 8" but it takes a person on each end standing a little ways apart so that the blade wont pinch when the limb starts over.
ben

rbhunter

I was looking on the way to work and back and noticed alot of widow makers hanging in the trees around houses. I was thinking about all of the people who will try and remove them with out truly knowing what they are doing or having proper equipment for the job. I hope people are careful out there removing those things as well as some of the trees split and hanging down and touching the ground about twenty feet out and still attached to the tree about ten feet up.

Randy
"Said the robin to the sparrow, I wonder why it must be, these anxious human beings rush around and worry so?"
"Said the sparrow to the robin, Friend I think it must be, they have no heavenly father, such as cares for you and me."
author unknown. Used to hang above parents fireplace.

rebocardo

I haved use a Big Shot slingshot to get a line around a limb, followed by cable, and then pulled it down with my 4x4 truck. But, for a huge mess like that, I would hire a professional climber/arborist to clean up the torn up trees I wanted to save and to remove widow makers from over my frequent paths.

If the branch is attached many times you cause a bigger injury to the tree and it still doesn't clean up a broken branch that can collect water, bugs, and disease. If a tree has a lot of them, I violently shake the tree to dislodge loose ones, and then cut it down.

york

You need a climber or better yet,a bucket truck...to rope them and pull them out is silly...we are tree people....
Albert

woodmills1

Yes, I think a bucket truck is the answer.  If the area is too restricted then a good climber is your answer.  I have a few friends who climb/are tree service people.  I give them wood when they need it, truck sides, trailer deck, dunnage blocks.  I haven't paid for a tree job in years, including removal of 2 large willows and the pruning of my huge civil war era horse chestnuts.
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

Ed

As others have said, you need a climber or a boom truck. It's much safer for you and the trees will be in better health with the limbs cut properly instead of torn off.
You might be able to trim some of the low hangers from the lifty toy, just make sure the basket is securely chained to the machine and you are wearing a fall arrest harness!

Ed


sandman2234

I agree with you on not wanting a buzz cut. The flail head on the end of the boom mower will rotate, turn and flip upside down. Because the boom is also like an "extendahoe" on a backhoe, it will also slide into a hole and just cut what you put into it. Really kind of a neat rig. I bought the Ford 7710 that it is mounted on, with all intentions of selling the boom mower and spending the money I made to replace the liftarms that somebody removed from it when they put the boom mower on. I saw a use for the boom mower after I tried it out, and decided not to take it off. This summer I needed to load some dirt onto a dump trailer I built, so I built a 42" wide bucket to replace the flail head, and used it to load dirt. Really worked great, but I was scared to tear something up, so was kind of easy on it. I moved about 800 yards of dirt with it.
   David from jax

woodsteach

Great question Bibby, we have the same problem/opportunity here in se neb and ne kansas.  So If I were to rent either a bucket truck or man lift, which one would be preferable?  

Probably the truck for ease of transportation!  Ok Which one would be preferable for working out of?

The opportunity is for $ made cleaning up yards, the students were just telling me that some were getting $50.00 per pick upload  to clean yards, (just the stuff on the ground) and some were getting flat rates of $150-250 depending on the yard.  I tell them to keep one eye up on the limbs and at least wear a hard hat but they just laugh... oh to be young and dumb again only this time be smarter.  :D

For you pro tree guys what is the best way to learn quickly how to trim these trees and to it correctly for the tree and not just butcher them up.  How do you know which trees will survive and which ones will not make it?

woodsteach
Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

JV

There are trailer type towable manlifts that will go 45' or better.  Probably can't rent one immediately, but they would be safer.  Don't be in a hurry to get them out.  I still have scars on my arm from a fight with a chainsaw in a bucket trimming a tree years ago.  A throw rope would be the safest to get the loose ones.  Be careful and take your time.
John

'05 Wood-mizer LT40HDG28-RA, Lucas 613 Swing Mill, Stihl 170, 260 Pro, 660, 084 w/56" Alaskan Mill, 041 w/Lewis Winch, Case 970 w/Farmi Winch, Case 850 Crawler Loader, Case 90XT Skidloader, Logrite tools

Kevin

Quotewhat is the best way to learn quickly how to trim these trees

Here's a link that may help with that ...
http://www.treehelp.com/howto/howto-prune-a-tree.asp

limbrat

I like them rope saws there cheap and easy to use and you keep your feet on the ground. The hardest parts are getting it were you wont it and making the under cut.
ben

woodsteach

Thank you for your replies, now if we can avoid the 2-6" of snow that is supposed to happen tonight and tomorrow a.m. then this weekend can be profitable.

Kevin that is a good site thanks!

Limbrat I'm going to try one of those rope saws, does anyone have advise on which kind or where to purchase good a good one, I hate buying single use junk.

woodsteach
Brand X Swing Mill, JD 317 Skidloader, MS460 & 290, the best family a guy could ever dream of...all provided by God up above.  (with help from our banker ; ) )

Reddog


mike_van

Bibby, Seymour Smith used to make a polesaw set, about five 5' extensions plus one with the blade on it, you just snapped as many as you needed together. 30' is about all you want to handle, they cut fast though, right where you want to. After about 10 of those limbs you'd be good at it!
I was the smartest 16 year old I ever knew.

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