The Russian judge gives a perfect 10....

[melking]

My neighbor and I were going to cut down a tree that was leaning over our mutual fence. Sunday mornig at 7 am I met him at the fence line. He had a ladder and chainsaw, I had a chain saw and a rope. He already had the ladder set up against the tree and told me to hold the ladder becaus he thought that when he cut off the top of the tree, it would stand up straighter. The tree was a big cabbage palm and when he cut the head off the tree flew traight up in the air taking my neighbor, his ladder and his chain saw with it. He had the prescence of mind to toss the chain saw away from both of us so that we weren't cut up. He did a double back flip in the air and landed on my side of the fence right on top of a cypress knee. Needless to say, he was hurt fairly bad. By the time we got the paramedics out there, carried him the 1/4 mile to the closest point they could get the ambulance, he was in severe pain. Thankfully after a med flight to the neares hospital (40 miles) he was found to have a cracked vertebrae a partially collasped lung and a shoulder that is just plain torn up> Medical term used by er nurse. Scared the living daylights out of me and once again reminded me to work carefully and wisely. I took the rope to stabilize the tree but I let his being ready to go, cloud my judgment.

 

[greybeard]

And people around here wonder why I hate trees so much. They're plumb evil is why.
Hope your friend recovers quickly.

 

[TexasBred]

You just never know and it usually happens before you can hiccup.....older I get the more aware of these things I try to be and I still come in bleeding most of the time.

 

[Aaron]

Might be a stupid question, but why not just cut the wires of the fence and drop the tree from the stump, over the fence?

 

[Caustic Burno]

And people around here wonder why I hate trees so much. They're plumb evil is why.
Hope your friend recovers quickly.

GB I am with you I have no clue how many I have cut or thrown in my lifetime.
I never want anyone close so I can concentrate on what is going on and not them getting hurt.
Climbed up a many a one 20 to 30 feet and put a log chain run to a 10 ton chain fall anchored to
another tree to keep one off a house or barn. I can put a green tree anywhere I want one to go.
A dead tree scares me to death never know what is going to happen with one. I can't count the times I have had the top break out of one when it starts over with the top coming straight down.
The only thing more dangerous is a blown over one with a root ball, those are widow makers.
To this day until you start cutting you have no idea which way the stump is going. It either collapses to the ground or comes flying
by your head at a 1000 mph.

 

[Dave]

As a kid I remember being at Grandpa's helping him clean up after the Columbus Day storm. The neighbor was cutting a blown down tree. He was standing on the root end about 15 feet from the stump. When he cut it off the stump stood back up. It tossed him at about 100 mph into a standing tree. I was young enough that I don't remember the extent of his injury but he was hurt bad. Grandpa who was an old timber cutter from the hand saw days just kept going on and on about how stupid could a person be. Fast forward 50+ years after I spent 20 years falling timber for a living. And it is amazing how often I am agreeing with Grandpa.

Melking did your neighbor have a death wish? Standing on a ladder to top a tree is a wreck looking for a place to happen. There is a whole bunch of things that can go wrong and very little chance of things going as planned. Frankly he is lucky to be alive. I hope everyone reading this takes a lesson. Using a ladder to top a tree is a very very bad idea.

 

[Jogeephus]

Thank goodness it wasn't worse.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Get yourself a backhoe and learn how to boogie.

dig the root base, put a chain on that tree. Pull it or push it with the backhoe bucket. When you are done, people should never know there was ever a tree there.

 

[inyati13]

Mel, see this stump with a good bit of log on it. I was pushing it down hill. When I got it edged up on the side of the root ball, that whole thing spun around like a top and if it were not for the sweeps doing their job, it may have been up in the seat with me. Actually, it was not long enough but I got the message. But it did hit hard on the sweeps. You have heard me mention Adrian Craig. He spent 30 years of his life sitting on the throne of a dozer. He was nearly killed when he told his boss that a tree he was pushing was limb bound (the limbs get bent and the tree becomes like a compressed spring). His boss told him that was his job to get it done. The tree recoiled back and pinned him in the seat. He was penned to the point that all he could move was his feet so he depressed the foot operated decelerator to stop the dozer from going forward. It was the only thing keeping him from cutting his own body in two. He was air-lifed to Lexington with life threatening injuries. Thank goodness he recovered.

 

[plumber_greg]

17 years old, in my 68 Mustang on blacktop, drunk, over 100 mph, popped over a hill, there was a car stalled in middle of road. Hit brakes, went sideways, laid 400' of black marks, cranked it around stalled car, and stopped in a ditch 5' from 3' diameter oak tree. Guy with me said I only had one hand on steering wheel the whole way

Sept 13, 1983, wife woke me up at 11 pm. Said time to go to hospital, baby is coming. 11:05 pm handing her the baby in the bed after a giant fight over what she could do and not do while in labor. 11:07 tied the cord with 17lb fishing cord, wanted it to hold. Called the doc, he said," See you in the morn." Went to work the next day, her mom took her.
Around 1988, buried in a 12' deep in a 2' wide trench that collsaped, they said I had around 6-8' of dirt over me. Did not miss work the next day. Actually made myself get in the same trench and finish the job.
Around 1995, pipe needed work in a 3' diameter well. No one, including homeowner was around, 60' to water level. Pipe was 5' down in well. Lowered myself down, needed another wrench, got out and got it. When I went back down, foot slipped off pipe, fell and caught myself on other knee on the pipe. Wedged between pipe and well casing. It pulled my coat over my head, and scratched the heck out of my back on the concrete. Stayed in that position awhile, probably cried, and thought what the hill, gotta' finish the job, may as well get out. Got myself up, laid on the ground shaking for awhile, then got back in and finished the job.

July 31, 2001. Went around a curve, over a dike, coal train traveling 60 mph hit my passenger door. Cut my truck in 3 pieces. Never lost consusinuss, or however you spell that word, in hospital 3 weeks, trying to work 60 days after that.
July 2003, had Sara working for me by then. Parked at a house, just ready to run in cuz' it's raining like hzll. Lighting hits the chimmeny of the house, truck blows sparks off it. Can still see the blue sparks in my mind, they were pretty cool.
If you're gonna' work, you're gonna' have stories to tell. gs

 

[Rafter S]

Chainsaws and ladders don't mix. There's just too many things that can go wrong, starting with the part you cut off coming around and knocking the ladder away from under you while the saw is still running.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

17 years old, in my 68 Mustang on blacktop, drunk, over 100 mph, popped over a hill, there was a car stalled in middle of road. Hit brakes, went sideways, laid 400' of black marks, cranked it around stalled car, and stopped in a ditch 5' from 3' diameter oak tree. Guy with me said I only had one hand on steering wheel the whole way

Sept 13, 1983, wife woke me up at 11 pm. Said time to go to hospital, baby is coming. 11:05 pm handing her the baby in the bed after a giant fight over what she could do and not do while in labor. 11:07 tied the cord with 17lb fishing cord, wanted it to hold. Called the doc, he said," See you in the morn." Went to work the next day, her mom took her.
Around 1988, buried in a 12' deep in a 2' wide trench that collsaped, they said I had around 6-8' of dirt over me. Did not miss work the next day. Actually made myself get in the same trench and finish the job.
Around 1995, pipe needed work in a 3' diameter well. No one, including homeowner was around, 60' to water level. Pipe was 5' down in well. Lowered myself down, needed another wrench, got out and got it. When I went back down, foot slipped off pipe, fell and caught myself on other knee on the pipe. Wedged between pipe and well casing. It pulled my coat over my head, and scratched the heck out of my back on the concrete. Stayed in that position awhile, probably cried, and thought what the hill, gotta' finish the job, may as well get out. Got myself up, laid on the ground shaking for awhile, then got back in and finished the job.

July 31, 2001. Went around a curve, over a dike, coal train traveling 60 mph hit my passenger door. Cut my truck in 3 pieces. Never lost consusinuss, or however you spell that word, in hospital 3 weeks, trying to work 60 days after that.
July 2003, had Sara working for me by then. Parked at a house, just ready to run in cuz' it's raining like hzll. Lighting hits the chimmeny of the house, truck blows sparks off it. Can still see the blue sparks in my mind, they were pretty cool.
If you're gonna' work, you're gonna' have stories to tell. gs

Dam Greg, you've been through it haven't you?

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Double post.

 

[melking]

Might be a stupid question, but why not just cut the wires of the fence and drop the tree from the stump, over the fence?

AAron,
We were out ther in the first place because of the love my neighbor has for his fence line. All of his 20 acres have perfect fences with 5 perfect strands of wire each aligned exactly where it should be. To say Mike was obsessive about his fence would be an understatement. Cuttin the fence was never an option with him.

 

[Dave]

Available and inexpensive chainsaws have made way too many people think they know how to a fall tree. I have literally known several dozen people killed falling trees. They range from a 15 year old kid to a guy over 50 who spent over 30 years falling timber everyday. Even when you know what you are doing unexpected things can happen. If you don't have experience or know what you are doing the odds of something you don't expect to happen increase significantly.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Available and inexpensive chainsaws have made way too many people think they know how to a fall tree. I have literally known several dozen people killed falling trees. They range from a 15 year old kid to a guy over 50 who spent over 30 years falling timber everyday. Even when you know what you are doing unexpected things can happen. If you don't have experience or know what you are doing the odds of something you don't expect to happen increase significantly.

Hired a dozer guy that i had used on numerous times been in business for years.
Watched him countless hours operate very safely.
Hired him to take out a huge live oak in the front yard, while he was cutting the roots on one side the tree went over.
The root ball flipped a D-5 through the air like a toy the only reason he survived was he was buckled in and had a good ROPS system.
Now you want to talk about a confused look on two ole boys faces as we stood in the front yard.
The discussion was how do you flip 27,000 pounds from upsidedown to rightside up on the tracks.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Why did you have to take out the tree CB?

I really like the looks of a big ole Live Oak.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Why did you have to take out the tree CB?

I really like the looks of a big ole Live Oak.

To close to the house I had allready lost a 1/3 of Mom's and Dad's old place to one of them in Rita.
Tree fell on the back part of the house pinning my BIL in bed until we could cut him out.
They have a really shallow root system and parachute tops. I hired a guy with a bucket truck and topped all the White oaks and Red oaks
around the house.

 

[Dave]

Available and inexpensive chainsaws have made way too many people think they know how to a fall tree. I have literally known several dozen people killed falling trees. They range from a 15 year old kid to a guy over 50 who spent over 30 years falling timber everyday. Even when you know what you are doing unexpected things can happen. If you don't have experience or know what you are doing the odds of something you don't expect to happen increase significantly.

Hired a dozer guy that i had used on numerous times been in business for years.
Watched him countless hours operate very safely.
Hired him to take out a huge live oak in the front yard, while he was cutting the roots on one side the tree went over.
The root ball flipped a D-5 through the air like a toy the only reason he survived was he was buckled in and had a good ROPS system.
Now you want to talk about a confused look on two ole boys faces as we stood in the front yard.
The discussion was how do you flip 27,000 pounds from upsidedown to rightside up on the tracks.

Trees weigh a lot. And both leverage and gravity still work. The combination of those three results in an amazing amount of power. I have been hit two times full in the chest by logs 2-3 foot in diameter. I was lucky that both times the log was moving sideways when it hit me so I wasn't crushed under it. I just flew through the air like I was shot out of a cannon. Once about 20 feet to the hillside. The other time about 30 or 40 feet to a pile of brush. Had either one been coming down or there had been something behind me when I was hit I wouldn't be here today.

 

[I luv herfrds]

My Grandfather was over 75 climbed a ladder to trim a tree next door that was laying on his chain link fence. He fell off the ladder, hit the chain link fence and broke his femur. Paramedics took him in and he then had a heart attack while in the ER. He survived. Always gave Grandma crap about shaking the ladder. That lady could still hit hard if you were close enough when you teased her about that!