I posted pics of this tree a week or 2 ago. Standing dead ash that the phone company helpfully topped off for me a couple weeks ago after a wind storm. Took it down this weekend and used it as a practice run with some new gear I picked up. I wanted to be really sure about this one since it was close to the road and phone lines. So I went all Scotty Overkill with the rigging. Got a 200' rope near the top, attached a 4 ton comealong to a tree with a continuous loop, biners and all the correct knots to fasten everything. Then the 385XP finished it off in about 30 seconds! Sawed right though about 30 years of posted sign fasteners cutting the second round! Did a number on a couple of the cutters. Husky file guide does a real nice job bringing them back though. Parked it in the garage for now. Got 14 nice size rounds.
Scotty will be proud, just like the rest of us. And that will be some very nice wood to feed the stove. Too bad about the chains but hopefully you fixed it good.
Yep - the phone co did a lot of the work for me a couple weeks ago... Actually it had a bunch of small limbs on it from when it was fighting to survive from whatever killed it (not EAB yet thank the Lord). The one larger one at the top was a little mixed up with the wires. Probably nothing to worry about, but I cut that off anyway when I was up on the ladder to tie the rope up top. That was the trickiest part of the whole job - top of the ladder, with both hands on the Echo! The 385 went through it like butter though I didn't even get a wedge in it - went right down, exactly where it was supposed to.
Bravo......nothing wrong with a little "Overkill" from time to time. That's how I got the nickname. Better safe than sorry!! You did it right.
Thanks, and welcome to the club! Lots of friendly, knowledgeable folks around here! I expected to find an anthill in there given the state of that tree. Looks like it had struggled to survive for a few years. But maybe something else killed the top of it. Should end up with around 2/3 of a cord from this tree altogether.
If it was in the power lines proper then that could have had a detrimental affect on the top branches. I've seen it kill lesser trees. Heck even my electric fence can kill juniper sprigs that try and grow up through it! Some trees take it better than others though.
Thanks! Great to be here! It is true that Kansas folks are few and far between. I guess that may have something to do with the amount of trees we have vs. some other places. Everyone: thanks for the warm welcome and letting me pull up a chair fireside!
I sure know what you mean. For some reason I've only come across a handfull of ash that wasn't ate out by carpenter ants or had the center half rotted out. I do cut mostly standing dead or stuff that is already down.
