I've have this big maple close to my place that has been rotting away for a few years now. I've been worried that when a couple of the big trunks come down (and they will come down) will hit my place for sure. It was a bigger job than I can handle (a man has to know his limitations), so I hired a pro to take it down yesterday. I used my front loader to haul the rotten wood away and dump it deep in the woods. I worked all day with these guys, hauling, bucking, cleaning up branches, splitting and stacking and it took 8 hours start to finish. These two guys were good and knew what they were doing. Pretty dangerous climbing in that rotten tree. There were 5 big trunks coming off that tree and really only one or two was not all rotted. Two were ready to come down any day now. Only about a 1/3 of the tree was salvaged for firewood, so I hauled, split and stacked the good wood and figure I got about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cord total out of the tree. Gave some of that to my neighbor lady who heats with wood also. The rest of the weekend I was blowing leaves. Glad it's done.... Ready for a cold one tonight.
Yep, wise man to let another man do his job when he knows his work. I'd bet those guys were real happy with you hauling, clearing, cleaning up etc. Looks like a good day, good to get that tree gone before it went bad.
I think the front loader hauling away 2/3 of the tree saved them some serious back relief versus having to pick up all those rounds and the main trunk and loading it in their truck and then picking them up to dump in the woods. The other half the day I spent picking up the good wood, hauling it away, splitting and stacking. Both said this was not an easy tree to cut since it was so far gone and leaning significantly towards my building. Heck, woodpeckers had holes going all the way through 16" trunks. Both guys work for Asplundh (sp?) and do this as side work. They were brothers and the guy on the ground was giving his older climber brother the business saying stuff all day like... "I think you have been eating to many Ho Ho's and Twinkies" "That trunk down here (rotted bad) is ready to go any minute!" "I just checked the weather and there's a tornado warning in effect" "Not sure if I tied that knot correctly" Stuff like that....
Some friends got a hold of me to do a tree job at their sons new property . Leans pretty hard over the house . . I'm gonna climb it to 60' or so. Hang a pulling line in it. Repel down . set my pulling line . Tighten it up , face it up and back it up while keeping the line tight . I'll set a couple wedges and keep them snugged up tight. On the ground . in the right spot. With God's help that is !!!
