Lots of fun!

gwstang · Mar 31, 2016

Apparently unwise too... I was trimming some limbs along the tree line in the front field, because it was getting very hard to cut under them. Red head was gone for the day so I had at it. Oldest boy lives across the road and just happened to drive by and see me from about 150 yards away. Of course he called her and told her. She tore me up when she got home,...lol. There was some blood involved when the chainsaw got caught. Nicked my arm a little (saw was off at the time) as I was trying to hold onto the tree and cutting with one hand using an 18" Stihl. You can see where I had to tie the saw off and get down and hit the limb with the FEL to knock the limb on off and it broke off at the bottom. I spent all day doing the one side of the field. I hate ladders and getting up on them. Think I will make the youngin' that ratted me out get up there to do the others.

I'll wait until she is gone another day to do the other side of the field. :shock:

Billy Shafer · Mar 31, 2016

OSHA would be so proud of you.

Ian Beale · Mar 31, 2016

Maybe you could have another look at an email that went around on this area?

Tony in SD · Mar 31, 2016

IMHO There are some things that we shouldn't do at our age. This looks like one of them. Let the kids trim the trees for you. Im sure that would much rather help you than bury you.

Billy NY · Mar 31, 2016

Those kinds of limbs are extremely dangerous to cut as you describe. I would suggest making a shallow undercut, enough so it won't hinge on the outer layer, then a partial top cut, leaving enough hold wood to safely get away, that is after you have rigged the limb with a line to safely pull it down with your tractor. These can be a little tricky as you have to cut enough, but not too much. The climbers seem to rig these off and control the fall, working alone I just do the above, once in awhile you have to go back up and make the top cut a little deeper.

RBnSC · Mar 31, 2016

My nextdoor neighbor was killed
doing that same thing.
Ron

ditchwitch · Mar 31, 2016

Ouch that really dont look that safe. Post something after that job so we know you didnt kill
yourself .

Duane WI · Mar 31, 2016

I have done similar things and lived to tell about it. Not one of my smartest days. I usually tie off the top of the ladder to the tree. If the ladder gets hit by the limb it won't tip over. Wearing a safety harness tied off to the tree would also be an improvement.

At some level you really have to ask yourself is that limb bothering me that much that I need to risk my neck to cut it down? Why not just cut down the entire tree? Of course this logical thinking won't keep me from cutting tree limbs from a ladder.

K Effective · Mar 31, 2016

My solution to this issue is to rent the self-contained trailer "man lift" from the local rental place for a day. I can pull it with a three-point reese hitch behind the loader tractor and position it right where I want. That way I can go as high as 40 feet to trim, and about 30 feet into the trees. Usually I can trim four trees with each move, sometimes more or less, all with getting safely above and to the side of the limbs being cut. It self levels and supports itself well in fairly solid ground.

For about $200 I can get it Saturday and keep it until Monday morning. That's more wood on the ground than I can clean up in a week. Pus I can fix the yard light, flag pole, windmill and barn siding as needed.

SweetFeet · Mar 31, 2016

Well, reminds me of a phrase from an old rock song...

"Livin' on the edge..." LOL

NEKS · Mar 31, 2016

I want to know how you got up in the loader to get on the ladder, wait I'll just look the other way.

RayP(MI) · Mar 31, 2016

Did about the same thing yesterday, except no tractor and bucket. Those limbs won't be taking me off the tractor seat next haying
season. Betcha when I buck them up son will get half a face cord of firewood. Did make a mess of the tree where the broke off,
but it was butchered before. Used a 1949 Farmall C to pull branches off, breaking last parts of the hinge(s) off.

DoubleR · Mar 31, 2016

I can't say I've never done that. I do it less since I brought my 89.95 Rememington pole saw. Although I don't think I would post a picture of it so anyone would have proof of me doing so.

oldtanker · Mar 31, 2016

As someone else mentioned undercut about 1/4-1/3 of the way through branch closer to the trunk then cut from the top further away form the trunk. When you get to the point where it's going to come off it drops pretty much straight down. Won't swing and take out the ladder. Still doesn't hurt to tie the ladder and saw off to the tree, yourself too. Big branch comes off the tree is going to sway.

One of my wife's brothers does stuff like that. Now don't get me wrong, he's a good guy just doesn't have any common sense. When I jumped him about doing something once his reply was "I bet I've broken more bone than you have". Now he's worked factory jobs and driven school bus through the years. Nothing that should have seen a broken bone. He's never been into dirt bikes or such. I served 20 years on tanks and rode dirt bike, rappelled off cliffs, buildings, towers and out of choppers, did some rock climbing and such. And he's had more serious injuries?

Lets be safe out there!

Rick

PaGlenn · Mar 31, 2016

I was cutting a limb about 12ft up on a ladder. The limb came back and knocked me and the ladder. I couldn't get up for about 30sec. I thought I was paralyzed. Just the wind knocked out of me from the fall. Scary in as I fell with the chainsaw.

Greg K · Mar 31, 2016

Lol. You're taking a beating on this one!
The fact remains that with all the coulda
and woulda's nothing bad happened. I would
be willing to bet that a vast majority of
the time that something like this happens
nothing goes wrong. Personally I would tie
the top of the ladder to the tree but I'm
not very fond of heights.

Guido. · Mar 31, 2016

Hello gwstang,

This would have been a better way to cut that limb! All cuts are made parallel to ground,

Guido.

ss55 · Mar 31, 2016

For jobs like that I prefer to hire a local guy with a 40 foot bucket truck at $80 per hour. That sounds like a lot of money at first, but he knows what he's doing so he gets a lot accomplished in an hours time.

old-9 · Mar 31, 2016

I had a dead limb on an old oak that I wanted down so I set up the 24 ft extension ladder. I climed up to size it out and was greeted by an upset possom living in a hallow of the tree. That is when I came down the ladder, next time up had a .22 pistol, possom is still there at least what is left of it. The limb came down with no other problems. joe

bill mart · Mar 31, 2016

wonder why they listed the alphabetic cuts out of numerical order? wouldn't you think letter A would be the first action? Bill

Goose · Mar 31, 2016

Same thing happened to me once. The butt of a limb sprung back and knocked the ladder out from under me. I threw the chain saw to get rid of it, and kinda dribbled down with the limb and ladder.

W_B · Mar 31, 2016

... you might be a redneck.

frank whitehead · Mar 31, 2016

Show us your windmill.Do you pump water with it,if so pump and mfg.

big fred · Mar 31, 2016

Probably guidelines from the publisher. The A is closest to the top of the page, then B, C and D is the closest to the bottom of the page. Publisher are funny like that.

guido · Mar 31, 2016

Hello bill mart,

My guess for the lettering is to make LOOK and THINK. I looked twice first time I saw the directions for my pole saw.

Guido.

Adirondack case guy · Mar 31, 2016

I guess you had trouble reading all the foreign language in your post. I couldn't decipher it either, but the pics. showed all the cuts perpendicular to the ground, not parallel.
When I cut a limb, I just make an under cut and then the over cut just outside that and the limb snaps off. May be the third cut is a trim cut after the limb has been dropped????
Loren

oldtanker · Mar 31, 2016

(quoted from post at 15:30:09 03/31/16) I guess you had trouble reading all the foreign language in your post. I couldn't decipher it either, but the pics. showed all the cuts perpendicular to the ground, not parallel.
When I cut a limb, I just make an under cut and then the over cut just outside that and the limb snaps off. May be the third cut is a trim cut after the limb has been dropped????
Loren

Yep the 3rd is just to trim it up.

Rick

Anonymous-0 · Mar 31, 2016

And folks on here complain about young people doing stupid stuff....

Used-to-be-iowa-dave · Apr 2, 2016

I don't mind taking calculated risks, we've all done it. Hit the recliner if you don't have the stomach for it, see which kills you faster: risky work
or being sedentary. I have to agree with K Effective on this one though, with a caveat: get a neighbor you enjoy working with (like that
ratfink son!) to go halfsies on the lift rental over a weekend. Work together to knock out all of both your overhead projects. More fun, safer,
faster and nice to have someone around to call 911 for you and have a beer with around a fire afterwards.

showcrop · Apr 2, 2016

I put my ladder in the bucket once in order to reach the peak of my shop to paint it. Our fire dept. got a call once for someone caught in a tree. I was first member there and it was a friend. He was up a tree on a pole climber's harness and spikes cutting a large limb. He failed to undercut and when it split it pulled him very tightly against the tree. There was a good ladder nearby, so I grabbed it, put it up, and looked carefully at the whole situation. My friend was not happy that I didn't just immediately cut the strap because he was barely able to breath. I took a minute to assess exactly what was going to take place when I cut his strap, so that neither of us would be in any danger. After the fire dept cleared the scene, I got an interrogation from the chief about my actions, and I told him about my assessment, and he was good with it.

gwstang · Apr 2, 2016

The rest of the limbs that need to be cut can be done with him in the bucket safely. I just had some that I needed to do that I wouldn't let him or anyone else do. I've had lots of chainsaw experience...but on the ground. I really like the idea of how to cut it better with the bottom cut out and the top cut back some. That will really help as I was definitely scared when the limb cracked and swung back towards me. Fat old man can cling pretty tight to a tree...if he gets a chance too. I'll stay off the ladder with the saw...just too dangerous. I don't really want to cut down any trees if I don't have too as I was hit by an EF4 tornado about 5 years ago and don't have many left. Mostly those in the front of my 69 acres. Lucky to still be here with the red head so I will head the advice and be more careful. :shock:

Lots of fun!

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