Cutting that pesky tree...

[CRUZTAKER]

Boring weekends without the Marauder...
Must...take...out...frustratio n...

Those of you that have been to my place may remember that pesky 30+ year old Sweet Gum in my corner yard near the house. It dropped thousands of those pokey 'monkey balls', killed the lawn, and grew to a dangerous height of nearly 90 feet. Far too close to the house, and parts full of carpenter ants, it's day has come.

It took two weeks, my learning of tree climbing, aquisition of climbing gear, 3 sets of chain saw blades, and the help from a few members to fell.

Here is our story: :P

I failed to document the beginning stages, but here is 'most' of the tree, less most of its branches up to 40 feet:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/tree1.jpg

The last 30 feet:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/tree2.jpg

Taking the top:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/climb3.jpg

[Raudermaster]

Be careful Barry!

[CRUZTAKER]

The top came down precisely:

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/Fall1.jpghttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/Fall2.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/fall3.jpghttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/Fall4.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/Fall5.jpghttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/Fall6.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/Fall7.jpghttp://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/Fall8.jpg

[CRUZTAKER]

The remaining 35' took a little bigger firepower...;)

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigsaw.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall2.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall4.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall5.jpg

[CRUZTAKER]

Ahh but it too sucumbed to the saw...

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall6.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall7.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall8.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall9.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall10.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/bigfall11.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/downwide.jpg

[teamrope]

Did you remember to holler "Timber"? :)

[CRUZTAKER]

I soon discovered the pieces were too heavy to move, and had to be diced up.

My body is a wreck after splitting this mess...but I feel better.
Two more weeks....;)

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/mess.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/mess2.jpg

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/stack.jpg

[CRUZTAKER]

Did you remember to holler "Timber"? :)

Ken has a video. Actaully so do I, but it refuses to upload here.

Ken hollered timber.:D

[PhastPhil]

That's some impressive pile of fire wood you have there !

I spent my Sunday with my brother and an Uncle splitting a whole tree's worth of wood that I had delivered for free by a tree guy. I borrowed a gas powered log splitter from another Uncle. We split up all of that wood, plus some that I already had. We drank lots of bottled water ! We only managed to stack up some of it today.
Later on the wives joined us, along with my parents and another brother and his family and we had a big BBQ.

[martyo]

Wow!!!

It is safe to say that I would never, ever attempt that!!! :eek:

[RCSignals]

a little pruning Barry?

[larryo340]

nice action pics :up:

[fastblackmerc]

Wow!!!

It is safe to say that I would never, ever attempt that!!! :eek:

Me either. I make a phone call.

[O's Fan Rich]

If a tree falls in your yard and all you have is pictures.... did it make a sound?

[O's Fan Rich]

Wow!!!

It is safe to say that I would never, ever attempt that!!! :eek:

Wussy....:P

[martyo]

Wussy....:P

Call me what you want, but I had two trees that had to come down and here is how I did it.

Spoke to my gardener.

Went to work,

came home from work.

Looked in backyard. Saw two huge trees were gone and I had wnough firewood stacked for about 10 years.

That's all there was too it! :D

I give Barry a lot of credit.

[1stMerc]

That's way to high in the air, without an airplane, for me.

Barry, congrats on your conquest.

[Joe Walsh]

Wussy....:P

POUCHES!!!!

;)

[O's Fan Rich]

Call me what you want, but I had two trees that had to come down and here is how I did it.

Spoke to my gardener.

Went to work,

came home from work.

Looked in backyard. Saw two huge trees were gone and I had wnough firewood stacked for about 10 years.

That's all there was too it! :D

I give Barry a lot of credit.

I understand Marty... we all got to know our limitations :D...
I regularly cut down trees around my place, it can be nerve wracking. But fun too! Been using a chainsaw since I was 12.
I recall spending a week of vacation when I was 24 clearing the area where our house and garage sit. It was mostly pine, but they were tall about 18-24 inch at the base. Downed the tree, cut it into 5-6 foot sections, built 3 fire piles and cut from dawn to dust 7 days straight.... sat under a tent in the dark drinking beer an watching the fires until I fell asleep.
Yes... I am much man!:beer:

[Bigdogjim]

Barry I hope the chain saw was OFF before you began to run?

[MERCMAN]

Well, looks like the fire-pit will be busy for a LONG time. WTG! Barry, your yard is one of the most carefully tended and beautifully landscaped homes I have visited. I am always amazed at your dedication to it :up:

[martyo]

I regularly cut down trees around my place,

Last time I used a chain saw my date went missing....

[MERCMAN]

Last time I used a chain saw my date went missing....

Allegedly ;)

[martyo]

Allegedly ;)

That made me laugh. Touche!!

[Mike Poore]

Wussy....:P

That Marty! He's always thinking of the legal ramifications. ;)

Um, lawsuits for those of you in Rio Linda. :coolman:

[MM2004]

Well, looks like the fire-pit will be busy for a LONG time. :up:

Killjoy is happy to hear that.

:lol:

Mike.

[pantheroc]

Barry, good job! Luckily nobody got injured. Just let us know if you need help burning it. ;)

To crunch the videos down, check out moviemaker, type "moviemk" at the Start | Run prompt.

[Local Boy]

That's an impresive tree! We have mango trees here (Hawaii) that grow that BIG. Scares the sh$t out of me every time I need to cut them down. Good job brutha! -- ALOHA

[Mad1]

Barry,

Hats off to you man. I know how much work that was to turn that tree in to future firewood.

For my 6-acres of heaven, I'm thinking about renting (or buying, if I can convince the wife) a portable bandsaw sawmill to deal with some of my trees. I'd use it to get some bonfire wood, fence timbers and hopefully some planks out of our trees.

We have a small forest and a large number of the trees are Osage Orange (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage-orange) trees (those are Hedge Apples to some of you folks). Both my neighbor and I have tried clearing just the some downed trees and practically wore out our chainsaws. If you haven't heard of them, think about the densest, most rot resistant material you can ... then imagine it with thorns that will puncture tires, boots and gloves with equal ease.


The sharp-thorned trees were planted as cattle-deterring hedges before the introduction of barbed wire. The heavy, closely grained yellow-orange wood is very dense and is prized for tool handles, tree nails, fence posts, electrical insulators, and other applications requiring a strong dimensionally-stable wood that withstands rot. When dried, the wood also makes excellent fire wood that burns long and hot.


For example, when cutting a branch that it was only 4-inches around, I was leaning on my chainsaw and it still wasn't going through the heartwood and started instead to scorch the wood. And, that branch had been laying in the creekbed for at least three years.

Mad1
Jeremy

[Mike Poore]

Good job, Barry, good planning, safely and well done. :2thumbs:

I'm thinking, though, you could have left 10 ft or so, and used the chainsaw to carve a totem pole. That would have been cool.

Ain't it great when you get fine suggestions ...after the fact? :D

[duhtroll]

Nice job, man!

In my case, I did neither option (cut it down myself nor make phone call).

My process:

1) Wait for large 5-trunk willow tree to drop half of tree (largest trunk, maybe 24" diameter) on side of house, leaving 4 smaller trunks listing dangerously (roots coming up from ground) over sidewalk and street. We live less than one block from an elementary school so kids and parents routinely use sidewalk, as do old ladies and their dogs.

2) Grab Mt. Dew, go outside, and spend time looking at angle of tree and noticing how it all sways in the wind, mutter several times "that f***er's a-comin' down."

3) Call insurance company. They say "adjuster won't be there until Tuesday" (this was Sunday) "so take care of the tree and we'll have him contact you."

4) Call tree guy, have him remove entire tree so as not to kill small children or vehicles in street.

5) (Tuesday) Have adjuster arrive and say "well, technically, the other half of the tree was still standing when you cut it down, so we won't pay for that half of the $2600 cost."

6) Yell at adjuster.

He literally said we would have had to wait for the other half of the tree to fall AND it would have to damage something (or kill someone) in order for insurance co. to pay for it. WTF?

7) Call attorney. Borrow one of their letterheads and signatures to tell insurance company that they told me to "take care of the tree" in lieu of sending out an agent or adjuster for 54 hours.

8) See adjuster again. Collect $ for entire tree, deck rail that was smashed, fence that was crushed, roof that was damaged, siding that was dented/sc***** after insurance company caves to attorney.

8a) Smile.

9) Replace splintered deck rail, crushed fence tubing, pieces of siding, entirely new roof (that was within 2 years of replacement anyway most likely - I'm not an expert) on insurance company's dime. (in process)

10) Sell house with all new stuff (next summer when the market is hopefully better). Make tidy profit.

I have pics if anyone is interested. Barry's way may have been less frustrating now that I think about it, but we should come out a couple hundred $ ahead once I do some of the repairs myself.

EDIT: I should add that the tree guy DID tell me that the insurance company would not want to pay for the other half of the tree, and also said he would say it was all down, but I decided to be honest. Society wants us to either be dishonest or take it in the shorts, I guess.

[CRUZTAKER]

We have a small forest and a large number of the trees are Osage Orange (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osage-orange) trees.....

Not familiar with those. But I have a few Black Walnut with 3-5" prickers all about them.

I just finished moving all that trunk, filled in the divets, threw some seed and straw...and now it's off to phase three:
Moving all that pea gravel and river stone, dig up some myrtle, and plant grass.

The kids will have a place to play ball if kills me!:P

[LordVader]

Nice job Barry. You definitely have a pair to get up in that tree. Seem like a lot of work just so you could find a place to put your bowl!!

[RoyLPita]

How long will that firewood last you???

[KillJoy]

How long will that firewood last you???


That depends....

If I go up there.... about 2 days :D

:flamer:

KillJoy

[CRUZTAKER]

How long will that firewood last you???
Sweet gum is NOT recommended for indoor burning. It crackles and pops too much.

I piled it up along 100 feet of my 260 back edge so as to NOT see my old fat assed neighbor any longer.:P


Seem like a lot of work just so you could find a place to put your bowl!!

Big bowl however....:rasta: ;)

[JMan]

Ahh but it too sucumbed to the saw...
http://www.mercurymarauder.net/showcase/files/6/2/6/downwide.jpg

LOG-ZILLA!!!!

[Hotrauder]

Nice docudrama, Barry. Excellent tree work. Very well done. Perfect hinge. Nice to know that you have back up skills just in case. And no, not for me anymore, thanks. Dennis

[FastMerc]

Well helping out friends is what its about we had a blast getting that old tree down for you,Glad it all came down safely mission accomplished:D