Don't you just hate it when this happens?

LOGDOG · July 16, 2011, 03:36:54 PM

Saw this the other night and had to share it with you guys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpJTJ5OA4HU

doctorb · July 16, 2011, 04:36:36 PM

"A man's got to know his limitations" - Dirty Harry :D

Bill Gaiche · July 16, 2011, 05:05:14 PM

No wedges or ropes to make it fall away from the house. What was he thinkin. bg

WildDog · July 16, 2011, 05:28:31 PM

I can't imagine Mrs Wilddog remaining calm and continue to film after I did something stupid like that. I would of dropped the saw and run away, I definately wouldn't of turned my back on her.

I got in enough trouble last night for leaving the tap on to the calfs trough and running the house tank dry. :(

Warbird · July 16, 2011, 05:43:24 PM

At least his saw kept running...

LOGDOG · July 16, 2011, 05:52:53 PM

His wife really does seem to be taking it well doesn't she? Did you see his arms drop to his sides? That was disbelief and a sick feeling coming over him.

Ron Scott · July 16, 2011, 07:24:24 PM

And all the clear room to fall the tree in other directions. :

beenthere · July 16, 2011, 07:39:32 PM

I'm thinking the faller may not be her husband, seeing as she is taking it so well.

Glad the one I cut near the house didn't fall like that. :

customsawyer · July 16, 2011, 08:27:57 PM

Judging from how well his saw was running I figure this took a while. So you would think he would of had time to see the tree leaning the wrong way. I bet he was glad it didn't pinch his bar. ;D

red oaks lumber · July 16, 2011, 10:39:03 PM

when people do completely stupid things, why then do they have to show the world just how dumb they really are? 2 stupids don't make a smart ;D

Meadows Miller · July 17, 2011, 02:02:14 AM

Gday

Thanks for that LD just spent about 5 min re watching it shaking my head and laughing my butt off Mate

:D :D :D :D

Looks like the scarf is wrong for a start and he went abit to far on the camera side of the hinge and not enough on the house side once you lose that holding wood its all over it will go wherever it bloody well wants to go ;) and thats just for starters and the weighs in the head are all wrong for where he is trying to put it

If you want to force a tree where you want it to go you have to be bang on with your cuts and if you not sure it will go then cut out a wedge seat for a 20000lb bottle jack and give it some guidance ;) :D ;D ;D 8)

If your falling theres alot you have to consider and plan for I have done 100s of yard removals alot without ropes or wedges/jacks for that matter over the years and have not hit anything yet (touch wood ;) :D )

As some other's have said he had plenty of other options where to fall it

;)

Some Mothers Do Ave Em

or he might have just been having an off day I saw the shoulders and the arms too ;) :D :D

Regards Chris

Ianab · July 17, 2011, 03:22:08 AM

QuoteWhat was he thinkin

I don't think there was much intelligent thought involved.... :D

Chris, you are pretty much right. He could have felled it 45deg away from the lean, with no rope or wedges, and missed the house. Instead he notched it to fall away from the house, then just cut until he made it though the hinge, and gravity took over.

You would think "who could be that dumb?"

But if you look at the "similar video clips", it's all too familiar.

Ian

thecfarm · July 17, 2011, 07:05:45 AM

That's too bad. Just someone who did not know about the lean of a tree and the weight of the limbs too.I'm surprised he did not get the chainsaw in there too.

Norm · July 17, 2011, 07:39:12 AM

When I opened the thread and saw the still picture of the tree leaning I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

I'll bet money she posted it on youtube to teach someone a lesson. :D

LOGDOG · July 17, 2011, 08:53:29 AM

I just noticed the video says ..."Tree falls on 'MY' house". I wonder if the "my" is the woman shooting the video?

Bibbyman · July 17, 2011, 08:59:47 AM

That made my day! 8)

It least it looked like the porch took most of the damage and not the main structure.

ljmathias · July 17, 2011, 09:03:23 AM

He should have tied his truck to it with too short a rope and pulled away from the house... and on to his truck, remember that one?

You have to wonder how some people survive in life. Makes all my stupid mistakes look pretty smart now

Lj

John Mc · July 17, 2011, 09:12:43 AM

Quote from: customsawyer on July 16, 2011, 08:27:57 PM
I bet he was glad it didn't pinch his bar. ;D

Yeah, it would be a bummer if he had to buy a new bar...

SPIKER · July 17, 2011, 12:35:23 PM

Quote from: John Mc on July 17, 2011, 09:12:43 AM
Quote from: customsawyer on July 16, 2011, 08:27:57 PM
I bet he was glad it didn't pinch his bar. ;D

Yeah, it would be a bummer if he had to buy a new bar...

ya might have been better for all around him to have the saw destroyed to keep the rest of the homes safe in his neighborhood ;D

Ernie · July 18, 2011, 03:30:41 PM

Sometimes you encounter the results of a bad leak in the gene pool

Meadows Miller · July 18, 2011, 08:21:27 PM

:D :D :D :D :D Ernie

I think that leaks been gettn alot bloody worse over the years too Mate

;) :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Ernie · July 18, 2011, 08:49:17 PM

Quote from: Meadows Miller on July 18, 2011, 08:21:27 PM
:D :D :D :D :D Ernie

I think that leaks been gettn alot bloody worse over the years too Mate ;) :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Particularly in NZ as anyone with any brains has gone to Aussie but don't you dare quote me :D

CT Trapper · July 18, 2011, 10:48:42 PM

That is funny....not a clue what he was doing or about servicing his saws either.

dovetails · July 19, 2011, 05:15:10 AM

But guys, look on the bright side, lots of kindling wood to go with the new fire wood!

Corley5 · July 22, 2011, 10:53:10 PM

What a Dumb*** ;D

Brucer · July 25, 2011, 02:01:08 AM

Even though I'm on dial-up, I've watched that video a few times, trying to figure out exactly what he was doing. The resolution isn't that great, but it looks to me like he cut a very small wedge out of one side and then cut across the tree at 90 degrees to the first cut. No hinge whatsoever.

Interestingly enough, the day LOGDOG posted this I had just cut down a Western Red Cedar behind my house. Didn't think to take pictures because I only saw this after the tree was down, limbed, and bucked up. The tree measured 81' from back cut to the tip, and the 24" bar barely made it through.

The tree I took down was to give me room to fall a second tree that shades my garden & greenhouse in the afternoon. I did that today and took some pictures.

This was a tricky tree to take down. Chain link fence behind it and the box housing my electric fence charger right where I would stand to make the back cut. The ground also falls away on either side.

Take note: wedge still on the stump, backup chainsaw at hand, substantial hinge to control the fall. You can't see the wire rope I used to make sure it went in the direction it was supposed to. For you experienced fallers I made a mistake. Can you spot it? It actually looks worse in this picture than it really is. Everything else I did compensated.

Besides the usual personal safety gear, I have a few other tools I use to deal with a difficult tree. In the foreground, two 3/8" wire rope chokers and an 8000 lb come-along. On the pallet, various clamps and anchors, brush cutters, and a ladder (to attach a choker high enough up the tree for good leverage).

On the pallet, in the foreground: Heavy link for connecting two choker eyes to give me a really long pull; Snatch block rated for 1/2" wire rope; Grab hook and eye to attach the come-along anywhere on a chain; Heavy duty cable clamp to attach the come-along anywhere on a wire-rope choker.

In the background: two grade 70 logging chains to wrap around anchor trees. One is for anchoring the snatch block, the other for anchoring the come-along.

Everything except the come-along is rated for more load then the chokers. The chokers are rated for more load than the come-along. That way I know exactly what's going to break if things go badly wrong.

If the tree is less than 100 feet tall and I can find a good anchor that far away, I can do a straight pull by linking the two chokers. If the only good anchor is too close to the tree I attach the snatch block to the anchor tree and then turn the choker 90 degrees to a second anchor where I attach the come-along. That puts me well off the direction of fall and gives me a lot more time to get out when the tree starts to go.

Usually I can tension up the wire rope before making the back cut and it will just ease the tree along its way as I complete the cut. In tricky cases I may have to winch the tree over.

Ianab · July 25, 2011, 04:19:45 AM

QuoteI made a mistake. Can you spot it?

Wedge looks a bit big, and the back cut a bit high, but those aren't show stoppers, and the tree still went where you wanted it. ;)

Difference between you and the bunny in the video, you had some simple equipment, an understanding of the laws of gravity, and a sensible plan to get the tree down, so it worked.

Ian

Brucer · July 25, 2011, 11:48:42 PM

Yep, the face is too deep. It looks worse than it is because the hinge is pretty thick -- I was no where near the centre of the tree. If the tree was unbalanced toward the back I could have had a problem.

The back cut is deliberately high. WRC is a pretty weak wood so I want to have a longer hinge. That way it will bend quite a bit further before it breaks, keeping the tree under control for most of its fall.

Dodgy Loner · July 26, 2011, 12:31:43 AM

I usually make a high back cut like that when I will be pulling a tree down with ropes. This helps to ensure that the tree falls only after I start pulling on the rope - and not when I am making the back cut.

metalspinner · July 27, 2011, 09:56:18 AM

God turned off that man's chainsaw several times for him to reconsider what he was about to do. No doubt he ignored little voices in his head along the way, too. Sometimes we don't listen to obvious signs of warning. :

doctorb · July 27, 2011, 10:54:52 AM

I am sure that the do-it-yourself spirit lives on in many on the FF, but, when a big tree is that close to your house, HIRE somebody who knows what they're doing, after you admit to yourself that you don't.

beenthere · July 27, 2011, 11:40:47 AM

Don't think we know that this wasn't someone hired to do that job. Qualified to do it....no.

He may have missed or ignored any signals from above, just to save face and in hopes that his "plan" would turn out ok. We never will really know, but the end results are pretty obvious and painful.

I'm thinking if this was the lady (doing the recording) 's husband, she would have had some entirely different comments on camera. From that, I take it the guy with the saw wasn't related

Ron Scott · July 27, 2011, 02:42:59 PM

Also always be sure that they are insured and have references of similar jobs done in a satisfactory manner. ;)

We are always being asked by landowners to take down their hazard yard trees in addition to the trees that we are harvesting on their woodlands. We refuse to cut such trees and refer them to the tree service pros. I've even lost some logging jobs over this, but its not worth the risks near homes and residential buildings.

metalspinner · July 27, 2011, 03:45:23 PM

Was that a cherry? :D

After watching the show again, I noticed his saw was fairly small for such a large tree. It didn't sound very impressive, either. :

Warbird · July 27, 2011, 06:06:10 PM

If you look closely at the trunk, it appears he made many wedge cuts around the base of the tree before he made the felling cut.

Troublermaker · July 27, 2011, 06:21:22 PM

Many years ago a buddy and I was riding around drinking one Saturday afternoon. He said go by a friend of ours who was going to cut a big red oak and wanted to barrow the wood splitter that we had build. We got there around 4 and he was just getting ready to cut the tree. It was something like that tree in the video. Except for it being a house there it was an old 2 car garage. The elect line came right across the front of the garage to his house from highway. This red oak was may be 30 inches on the stump and with a big limb hanging on the side of the garage. When we got there him and his friend was just getting started. They had been fishing that morning and drinking beer all day. Any way when we got there he had all ready notch the oak and saws part the way thru it. When he seen us drive up he cut the saw off and grab his beer to come over to talk to us. I had park way out the way. When he got over to the truck I told him he better get that tree on the ground and then we could talk. Well he jump up in my face telling me he knew what he was doing. About that time a breeze sprung up and with that big limb hang on the side it fell on that old 2 car boarded up garage. But it didn't go fast it was like in slow motion. All we could do was watch. When it over he had a big oak tree on top of his garage and the wire carrying elect to the house pull off house. I about fell off the tail gate laughing and he wanted to know what was so funny? I told him since he knew what he was doing we was going down the road. That been over 30 years ago and he hadn't spoke to me since then.

LOGDOG · July 27, 2011, 09:04:22 PM

Sounds like a guy I knew up in WI that had notched a big Birch and started the back cut but then decides he needs to file his chainsaw. So he sits down under the the side of the tree that had the notch in it. Doopty, doopty, dooo ... creak, creeaakkkk, timberrrrrrr ..... He got up but didn't make it out of the way in time before the top caught him and swatted him to the ground. :