See What I Saw

September 27th, 2017

The Tools Make the Man

Just a quick post to say my pole saw arrived. I already had a little electric pole saw, but I have a lot of big oaks lying on their sides, so I needed something more manly. The best I was willing to buy was a 12″ Echo sold on Home Depot’s website.

The scariest oak on my land is about two feet thick a couple of feet from where it used to emerge from the ground. It landed on two other big trees, plus my chicken house. The other trees won’t let it fall completely. It has one big branch which is bent back like a spring. If that branch comes loose, it will smack anyone under it into the ground and turn them into red mush.

I do not want to pay a tree service thousands of dollars to get rid of my problem trees, but you can’t walk up to a dangerous tree with an ordinary chainsaw and start sawing off huge limbs with internal stresses in them. The pole saw allowed me to nibble away at the tree and make it easier to deal with. I’ll post two photos.

I should have worn a hard hat while I cut this tree. Next time I work on it, I will. At least I had good boots, leather gloves, and eye and ear protection.

The pole saw is a game-changer. The other two saws I have can be used interchangeably for the most part, even though they’re good for different things. Neither one can come close to replacing a pole saw. I was able to cut things safely with the bar ten feet off the ground. You should never use an ordinary chain saw with the bar above shoulder height, but pole saws are made for that kind of thing.

Of course, a limb that falls from ten feet off the ground is a good reason to wear a hard hat. Note to self.

I feel so much better. There’s a chance I won’t be able to finish this oak safely, but I’ll definitely be able to turn it into a much cheaper job, and I’ll be able to handle every other tree I have to deal with. A man who has a tractor and a big diesel truck should not have to pay someone four figures to move a single tree.

My friend Amanda has a tree (or trees) threatening her home, but her family has decided it’s better to spend money protecting a barn full of unwanted animals, including two bunnies rescued from an Easter bunny sale. Maybe the theory is that her kids are young and therefore easy to replace quickly. I would be happy to try to fix the tree, but her mom won’t allow her or her kids to have guests. Frustrating.

I think the chicken house is a goner. Maybe I can fix it.

In other news, I just e-signed a contract to sell my dad’s old yacht, for about 8% more than I expected.

Time to get in the shower and scrape myself. This has been a very good day.

6 Responses to “See What I Saw”

  1. Jason Says:

    I picked up a pole saw a few weeks ago and have loved using it. I was about to call a tree company to come trim some overhead branches for me, the pole saw made it so easy. Once the limbs were on the ground I could then manage them with my regular chainsaw. I need to get a hard hat too – some of those branches made a good sized dent in the ground! Your property looks amazing, what a blessing for you and your dad!

  2. Zeke Says:

    A man with a tractor might consider trying to pull that tree into a safer position.

  3. Steve H. Says:

    I thought about that, but the branch stuck on the other tree could pop loose, or it might push the other tree over.

  4. Zeke Says:

    Cut through the tree right at the root ball and pull from that free end.

  5. Steve H. Says:

    I am thinking I will trim the left side as much as I can, cut partly through the leaning branch to take the spring out of it, and then cut it down by the root. I’m a little concerned about where the trunk will go when the root is loose.

  6. Ken Says:

    I’m thinking like Zeke, get the tractor and your tow strap, wrap the strap around the branch that’s a 45 deg onto the standing tree and give it a tug. See how much force it takes to move it. Then you’ll have a better idea how much torque is wound up in the branches.

    #1 is to get the leaner out of the other tree, safely, from a distance….once it’s on the ground, unless you find a truly novel and dangerous way of cutting it, really can’t hurt you.