Stupid mistakes you've made doing tree work

[john p]

Heck!!  Bet he was swearing at you something chronic!!!

Yeah, took it remarkably well though considering it was 100% my fault for using a machine with obvious massive h+s defects. Defo learnt from the experience!

[Gary Prentice]

1 hour ago, TIMON said:

Not lately but a couple of years ago I nearly section felled a stem with my mainline still anchored in the top of it. I’d cut the gob and was about to start the backcut. (At the end of a long hot week in the afternoon). Sharp eyed groundie saved my bacon....

Done that myself, thinking I was anchored to another stem. Fatigue/complacency/loss of concentration gets ya hurt

[john p]

Done that myself, thinking I was anchored to another stem. Fatigue/complacency/loss of concentration gets ya hurt

Aye, that’s the thing though, always tend to be on the heavy stem rigging/dismantling after lunch when tired/dehydrated. That’s why I try and run 2 climbers if poss.

[tony_t3d]

Not entirely my fault but I should have had more moral grit to say no but.

My boss used to regularly send me felling at ground level but would only give me a guy called cliff as my second man. Now cliff is a really good friend nice man but he suffers really bad with ptsd and also Huntingtons disease ( a mixture of dementia, MS and parkingsons) so without being disrespectful to him he shouldn't have been in that environment.

Should I have had an accident he would have been no use to me what so ever.

[Woodworks]

Bare in mind I am not a proper tee man and just a lowly log cutter but I still fell a few trees on the family farms hedges.

 

A large beech needed felling. Had to get a 20" bar for my 346 and even then had to cut the centre out through the gob. It had a lean so after a bit reading did a dog tooth cut. All going well until I was nearly through the back cut and then realise as it went that the tree was in fact two with an inclusion down to hedge level as the two stems went off at 100 degrees to each other. Only bit I had done right was my planed escape route which was hastily used. Time for a sit down and some trembling

[Chris Day]

One of my first ever jobs, up a really tall Lombardi, don't think I've been up one so tall since,  bloke I was working for said "fell it there chris". So I did and I pointed this twenty foot long top straight at the drop zone, shaking I may add not really knowing what I was doing. Bloke I was working for hadn't noticed the wind and neither had I so this top comes over lovely lovely, then the wind gets it and it starts to twist and spin end over end towards the conservatory and bungalow roof. I thought well that's me done! Some how it landed on the lawn with the butt pointing at the chipper. I was put on the ground for the rest of the day whilst the experienced climber on site rigged the rest out. 

 

Not exactly dangerous for me but a bloody swift kick up the arse to get thinking none the less!

[john p]

One of my first ever jobs, up a really tall Lombardi, don't think I've been up one so tall since,  bloke I was working for said "fell it there chris". So I did and I pointed this twenty foot long top straight at the drop zone, shaking I may add not really knowing what I was doing. Bloke I was working for hadn't noticed the wind and neither had I so this top comes over lovely lovely, then the wind gets it and it starts to twist and spin end over end towards the conservatory and bungalow roof. I thought well that's me done! Some how it landed on the lawn with the butt pointing at the chipper. I was put on the ground for the rest of the day whilst the experienced climber on site rigged the rest out. 
 
Not exactly dangerous for me but a bloody swift kick up the arse to get thinking none the less!

Pop tops and wind are not a good mix, I managed to take out some live lv lines with that combination many moons ago!

[Ty Korrigan]

1.Thinking I'd be better off with a business partner.

2. Buy a used grinder from Lemon Plant.

3. Felling a line of lawsons under medium voltage lines which had been topped on our request by ERDF in preparation for the job.

However, as I was felling at the midway point, one of the tops previously knocked out had got hung up and pressed down on its neighbour.

As the tree went over, the trapped top sprang free. It flicked up and got caught on one of the lines.

I was under the tree and saw it stop mid fell but didn't see the reason why. I touched the trunk thinking I ought to stick my felling bar in there and got a belt like a massive vibration going up my arm.

I stepped away 'shocked' 

Then the hinge began to smoulder and burst into flame.

Looking up I could see the top of the tree was on fire.

Once it had burned out the tree came over.

Then... realisation dawned upon my began to shake with shock and felt quite sick over my close call.

 Ty

 

 

[WesD]

5 minutes ago, Ty Korrigan said:

1.Thinking I'd be better off with a business partner.

2. Buy a used grinder from Lemon Plant.

3. Felling a line of lawsons under medium voltage lines which had been topped on our request by ERDF in preparation for the job.

However, as I was felling at the midway point, one of the tops previously knocked out had got hung up and pressed down on its neighbour.

As the tree went over, the trapped top sprang free. It flicked up and got caught on one of the lines.

I was under the tree and saw it stop mid fell but didn't see the reason why. I touched the trunk thinking I ought to stick my felling bar in there and got a belt like a massive vibration going up my arm.

I stepped away 'shocked' 

Then the hinge began to smoulder and burst into flame.

Looking up I could see the top of the tree was on fire.

Once it had burned out the tree came over.

Then... realisation dawned upon my began to shake with shock and felt quite sick over my close call.

 Ty

 

 

Sh!t!!!! That’s a horror!

[Steve Bullman]

20 minutes ago, Ty Korrigan said:

1.Thinking I'd be better off with a business partner.

2. Buy a used grinder from Lemon Plant.

3. Felling a line of lawsons under medium voltage lines which had been topped on our request by ERDF in preparation for the job.

However, as I was felling at the midway point, one of the tops previously knocked out had got hung up and pressed down on its neighbour.

As the tree went over, the trapped top sprang free. It flicked up and got caught on one of the lines.

I was under the tree and saw it stop mid fell but didn't see the reason why. I touched the trunk thinking I ought to stick my felling bar in there and got a belt like a massive vibration going up my arm.

I stepped away 'shocked' 

Then the hinge began to smoulder and burst into flame.

Looking up I could see the top of the tree was on fire.

Once it had burned out the tree came over.

Then... realisation dawned upon my began to shake with shock and felt quite sick over my close call.

 Ty

 

 

You got damm lucky there