'Ears' fears!

[born2trot]

I agree , sometimes its just not required to take a saw up . If it looks like alot of tension in the branch may have been better to put vertical cuts in but twenty twenty hindsight and all that

[Marc Lewis]

Could you perhaps have taken the weight of branch using lowering kit, worn spikes for said branch, gotten further out on said branch to cut in smaller sections, used slings to choker to get foot hold, 2 anchor points for a better work position or simply reached out and slashed it off with a topper saw.

[easy-lift guy]

Seems strange for sycamore to hold like that? Especially that diameter and length ?

 

We have sycamore trees over here that would easily meet that length and weight. Nasty dirty trees IMHO

easy-lift guy

[Le Sanglier]

It seems obvious to me that you should have used a chainsaw.

[Hill-Billy]

In hindsight, I think a sling would have been the answer, without which I wouldn't even consider using a chainsaw - what's worse, the loss of 6ft of lanyard rope or an avoidable accident? But I'll definitely try the sling next time - they're so versatile.

[Stephen Blair]

You just didn't do it right by the sounds of it.

[kentjames]

I think the use of slings would have made it safe to use the top handle, alternatively I would have taken the cut out further from the tree to remove the weight and then removed the stub. Ive experienced similar situations in wet weather, and I prefer where possible to postpone the work if the weather is or has been bad enough to make the tree slippery, schedule permitting of course

[treequip]

We have sycamore trees over here that would easily meet that length and weight. Nasty dirty trees IMHO

easy-lift guy

 

In the UK Sycamore is Acer pseudoplatanus, your side of the pond you call Platanus occidentalis sycamore.

[log dog]

i personally would think about what happened and try and work out a better way of doing it ..... although its a lesson to learn which didnt go horribly wrong if we are all honest enough to admit it we all have made errors of judgement ... if your not sure take your time and consider what you are doing .

[Stephen Blair]

I caught myself once up a tree, badly lowering something not even that big, it whacked my leg, I won't lie, I had a little cry:(