Boa????

[welwell]

Just taken delivery of a Boa cable bracing kit (thanks Jonsie) but the instructions are in good old german. I can figure out what most of the kit is for, we have rope, shock absorbers, plastic disc (year of installation), red tape and webbing sling. There are also some thin plastic things about 1metre long and tappered at each end, what are they??? Do they go in the webbing sling along with the rope around the limbs to be braced????? If so what function does this perform???? Or am I being very dense???

Thanks peeps.

Edited January 20, 2009 by welwell

[welwell]

Also....... what kind of tensions am I looking at across the span??? Am I right to assume that as the splices etc are all done without tools, then the tension is also going to be as tight as I can do by hand and then the shock absorber does the work. The question is "How slack does the cable need to be???"

Thanks for the advice.

[welwell]

By the way, I'm doing this on Thursday, so help will be greatly recieved y'all

[Stephen Blair]

i dont get cable bracing!

[josharb87]

plastic bits you slide into the bracing where it wraps round the stem/branch, youll have a sheath which protects the bark from the bracing to cover the bracing where the plastic bits are, the rubber dildo gets inserted into the middle-easer if you do this whilst its slack/before you wrap other end round branch

tension is as tight as you can get it by hand

 

thats how i do it!

[Stephen Blair]

sorry, i know what it is but i just dont see the point.

if something needs braced, arent you just prolonging the inevitable?

[welwell]

plastic bits you slide into the bracing where it wraps round the stem/branch, youll have a sheath which protects the bark from the bracing to cover the bracing where the plastic bits are, the rubber dildo gets inserted into the middle-easer if you do this whilst its slack/before you wrap other end round branch

tension is as tight as you can get it by hand

 

thats how i do it!

 

Muchos amigo. Thanks for the advice!!!

[josharb87]

sorry, i know what it is but i just dont see the point.

if something needs braced, arent you just prolonging the inevitable?

 

 

yes, and no

 

for instance, the oak in my pics, was reduced and braced (new bracing not pictured) so that it could last another 5 years-as requested by the client, in which time its replacement will be established

 

in my view bracing can also help limit the chance of a potentially hazadours limb ripping out-increasing the life expectancy/asthetics of the tree for, potentialy decades

[Stephen Blair]

is it not just better to take weight off the limb,

i got called out years ago to take down a big double stem lebanon that had been braced.

the right hand stem had broke at the base and was held up by the cable.

it was well dodgy.

when i came back the next day to tackle it with my trusty hacksaw and spare pants, luckily the cable had snapped overnight and it was down. phew said me.

now that tree did get another 30 years. but would it not of been better to take it down 30 years ago and plant a new one, and it would be a good size now.

i think too much tree work is done for the now, i was always taught you planted a tree for your grandkids.

but i know it all comes down to pound notes and pleasing the customer

[welwell]

My clients tree is in a private pinetum and I think as josharb said they also want to plant a re-placement tree. The bracing should give 10-12 years at least, by which time replacement should be a decent size, then I guess the original will be ready to come down.