We had a big arse Poplar tree behind our place in VT. It was close to the stream and still growing. We were concerned with the size of the tree and the damage it would cause if it fell on the house. Godforbid we were in it...it wouldn't be pretty.
Long story short, we had 3 estimates; one insanely hight, one reasonable and one that was never put into writing.
The big day was Monday. Along with the "Tree of life" (as Mrs Glenn called it) we were having four pines taken down. All the work would be done with a crane...a really big crane. You should have heard the rumble as these guys rolled down the street at 8:15 on a crisp fall morning.....the big crane, two trucks (one towing a chipper) and a grapple truck. It was sweet! I was in my glory.
They set up the crane, then moved it. This thing was huge.
First order of business: The pines. These took no time at all. They hoisted the climber in the tree, he'd hook up the rigging, make a cut, the crane moved the section, dropped it in the road, they attached a winch line from the chipper to the section and the chipper did the rest. They didn't even have to limb it. If the wood was under 16" in diameter, it got chipped. The chipper was a turbo diesel beast.
Climber in the pine:
Here's a view of the chipper after the pines were gone; looking off the deck:
Next, it was the big tree. This took quite awhile...the tree was tall and had a lot of branches. The crane operator said it was close to it's max reach, so they really had to watch the weight of each pick. The climber used a wistle to signal the crane operator. There was a lot going on...the big tree in the back, guys were running the chipper and they had another guy limbing some pines at our neighbor's house.
Here's a shot I took when they crew was taking a lunch break:
I thought they'd take the trunk down with a big 100cc saw and a huge bar. They used decent sized Husky with a 24"(estimated) bar. It did perfectly fine. He cut a notch, cut around the ouside, did a few plunge cuts, used some wedges and then he and another guy pulled it down.
Here are the rounds laying in the road; waiting for the grapple truck. You can see the two guys in the back of the pic. The stump at it's widest point was a tick over 4 feet.
They were cool enough to cut us two rounds so we could make some end tables. We did this before with some wood the previous owner had left behind. This is much bigger though. These are laying in my trailer behind my quad. They take up some realestate.
The crew did an amazing job. They were really professional, cleaned up and were just all around good guys. The back part of our yard is a hill, my wife and I had a great viewing area and stayed out of their way. We actually ended up doing some land clearing ourselves, so it was a pretty busy day....but an awesome day off.
Long story short, we had 3 estimates; one insanely hight, one reasonable and one that was never put into writing.
The big day was Monday. Along with the "Tree of life" (as Mrs Glenn called it) we were having four pines taken down. All the work would be done with a crane...a really big crane. You should have heard the rumble as these guys rolled down the street at 8:15 on a crisp fall morning.....the big crane, two trucks (one towing a chipper) and a grapple truck. It was sweet! I was in my glory.
They set up the crane, then moved it. This thing was huge.
![IMG_3278_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3278_Medium.jpg)
![IMG_3282_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3282_Medium.jpg)
First order of business: The pines. These took no time at all. They hoisted the climber in the tree, he'd hook up the rigging, make a cut, the crane moved the section, dropped it in the road, they attached a winch line from the chipper to the section and the chipper did the rest. They didn't even have to limb it. If the wood was under 16" in diameter, it got chipped. The chipper was a turbo diesel beast.
Climber in the pine:
![IMG_3288_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3288_Medium.jpg)
Here's a view of the chipper after the pines were gone; looking off the deck:
![IMG_3319_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3319_Medium.jpg)
Next, it was the big tree. This took quite awhile...the tree was tall and had a lot of branches. The crane operator said it was close to it's max reach, so they really had to watch the weight of each pick. The climber used a wistle to signal the crane operator. There was a lot going on...the big tree in the back, guys were running the chipper and they had another guy limbing some pines at our neighbor's house.
![IMG_3308_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3308_Medium.jpg)
Here's a shot I took when they crew was taking a lunch break:
![IMG_3317_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3317_Medium.jpg)
I thought they'd take the trunk down with a big 100cc saw and a huge bar. They used decent sized Husky with a 24"(estimated) bar. It did perfectly fine. He cut a notch, cut around the ouside, did a few plunge cuts, used some wedges and then he and another guy pulled it down.
![IMG_3336_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3336_Medium.jpg)
![IMG_3340_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3340_Medium.jpg)
Here are the rounds laying in the road; waiting for the grapple truck. You can see the two guys in the back of the pic. The stump at it's widest point was a tick over 4 feet.
![IMG_3344_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3344_Medium.jpg)
They were cool enough to cut us two rounds so we could make some end tables. We did this before with some wood the previous owner had left behind. This is much bigger though. These are laying in my trailer behind my quad. They take up some realestate.
![IMG_3353_Medium.jpg](http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh302/glennmj99/Vermont/Tree%20take%20down/IMG_3353_Medium.jpg)
The crew did an amazing job. They were really professional, cleaned up and were just all around good guys. The back part of our yard is a hill, my wife and I had a great viewing area and stayed out of their way. We actually ended up doing some land clearing ourselves, so it was a pretty busy day....but an awesome day off.
Last edited: