I was up on a big oak pruning deadwood when this retired logger stopped to watch. He said using spikes on a live tree is basically lazy and damages the cambium permanently, even with good technique. But I argued that for removals and rough pruning spikes are fine and way faster. Now I'm second guessing myself - do you guys think spikes ever belong on a live tree or is he right that it's always bad practice?
He said he's never worn a harness in forty years and just wedges his way up with spikes, and now I'm wondering if all my fancy gear is really making me safer or just making me slower.
I bought a Silky Zubat 330mm for $400 last spring for clearing storm damage in Portland. It cuts through wet maple like butter, but the blade dulled fast on a single oak limb with grit in the bark. Now I'm looking at $60 replacement blades and wondering if a $100 folding saw with cheaper blades would've been smarter long term. Anyone else swap their expensive gear for low cost alternatives? How'd that work out?
I got stung four times on three different jobs before noon, and the last one was a massive bald-faced hornet nest I didn't see until I was right next to it. Has anyone else had a run of bad luck like that with pests?
Had to drop a big maple limb between a fence and a shed, so I grabbed my Silky Zubat instead of firing up the Stihl. Clean cut in 20 minutes with zero sawdust cleanup. Anyone else find themselves reaching for manual tools more often than you expected?
Last Tuesday I had a homeowner in Oak Park who wanted every single limb cut flush with the trunk, no stubs at all. I tried explaining that a proper pruning cut leaves the branch collar for healing, but he just kept pointing at his neighbor's tree (which looked butchered, honestly). After 3 hours of arguing and making micro-cuts on a mature silver maple, I told him I'd finish the job but wouldn't skip the collar on anything over 2 inches. Has anyone else had a customer who just won't listen to basic tree biology?
I used to think topping big oaks was fine for storm safety until I saw a crew top a 60 foot live oak on my street and half of it fell on a house 18 months later. The tree put out a ton of weak regrowth that snapped right off in a thunderstorm. Anybody else have a moment where they realized a common practice was way riskier than they thought?
Last spring I was trimming a row of overgrown oaks at a park near Tulsa. I had my Felco 2s out and this old foreman walks up and says "put those toys away and get a pole saw." I argued back that I liked the control from ground level. Five hours in my shoulders were screaming and I'd only finished two trees. He was right, should have listened sooner. Any of you guys stubbornly stick to hand tools when a machine would do it better?
I was reading through some case studies from the ISA website last night and stumbled on a stat that blew my mind. They tracked a severe thunderstorm that hit a neighborhood in Raleigh and measured debris from one 80-foot oak at 530 pounds of limbs and leaves. That's like a quarter ton of material coming off one tree in maybe 20 minutes of wind. I've cleaned up plenty of storm jobs but never thought to actually weigh the debris from a single tree. Has anyone else seen numbers like that from their own jobs or is this an outlier?
I used to think spikes were just for hacks who didn't care about trees. Then I had to remove a dying silver maple in a tight backyard last fall and my rope access setup was taking forever. An old timer told me to just spike up and get it done in 20 minutes instead of 2 hours. Tree was already dead so no harm done but it really changed my view on when it's okay to use them. Anyone else find themselves using spikes more than they expected?
Tried to chip a wet oak stump in Portland last week and my machine just bogged down. Took twice as long and I burned through a set of teeth. Anyone else wait for stumps to dry out before grinding?
Last week I had this tight backyard access job with a huge old oak that needed a major reduction. I went with climbing gear instead of bringing in the bucket truck, saved the homeowner $200 on the quote but my legs are still sore from the spikes. Anyone else ever regret going the cheap route on a job setup?
I was grinding through a tough oak removal last summer in Queens and this retired arborist just walks up and says that. I thought he was crazy until I tried it and my cuts got way cleaner. Anyone else ever get a random tip like that from a stranger on site?
I picked up a Stihl battery saw back in June thinking it'd be great for quick limb jobs without messing with gas. First two weeks it was fine, cutting small branches no problem. Then I tried it on a 12 inch oak limb and it just bogged down and quit halfway through. Battery died after maybe 15 minutes of actual cutting. Has anyone else had luck with the bigger battery packs or should I just stick to my gas saw?
I was reading through some research from the Morton Arboretum last month and found out that mature oaks actually heal slower from cuts compared to younger trees. Apparently every major pruning wound can reduce their lifespan by 10-15 years (which is wild when you think about how old they get). Has anyone else here scaled back their pruning cycles on established oaks after learning something similar?
I've been fighting with this silver maple in a backyard in Oak Park for two seasons now. It had this huge crossing branch that was rubbing bark off and I kept putting off the cut cause I was scared of messing up the union. Last Thursday I finally went in with my Silky saw and made a proper 3 step cut. The branch came down clean and the bark ripped way less than I expected. I learned that taking my time with the undercut and not rushing the top cut really made a difference. The wound is already sealing up better than any other cut I've done on this tree. Has anyone else dealt with maples that seem to fight every pruning decision you make?
Last month I got a call about a 60 foot oak in someone's backyard in Portland. No way to get a bucket truck back there, so I had to either rent a mini lift or just climb it the old fashioned way. I went with climbing since the tree was pretty sound and I've got my spikes and ropes dialed in. Took me about 4 hours to prune and remove a few dead limbs, but my shoulders were feeling it the next day. Any of you guys ever pick climbing over a lift and regret it halfway through?
I was cutting a big limb on a client's oak last Tuesday in Austin when my friend laughed and said my cuts looked like a beaver did them. He handed me his sharpened Felco 2s and I cut through a 2-inch branch like butter - now I sharpen every Sunday.
I had this huge oak in a client's yard in Tempe with a 3-foot bark wound from a storm. The usual brush method was taking forever and the sealant was getting tacky in the sun. I grabbed a cheap 4-inch foam roller from my truck on a whim. Coated the whole area in maybe two minutes flat, and the layer was way more even than my brush work ever is. It felt a little silly, but the coverage was perfect. Anyone else tried something weird like this that actually worked out?
I had to pick between a 16-strand and a 24-strand line for a 120-foot Douglas fir removal last month, and everyone on the crew said to go with the 24 for the extra strength. I went with the 16-strand Yale Blue Moon instead because it handles way better in my hands and the specs were still more than enough. Has anyone else gone against the grain on gear choice for the feel of it?
The rental fees were adding up to about $80 a pop, and having it ready in the truck let me take on a last-minute crown clean-up that my old boss said would have been a hassle.
It happened about 15 feet up when the line pinched behind a limb stub I missed. Had to switch to my backup line to finish the job. Anyone have a good method for checking for hidden snags before you commit your weight?
Everyone swears by the new mechanical systems. Used one on a 60 foot oak last week. Switched back to my old double rope setup halfway up. The mechanical gear got stuck twice in tight crotches. The rope just slid right through. Felt way faster and safer for me. Anyone else find the simpler gear works better on certain trees?
The homeowner kept piling mulch every year and it took forever to find the real base. Anyone else deal with this on older properties?