c/arborists

5

kelly.keith•2d ago

Rant: Wasted $300 on a cheap pole pruner from a big box store

Bought a fiberglass pole pruner at Lowe's back in April. First big limb I tried to cut, the head got stuck and the rope snapped. Took it back but they said no returns on used tree gear. Ended up borrowing a buddy's Silky and it cut through like butter. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

16

fiona_johnson82•2d ago

That $300 stump grinder rental that turned into a $600 headache

Rented a Vermeer SC252 from the local equipment place for a big job in Medford last month. The thing threw a belt after 3 stumps, and their 'emergency service' took 4 hours to get someone out. By the time I finished, I paid more in down time than I saved by not hiring it out. Anyone else had better luck with those smaller rental yards over the big chains?

15

nina_butler•3d ago

That stump I figured would take an afternoon ended up eating my whole weekend

I had this old oak stump out back, maybe 3 feet across, and I thought a grinder would knock it out in a few hours. But the roots had woven into this old drainage pipe and a big rock was hiding just under the dirt. After 8 hours with the grinder and another 4 digging out chunks by hand, I finally got it all cleared. Has anyone else dealt with a stump that just wouldn't quit because of hidden stuff underground?

16

samward•3d ago

Hot take: climbers who skip the handsaw sharpening waste more time than they save.

Watching a guy fight a dull Silky for 20 minutes on a removal in Portland last week made me swear by a quick file job every Sunday, am I the only one who thinks this is basic maintenance?

2

the_beth•3d ago

That moment the rope snapped on a 40-foot oak limb

I was in a backyard in Portland last Tuesday, taking down a big dead oak branch over a shed. Everything looked good, I had my angles set, and I started my notch cut. About halfway through the back cut, I heard this weird creak that wasn't normal. Before I could react, the branch twisted and the rope parted clean at the knot. It came crashing down, took out a fence panel, and missed the shed by maybe 2 feet. Turns out the rope had a spot where it rubbed against a previous cut and I never checked it close enough. I had to call my buddy to bring a spare rope so I could finish the job. Has anyone else had a close call like that from a rope they thought was fine?

24

kelly.parker•18d ago

Climbing spikes vs rope access got me in a heated debate with a old timer last week

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?

21

oscarmurphy•18d ago

Chatted with an old-school logger who made me rethink how I climb

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.

-1

wilson.claire•20d ago

Spent $400 on a high-end silky saw and now I'm wondering if I should've just gotten a cheap one

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?

5

davis.diana•20d ago

That one day last July where every tree I climbed had a hornet nest in it

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?

11

joseph529•20d ago

Picked a handsaw over a chainsaw for a tight backyard job today

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?

4

ninah10•21d ago

Clients who demand a perfect clean cut on every branch drive me nuts

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?

25

harper_smith•22d ago

Changed my mind about topping oaks after a disaster in Austin last June

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?

11

lunaw72•25d ago

Old foreman told me I was wasting time with hand pruners on a big job

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?

17

samward•25d ago

TIL a single storm can drop over 500 pounds of debris from one mature oak

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?

15

kelly.emma•26d ago

Can we talk about how climbing spikes get way too much hate

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?

18

the_susan•27d ago

Found out the hard way that wet stumps are way heavier than dry ones

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?

8

ward.fiona•27d ago

Had to pick between a bucket truck and climbing gear for a backyard job in Denver

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?

18

holly898•27d ago

Old timer at a job site in Queens told me to sharpen my saw every 3 cuts

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?

19

black.jordan•28d ago

Spent $350 on a battery-powered chainsaw and now I'm kicking myself

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?

1

jenny_jackson•29d ago

Hot take: Mature oaks don't need pruning as often as we think they do

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?

9

the_margaret•1mo ago

Appreciation post: finally got a tough maple to accept my pruning cut

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?

24

simon378•1mo ago

Had to choose between a bucket truck and a climbing setup for this big oak job

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?

4

emmap16•1mo ago

Spent 10 years trimming trees with dull shears before a buddy called me out

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.

4

susan424•1mo ago

Hot take: I started using a paint roller on big bark wounds and it's a total time saver.

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?

21

sageellis•1mo ago

Choosing a climbing line for a big removal in Tacoma

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?