How NOT to fell a large maple tree (w/ pics)

[dreezon]

In case it's unclear from the picture, yes, part of the tree is, in fact, resting on top of the police car. I am not the police officer. I'm one of the idiots who neglected to ask him to move the car.

We had it tied off to a truck pulling it the way we wanted, but it wasn't enough to overcome the weight of the branches. The worst part is, I did ask him to move the car when we initially started the tree and had to quit due to a chainsaw failure, but for whatever reason, it did not occur to me this time.

Lesson learned.

 

[mike1234]

You getting any jail time for this?

 

[SolarAndWood]

Looks like it was just a glancing blow. Adds character and deters crime.

 

[JustWood]

Will we see this on UTube soon????

 

[Monkey Wrench]

It will buff - out.

 

[Hurricane]

Was he in it when it came down ? I can imagine his face.

 

[Gary_602z]

Not a problem, you did ask him to move it right?

Gary

 

[mayhem]

So you asked him to move it, he didn't and the tree dropped on the car. Maybe next time he'll pay more attention.

Is that actually a Focus cop car?

 

[dreezon]

Well, you see, we went to cut it down one day... tied it off, asked him to move the car, notched the tree, and then the chainsaw (a near-new Husqvarna) started acting up and we had to quit. By the time we got the saw back from the dealer and the rain finally held off for a while it was a good month later. This time, I guess I felt more confident in the effectiveness of the tie-off to the truck because I really didn't think to ask the guy to move the car. He told me afterward that he had the fleeting thought to move it, but....

All three of us share some culpability in the matter, but he was actually very nice about the whole thing. He was a little worried and embarrassed (as was I), but never got mad at my dad and I. In the end, insurance took care of it—the county's insurance I believe. I told him that if it was his home owner's insurance, we would pay the deductible.

And the damage wasn't very extensive. He needed a new spot light, a new right headlamp, a new hood and some buffing on the A-pillar.

Amazingly, after it was all over, he was asking me when we wanted to take a few of his other trees from his yard. He's got some great hickories and more maples I'd like to get my hands one, but I am leery. He's also got power lines running close to some of them.

 

[ROBERT F]

So you notched the tree then left it standing for nearly a month? lucky it fell on his car and not him when the breeze was just right.

 

[dreezon]

So you notched the tree then left it standing for nearly a month? lucky it fell on his car and not him when the breeze was just right.

The notch wasn't nearly deep enough for it to fall down from a mere wind, unless it was the spinning kind. It would have taken a D11 to snap what was left of that trunk.

 

[Ductape]

The picture looks suspiciously fuzzy to me.

Time to pull out the.............

 

[northwinds]

So cynical

You can still see the Tazewell County on the cop car. Tazewell County is just southeast
of Peoria, IL.

Sounds like you have a nice guy for a neighbor.

 

[burntime]

Tell him it was a drive by cutting... :lol:

 

[basswidow]

From the looks of the picture - you'd be doing him a favor if you crushed that rediculous looking police car. Is that a ford focus? A hybrid? Why doesn't the town just get him a golf cart? His name isn't Barney - is it?

 

[Danno77]

you guys suck at car ID, that looks like the regular, run-of-the-mill, Impala to me. Ford focus?

on another note: seriously? a notched tree for a month? even if it was a small notch, that's not a great idea. sounds like a nice guy, you got lucky.

 

[Gator eye]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah.......well placed!

bad boyz bad boyz what cha gonna do when they come for you.......stop em with a maple :lol:

 

[bayshorecs]

Better the car and not the house...

 

[mainstation]

If you start to fell a tree, then that tree has to come down ...that day.

 

[dreezon]

It was an Impala for the record. And who was this guy with the BS meter? Why on earth would someone make up a story so embarrassing to himself?

 

[dreezon]

So cynical

You can still see the Tazewell County on the cop car. Tazewell County is just southeast
of Peoria, IL.

Sounds like you have a nice guy for a neighbor.

Not a neighbor, just a guy who put an ad on craigslist offering his trees for firewood. But he is an extremely nice guy, no question about it.

 

[dreezon]

If you start to fell a tree, then that tree has to come down ...that day.

It's a shame we couldn't... because his car would have been out of the way.

For the record, neither my Dad nor I recommend Husqvarna. That saw cuts like crazy when it's running right, but it's amazing how much trouble we've had with it. It was over-revving without the user even touching the trigger. When we took it in that time, the dealer kept it for about three weeks, and since my dad got it back, it keeps wanting to die when you touch the trigger.

 

[LLigetfa]

it keeps wanting to die when you touch the trigger.

LO jet too lean. Turn up the idle and open the LO jet.

 

[bayshorecs]

Sounds like you need to avoid that dealer...

 

[boostnut]

Glad to hear that my tax money is going to help pay for your terrible judgement (I live in Tazewell County). Do yourself a favor, don't drop any tree that is anywhere near a structure, car, power line, outhouse, whatever. You obviously need some practice in a safer environment before you start cutting on hazard trees. BTW, how do 2 guys get anything done with just 1 saw? I usually have 3 just for myself + whatever my cutting partner(s) bring.