Speaker A
[laughter] Dude, it was like watching a full-size tree go down. That was crazy. All right, we've had a big week. This week we did that dead, nasty, sketchy maple. On Tuesday, we did that crane job for Axia Tree Service. Wednesday, we had
Tree removal of a massive, sketchy black cottonwood with detailed rigging and climbing techniques, featuring new gear and expert insights.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Key Takeaways
- Black cottonwoods are brittle, weak, and prone to failure, requiring careful removal.
- Proper gear, such as specialized boots and rigging devices, enhances safety and efficiency.
- Rigging is critical to protect nearby structures and manage large tree limbs.
- Climbing and bucket truck work complement each other in complex tree removals.
- Understanding tree defects and decay informs safer cutting and rigging decisions.
What the video covers
- The video documents the removal of a large, brittle black cottonwood tree posing a risk to a nearby house.
- The crew uses a bucket truck and climbing techniques to safely dismantle the tree.
- Discussion of specialized gear, including JK boots and a new Holdfast rigging device.
- The tree shows signs of decay, cracks, and structural weaknesses typical of cottonwoods.
- The team plans rigging strategies to avoid damage to nearby structures and fences.
- The video includes detailed commentary on tree anatomy, pruning history, and decay patterns.
- Challenges such as rope management, saw idling issues, and navigating dense brush are addressed.
- Collaboration among crew members highlights safety and efficiency in tree removal.
- The video features humor and personal anecdotes to engage viewers.
- The removal concludes with the tree successfully felled, emphasizing the complexity of large tree work.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Weekly Recap
- 02:17Discussion of Climbing Boots and Gear
- 04:26Starting the Tree Removal and Rope Management
- 06:50Examining Tree Defects and Planning Rigging
- 11:54Cutting Techniques and Limb Removal
- 20:30Using New Rigging Equipment and Safety Measures
- 29:14Final Cuts and Tree Felling
- 37:51Conclusion and Reflections on the Job
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
a big job we didn't film. Thursday, we did that big job for Black Sheep. And now finished the week off with a nice easy little removal right here. We've got this small cottonwood coming out.
Speaker A
And it's no mystery why this tree is coming down. It's a big old cottonwood.
Speaker A
And they don't want their house absolutely pulverized by this. The house is on the other side of this tree. This is actually the guy that built the—the guy that fabricated the hood to my chip truck. I mean the cap for the chip
Speaker A
truck. He also did a hood for that white Vermeer that I had that I sold. Yeah, they don't want to get crushed by this giant monster. This thing's an absolute beast. I'm really curious to see how old it is when we cut it down. It's probably
Speaker A
not that old. This is a black cottonwood. They are brittle. They are weak. They are sketchy. They fail all the time. And they're not very long-lived. Nobody's going to miss this tree, but it's an absolute specimen. It's an absolute beast. We're going to have the
Speaker A
bucket truck whittling away at the bottom. I'm going to have to climb way up there to get the tops out. But this thing is an absolute hog. So it should be pretty fun. Scary tree. We—it's down only, which is cool.
Speaker A
We can drop a lot of this. Unfortunately, a lot of this tree does lean over that driveway. Probably do a little bit of rigging, but this thing's a beast. But we've got, uh, me, Big Flave, and Kevin out here today working on this
Speaker A
thing. So, let's get after it. Should I set up rigging on it now or I have a feeling we should get what we can with the bucket and then maybe all three of us will have to attack the
Speaker A
base. Yeah. Shout out to my JK boots. It's a big tree. So, I've got my biggest boots.
Speaker A
16-inch climbers. It's a modified version of the Superduty. The extra tall leather is a little more padding for the spurs.
Speaker A
And look how pronounced the heel is. So, it really locks in the spur so it's not sliding on your foot. I—I don't know.
Speaker A
Like the Artech or RP Pro ones, they have these little heels and the spur just slides around, but I think those guys that buy those boots, a lot of them are like do a lot of pruning and stuff.
Speaker A
I do almost only removals. I'm always wearing spurs. So, that big heel is kind of essential for me. So, I'm going to go up first in the bucket truck and I'm going to put myself in the tree so then
Speaker A
I can work on the backside while Kevin works on the front side. And when it comes time to rig, I've got a really cool new device. Oh, you're—Yeah, this thing is called the Holdfast. So, we're going to hopefully try this out
Speaker A
today. I'm really excited about this. It was really cool. I did this video with Twoline Timber Company. I think it was like how much money is in this log or something. But I mentioned in the video to Dan, I was like, "Man, I really want
Speaker A
to try that Holdfast device." It turns out the guy that does Holdfast messaged me as soon as I posted the video. He's like, "Dude, I'm just a regular tree guy on the East Coast. I watch your videos
Speaker A
all the time. I'd love to send you a unit." So, he sent me one and I'm really grateful. So, yeah, big thank you to Holdfast. I'm excited to try it. It's like a little smaller GRCS, but it's
Speaker A
really cool 'cause it has a lowering ballard and the winch on the same device. You'll see when we set it up, but for now, everything that the bucket can reach, we're just going to piece out. But then we'll set it up when it
Speaker A
comes time to rig. But yeah, thank you to Holdfast. I thought that was super cool that he saw that video. I'm excited to try it. I—I was—I was eager to try it already. So, that's so cool.
Speaker A
So much faster than Ry's. No, it's funny. We ran them next to each other. His was like significantly faster than mine.
Speaker A
What's Randy up to these days? He's on vacation right now. I tried to see if he could help us with this, but he was unavailable.
Speaker A
Dude, I wish I could take vacation. Oh, yeah. I know. You—You're going to have four kids any day.
Speaker A
What's up? What's it—What's it like having four kids, Jake? Jim Gaffin has a bit. He's like, "People ask me what it's like having five kids." Imagine you're drowning and someone hands you a baby. [laughter] This tree is so massive, dude. Holy
Speaker A
crap. It's like 40 inches up here. [laughter] It's got a nice taper to it, dude. I think I might, uh, ditch the rope bag. I don't know if I'll ever find it if I maxed out already. Yeah, dude. You look—You look like you
Speaker A
barely even got anywhere. All right, dude. Don't—Don't insult my bucket like that. Dude, [laughter] this thing's a monster. I'm going to try to keep my rope with me for now.
Speaker A
This is a pretty wild cottonwood. Got my big chainsaw, my big top handle that never likes to idle.
Speaker A
Dang, dude. All right, [snorts] I'm free out of the bucket. Yep. Oh, my rope bag fell out.
Speaker A
Did it? Oh, man. I just don't want to lose my rope bag. There's going to be a lot of brush. So once Big Flave comes back, I should have him just grab the rope bag and move it. Yeah, there is like a
Speaker A
little bit of a crack on this backside. How did you see it? Did you see? I just looked straight up and it looked like a long crack. That crack looks pretty nasty or what?
Speaker A
Uh, I can't tell if it's just like on the backside. I'm on the backside.
Speaker A
I was on the front side and look at the crack. Look at that decay right there.
Speaker A
I don't know what crack you're looking at. Oh, right here. Yeah, dude. What's up?
Speaker A
You want to grab his rope bag? I'm just like can't reach. Oh, okay. I thought you looked at the blackberries that were like, uh, You want to get it?
Speaker A
Yeah, that was it. Yeah. I—I just like use my height as an excuse. Yeah. I don't love—I don't love that little crack. If this were any other type of tree, I'd be like, "Ah." But this is a cottonwood.
Speaker A
Can I borrow your saw? I just got to cut these blackberries. It's tangled up.
Speaker A
And you want to bring it up to him? I—I’d like him to just take the bag away. I'm just going to like pull up my rope. And it's like so big right here.
Speaker A
I'm just going to put my rope in the canopy. Yeah. I just don't want the bag.
Speaker A
You keep saying it's big. I know. You keep like trying to make me take it.
Speaker A
I want you to take it. Let's go over. Oh my gosh. Okay. Wow. Yeah. Oh boy.
Speaker A
Yikes. Dude, it probably looks way worse than it does here on the ground, too.
Speaker A
Oh, dude. What have I done? I want to know if we like maybe did some fence work. If we cut some barbed wire, if we could set up the crane.
Speaker A
Yeah, we could definitely set up a crane if we need to. I mean, either way, we can still keep wor. I'm just—So, here's what I'm worried about. I have to rig this down to avoid the fence.
Speaker A
And there's nothing else for me to swing anything to. So, I'm just like rigging on this cracked stem. Like, dude, that arm is huge. Look at that arm behind you.
Speaker A
I know. This is all huge. At least I can dump a lot of this.
Speaker A
I think we could definitely set up the crane, you know. I think we might have to headache on the backside.
Speaker A
Okay, awesome. He says whatever you need. I can fix the fence. The saw won't idle for crap, dude.
Speaker A
There heat. Dude, this tree is so gnarly. Although, look at this. It actually closed this wound really nicely. That's really good compartmentalization for a cottonwood. Too bad it's not like this up there. That's actually a really—Usually it's like that. You see that
Speaker A
one? Yeah. It's weird. I wonder if this was pruned at some point and like a clean cut and this one like look at the difference. This is how it usually looks. The wounds with a cottonwood.
Speaker A
Like they break a big limb and the decay just sits in. This one actually closed up really nicely. That's kind of interesting. They're only 2 feet apart from each other. This tree's got decay pockets. It's got co-dominant unions.
Speaker A
It's got included bark. It's got vertical fissures, which is a weak s—
Speaker A
10ft vertical crack up there. And if it were any other type of tree, I'd say, you know what? It's big. It's probably good. It's supporting its own weight.
Speaker A
The problem is I'm comfortable climbing up there. Well, I'm not I wouldn't comfortable might not be the best word.
Speaker A
I'm willing to climb up there. The problem is there are three main big tops. Two of them have snapped out in the past. Shows you how weak this tree is. The last one is the tallest one. It leans. So, it's there are a lot of
Speaker A
things going wrong with this tree. Because it leans, that puts a lot of torsion on the tree. It's got not one but two cracks. It's got a crack on the front side and the back side. It's cottonwood, so it's inherently weak. But
Speaker A
the biggest issue is there's nothing. If I had a different stem equally tall, I could swing stuff over. But I have to negative rig that stem down because it's the tallest and it's also the weakest.
Speaker A
So it's like the worst of both worlds. We're sending Aaron to go grab the crane. It's only like 15 minutes from here. So that's not that big of a deal.
Speaker A
But it means that we have to cut the barb wire fence to get the outers out.
Speaker A
We got to set it up. It'll be a whole to do. But I'm really not comfortable negative rigging off that stem. With without the crane, it basically be impossible without doing a lot of damage to the neighboring property. I'm pretty
Speaker A
sure I'm going to sell the crane except for me because like what? It's actually really been handy this last week. I don't know. When I looked at this tree, I didn't even consider the crane. I was like, "Yeah, the road's narrow. We'll
Speaker A
just go up there. I'll lower those tops down." But I couldn't really see all the defects from the ground, which is pretty part and parcel of how tree work works in general. You get up in the tree and
Speaker A
it can just be so different than you're expecting. I should be able to get pretty much everything done except for that stem, dude.
Speaker A
Okay, so that's 75 ft from where I'm tied into right here. This tree might be 150. Dude, thank you.
Speaker A
It's like a rock climbing on this thing. [laughter] It's like a wall. And then there's like all these seams on this side, you know, where you can just Yeah.
Speaker A
And then these huge rock pockets, too. I could like stick my Oh. Oh, dude. I don't even want to go to the end of that. I don't know what's in there.
Speaker A
Oh, dude. Look at this. Look at this tree, man. I was excited to use that jailbreak, but I guess not today.
Speaker A
[laughter] I wasn't excited enough to negative rig this thing. Yeah, tree's funny. The longer I do it, it's like the longer I do it, the more I trust the healthy trees and the less I trust certain trees like cottonwoods. Look at
Speaker A
these hangers, too. We got these two big massive hangers right here. Just big old branches that just broke off. Just haven't made it to the ground. We got three, actually. One, two, three big hangers. This one's really big. I got to
Speaker A
wait for Kevin to cut those branches, then I'll cut this one out. I mean, this is a dangerous tree. Like this top is absolutely getting hammered by the wind. Yeah, there's another crack right there. You see that stress
Speaker A
fracture? Sometimes it's so hard to tell with trees, too, because like I looked at this from the ground. Yeah, it's a big gross cottonwood. It should come down. But [snorts] there was so many leaves and branches. I could not see a tree like this. It's
Speaker A
easier to tell in the winter time how bad it is because the leaves really hide a lot. They hide all these hangers. They hide the rot pockets. They hide so much.
Speaker A
Even with a drone, like you wouldn't really be able to see all this stuff.
Speaker A
Maybe I should ask this neighbor how he feels about it. Depends. Uh Chance said he can fix it. He's a metal worker literally.
Speaker A
Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Okay. I think he can handle some barb wire. The thing is like if it weren't for those defects, I'd be having like a lot of Well, I am having fun. I'm having fun with the lower half. I dog on
Speaker A
cottonwoods, but a lot of times I have a lot of fun in them. And a lot of times I'm glad when it's over.
Speaker A
Oh, big old hangers. Yeah. So, we're talking about these things splitting. Look how tip heavy this is. I'm not going to put my flip line around that when I cut it. I'll put my flip line around this.
Speaker A
Dude, I need a 2011. I just Both my 2511s are running like crap. This thing's running like crap. Battery saw is not powerful enough. I should have never got rid of the jiggly dog.
Speaker A
Dude, I wonder if you get a new cylinder for that like noned that's not Boom.
Speaker A
Nice. That's a big boom, baby. That's what you call that timber cutting patriot guy. I like that guy. That's a boom, baby.
Speaker A
[laughter] There's some He's got like a catchphrase. That's a big boom, baby. The guy cracks me up. [snorts] It felt good and reassuring when Adam Perry was here and he was climbing cottonwoods for me. Those were actually like pretty healthy cottonwoods because
Speaker A
he was like shocked at how brittle they were, you know? Oh yeah. Like I feel like a lot of people watch and they see the structure of this tree, they think it's like a nice hardwood sturdy tree, you know? It's like I think
Speaker A
a lot of people don't get it. Like dude, they are really weak. I never had a problem with mine and it wasn't ported.
Speaker A
I think if you just put like a new cylinder on it, it might run better.
Speaker A
I was I think about that, too. But then I've been having problems with my new Husky, my uh fuel injected one.
Speaker A
Like sometimes it dies. Yeah. And it's like that thing's totally stock. Dang. That's 60 ft. Doesn't even get you to the union. That's crazy.
Speaker A
Headache. Man, that wood stinks. Like, you never get used to it. I don't know about that branch. Like, I want to just cut that branch, let it fall, but I can't tell where the uh property like starts. Can you tell? Like,
Speaker A
no. I think if you if you put a little notch in it, you might be able to notch it over. Like just I mean probably not very effective, but if you just do a slight, you know, hinge it hinge it over
Speaker A
a little bit. Yeah. You think it'll clear you? There's plenty of property line. There's There's a lot of room.
Speaker A
This would be a big tree if this were the bottom of it. You know what I mean?
Speaker A
[laughter] Like if this were on the ground, it'd be a big tree. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker A
[laughter] It didn't swing at all. It just It just [laughter] dropped. It just took a ton of bricks. Dropped.
Speaker A
[laughter] That is That didn't even go a little bit. No, I was like, that's not going a little bit.
Speaker A
No, that didn't work at all. Yeah, you got to put the swinging Dutchman in there, dude. Maybe if I cut it here, but I'm like, dude, man, asking a lot.
Speaker A
I feel like I failed as a cameraman. I was just watching it and I didn't [laughter] like record the fall. One thing I don't like about this double-ended flip line is sometimes my thing grabs it there and can like pull it out.
Speaker A
So sometimes when I start to get sideways on my rope, I'll switch to my front D's and kind of alleviate that. I really don't use my front D's like almost ever. Kind of wish I would have tied in higher, but then again, I don't
Speaker A
I didn't [laughter] want to go up there. What the heck? Another big branch. You want me to grab you a big saw or you going to keep whittling?
Speaker A
I'll probably keep whittling. You know what I'm going to do though? Once we I'm going to follow this whole stick though, I think. Oh, this is something I'm not even worried about.
Speaker A
Well, no. No. I mean, like once I get down to this union height, I think I can follow the whole thing. I feel like I do so many cottonwoods.
Speaker A
I don't really do that many of them. Maybe it's just where I live or something. I feel like I do more than I I feel like I do more than anybody to [laughter] be honest.
Speaker A
I did some big old cottonwoods for Kevin Ham. They got some huge ones there, too.
Speaker A
But they're not tall like these. They're like really wide and short. [snorts] I accidentally clipped my rope with this and when I try to open it, I can't open it cuz this thing's in the way. Oh, there we go.
Speaker A
It was awkward. Just glad I haven't ran into any bees in this tree. Sometimes you get bees when they're just mature.
Speaker A
How much you put on this tree, Jake? 3500. Dang. Bringing the crane. Wow. Originally, I told him six for all three. Then he said, "How much for just the big one?" I said 35.
Speaker A
But I really wasn't planning on bringing the crane. What would you charge for this?
Speaker A
10. Yeah. And then call And then if you got it, you call me. Yeah. Probably 50 grand. [laughter] Can I put 50 grand on it?
Speaker A
No. I don't know what I I don't know what I would have charged, honestly.
Speaker A
Okay. Question for the two-hand people. What [laughter] would you do in this situation? Like I'm trying not to have this fall on my head. What would you do?
Speaker A
Do you do snap, dude? Snap it. Or it snaps your neck. Yeah. Oh, take my shade away.
Speaker A
Mine too. You might be wondering why did I make 1 2 3 4 five cuts right here instead of just cutting it right here. It's cuz when you release the pressure suddenly, that's when you can get these limbs
Speaker A
that'll blow up that you're tied on. So, I'm like slowly releasing pressure off this thing. I was actually tempted. I was going to cut it like right here, but right on the middle of the stem is kind of like the most likely spot for it to
Speaker A
blow up. Down by the collar, not so much. It's real strong. Down up there, the tip is so light. But right in the middle, that's where stuff blows up. So, if I were to cut it here, really good
Speaker A
chance this would have split. See? And that one actually did crack. Look at that. That one peeled out and cracked, but it didn't weigh much and I was able to cut through it fast. So, I guarantee if I would have, even with a
Speaker A
face cut right here, this probably would have cracked. How tall is this? I can't even tell.
Speaker A
It's not that tall. It's just a broken. Yeah, it's just like a stub. HEAT.
Speaker A
HEAT. Absolutely massive branch, dude. [laughter] So massive. Yeah. I'll take that 44 now. Take these and then I'm just going to go to the ground after I take these logs.
Speaker A
Leave the crack stem for the crane. Yeah. Yeah. Look at this right here. This is how much it's grown so far this year. We're in early July and this tree has grown 4 feet.
Speaker A
I think that's their average growth rate is like 4 feet a year. 4 feet a year. This is one year's growth. And look, it's like it's our fastest tree.
Speaker A
Yeah. 4 feet of new growth on this thing a year. So every year whatever defects it has, it has that much more weight added to it.
Speaker A
How did you That is not an outside the bucket scabbard. I didn't know it even fit that way.
Speaker A
Got to go back and forth. Get the momentum going. And there we go. Keep going.
Speaker A
That was an awkward cut. Yeah, you nailed that cut, dude. [laughter] Thanks. That was cool.
Speaker A
There we go. Oh, yeah. There you go. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay. Dude, that [snorts] was a hard cut. I can't believe I was that short with a 28 in bar.
Speaker A
[laughter] That's a freaking huge cut. That was insane. I'll just come down and uh wait for a big flave now. Oh, I'm actually pretty close to the ground.
Speaker A
I'll probably just spike the rest of the way down. No, I'm just kidding. I don't think I want to make this cut in the bucket. I think we do have to swamp around the base. I feel like a baby when
Speaker A
I look at it from down here and then I look at it from up there and I'm like, "Oh man, that's too freaky." Okay, we got a lot of swamping to do.
Speaker A
Does this loop around. Can't get up. Oh, you can get through. I didn't want to block you in.
Speaker A
So, we probably need to have the crane. What do you think? Like right here, maybe.
Speaker A
I think this is probably a good spot. I think that's perfect. Yeah, I like it.
Speaker A
Kevin, your car only goes 120 mph. Like, it [laughter] actually it it actually is true. You get it all the way to the top of the speedo and [laughter] that's it.
Speaker A
Yeah. Keep coming. Okay, that's good. Hold on. Let me look at all four. Oh, we don't even need to. There isn't even a fence right here for this one. I just got to get it down to that union
Speaker A
and then we can follow that thing in here. Oh man, thank god I went to seven stores to find these. These were great.
Speaker A
So, I'm not setting up the outrigger right here. I'm just putting it down just so I can stick that one out. We're not working off this. You make those bolt cutters look really small.
Speaker A
Oh, they are. I thought those were normal size bolt cutters. All right. That was actually pretty fast.
Speaker A
Good boys are down. All right. That's better. Come on. There it goes. Oh god, I forgot about the barb wire.
Speaker A
Just walked right into it. We're getting there. Yeah, that's good. Thanks. Yeah, that last tall one has a huge crack in it. Cool. Yeah, I'm going to hop on this thing.
Speaker A
All right, I'm ready. Oh, this is a cool view. We're in the valley here. This is called the Green Valley right here. Green Valley Road. 10 ft to go.
Speaker A
5T to go. And that's good. Keep booming down. Keep going. Keep going. I'm going to cut this branch off. [snorts] Yep.
Speaker A
All right. Just stay there for a minute while I uh figure this out. I'm going to throw my bag down.
Speaker A
Good for 34 right here. 3400. All right. All right. Yeah. Go ahead and boom right. I mean, boom left. Boom left. I'm just going to cut this one branch and have you come back.
Speaker A
You're good for 35 right here. 34. Yeah. I kind of want to start with a smaller pick just to get a feel for the setup and everything. Yeah. So, this one's going to be butt heavy. It's not going to be the prettiest pick, but it's
Speaker A
only going to be, I don't know, maybe 500 lb. And you're gonna actually boom up a little bit before we do this. Yeah, that's good. Right there. And then cable up just a tiny bit if you can.
Speaker A
Did that feel crazy? Actually, not really. It sounded crazy. What's that branch way? 400.
Speaker A
Yeah. Okay. 400 lb. So, that's more than I weigh. So, that makes you feel good getting weight off this thing slowly. I can't believe how short the crane is.
Speaker A
Yeah. Go ahead and just boom left and put that thing down in the bushes. Yeah.
Speaker A
So, I'm standing on this thing, which I don't love, but I'm not rigging off it.
Speaker A
That the rigging is really what puts a lot of strain on it. I can't believe how much shorter the crane is in this tree.
Speaker A
That's so nuts. This thing is a tall tree. It's pushing 150. It's pretty tall. So, just stay out of my way for this next one. I'm going to cut this top out, Big Flave. And then I think you
Speaker A
can come in and we can do a pick. I think [laughter] Wow, look how weak cottonwood is. Just tore that whole big arm out. It's actually nice cuz I was going to cut that arm off anyways so we could follow
Speaker A
the stick. All of my boom. All of my cable up just a little bit. It's pretty crazy, dude. You're the tallest tree service cameraman that we've seen.
Speaker A
What if Luke is like 72? Yeah. Yeah. Bucking guy is like I haven't seen him.
Speaker A
Oh, I don't know. Maybe he is. Maybe he is super tall. Dude, that would suck.
Speaker A
That would be that'd be hard on you. If Billy Ray wants to come down and hang out, yeah, I've got a camera.
Speaker A
I've got a phone. Yeah, I got it. Buckan's always welcome cameraman. No way. I'm just going to cut a little one. I don't think it's going to break anything.
Speaker A
Okay. Go ahead and put a little pressure on that if you can. We should have probably 1,000 lbs on this if we can. I'm going to do a V cut starting on your side.
Speaker A
All right. Go ahead and boom up. Yep. Nice. Yes. Okay. That's how much that weigh?
Speaker A
1,600. 1,600. Okay. Plus the 400 plus the top I took. So basically I just took off 2500 lb off of this thing, which makes me feel really good with my the defect below me. It's crazy when you're doing a
Speaker A
cottonwood and you like hit another cottonwood and just watch it like no resistance from the limb. I think I need Gord's wedge whacker and little retractable wedge and the 44 and I can take this top out. But I but I'd like to
Speaker A
be tied into the crane when I do it. And then I think we can just pick all these lower ones.
Speaker A
forecast said 75. I know. Feels hotter. It was like 84 in uh wherever we were matches.
Speaker A
Yeah, we were in the shade though. It was nice. Dude, this is going to be sick. Okay, boom up just a little bit.
Speaker A
I'll grab the 44 and the wedge whacker. Keep going down, big flave, and then I'm going to have you boom left. I'm going to cut that off. Yeah.
Speaker A
Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's good right there. Boom. Left. I'll go take that torn off branch off.
Speaker A
Wow. Okay. No, I love it. [laughter] I love this. Thanks. Thank you. It looks fun from here.
Speaker A
Yeah. It's It's like getting punched with a branch. It's really cool. Wow. It's got a big Look at all that decay.
Speaker A
That's so nice. Yeah. Yeah. Cable up. [laughter] You don't say. How is that? Dude, that's so rotten.
Speaker A
That's just a typical cottonwood branch. Okay, go ahead and boom. Right. I've kind of dug myself into a little hole by making these trolling videos that get a lot of views cuz now people think I'm trolling at all times. boy who cried
Speaker A
barbecue. Yeah, [gasps] that was the best. Everybody think I did that on purpose. That's so crazy to do on purpose.
Speaker A
Never forget the day I saw a tree service and then I saw a cameraman on the Hollywood set and I was like, if only there was a way to combine these things.
Speaker A
All right. Yep. Take me all the way up. Keep going. All the way. Yep.
Speaker A
I'm just using you as a tie in. Keep booming down. Hold that one sec. Let me just take this branch off, which I can do by hand.
Speaker A
Just so crazy. I can't even pull myself to the branch. It's just Okay, there we go.
Speaker A
Yeah. Look at that. I just ripped that off with my bare hands. Do you understand why? You understand why I don't trust this tree?
Speaker A
It's always so weird, too, when you when you did that, like the the crane shook more than when you took that top. Oh, you can just push the top over.
Speaker A
Just bring. [laughter] Dude, we need a wrecking ball. Okay, good. Yeah, look at that rod pocket down there, dude. It's so bad.
Speaker A
Yeah. So, here's the thing. If I cut it here, I think it leans that way. But if I cut it there, I think it leans that way. Just doing a wind check. I'll throw that. And wind is blowing that way. What
Speaker A
are you good for right here, big flame? 2100. So, I want to put my flip line below this so that if it splits, I have this wood right here as kind of a protection tied into the crank.
Speaker A
I mean, this is like a big This is like a big Yeah, but if it goes backwards, there's It's so far It's leaning so far out that way, though.
Speaker A
Yeah, I think I'm just in my head. No, no, it's it's leaning that way. It's just like a mental thing cuz it's such a big cut. It makes me like, uh, yeah, I'm standing under you and everything's to my right by a lot.
Speaker A
Yeah. No, I'm good. I'm going to do my notch. [laughter] Dude, it was like watching a fulls size tree go down. [laughter] That was crazy. Oh, right in the hole.
Speaker A
It just Oh, dude. All right, Aaron, go ahead. Take me back to the gravel. I'm going to grab a smaller saw. Part of me wants to put a rope in it when we fall the stick, but the other part of me
Speaker A
really doesn't want to fish it out of the blackberries. All right. Yeah, if I could just get my husky top handle, that'd be great. All right.
Speaker A
Yep. I'm good to go. Big play. We'll pick. I see maybe four picks and then we're so nice now that we're shorter than the crane.
Speaker A
I don't know. I feel like I really lucked out like just kind of falling in love with the first thing I did. You know what I mean? Like I could have seen myself really bouncing around jobs a lot
Speaker A
trying to find something I liked. Go ahead and put a couple hundred lb on that. Maybe 500 lb actually.
Speaker A
A little more pressure. How much pressure you got on it? All right, just stay there.
Speaker A
Wow, that was really way tippy than I thought. That was not a great job from Jake. Go ahead and go ahead and uh cable up. It's an ugly pick. There is a possibility this one will break, but that one will catch it. That's why I
Speaker A
don't want it over me. That was not wrangled up good. Way more tip heavy than I realized. I didn't want to put it way on the tip cuz I didn't want the tip to break. cuz I went back
Speaker A
here, but it was and I thought with that big wood on the bottom it'd be balanced, but that was not balanced. So, now you're over there, you can boom it up and and away. Wow.
Speaker A
800 lb. But it uh but it's very tip heavy. My first mistake ever and I got it on film. That's crazy.
Speaker A
Okay, I got a lot of hangers right here. Nobody go under me. All right. Go ahead and put just a few hundred lbs on that.
Speaker A
That's 600. Yeah. Down to the cracks. All right. You ready, Big Flave? Yep. I have 600 on.
Speaker A
Boom up. Uh, boom up. Boom up. Yep. Yeah, it's all a big tangled mess.
Speaker A
Yep. Keep wiring down. Well, that whole branch is super rotten. Like really crazy. The lowest one.
Speaker A
Yeah. Really really rotten. I think that there's a crack on it. I think so, too. It's It's really really rotten. Like it could go just any second on its own.
Speaker A
Send me into the creek. Is there a creek over there? I don't know man.
Speaker A
All right, two more branches. So big up here. It's just It's crazy to think that like just in the Washington state area alone, like western Washington. Think about how many tree services are taking down absolutely massive trees like this.
Speaker A
Good. Like every day, you know what I mean? And just nobody's filming and nobody's filming it. I was just saying that's why it always blows my mind when people are like excited to meet me like dude it's really you and it's like dude
Speaker A
I'm just like a normal tree guy in Washington state like a lot of like a lot of guys do these you know. Okay, good. Dang, this thing is tall. All right, stay there. I'll do a little bit of saw work. I just don't want to
Speaker A
totally smash the fence, but it's okay if we tickle it, I think. Dude, yeah. I'd be so not happy about climbing out here without this crane.
Speaker A
[laughter] I'd be so not digging that, dude. I feel all right about picking it. Do you? Yeah. No, I'm good for a lot of you. I'm I'm still good for 16.
Speaker A
Yeah, there's no way this way is 16. Whoa. Dude, you good? Yeah. My forearm hit my akimbo and I thought I was falling for a half second.
Speaker A
Just just cracked the door open a little bit. Oh, dude. I can feel I can feel the air coming out of the seat.
Speaker A
That feels tight. All right, put like 500 lb in that. This one might twist a little, but that'll be all right.
Speaker A
I got six. I got 700. I like it let off a little bit. I think that'll be perfect.
Speaker A
Good. Yeah, I love that. Once again, too tip heavy. I I Dude, I really thought I had it that time.
Speaker A
Yeah. Go ahead and just boom up. Boom. I I could do that. I just didn't want to be right over you with it.
Speaker A
I can't go anymore. Man, I really thought I had that one. My second mistake ever.
Speaker A
Pulling off that really sturdy branch right below you. I might just piece that one out from the ball. Just chuck it over the fence. Yeah, these cottonwood picks are just tough. You have to like add a lot of butt weight to get them
Speaker A
balanced. But then I don't know. Then it's just a lot of weight. All right, big flave, go ahead and dangle me over the middle of this next one. All right, go ahead and Well, what am I good for right here?
Speaker A
Two grand. Okay, cable me all the way down, will you? And can I get another sling? Uh, I I think I can actually do a pretty clean pick and then we don't have to throw it all. Dude, that thing, every time I get
Speaker A
next to this trunk, I'm like shocked how big it is. I think if I put a rope on that, it would be like a sacrificial rope.
Speaker A
There's no no guaranteeing of getting it out. Oh man, am I really going to have to go to the ground for this?
Speaker A
Got it. Okay. Yep. Got it. All right, let's go. Keep going. Keep going. Good. Yep. All right, we'll start at the tip and work our way back. We're going to do three slings. We're going to get at least one clean pick on this tree. I
Speaker A
have to keep in mind my body's pulling this ball. So, I'll kind of not get this knot too tight. The ball's going to drift a little bit. Okay. This is to keep the tip falling.
Speaker A
Really, this probably the center of gravity, the picking point. So, I'll get that as tight as I can.
Speaker A
All right, big flave, go ahead and put 1,000 lbs on that. We're going to get at least one good pick today. Look at that decay, dude. Oh my goodness. You got 1,000 on that?
Speaker A
Yep. Still got 1,000. Maybe I'm up to like 1,200. I I can't I don't really want to do any crazy cuts with this cuz I I don't know. I might just cut straight through and see what happens cuz I'm worried I'm going to cut
Speaker A
it. It's just going to crumple on the undercut. It's got 12 on it. 12 and yeah 12. It's bouncing between 12 and 11 and 12.
Speaker A
Doesn't like where that butt's pointing. Hold on. Look at this crack, dude. Ah. All right, go ahead and boom right a little bit. That actually was a really clean pick.
Speaker A
That was It was totally just a wood crumbling like at the at the union.
Speaker A
Guys, look at this crack. It's so gnarly. Makes me sick to my stomach. Now all the the stem is free, you know what I mean?
Speaker A
Of all the of so much weight that I I I feel comfortable. Now when it comes time when I chunk this, I'm going to cut it at unions. I'm not going to make any cuts in the center cuz that's where it likes
Speaker A
to split. That's like a big concern of mine. I've talked about it a lot. This thing's splitting. It's already It wants to split. The tension and compression want to separate on this tree. So I'll cut them above knuckles cuz the knuckles
Speaker A
are the strongest points. Ah, that branch hit me. Oh, what's it weigh? 1,600. 1,600. We were good for 2 grand.
Speaker A
Generally, I would try to shoot for 50% capacity. But with that one, I'm a little I don't want to go above capacity, obviously, but I'm a little less worried because we're over the front, which means we have all the
Speaker A
weight of the chassis of the back of the crane. Jump it in there and stop it. This tree is so much bigger than I realized. Like I just kind of looked at it from the driveway, you know? Like, yeah, it's
Speaker A
pretty big cottonwood. We could just get a little further that way. Yeah, cuz I think it's just going to land in that tree. Look at this. I got to take that log this way, this log that way, that log that way, and this stump that
Speaker A
way. [laughter] This thing is kind of a crazy shape. One of the many things I love about Douglas fur trees, they're so straight. You can put the log any direction you feel like it really without even a wedge or a rope. Us on
Speaker A
most furs, not all, but on most of them these deciduous trees, you're you're dropping the logs where they lean.
Speaker A
That's just how it works. Yeah. So, I've got one, two three. We got four more face cuts and back cuts to do.
Speaker A
So, big play. Yep. Go ahead and uh if you could give me the 44, that'd be great. And then you can just put the crane away.
Speaker A
Yeah, that thing just fell over on me while I was cutting it. It's really not that bad.
Speaker A
That's probably just abandoned, dude. I thought I thought my got cut off. [laughter] Did you go all the length?
Speaker A
Dude, I keep forgetting to bring the clacker. Somebody sent me a clacker and I always forget. Bring it.
Speaker A
I don't even know what a clacker is. Okay, good. Like the director clacker thing.
Speaker A
Oh, I bought you one of those like for your birthday like say seven years ago. 6 years ago.
Speaker A
Yeah, I lost that one though. Kids. Oh, I I don't remember. Seven years ago, dude. That's ancient history. Oh, thanks. I forgot about that to be honest. All right, there's my saw. Go ahead, put the crane away.
Speaker A
I don't think I can fly this thing. I got band-aids all over my thumbs.
Speaker A
I'm really concerned with your lack of concern. I'm going to I'm going to fly in there.
Speaker A
Sorry, I belittled your thumbs. Oh. Oh, I crashed it. Crashed. Crashed. I crashed. Yeah. Throw drone down.
Speaker A
Oh man, this sucks. I got it. Got you. I got you, little guy. Got you, little guy.
Speaker A
Are you up in the air, Kevin? Yeah. All right. Here we go. Oh no.
Speaker A
These are too slippery with the tape on, dude. The tank was just slipping. Is like massive and cracking and rotten. Oh my fingers.
Speaker A
No, no, they're just slipping around. I can't keep slipping. No, I can't control the joysticks like I just want to do a good job for you, Jake.
Speaker A
Yeah. Nice. A failing. All right, vlog number two. It's kind of scary starting this thing.
Speaker A
Dang, that thing was thick. Holy smokes. Thick boy. Wow. I wasn't through at all.
Speaker A
Dang, it's a 28 in par, dude. I'm like 100 ft up. I don't know. This thing seems to lean right towards the uh fence. What do you think? Can you tell from the drone?
Speaker A
You think it? Yeah. Do you think I could get this to go sideways or do you think it's going to just I wonder if I can just follow it? Think I can wedge it. Worst case scenario, I've got the jack.
Speaker A
Yeah, there's a chance that piece could end up in the road. Like if I fall it or if I chunk it?
Speaker A
If you chunk it. Yeah, if you fall it. I don't think so. But I would move the crane out of here before we fall.
Speaker A
Yeah, definitely taking the easy way out of crane ownership. Yeah, this is up there in the biggest ones I've done.
Speaker A
I usually actually do bids on Fridays, but still is actually doing some event called an allp pro. It's like a invite only event. They're they're like flying me out. Meet somebody picked me up at the airport range hotel. Kind of crazy.
Speaker A
I don't know event upstate New York where they're showcasing their new battery products. I've never interacted with Steel before. So it was actually their PR team reached out to me. I thought it was a scam. They actually emailed me like three times and I was
Speaker A
like it wasn't from Steel. I messaged Mark Chisum. I'm like, "Is this legit?" And he's like, "Yeah, that's their PR company." And so I like, "Oh, it's a pretty cool opportunity." So anyways, we kind [snorts] of crammed a bunch into
Speaker A
this week. Usually I do bids on Fridays. Big Flave will do like a shop day and get the footage sorted out and stuff. Uh but this week we're doing this on a Friday because I'm going to be gone next
Speaker A
week. Although we are also going to work Monday. Uh we got one more job. It's actually a crane drive. We actually used the crane three times this week. We're going to use it Monday, too. Been using it a lot lately. Big Flave's been
Speaker A
looking for an apprentice to train up so all of his knowledge isn't lost. If I ever hire like an entry- level ground guy, totally going to call him Big Flav's apprentice. It'd be really funny if you were like really mean to him.
Speaker A
Don't hold it like that. What's wrong with you? [laughter] All right, my biggest saw. 120 cc still MS880 50in bar skip tooth chain. This thing's a pig. I do get a little nervous making these big cuts at the end of the
Speaker A
day when I'm tired. It kind of sucks. But I think I got I got one more cut in me.
Speaker A
I'm not tired at all. Jake, if you want me to cut that. I'm just playing it up.
Speaker A
I don't use this saw very often. It's a [snorts] pain. It's heavy. It's bulky.
Speaker A
But man, when you're actually bearing this bar, it has so much power. It's really nice. But it's only nice for stuff this big. But this this is actually really pleasant.
Speaker A
[snorts] It's surprisingly solid. I thought it would be hollow, but look how wet it is.
Speaker A
It's like It's really wet. That's so much water in there. Conwood. so heavy and then when it dries it weighs nothing. It's just all water. I'm pretty happy with that cut. I've got about that much of a Dutchman. I I think it's I'm
Speaker A
more likely I'm going to bugger up the face cut trying to correct it. It's the tiniest thing. It's not going to matter.
Speaker A
I think that looks pretty good. What about you, Kevin? Can you see it from down there? Like if you walk down the road, does that look like it's kind of aiming right next to that little alder?
Speaker A
I'm going to mark this thing with the little saw so I I'm even with the big saw.
Speaker A
So, I really don't want to be standing over there on my back cut downhill. So, I'm going to cut that side up first and then I'm going to slowly work my way over here. But, I'm going to cut that
Speaker A
side all the way up. That way, I don't ever have to go over there because I want to finish my cut from this side. If I have to go over there, I'll be like lifting over my head. I'll be downhill.
Speaker A
It It'll be no good. So, that's what we're gonna do. I don't know. Oh my god, dude.
Speaker A
Dude, I could hear those. Good. Good to eye, Kevin. I might actually have a little bit of wood inside still. This is what I didn't want. But I'm going to use this little saw to cut this side up a little more
Speaker A
nimble. And I'm guessing I have a sliver of wood. There's not a lot of wood left.
Speaker A
Yeah, I think we got it. So, I do have to keep in mind with all this debris on the ground when it lands, whatever it lands, like if it lands on part of this, this butt's going to jump up. Lands on
Speaker A
part of this, this butt's going to jump up. So, I really have to get on that side. And actually, [laughter] let's put my big chainsaw out of my escape route. I need to get over these big arms before it goes over to be safe.
Speaker A
I think I think we got it, though. Now, these are loose. Look at this. I'll stack these up right here.
Speaker A
See, I'm driving each one individually, one at a time, not trying to hit both. Here we go.
Speaker A
Here we go. I'm so happy. [snorts] Dude, look at that thing. That was the deepest thunk I've ever heard from a tree going over.
Speaker A
The deepest thunk, dude. That's That's my memoir. I'm writing The Deepest Thunk. [laughter] Look how stubborn that stick was to get over. I cut all my guts out right here.
Speaker A
I just had these two posts on the corners, which is the most important part of the hingewood, bar none. The corners. The center is not as important.
Speaker A
And it still took that much lift to get it over. That's how you know it was just a lot of upright weight, you know. And if I would have went back here, I could have got it to go over, but I risk a lot
Speaker A
of things going wrong going in that deep. I don't know how sound the wood is. Until I get the face cut out, it's going to be harder to match my face cut.
Speaker A
So, dude, that thing is so big. I should get a picture of you. But yeah, that's that's a heavy piece of wood. That's amazing. But no rope or nothing. It's just I'm so happy that it's over and everything is safe. But man, this thing
Speaker A
has some big thick growth rings. Someone with really good vision should count them. Prote. [laughter] I am curious how old it is.
Speaker A
Yeah, I got you. I mean, look at the size of those growth rings. Wow.
Speaker A
Look at that. It's wider than my finger. It's like 30 years old. [laughter] Holy 16 and I'm out here.
Speaker A
Where? Where was it? 16. 19. 20. 21. Oh, yeah. You got a 58. 58, dude.
Speaker A
Jeez, dude. It's a baby. It is. It's 58. Huh? 58. 58 years old. That's it.
Speaker A
Yeah. That's a cottonwood. I couldn't believe how young it was. I would have thought it was more like 80, 90 years old, but totally.
Speaker A
You don't really see a 100-y old cottonwood. They fall over before they get that old. All right, that's one dead tree. 58 years old. Like, people see my videos and they think I'm cutting these old growth trees. That tree was
Speaker A
[laughter] 58 years old. And if I didn't cut it down, nature would have cut that thing down soon enough. I could not believe how young it was. The growth rings are so big. It was like a healthy Well, it was healthy, but it was
Speaker A
unstable is I guess how you could put it. It was growing faster than it was good for. Basically, trees got gigantism, you know. Hey, thanks for helping today, Kevin.
Speaker A
It's just 58 years old. I'm I'm glad we started kind of counting the rings more lately. It's so interesting. Like, we did that for our Mercer Island. It was 126. It's half the diameter of this thing. We got to go say nice job, Big
Speaker A
Flave. World's best tree service cameraman right here. Oh, thank you. That means a lot more than maybe anything. [laughter] Thank you guys for watching.
Speaker A
We'll see you on the next one. Oh, man. Hey, I got to get paid still. something.
Speaker A
[laughter]
Topics:tree removalblack cottonwoodtree climbingriggingtree servicechainsawtree decaytree safetyHoldfast devicebucket truck
