Ever tried this?

[crackerjack222]

That's the reason women live longer than men.

 

[orangeandgreen]

I do something very similar when I have to get up on my 10/12 roof. Front bucket right by the gutter and extension ladder up the roof, step ladder to get to the bucket.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have trimmed limbs before off a ladder (not one inside a FEL bucket) but gave that up when one twisted around and hit me and the ladder and down we came with running chain saw in one hand. I was lucky that I just slide down with the ladder and landed on my feet but I was only about 8 feet up, not 30 feet like in your photo. No more trimming from a ladder for me. Now my trimming is done from the bed of my Kubota RTV with my brother in law driving me around. I can reach just about any limb needing trimmed with my saw. If I need to go higher we break out the pole saw. Most of my trees seem to grow limbs toward the ground so about every 2 years, we have another go around with them so they stay up off the ground with enough clearance to drive any of our tractors under them. I also think trees look better when trimmed up about 10-12 feet off the ground. I really don't need to trim any up as high as you were trimming. If limbs are hanging low from attachment point that high, I just cut off the end of the limb at some point about 10-12 feet in the air.

 

[tman1020]

Thank your son and stop doing that.

 

[k0ua]

I can tell from the pic that you don't really know what you are doing or were not paying attention to what you were doing. Either way your son should have told on you because he cared for you. If I were you I would pay him back by taking him fishing, or out to eat or something to say thank you. Ed

I am with this line of thought, and the idea of doing it while the redhead was gone was a real mistake. You know having a person around to call 911 or come to your rescue themselves could mean the difference between life and death. I hope that is the last time you try this stunt. I made a simple polesaw from a 13 inch hand held saw and made an adaptor to go on a 30 foot telescoping pole. Might not be as fast as a chain saw, but a heck of a lot safer with both feet on the ground and not under the limb.

 

[k0ua]

That's the reason women live longer than men.

Yep, and the insurance company has the mortality tables to prove it.

 

[ritschner]

Women definitely live longer. I will not even break out the chainsaw without someone else here.

 

[CobyRupert]

Not that I haven't done risky things like this, but there's some good youtube videos of situations like this where the branch swings around and launches the operator straight into a Darwin Award nomination.

...but if ignoring that danger and doing it anyways, IMHO you should of raised the ladder and climbed even higher: As you probably found out, making that top cut with the saw right up at face level, and at a nice pinch angle too because you can't hold it horizontal, introduces other problems far worse than climbing higher.

Using climbing spurs and a belt aren't as hard as one might think.

 

[RaydaKub]

My knees still hurt.

You're lucky that is all that hurts...

My luck would be the rope would slip up and hang me by the neck. That would be quite permanent.

And in many cases, could be preferable to what could have happened.

I just run like heck when that has happened.

Really tough to run from *this* setup. The only time running works is when both feet are on the ground.

 

[4570Man]

I have put a ladder in a tractor bucket before, but I have never and will never chainsaw from a ladder. IMO a ladder in a tractor bucket is perfectly safe.