Neighbor's tree fell on my property, now ???

[Suburban Plowboy]

If you know how to bore cut and use wedges, you can handle weird jobs like this safely.

Just nibble at it from the top branches down until you get close to the fence, and go from there.

 

[2manyrocks]

If it is split enough that it will peel off, I'd be inclined to get it down instead of leaving it hanging. But use a long enough strap or cable so you are clear of it when it falls.

 

[JJT]

My other farmer/friend I called & we went over looking at it. He & I will work on it later...he believes with his large tractor we can strap it up high, "throw the fuel & oil to it" and we can pull it on over...peeling what's left up high "like a banana".
I'll try remember take my phone/camera & report back.

"we can pull it on over..." A couple of inches of wood will surprise you with its strength.

I'd simply make the tree disappear and ask for forgiveness if the neighbor has an issue.

I'm lucky, my neighbor usually does cleanup before I do, even if the tree falls on my side. I've said it before, good neighbors are priceless.

 

[Topzide]

Around here, the tree owner has to have a form letter sent by certified mail and filed with county for them to be responsible. When a tree falls, it's treated as an "act of god" and you just need to buck up and take care of it.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Here is the kind of fun tree I'm used to dealing with. I believe that trunk was about 15 feet off the ground, and the tree had two other trunks. Extremely dangerous. I cut it all by myself.

 

[2manyrocks]

Did you climb to cut it?

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

No way. I'm too much of a hack to have climbing skills. This job didn't require anyone that skilled. The tree was dangerous, but patience and planning took care of that.

I kept nibbling at the top ends until I could get at the place where the trunks joined. I used the tractor to yank the tree around to make cuts easier. I dismantled it. Took a few days, off and on, but I didn't have to pay a tree guy $2000, and it was fun.

I had a tree snap in my driveway. A big oak. It broke maybe 25 feet up, and the trunk stayed attached at the break. The tree's top fell across my driveway.

I could not get up to the break in the trunk to cut it, and it would have been incredibly dangerous, so I asked two companies to quote me for making one cut and putting it on the ground. That's all. Just drop it and leave. The lowest price was $800, for, literally, 15 minutes of work.

I got a fishing pole and cast a weight over the trunk at the high point. I used the fishing line to pull a bigger line over it. I kept going until I was able to pull a tow strap over the trunk.

I attached the strap to a chain. I attached the chain to my tractor. I pulled the trunk down, and I was ready to go. Sawed it up and took it to the burn pile in maybe 90 minutes.

Somebody could have made an easy $400, but they were too greedy. Arborists have defended the companies that blew it, but any time you can make $400 for a few minutes' work, you have no excuse for turning it down.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

Saws used to seem expensive, but now I realize an $800 saw is dirt cheap compared to paying people.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'd had several clients that have had neighbors' trees fall on their house in town. In every case, it was up to them to remove what was on their side of the property line. Then pay for the damage that it caused to their house. Insurance covered most of it, but they always make it harder then it should to get paid, and they always change their requirements on what is to be done, and what they will pay, after the work is done.

I refuse to deal with them, all my billing goes to the home owner, and then they can fight with their insurance to pay them what they agreed to pay them before the work started.

For something out in the country like this, it's nice when you have a neighbor help with the clean up, but I wouldn't even ask. I would just get it done and move on to other projects.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I've been piddling with it. I got a tow strap on it, on truck hitch and it just snapped the strap!
After checking more I'm thinking it's hickory.