Advice needed for Plan B

[EddieWalker]

I have a contract on the land I've been trying to sell now, but to make it all work out I agreed to sell more land then I had originally planned. It took about a week for me to reckognize the advantages to this before I agreed. Now I'm excited about the changes and looking forward to moving ahead with my plans.

I brought power to the land that I've now sold, so I have to come up with another way to do this. I can come down the highway if I remove a few trees.

There's only a few more to go here. Unforuanately I'll have to use the chain saw to get them down. To big for the dozer without pushing them into the highway. The backhoe might get a few of them, but not all.

 

[EddieWalker]

This photo shows my problem. Just past these trees will be my new property line. The power company requires ten feet of air on either side of the power lines.

The oak along the fence line isn't a problem. It will come down with those pines in the last photo.

Behind the oak is a HUGE bull pine. It's at least three feet thick through the trunk. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it's almost twice as tall as the oak. Easily over 100 feet tall.

The highway is 60 feet away. It's a State Highway, which probably means I better be extra careful.

 

[EddieWalker]

This photo gives a little better perspective of the size of this tree.

Here's my problem.

That tree is way past my comfort zone in felling it. If it falls the wrong direction, it will land IN a State Highway. That couldn't be good.

No way I'm gonna attempt it. Times like this is when I pay an expert to do what they are experts at.

My question is this.

I need to hire somebody who knows what they are doing, that's obvious. No neighbor down the street type of deals here. I know I need somebody with insurance and who is bonded.

What is bonded? How do I prove they are bonded? What do I do if something goes wrong? Same thing with insurance.

Please feel free to offer any and all advice.

Thanks,
Eddie

 

[Oldtimermich]

I would buy my friend a case of beer, he would climb the tree and attach a good cable near the top, at a sturdy area, then have him start cutting a knotch with his chain saw. Keep pressure with the tractor and make sure, please make sure the cable is long enough to stay out of the way.....afterwards sit back and wonder if that was really the correct way to do it.
And help him drink his beer.......

 

[Darren]

Any contractor and that includes a logger or tree service company should have insurance. If they don't, forget them. Before you hire them, ask them for a certificate of insurance. That costs them nothing except a call to their insurance broker. The broker can mail or fax you the certificate the same day. NEVER ACCEPT AN INSURANCE CERTIFICATE FROM THE CONTRACTOR! It must come from the broker to be sure of its authenticity. The certificate will tell what coverages the contractor has in force and the expiration date.

Once you're satisfied that the contractor has adequate insurance and it will be in effect during the work on your property and you select them, tell the contractor to have you listed as an additional insured on his policies and have a new certificate sent you stating that. That costs nothing.

If something does happens when the contractor is working on your property, you are covered under that policy. If he drops the tree on the highway, it's on him not you. If you get sued because of him or he damages something, you're covered under his policy.

A bond isn't necessary for what you have planned. A bond is required to ensure that a project is completed. If for some reason a contractor does not complete a project, the bonding company is responsible for seeing that it is finished.

 

[ScottAR]

Sounds like a barberchair waiting to happen.

The cable/tractor idea works out with a large snatch block added to the mix. Direct the pull away from the tractor/people.

Go with an open notch (looks like a >), plunge cut just past the hinge, then pull out and do a release cut on the holding wood opposite the notch side.

With a tree that big, I'd get a portable sawmill in there and make some framing lumber unless the schedule dictated otherwise.

 

[Laminarman]

Darren hit the nail on the head. Do your due diligence. I hired a tree service to remove a willow that was nearly 6' thick, HUGE! I got quotes from three companies, they were the most expensive. The tree was close to power lines, although the electric company just trimmed the closest branches every several years. The company gave me proof of insurance without asking which is why I chose them. The tree was cut, hauled away and stump ground to nothing within four hours. Amazing! Cost: $1,200 and well, well worth it. Oh, it was only 30' from the road and not a piece of bark fell on it.

 

[BB_TX]

Eddie - If you haven't yet, look in the yellow pages under tree. There should be listings for tree service companies that do tree trimming and tree removal.

 

[EddieWalker]

Darren,

Thanks, your explination really clarified it for me. I've copied, pasted and printed what you said in order to get it right.

There are allot of tree services around here with quite a few listing that they are bonded and insured, but I didn't know how to prove it. Insurance is what I'm after, so that really helps.

Eddie

 

[notamustang]

You can check with the better business bureau (spl?) to see if they have troubles with any that you are thinking of to help narrow the field.
Steven