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

 

[kensfarm]

First you need a big brother.. (he's 6'6" tall.. next to cut-out notch).. and a big brother-in-law(w/ chainsaw). Hard to see.. but there is a cable running from the tree.. to a tractor(not shown.. Dad). I think they were still busting firewood from this monster 4 months later.

 

[RHughes]

That it one huge tree! Just a thought before you go paying someone to take it down. If there are any log home builders in your area, you might try contacting them. Some of those companies are always looking for big, straight, timber to turn into large, solid (not laminated) beams for homes. They might be willing to take it down for free or they might even buy it from you. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BarryinMN]

I agree get the liability Insurance Policy assignment from the Broker AND confirm his Workers Comp policy is current!!

I had a 30" dia Evergeen taken down between 2 houses in the city 3 years ago... lower branches nearly touching houses 1930's construction $300K + ea. plus power lines.

Cost was $1600 & about an hour. He brought in a crew & totem poled the trunk going up, cut the top & trunk in pieces coming down on a boom lift truck. Then came back & ground out the stump. Left about a 5' tall pile of mulch.

It took me 3 afternoons to clean up the branches & trunk - 12 yards of brush by hand into a chipper.

http://www.brainerd.com/pbtrail/tale.html

 

[jmc]

I live way back off the road and the power co. wanted to do the 20 ft wide swath thru the woods. It was going to be expensive as they charged by the pole plus clearing costs. Ended up BURYING the power line instead. Don't have to look at the line and a 20 ft swath still won't protect the line from a falling tree. No power failures so far. Maybe you could save that old tree?

John

 

[EddieWalker]

I'd love to go underground, but there is a huge cost difference. I'm going high voltage all the way in, then my first meter will probably be a thousand amps. The rest will be 1,600 amps and I'll need a dozen of those, give or take, by the time I'm done.

Except for that one PITA tree, the rest is pretty easy to clear.

 

[bugstruck]

Eddie, Man I hate this. .... Bear in mind I'm no Attorney or Insurance Agent. You may want to contact a professional if you have a need for professional advice. **** disclalimers!
/forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Darren gave great advice and you could probably skip all of this. However, I'll throw this out for general consumption as everyone here seems to learn me something most nights......There are various types of bonds. Bid, Payment, and Performance bonds are the most common in construction related fields. Generally, they are to guarantee that anyone you contract with will hold to their initial bid (bid bond) (change orders could still add to the cost if the scope of work changes), payment bond which guarantees that the contractor will pay his materialmen and employees and that you and your assests shall suffer no liens or attachments, and finally performance bonds which insure that the work shall be satisfactorily completed in a measured amount of time. I agree with Darren. I don't think you need any of the bonds listed above. Just don't get too far out of pocket until the work is started and hold plenty back until it's done. If you are working within striking distance of existing power lines, and the state or utility commission has a bonding requirement, then a different kind of bond may be required by the Contractor performing the work. Finally, on insurance you need to be named on a Certificate of Insurance, which lists General Liability, Automotive, and Workman's Compensation limits. Generally, there is an Umbrella portion to these policies too. It's the insurance co. that is liable for any non-payment related matters should a mistake be made and/or damages incurred. Make sure the Contractor has at least $500,000.00 in General Liability coverage (that's low these days) , has Workman's Comp, and Automobile insurance. The Certificate of Insurance should name you as the "Certificate Holder". Also request that the Certificate have you named as "Additionally Insured". That puts you in a better legal position. The issuance of a Certificate of Insurance is common everyday practice. Again, anyone who balks at the request isn't worth using. If you have any Business Insurance call your Agent. Your policy may have particular thresholds any Contractor or Subcontractor must meet which would supercede what I said above.

I don't remotely take you as the timid type, so the insurance should be adequate from what I can see in the photos. Actually having watched your projects, I'm kind of suprised you didn't knock them down, stop traffic, and have a little wreckless fun in the process. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif You're certainly better for it though. Now if we were 25 again????, no tellin. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Good Luck, that is some serious wood.

 

[Defective]

Please don't take offense...

I wouldn't call your big brother the smart one in the family... He looks like he's waiting for the tree to come and meet him.

Anybody in that position after the notch is cut got escorted off the lease where ever I've cut trees.

other than that little point...

I'll bet that one made a heck of a noise when it landed!

 

[kensfarm]

"I wouldn't call your big brother the smart one in the family... He looks like he's waiting for the tree to come and meet him.
"

No worries.. he had just sledge hammered the wedge out of the tree.. and clearing it out of the way for the final cut. There are actually 15 family members there.. but out of harms way.

 

[Defective]

Good to hear he was there for a reason and didn't stay there long.

In the original picture, he looks like he's just hanging out looking at the wedge.

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[PineRidge]

I'm about 700-750 feet off the main road.

The power company gave me a choice of overhead wires and poles or underground utilities for the same price (free).

I opted for underground. They did all the work and supplied all the materials.

Given a choice I think buried wiring is a wiser choice.