Ever tried this?

[crazyal]

One thing I will say is that having the ladder in the bucket actually was a smart move. A ladder on the ground can have the feet kicked out pretty easily. But the back of the bucket would prevent that. Kind of like having a guy stand on the feet of the ladder while you climb it but much better. As for cutting off a ladder, it's not just the branch swinging around that can get you. If the tree sways at all once the branch is cut and you don't have a good grip (which is hard to do while cutting with a chainsaw) you could be racing that branch to the ground.

 

[Paul Thornton]

Tman, in hindsight "brave" is not the word I would choose today.

 

[teg]

One thing I will say is that having the ladder in the bucket actually was a smart move...

Yea, instead of hitting the soft ground... you'll cut the top of your head off with the bucket's edges... :shocked:


Actually, my wife's family had to take away their grandmother's ladder because she was still getting on the roof to clean gutters... when she was 90 y.o.!

 

[don white]

I have done this and I like using the tractor for a base. It is a solid platform that won't fall over I kinda like that.
However everything about your setup is wrong. The ladder is on the wrong side of the tree and should be tied to the tree and to the loader bucket. I use ratchet straps. You clearly did not make a back cut and did not have the limb tied off with a ground man on the other end of the tag line.
When you are on the other side of the tree from the branch and reach around the tree you can use both hands and hug against the tree. Also you must have a very light/small chain saw. The ground man is critical. Even if the branch does not swing back it can hit the ground and act like a spring and spring back to hit the ladder. If you can get a line over a higher branch all the better. Bow and arrow works nicely.

 

[Deere Dude]

I would have cut the whole tree down before I would have done that. You needed the firewood anyway. I like the pole saw idea others mentioned if the tree was a favorite tree and wanted to keep it at all costs. But, it looks like it was in the middle of a woods.

 

[Al Mac]

As this thread is under Kubota Owning/Operating. I have looked in the owners manual and could not find this procedure. What page is it on?
On a more serious note I think your son was doing the right thing but should have taken it to the next step and stopped you at the time (if you would listen) and not send the red head after you.
Your son and the red head care about you. Now it is time to step up to the plate and think before doing unsafe things.

Someone coined your years as the golden years. Enjoy them and play smart.

Stepping of the soapbox now.

Al

 

[bcp]

For those who insist on using a ladder, this may help on the bottom end. Then have a ladder-to-tree tie, and a fall safety system for the saw operator, plus other suggestions mentioned in the thread.

Monkey Rack Ladder Stabilizer

Personally, I wouldn't cut from a ladder for large limb cutting due to all the unpredictable behavior of falling limbs.

Bruce

 

[tjkubota93]

I'm not trying to plug the company, but I bought a 33' pole saw from ATSS. It works great. It's as good as their website says and better!

I cut similar branches on the same tree - one with 28' ladder and chainsaw belting off to tree with climbing harness, one with this pole saw. Using the pole saw was significantly less effort, and A LOT safer.

 

[Paul Thornton]

How do I find ATSS?

 

[Creamer]

When I was in high school we needed to paint the barn. It was one of those old barns with the peak on the end at about 40'. The way we got to it was to put an extension ladder in the bucket of the old Farmhand F-10 Loader that would lift close to 20' off the ground. Then we used another extension ladder to get up to the bucket. I had seen my mother do it before but by then she was in her mid-50s and I wasn't going to let her do it again. After I did it I didn't want to do it again but there was the other end so I did.

BTW - I had to paint fast as the loader did sink very slowly.