Pull down a high widow maker.

[tradosaurus]

I've got lots of these now after the latest storm. Do I hire out, or do I toss a lead over the branch to see if i can pull it out? What is the best way to "rope" a high branch?

As other posters have stated; we would have to know where these widowmakers are situated. How much land do you have? How far from the your house are these located?

 

[kenmbz]

Need pictures.
I have a shot and line to get a bull rope over when needed.

Do not bother as others have said if it is off trail or in the woods.

Can a bucket truck even get to where these trees are?

 

[Hay Dude]

Better than cleaning down.
I'm on a mission to stop using the word "up" after words. Like heating "up".

Cleaned plenty down, too.

 

[jyoutz]

Use a bow and arrow. Tie a small long rope to the arrow, get it over the branch, and then pull a larger rope as required to attach a larger rope.

That is a technique that tree climbers sometimes use to get their climbing rope up in the crown. Usually over a sturdy limb.

 

[jyoutz]

Cleaned plenty down, too.

View attachment 855780

View attachment 855781

We had a logger killed by chainsaw felling a large ponderosa pine with a widow maker up high. In that case it was indeed a widow maker.

 

[5030]

Use a bow and arrow. Tie a small long rope to the arrow, get it over the branch, and then pull a larger rope as required to attach a larger rope.

In the arborist world, that is called a Throw Rope. It's a paracord with a weight on the end that you throw up in a tree or shoot up in a tree and then use that to increase the rope diameter to yank the limb out. They also use it to set their climbing ropes so arborists without hi-ranger equipment that have to physically climb a tree.

 

[shooterdon]

I am a scaredy cat. Anything that I cannot let mother nature take care of, I hire someone who knows what they are doing and has insurance.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Usually, with the help of a neighbor, we would take down the dead stuff ourselves using several of the ideas already mentioned. I was a telco lineman and would sometimes use my gear to climb when necessary. Too old to fool with it now though.

Around here, dead trees or branches, in the vicinity of a power line, are removed by the local utility company at no charge. There are exceptions though. I had three dead white pines, all over 150' tall, along my private road. The trunks were 36" in diameter at the base. If one were to fall on the adjacent power line, it would surely break off one or more poles and take down the line itself. I called the power company but they refused to remove them. No way was I going to mess with them myself.

Fearing an extended power outage, I called a tree service. There's only one in the area, and they won't touch them either due to the proximity to the pole line.

Over the years, two of the three trees came down on their own and luckily, fell back into the woods, away from the power line. The third is still standing and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[JasperFrank]

Lots of them that look like this. They are most all maples that cracked off branchings at the crown. They are in areas we use. I'm thinking a long rope tossed up, tied and tethered to the tractor a good distance away. Then see if I can pull them off and down. This is just one, I have about seven others that look the same. I could just cut all the trees down, but I want to save them. None are near utilities or structures.

 

[kenmbz]

I like to tie my rope through a pully so the tree goes in that direction and not towards tractor or truck.
Strap around a good tree , attach pully.
Make sure branch has a way to go so it does not hang up again or damage another tree.

be careful roping as that might be enough by itself to bring some branches down.