How does a big tree come down next to a house?
By Andy's PGM ·
A large oak next to a house can’t be cut at the base and dropped, because there’s no room for it to fall. This is how we take down trees like that.
Top down, a piece at a time
Big trees in tight spots come down in sections, starting at the top. Each piece is cut small enough to control. Where there’s room, pieces drop straight down into a clear spot. Where there isn’t, they get tied off with ropes and lowered.
When the bucket truck is the right tool
A bucket truck puts a crew member right up in the canopy on a stable platform. From there, they can reach limbs, make clean cuts and work their way down the tree. If the truck can get close enough to the tree, the bucket handles a lot of jobs, including most trimming and plenty of removals.
You can see our bucket trucks at work in the gallery.
When it’s time for a crane
Sometimes the bucket truck can’t do it safely:
- The tree is leaning over the house or the pool, and there’s nowhere safe to lower the pieces.
- The tree is in a backyard with no way to get a truck to it.
- The tree is dead or badly damaged, so putting weight on it isn’t a good idea.
In those cases we bring in a crane. Each section gets rigged, cut and lifted up and away from the house, then set down in the driveway or front yard, where the ground crew cuts it up and loads it out. It’s slower to set up, but on the right tree, it’s the safest way to do the job.
Either way, the cleanup is the same
With either method, the job isn’t finished until the wood and brush are gone and the yard is picked up. Andy’s been running jobs that way since 1988.
Got a big tree in a tight spot? Call 941-504-8190. We’ll come look and tell you how we’d take it down. More on crane tree removal.
