Climbing spikes or bucket truck for a sick oak in a tight backyard, I chose wrong

Honestly, last Tuesday I had a 60 foot oak with a big dead limb over a shed in Portland. The backyard had maybe 8 feet of clearance on each side, so the bucket truck was a no go unless I wanted to rip up the owner's new paver patio. I decided to climb with my spikes, figured it would be faster than rigging a rope from the neighbor's fence. Big mistake, that tree was softer than I thought and the spikes tore up the bark something awful, plus the limb came down and took a section of gutter with it. Owner was cool about it, just said 'at least you didn't hit the shed,' but I spent 3 hours patching wounds and cleaning gutters. Has anyone else gambled on spikes in a tight spot and ended up wishing they'd just craned it in? What's your call when access is that cramped?

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1 Comment

river_bailey21mo ago

That whole thing reminds me of how people always grab the tool that feels faster in the moment, not the one that actually saves time later. Like when I use a leaf blower to clear a wet driveway instead of just grabbing a rake, then spend twice as long unclogging the thing. The tight space made you pick the quick fix, but trees have that hidden softness you can’t see from the ground, kinda like how a cheap ladder feels solid until you’re halfway up. Sometimes the long setup with ropes and a pulley ends up being the smooth route, even if it seems like overkill at 7am.