That oak removal in Austin last July taught me a hard lesson about rigging angles

Ngl, I got lazy on a 60-foot red oak in a tight backyard. Instead of setting a proper high anchor, I tried to side-tie the bigger limbs to save time. About halfway through, a 8-inch limb swung back and nearly took out a fence. The homeowner was watching from their porch and said 'hey, maybe rethink that.' That moment made me realize I was cutting corners just to finish faster. Now I always take the extra 20 minutes to set the anchor right, even if the client is in a rush. Has anyone else had a close call that made you change your whole approach to rigging?

2 comments

2 Comments

diana_flores256d ago

Yeah, I had a similar wake-up call a few years back with a maple in Round Rock... tried to save time with a sketchy redirect and the whole thing just twisted sideways on me. Scared the crap out of me and the homeowner's kid who was watching from the window. From that day on, I always take the extra time to set a proper high anchor, even if it means the job takes longer than I promised. It's just not worth the risk of something going wrong, especially with people watching.

jamies456d ago

Man, I totally get what you're saying but I used to be one of those people who thought setting a high anchor was overkill. Like I'd be out there thinking "I've done this a hundred times, I can save 20 minutes" and just wing it with some janky redirect. But after hearing stories like yours and seeing a guy at my local tree service get his leg jacked up from a bad anchor point, I finally shut up and changed my ways. It's wild how one bad decision can flip everything in seconds, especially when there's kids or neighbors around watching. Better to roll in late and safe than pull off a quick job that ends with someone getting hurt lol.