Rigging a tree limb is way different than a steel beam in my head

I run a tree service on the side and last week I had to take down a 60 foot oak leaning over a house. I set up the crane rigging like I do for steel beams and the whole thing tried to spin on me mid-lift. Tree limbs have that unpredictable weight shift that steel just doesn't have. Any of you guys ever had to switch between lifting trees and construction loads and notice a big difference?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_gibson21mo ago

Man I feel that. I tried to lift a big maple limb once with my skid steer forks like it was a pallet of lumber and almost gave the homeowner a free skylight through their garage roof. The branch just twisted and threw the whole balance off before I could even react. Learned real quick that tree weight shifts around way more than any steel I've ever handled, especially with all that leafy canopy acting like a sail.

uma3061mo agoProlific Poster

Nothing like realizing a $50k skid steer can't outsmart a dumb tree branch.