That oak removal in Austin taught me to trust my gut on rigging angles

Last spring I took down a big red oak in someone's backyard near Zilker Park. The owner wanted me to just drop it section by section, no rigging, because he thought ropes would tear up his grass. I explained how the lean was tricky and we needed a lowering line to keep it off his fence. He pushed back for 20 minutes before finally agreeing to let me set up a block and sling. After the first 600 pound log swung sideways anyway and barely missed a birdbath, he stopped second-guessing me. Has anyone else had a client argue with your setup and then see why you do it?

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torres.elizabeth3mo ago

The universe has a way of making homeowners eat their words, doesn't it? That birdbath almost became a 600 pound lawn ornament. I had a lady in South Austin argue with me for forever about why I needed a ground anchor for her live oak, then watched her favorite garden gnome get demolished when I tried it her way first. Nothing like a near miss to turn a skeptic into a believer.

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john_johnson753mo ago

Ha must be a 400 pound birdbath not 600. Close call though right?

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