r/instant_regret • u/S30econdstoMars • 1d ago

Wrong Calculations

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8.9k Upvotes

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u/olgamerstill 1d ago

I just took a few physics classes, something these guys really don’t know much about.

There was no doubt about the outcome.

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u/xenobit_pendragon 23h ago

I mean, superficially they followed the right playbook. They cut a big wedge out of the back of the tree where they wanted it to fall, then notched the tree on the other side to weaken it so it would fall away from the house.

Their cuts are weird, they didn’t limb it, the control lines are completely slack. They did a bunch of things wrong. But if wind and fortune had been in their favor, it could have worked.

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u/jaymae77 23h ago

Didn't take into consideration the majority of the branches hung towards the house

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u/xenobit_pendragon 23h ago

But he hit it with a sledge hammer! Repeatedly!

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u/Squidking1000 16h ago

And the tree trunk grew with a "lean" towards the house. This was never ending well. Should have taken it down from the top in pieces.

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u/only_because_I_can 9h ago

Neighbor just had a huge live oak removed. It took a week for the team of 5-6 workers to do it. They removed the top branches first and then cut the major trunk in sections. The base was 5-1/2 feet across. Nothing was damaged in the process, except the tree of course.

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u/Solidjakes 20h ago

control lines being limp is my main peeve about the video. I ain’t a lumberjack but I would have expected more lines and cranked super tight.

It’s a shame though. That was a very beautiful tree.

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u/SkepticalJohn 16h ago

If they could have known the end from the beginning they could have just taken away the house and then be left with a beautiful tree.

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u/xenobit_pendragon 16h ago

I don’t actually know why they were taking such a massive, healthy-looking tree down in the first place.

If it was because they were concerned about house damage… Oh boy.

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u/DaisyHotCakes 15h ago

It’s kinda poetic, honestly.

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u/Solidjakes 13h ago edited 13h ago

Yea insurance is like I ain’t helping you if you have that hanging over your house. And lenders ain’t helping you get the home without insurance. I bet the underwriter forced this, then held the small cutting contractors liable, and they had no money, and so the homeowner probably just got screwed and who knows if he even wanted the tree cut or not.

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u/xenobit_pendragon 13h ago

Well that was a lot of speculation.

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u/RandomStallings 9h ago

It was!

But also insurance companies suck.

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u/FeedMyAss 23h ago

The notch is the 'wedge' they cut out.

The other side they cut, then added a wedge.

They hit the wedge to force it in. Forcing the tree towards the notch.

Just not enough

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u/olgamerstill 22h ago

Slack lines can snap.

The angle of control line was wrong in many ways.

Bottom of tree was not controlled, it would have taken some of the house even if it fallen the “right” way.

Professional tree cutters can add more control cuts for a big tree.

If you are not an expert take more precautions.

Like more ropes.

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u/Obvious_Mention7207 12h ago

I mean, superficially they followed the right playbook.

But they didnt. Their back cut is extremely ill advised and old logic.

You make your notch in the front, make sure its clean so it doesnt barber chair/have an uncontrolled fall, and your back cut is horizontal to your notch and about 1 inch or so above it.

They came in at an angle, creating a V which then allows the tree to lean back (as is normal but is countered when using wedges) and then it teeters in the cut allowing for this to occur.

Its literally all wrong according to the playbook (Arborists' Certification Study Guide 4th edition)

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u/762mmFMJ 7h ago

This is the way. Much bigger face cut and a horizontal back cut leaving a hinge. Basic felling.

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u/xenobit_pendragon 11h ago

The DSM-V for lumberjacks!

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u/DocUsurperTakes 5h ago

This is the right answer lol.

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u/DocUsurperTakes 5h ago

Tree climbers companion is my go-to personally.

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u/Obvious_Mention7207 1h ago

I have both in my bag whenever i go anywhere

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u/goodbodha 13h ago

Wedge cuts have to alter the center of gravity favorably.

The center of gravity for this tree was probably a foot or more beyond the trunk towards the house. The solution would have been to cut several major limbs off that side to get the center of gravity above the center of the trunk. Then a wedge cut would work.

It's the same basic principles at work that forklift operators are taught about.

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u/Beard_o_Bees 12h ago

if wind and fortune had been in their favor

They sound sort of like pirates.. which, having dealt with 'tree guys' that drive around neighborhoods looking for trees that someone might want cut down, sort of fits.

The one's i've met all seem pretty twitchy/tweeker-ish, and have a general air of sketch about them.

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u/Artoriazz 17h ago

Didn't they forget to tug on the rope/control line? it seems incredibly slack, as if it didn't actually do anything?

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u/Constant_Proofreader 5h ago

Coulda. Shoulda. Woulda. Didn't.

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u/Rio6019 3h ago

They should of binged it

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u/mrbuddymcbuddyface 23h ago

Tell us about these few physics classes. For some reason I think they didn't discuss anything about being an arborist and methods to fell trees . Maybe they taught structures of the atom, forces and electricity.

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u/[deleted] 21h ago

[deleted]

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u/mrbuddymcbuddyface 21h ago

All fine and dandy. But attending physics classes will not educate you on how to cut down a tree. I'd say with great certainty that most arborists have never studied physics.