Rope vs. spikes for a massive dying oak last month

Had to take down a 60 foot oak in my neighbor's backyard that was rotting from the inside. I went with rope climbing instead of spikes cause I thought it would be safer, but it took way longer and my arms were dead by the end. Has anyone else picked one way over the other and regretted it?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer6641d agoMost Upvoted

Had a similar situation with a 70 foot red oak that was hollow in the middle. Chose spikes because I figured it would be faster and I’d be in and out before the rot got sketchy. Big mistake. The tree basically exploded about halfway up when I put weight on a branch that looked solid but was just mush inside. Took a hard fall and broke my ankle. Rope climbing was the right call on your end, even if it took forever. Sore arms beat a hospital bill any day.

dylanbarnes1d ago

I read somewhere that climbers say "spikes are for dead trees and rope is for dying ones" and your story with that hollow oak proves it. That fall sounds BRUTAL, glad you're still around to talk about it even if the ankle took a beating.