Watching a crew handle a storm-damaged oak in Atlanta flipped my view on crane use

I always saw them as overkill for residential work, but seeing them clear a 60-foot limb from over a house in 20 minutes without a single drop zone... Has anyone else had a job that completely changed their mind on a piece of gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

allen.cole4mo ago

Saw a video where a crane saved a crew hours on a tricky backyard removal. Totally get the appeal now.

barbara2784mo ago

Forget the time saved, think about the safety factor. A lot of those backyard jobs put guys in horrible spots with ropes and ladders. Using a crane means you can take the tree apart from a safe distance on the ground. It also stops all the damage from dragging big wood sections through someone's garden. The cost seems high until you add up the reduced risk and the fact you aren't fixing a smashed fence afterward.

cameron_owens492mo ago

Allen's got a good point about the speed, but the safety part is where it REALLY matters. Using a crane doesn't mean you're just taking the tree apart from a safe distance on the ground though. You still need a climber or a bucket truck to get up there and rig the pieces to the crane. The winch operator on the ground still has a risky job keeping tension on the ropes while the crane lifts. The real safety win is you don't have guys swinging around on ropes trying to drop sections between a house and a fence. And that smashed fence thing Barbara mentioned? That's the REAL money saver. I've seen a crew spend half a day just fixing a fence they wrecked dragging out a big oak limb.