What I am
not fix'in today. (sorry the photo is dark)
I should have done this several years ago when the thing was smaller. The invasive Chinese/Stinking Sumac grows very quickly but has soft lightweight wood and easy to cut. A nosy neighbor came over from a couple houses down and started yelling about needing city permits for trunks over 12" but they are all that or smaller. There is a larger oak which provides the same shade so functionally it would be the same.
I had to be able to get to the circled part to be able to make cuts with the electric pole chain saw. They would drop to the left and right away from the deck. It would be a little sketchy but there was space underneath for them to fall. I could fix anything damaged on the garden surround if needed, and is not a safety issue.
Two shoots remaining. One trunk could have been dropped entirely into the driveway but the other had to be taken down piece by piece from the top.
The K-Pro (Keller) articulating ladder above is lightweight and handy, but bouncy at the pivot pin when used as a pure extension ladder.
I needed a real one.
I special-ordered an aluminum 20ft 300lb rated extension ladder (Keller/Werner). Lightweight and would be easy to move around. That should have been a clue.
It took 4 weeks to arrive.
In the meantime the trash tree probably grew another 4 feet.
Then:
1). Plastic on a 300lb ladder? Seriously? (note: that is a matrix not a solid block)
2). The end is an open "C" and not boxed in. One side is floating.
3). Ladder is very bouncy even though I am well under rated spec. The aluminum used is minimal and not stiff aka aircraft quality.
4). They even saved money on washers.
I looped it over the circled tree stub and shook it solid on the driveway.
Went up and roped it to the tree.
Small limbs previously peeled over and tried to knock the ladder out from under me.
Then the thing twisted about 15-20 degrees while I was up there. WTH.
I was in Go Mode. Every mental fiber in my brain said to continue....but I chickened out....
This job will need pros and a bucket truck. They previously gave me a quote for $1,000 for the little thing. An hour job. Geesh.
Very disappointing let down.
