Just realized everyone says to always use a climbing line for big removals, but my old Husqvarna 372XP taught me a different lesson last month.

I was taking down a big, dead oak in a tight backyard in Springfield and decided to just use a pole saw for the upper limbs, thinking it was safer than setting a line in the rotten canopy. A 6-inch limb I was cutting swung back and cracked the saw's crankcase on a lower branch. I had to finish the job with a handsaw and it added three hours to the day. Has anyone else had a tool failure make them rethink a common safety rule?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_black1mo ago

Oh man, that's the universe charging you the idiot tax. I mean, the whole point of the climbing line is to control where stuff goes, right? So skipping it basically turned your saw into a very expensive pinball. Maybe it's just me, but that three hour handsaw session sounds like the perfect punishment to make sure you never forget a line again.

perez.patricia1mo ago

Yeah, the "idiot tax" part really hits home... I've definitely paid that one before. Nothing like a brutal handsaw session to burn the lesson into your brain for good. You'll be double-checking every line from now on, that's for sure.

the_holly22d ago

That reminds me of this buddy of mine who used a bungee strap instead of a proper chain for hauling logs. Snapped right in the middle of a steep section. He spent the next four hours hiking down the hill picking up firewood like a demented squirrel. Handsaw punishment is definitely the universe's way of making sure you remember the lesson.