# Locust tree... How tuff to cut?



## krooser (Oct 22, 2009)

I have a big, old locust tree in my yard that is about to assume room temerature.

I've had three tree outfits come over to give me an estimate to cut it down... they are all at $900.00 and up for the whole job BUT no one wants to cut it. they tell me it's so hard of a species that they wear out too many chains and that you'll actually see sparks from their chains as they cut it?

True or BS?

I USED to do tree work when I was in my early 20's... my nephew loves doing it and I'm thinking of hiring him, renting a 60' boom truck for him to use and getting my kids to help get this thing down.

Funny how my insurance company will pay to have it cut AFTER it comes down on the neighbor's house, across the roadd or after it takes down the power lines in the neighborhood.


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## Wet1 (Oct 22, 2009)

It is tough stuff to cut, but it isn't THAT bad.

If the tree is in a real problem area, you're probably better off paying the $900 and letting the guy with insurance do it... especially when you consider the worst case scenario, the cost of the bucket truck rental, and every one's time.


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## smokinj (Oct 22, 2009)

if you need a boom truck forget it spent the 900 bucks locust can throw some sparks and yes they are going to go through some chains but not anymore than a dirty silver maple.


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 22, 2009)

$900 seems like a lot o dough to drop a tree.  Is there something unusual about it that it needs more than a climber and a guy on the ground with a rope?


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## krooser (Oct 22, 2009)

The $900.00 isn't the problem. Nobody wants the job. Either I take it down or wait for a big storm to do it.

At least I know it can be done... the bucket rental is $300.00. Labor would be free. I'd probably give away the wood to whoever wants to load it and haul it away.

I'm just trying to avoid a problem in the dead of winter when this things comes down and takes the power lines with it.... or my neighbor's roof.


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## PunKid8888 (Oct 22, 2009)

krooser said:
			
		

> I'd probably give away the wood to whoever wants to load it and haul it away.



??????? :question: ???????


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## Wet1 (Oct 22, 2009)

PunKid8888 said:
			
		

> krooser said:
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He's a pellet burner, he hasn't seen the light yet.  :cheese:


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## ansehnlich1 (Oct 22, 2009)

Black Locust ain't that bad to cut, somebody's giving you a line of BS.

Guarantee Hickory is worse, and I've cut both with a POULAN.....

Find somebody that want's to take the tree down.


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## Tony H (Oct 22, 2009)

Locust is a pretty hard stuff but I never heard of any tree guys around here pass on cutting because of that. My FIL had a bunch trimmed that hung over the house and I think the guy charged him a little extra and cut it all to firewood length for me. 
Maybe you can find a real tree cutter to take it down then let the fellow you give it to buck it up and haul it away


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## Wet1 (Oct 22, 2009)

If it's that hairy, I would let anyone touch it unless they have proof of insurance.  The last thing you want to be doing is covering a lawsuit!


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## awoodman (Oct 22, 2009)

*I don't know where people come up with this stuff *Quotethey tell me it’s so hard of a species that they wear out too many chains and that you’ll actually see sparks from their chains as they cut it?)

I have hedge and locust on the property and it is no big deal to cut that all day. Just sharpen the chain up and keep going. Splits easy too....


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## TreePapa (Oct 22, 2009)

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> $900 seems like a lot o dough to drop a tree.  Is there something unusual about it that it needs more than a climber and a guy on the ground with a rope?



I think the price depends a lot on where you live. I doubt I could get a licensed, insured company to drop a big tree in So. Calif. for $900 these days.

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## SolarAndWood (Oct 22, 2009)

TreePapa said:
			
		

> SolarAndWood said:
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I suppose.  I had 3 taken down that were near the house and powerlines for $600.  They were 18", 20" and 24" and that price was just to the ground.  One climber and two guys on the ground had them down in less than a day.


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## n3pro (Oct 23, 2009)

We had to have several cut 7 years ago (before I was a wood burner) and it is pricey to have cut down; couldn't find anyone to take it.  One of the neighbors told us how much he made on the trees he cut down selling them to a paper mill, got us excited.  Every commercial person said "the only thing locust is good for is burning and that's not our business."  They seem to be lightning magnets too.  I have about 1/8 of a cord from stuff that I have had to clean up - tenants say the heard a large crack of thunder before they fell.


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## krooser (Oct 23, 2009)

My lot is fairly open... but there is a house about 60' from the tree... well within it's "damage" zone. It can be dropped on my lot or across my lot line onto my neighbors lot... he's OK with that.

I used to burn wood back when my back was good and I could buy firewood for $80.00 per cord delivered. I also cut my own on the ten acres I owned... but, again, I was much younger. I lived in the "U.P" of Michigan and some of us were pretty self-sufficient during that time (1970's).... grew a lot of our own food, had cows and chickens, 12V back-up power in the house... even read Mother Earth News...before it was trendy.

But I'm a city boy now and I got rid of my last wood stove after my insurance agent noticed the stack at the end of my shop.

Thanks for all the comments guys... I'm going to ask my nephew if wants the job. I can call my local radio station "swap shop" and get rid of the wood as there are a lot of woodburners around here.

If I do this I'll post pix of "Operation  Locust" as it happens.


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## Ratman (Oct 23, 2009)

krooser said:
			
		

> Funny how my insurance company will pay to have it cut AFTER it comes down on the neighbor's house, across the roadd or after it takes down the power lines in the neighborhood.



I agree about the insurance companies.
Legal bookies and the second richest industry next to oil.

A few years ago I had a 110' pine located 16" from the tar of the edge of the road, that about half way up divided into two sections (don't know the correct terminology) and was hit by lightning and one half fell, exploded the truck I had just built from my parts trucks (uninsured not on road yet) that was parked in front of my house, took down the power lines over the road and laid across the road into the neighbors driveway. Looked like a bomb hit. Road was shut for almost two weeks. The remaining 110' section swinging and leaning precariously over my neighbors home. My neighbors moved to their parents to protect the children.

My homeowners policy would not touch it claiming the tree was on city property because the city has rights to 13' from the middle of the road. I had to beg just to get a rep to view the site. The city wouldn't touch it because they have exemptions for Act of God events. It finally took the power company to sub-contract a firm to remove both sections of the tree. My phone calls to the insurance company were some of the most frustrating times in my life. I have new coverage now. The city left the road closed that long. Not a priority for them either. I prayed daily that another storm would'nt take the remaining 110' section down on my neighbors place or mine.


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## wisconsindvm (Oct 23, 2009)

i am pretty close in Winneconne and would be happy to give that locust a home!


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## Bugboy (Oct 25, 2009)

The last few locusts I cut were made of wood and I used a chainsaw, it worked out pretty well.


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## Wacky1 (Oct 25, 2009)

I have cut down some Locust and split them for fence posts around my farm.  They are a little hard but I do not remember going thru a bunch of chains or sharpening any more than any other wood.  They do last a long time for fencing.  That was some 15 years ago and just the past few years I have had to start replacing a few.  But it does burn well, similar to Hickory I think.


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## krooser (Oct 27, 2009)

wisconsindvm said:
			
		

> i am pretty close in Winneconne and would be happy to give that locust a home!



I'll let you know....


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## krooser (Oct 27, 2009)

Wacky1 said:
			
		

> I have cut down some Locust and split them for fence posts around my farm.  They are a little hard but I do not remember going thru a bunch of chains or sharpening any more than any other wood.  They do last a long time for fencing.  That was some 15 years ago and just the past few years I have had to start replacing a few.  But it does burn well, similar to Hickory I think.



I once heard Dale Earnhardt described as "tougher tha a locust post".... must be tuff stuff.


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## gzecc (Oct 27, 2009)

Wacky, Black locust should last much more than 15 yrs in the ground. Maybe you had honey locust?


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## Wood Duck (Oct 28, 2009)

I haven't had much trouble cutting locust with my Homelite chainsaw. Sure, it is harder to cut than some trees, but in the same ballpark as oak, I'd say. Around here, I think you can have a tree taken down in a controlled manner for about $200, and the wood left on the ground in whatever size pieces were needed to take it down safely. That is the price for an average large tree that could hit stuff if dropped from the base, but isn't overhanging a house or really close to powerlines, etc. I am sure it would be more for really big tree or one over a house, but $900 seems expensive.


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## savageactor7 (Oct 28, 2009)

Well I've cut all my PITA locust trees down except one...yeah they might have been a little harder to cut than maple or elm but I never gave it much thought as being that difficult. HUH!

I'd advise caution about doing this yourself. Pro trimmers that work in cherry pickers depend on learned life or death skill sets...that ain't us.  Now if you could attach a line high up in the tree and direct it to a clear area with a tractor...well OK. If you want to spend a lifetime dicking with chain saws without injury if have quickly to own up to what you know...and what ya don't know.


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## bmwloco (Oct 28, 2009)

I'm in the mountains of NC.  If fuel was cheaper, I could come up, cut it and haul it away.  I love burning locust!  Long, clean burns, and it burns HOT.


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## krooser (Nov 2, 2009)

savageactor7 said:
			
		

> Well I've cut all my PITA locust trees down except one...yeah they might have been a little harder to cut than maple or elm but I never gave it much thought as being that difficult. HUH!
> 
> I'd advise caution about doing this yourself. Pro trimmers that work in cherry pickers depend on learned life or death skill sets...that ain't us.  Now if you could attach a line high up in the tree and direct it to a clear area with a tractor...well OK. If you want to spend a lifetime dicking with chain saws without injury if have quickly to own up to what you know...and what ya don't know.



I did tree work for three years most every weekend for my buddy. He had the equipment and I had the young, good back... not anymore!

We had one job where the developer built a house 4 feet from a 60' oak tree... and called us a week before the open house to take it down. We used two 3/4" lines attached to a dump truck and our flatbed and steered it away from the new house but what a dumb move on their part!

My nephew has quite a bit of experience taking these things down... and I have three sons with chainsaws and some ambition... too bad only one burns wood.


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## krooser (Nov 3, 2009)

Here's the offender... is this a locust? My neighbors telling me it's a cottonwood....


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## glenng (Nov 5, 2009)

I dont understand why you cant get a proffesional tree service to take the job. 60 feet from the closest building is miles of room for a a pro. In dollars a big locust is going to eat up about $50 dollars more in saw chain and that can be figured into the bill. I remove locusts without thinking twice about it. I sometimes throw in a lowish bid just to get the firewood. 60 feet of clearance is a dream for a skilled professional.


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## krooser (Nov 5, 2009)

[quote author="glenng" date="1257399301"]I dont understand why you cant get a proffesional tree service to take the job. 60 feet from the closest building is miles of room for a a pro. In dollars a big locust is going to eat up about $50 dollars more in saw chain and that can be figured into the bill. I remove locusts without thinking twice about it. I sometimes throw in a lowish bid just to get the firewood. 60 feet of clearance is a dream for a skilled professional.



I've had three out here and no one wants the job. Perhaps there are so many jobs to choose from they only take the easy ones... couldn't blame them for that. I did get estimates... $900.00 to drop it and cut it up... no removal. A couple years ago the best guy in town quoted $1200.00 with removal... but he wouldn't take the job.

I've gotta talk to my nephew....


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## savageactor7 (Nov 5, 2009)

Yup that's locust to me...besides didn't the pros that turned down the job say it was locust?


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## Wood Duck (Nov 5, 2009)

glenng said:
			
		

> ... In dollars a big locust is going to eat up about $50 dollars more in saw chain and that can be figured into the bill. ....



$50 more in chains? Does locust really wear out chains that much faster than other trees? I am surprised to hear a pro say that. I never noticed much difference between Locust and most other trees. My somewhat-wimpy chainsaw throws much smaller chips when i cut locust than when I cut other trees, but when I switch back to another tree, i get large chips again and assumed that the chain was no worse for wear.


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## RIJEEP (Nov 5, 2009)

Wacky1 said:
			
		

> I have cut down some Locust and split them for fence posts around my farm.  They are a little hard but I do not remember going thru a bunch of chains or sharpening any more than any other wood.  They do last a long time for fencing.  That was some 15 years ago and just the past few years I have had to start replacing a few.  But it does burn well, similar to Hickory I think.



Locust  ;-)  Keeps me warm  Splits like a dream, And my Stihl eats it up


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## krooser (Nov 6, 2009)

savageactor7 said:
			
		

> Yup that's locust to me...besides didn't the pros that turned down the job say it was locust?



Yeah... but I have no idea. I should ask my mother-in-law... she knows everything!


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## glenng (Nov 6, 2009)

Wood Duck said:
			
		

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$50 is 1 chain on a large saw at the Stihl shop. I have no scientific way to quantify my "$50" statement but I change  a lot of chains when removing a big Locust.  Locust is known to be tough on saw chain. Theres a saying Ive heard "Tough as a locust post" . Pin Oak and Hickory are 2 other offenders that come to mind. Several things affect chain life. Density/Hardness (theres more to cut), moisture content (wet keeps the chain cool and acts as lubricant and this why dry dead trees dull chains faster than live trees of the same species) and also certain species pull earth into the wood as it grows( grit is actually in the wood). 

 When living a Locust is Hard, Dry and has embedded grit.  I have seen sparks fly off when cutting it at night.


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