Not just big palms

[Ken Johnson]

Ever seen something like this before?

[spockvr6]

I hope that guy has an open atrium in the middle of his garage!  LOL.

[SunnyFl]

I showed the piccie to my husband, and he actually asked "what kind of tree is it?"

Obviously, the flying kind.

Silly husband.

[Ken Johnson]

Gumbo Limbo

[SunnyFl]

(Ken Johnson @ Sep. 02 2006,05:14)

QUOTE

Gumbo Limbo

He says thank you.

[Dave Butler]

Very popular in Ocala, FL.

[Dypsisdean]

I know a crane operator who while lifting a large CIDP out of a backyard and over a garage, had it slip and dropped it through the garage.

[Ken Johnson]

I guess you don't have pictures?

The thing about palms is that you have no (news flash) horizontal branching so if it slips...

This tree has three straps on it. All on horizontal branches. It was an easy lift and also set on th etrailer easy as it was trimmed before we pulled it!

Let me see of I can find a cool photo of its final location.

I did find a picture of the location but this is a different tree..after huricane Willma. Looks a little like it fell through a "grudge"

[Ken Johnson]

Here is another Gumbo pic. This is not "DOT" legal but we can move the tree down the road a short piece like this.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Ken,

Great to see someone taking the time to move the big stuff.  It looked like you used a spreader bar and a couple of straps?  I supervised moving about 50 live oaks almost that size when the company I worked for rebuilt a road.  We had to move them to our nursery 3 miles away, plant them for six months, then move them back again.

I drilled a 1.5 inch hole through the trunk, then inserted a heavy steel bar through the hole.  It worked great because we were pulling the trees from a very rocky location where the trees were well established (mucho roots in the rock).  Lifting with the bar made sure no bark was torn by trees holding onto the rock.  When all was done, I plugged the holes by hammering in a wooden dowel and cutting flush with the bark.  A year later the holes were covered with new bark and I don't think we lost any trees either.

Gumbos have bark that easily slips, but they are so forgiving you could plant them upside down and they would grow.

Jerry

[Dave Butler]

Theres a couple of guys running around Broward County, FL. with a little smaller crane. I watched them pull out a coconut tree in a half hour about 30ft tall. These guys had steel shovels, dug a small trench around the base and out it came. Then took a chainsaw wacked off alot of fronds and loaded it, straped it down and took off. I spoke to one of them and he told me. That they paid $50 for it, and already had a buyer for $800. They say average amount of trees they pull out a day is like 6. Making that big money, also they have a list of buyers a mile long. Looks like scary work wonder if they have insurance. Buy the looks of them I doubt it.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Two men and a crane has to cost a couple hundred an hour.  Figuring removal time, travel time and installation time, $800 for a 30' coconut is not a bad price.

Jerry

[spockvr6]

Dave-

We have similar types up here.  I have gotten fliers on the door from a company wiling to do me a big favor and remove some of my palms for free!  They will even replant with identical replacement palms that are 1/10 the size!  Wow...thanks!

But, I suppose they do get a few takers as some folks will be happy to be rid of certain larger palms (like Queens which require periodic trimming) from their yard.  These same palms are also readily resellable by the removers.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Larry,

That is especially true of coconuts.  Much easier to harvest nuts when the palm is young.

Jerry

[Ken Johnson]

I have met some of the guys that dig coconuts and let me tell you that some of them are very suspect. I am not worried about them reading this and getting mad at me because I doubt they even have computers. For sure insurance is not a concern for them. Paying for the tree is also an option as I have heard that they sometimes promise money but take off before they pay! Not to mention the big hole they leave.

I started in this business buying common palms too but I could not compeat with these guys as they sell way cheaper due to their low overhead. Rare palms that are hard to transplat are not on these guys list so that is where I put my effort.

I also buy dicots, like the gumbo above. I buy lignum vitae, Texas ebony, frangipani and any salt tolerant hard woods. I even dig big crotons Dave!

South Florida has so many plants that are found nowhere else in the US and we supply the Carribean with virtually all of there landscaping material because of that. Thus the good market for salt tolerant plants. Got any in you yard you want to sell?

[Dave Butler]

Ken,

I have a small landscape business, And alot of times I need to remove large palms to make way for the new landscape. Thats where my trusty chainsaw comes in, If I see or come across anything interesting I`ll give you a call.

A couple of times people want root ball and all out of the ground. Thats a little much for me, Embassy lakes in davie,FL. is full of exotic palms. Like I said, I`ll call you before I start my saw you can say yes or no and I`ll work around it till you get there.

[amazon exotics]

Dave, I can't imagine you would even consider cutting down a palm tree being a ips member and a palm lover. Sometimes it may be manditory (diseased or dying) but other than that I try with anymeans possiable to transplant the palm or sell it to another customer. Love palms, make money off of palms, don't murder them. I probally could have made $100,000 alone in the last year if I could have sold every palm that landscapers I know cut down and payed me to stump.

[BobbyinNY]

Theres a couple of guys running around Broward County, FL. with a little smaller crane. I watched them pull out a coconut tree in a half hour about 30ft tall. These guys had steel shovels, dug a small trench around the base and out it came. Then took a chainsaw wacked off alot of fronds and loaded it, straped it down and took off. I spoke to one of them and he told me. That they paid $50 for it, and already had a buyer for $800. They say average amount of trees they pull out a day is like 6. Making that big money, also they have a list of buyers a mile long. Looks like scary work wonder if they have insurance. Buy the looks of them I doubt

$50.00 for a 30ft COCOS??... that's insane.... Heck, even $800.00 is cheap... and that includes installation?.. Wow.....

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Bobby,

You would be surprised at the number of people who would want to be rid of a tall palm.  Their complaints range from "It is too tall and out of scale with my house" to "It attracts lightening" and "I can't trim it or collect coconuts from a palm that tall" and the not so unusual "I hate palms!  I want a shade/flower/ fruit tree."

Believe it or not, a lot of people don't like palms.

Jerry

[DoomsDave]

(Jerry@TreeZoo @ Sep. 03 2006,20:05)

QUOTE

Ken,

I supervised moving about 50 live oaks almost that size when the company I worked for rebuilt a road.  We had to move them to our nursery 3 miles away, plant them for six months, then move them back again.

I drilled a 1.5 inch hole through the trunk, then inserted a heavy steel bar through the hole.  It worked great because we were pulling the trees from a very rocky location where the trees were well established (mucho roots in the rock).  Lifting with the bar made sure no bark was torn by trees holding onto the rock.  When all was done, I plugged the holes by hammering in a wooden dowel and cutting flush with the bark.  A year later the holes were covered with new bark and I don't think we lost any trees either.

Jerry

That sounds like great treemanship!

I might be faced with having to move a monster soon . . .

dave

[Ken Johnson]

Bobby,

I doubt that includes insatllation. They sell to landscapers. The Landscaper may be able to triple the price!

The wholesale price for big Cocos is around $50/ foot of wood. A 30'er may sell for $800 to $1000 based on that.

Another interesting thing to point out is that you never know exactly what "kind" of coconut you are buying. While all coconuts can get Leathal Yellow the off types, often found in yards, get it REAL EASY! Can you imagine having your $30,000 worth (10 PALMS AROUND YOUR POOL LETS SAY)  of palms die all at once?