That time I dropped a 60-foot limb right onto my own truck

I was working a big oak removal out in a backyard near Eugene, Oregon maybe 4 years ago now. The homeowner wanted me to take down this one massive limb that was hanging over their shed, and I had it all rigged up with ropes and pulleys. Everything looked good from the ground, but I got sloppy with my notch cut and the whole thing swung sideways instead of dropping clean. It came crashing down right onto the bed of my F-150, bent the tailgate and cracked the fiberglass topper. My buddy Dave was on the rope and just yelled "oh no" before it even hit. I had to finish the job with a dented truck and a bruised ego, then spend $700 on a new topper the next week. Has anyone else had a tree go sideways on them like that where you just knew you messed up the cut? Would love to hear how you fixed it without losing your cool.

2 comments

2 Comments

jennifer_fisher15d ago

Wow, $700 for a topper? That stings just reading it. Bet you didn't even get any sympathy from the homeowner either, they just watched it happen. Your buddy yelling "oh no" before it hit is the kind of moment that plays over in your head for weeks. I've seen a limb swing like that once and it made my stomach drop, you handled it way better than I would have. At least you got a story out of it and a new topper, I guess.

cameron_craig15d ago

Had a buddy lose his whole windshield on a job last month, same kind of bad luck.