Why don’t we have that here?
intercst
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Got me poking around the internet. It is an idea that has been around since 1965. And to quote one article, a multi thousand dollar laser (I’m sure cheaper now) can’t compete with a $200 dollar chainsaw.
To me, after watching some trees being taken down last year on our property, controlled felling. They brought in a mini-crane, strapped cables around a section of tree/limbs, sawed them off, directly loaded onto a trailer or into the chipper, on to the next section. No fear of damaging anything around. Still need men and heavy equipment so go for the controlled demo.
Would wonder if it could have a harvesting application but have doubts. Watch Ax Men to get an idea of what it takes to produce lumber.
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had some blighted oak trees removed a few year back. They could not get cranes or lift trucks in. They climbed, roped off sections of tree, and chainsawed them off while being strapped onto the tree. Very risky occupation, I only watched for about 15 minutes and my stomach was doing internal jumping jacks, lol. All went well, no property damage, no injuries. That is a young persons occupation, lol, but pretty lucrative. I did not begrudge a penny of what I paid them, they earned that money !
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I talked to the owner of the company (he was running a crew), asked him about finding people to work, like just about everyone else, he could hire twice as many as he has but no one wants to do it. He had a 3 month waiting list for non-emergency services.
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I’ve dreamed of getting (renting) one of those for decades. I want to use it to trim my neighbors trees and very large bushes that hang over my fence line.
Mike
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There was a story on the local news in Portland this winter after the ice storm. A 150 ft tall Douglas fir tree that was leaning towards a home needed to be removed. A Private Equity-funded tree service told the homeowners it would cost $30,000 if they could do it with a large crane or $100,000 if they needed to bring in a helicopter.
A company run by Mexican immigrants did the job for less than $10,000 without a helicopter or a crane, see video.
intercst
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I see a major problem, locally, Northern California, in the area where the firestorms hit heavily a few years back… The fire hazard of that high powered laser beam… While it might be fun to try it out, maybe to help with the cleanup of dead or dying trees, shrubs, reflected beams could be nasty… Maybe for mowing gras, in the rainy season? I have lots of little weeds between the 5" river rock out front, be nice n handy to wipe 'em out…
Likely developed as a weapon system, absolute accuracy, but…
Yes. How is this not a weapon? If it can cut through wood it can certainly slice through flesh even more easily. Powering it with a generator has to be easier than carrying a truckload of shells up to an artillery position. And if you can aim it with such precision that surely you can cut through telecommunication lines and other parts of infrastructure so as to dislocate and confuse the enemy.
Are we sure this really exists?
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The 200KW laser tree cutter is apparently used by electric utility companies in right-of-way maintenance. They cost up to $15,000 depending on options.
Everything You Need to Know About Laser Tree Cutters - Dekcel (dekcelcncmachine.com)
intercst
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Am I late to April 1? The video at the top of the thread is filled with fake laser beams and obvious sound effects. The photos at the Dekcel web site are heavily photoshopped.
–Peter <== missing the joke, I suppose
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