Tree Fellas Devon

Challenge: 

Tree Fellas Devon is an arborculture specialist delivering tree pruning, dismantling and felling services across Devon. It uses the Hinowa Lightlift 20.10 tracked spider crane to carry out almost all its services. The company was commissioned to reduce (prune) an oak tree, protected by a tree preservation order, in the back garden of a house in Exeter. Two previous plans to carry out the work by conventional tree climbing had been turned down by the council because they would have resulted in pruning the tree too severely. The key problem was that the only access to the garden was through a very narrow gate.

Solution: 

Tree Fellas submitted a plan which involved using its Hinowa LL 20.10 tracked boom lift, which was approved. The spider boom was, at 0.79m wide, narrow enough to be driven through the gate. As a light platform, exerting low ground pressure, it could be tracked across the garden and safely set up without causing any damage. The boom lift could then be set up and repositioned quickly to reach all positions around the tree canopy.

Outcomes: 

The Hinowa LL 20.10 allowed the Tree Fellas Devon tree surgeon to trim precisely the right amount off each branch. As the basket could be placed in the optimum position for each cut, there was no compromise on safety and the best cut, in terms of the long-term health of the tree and its associated wildlife, could be achieved. The pruning job was completed in less than a day, with least disruption to the property owner and with the best outcome for the tree.

Owning the Hinowa has been transformational for our business. We’re winning work we couldn’t do before because we can respond more quickly to urgent projects.

We can stay competitive on price, even when factoring in the cost of the platform, because our jobs take less time, so we can do more work.

The working height and outreach of the Hinowa, for a platform that is so narrow, is phenomenal. Also, the way the basket capacity stays the same at full outreach is very useful.

I’m very hot on safety, as are many of our clients, which makes the Hinowa so attractive. I never think now about climbing with ropes. My first thought is to use the Hinowa.

-          Ben Van Walsum, Director, Tree Fellas Devon