Please call an arborist when working under the canopy, or drip line, of a tree. Root damage is generally delayed 5-6 years. Your tree dies long after your “quick fix” and you may be left scratching your head on why. Over 90% of a trees roots are in the top 24 inches of soil and they hold the tree through tension almost like a circus tent so even roots 3-4 inches in diameter can have a big effect on stability
Now that this video is 2 years old, I'd be curious to see an update on what these trees look like now. The excavator mangled their structural roots/critical root zone--if they're still standing, what kind of health are they in? It looks like these might also be public trees, based on their location? To echo other comments, please consult an arborist, have proper tools to cleanly cut roots, and follow ISA BMP's.
Well that was certainly interesting to watch. I have never seen someone approach this problem in such a manner. That was a great way to accomplish this task while saving your customers some money I hope. Great interesting video and good work guys!
I don't know if this is standard in the US but where I'm from we always install root guards to prevent this issue all together. saves your client even more money, but hey at least you can come back in a few years and do it again.
Luv the fact you reuse the slab. In Australia they just pull everything up and relay the slab. We were especially happy when Jim showed up, you just know it done right when his there lol
I recall the town planting trees along the sidewalk in front of the new high school circa 1971. They put them more than 10 ft away and so many people said it looked odd. Here we are almost 50 years later and the sidewalk is still as straight / level as the day it was poured. Oh, they also planted them on the inside and not between the sidewalk and road where cars can hit them and roots can buckle the curb, never mind salt splash in the winter. I guess someone was thinking ahead for a change!
I agree, street side trees distroy sidewalks and street curbs and the street in some cases. Any tree should be a projected drip line of a mature tree away from the sidewalk and street even if it means back into private property And the type of trees needs to be selected but also cant all be one type of tree. This adds value to the area unless its a Bradford pear tree then it hurts property values. That type of tree is so evasive we need to remove all of them.
Tom, I might suggest you invest in a cordless sawzall and 12" carbide Diablo blades. They are fantastic for cutting off roots. Should be a little less traumatic for the trees and tear up less of the adjacent grass. Good job 👍
Depending on your budget there is a product called Sidewalk Shield which is installed either at the time of new construction or in this case a repair. The shield forces the roots to go deeper into the ground thereby minimizing heaving of the concrete/blacktop etc.
Standard depth is 18". Can also be up to 3 or 4 feet deep. Sounds good in theory, but digging almost two feet down to place the shield could be problematic. I think most of the shield products are made from recycled, HDPE plastic.
Simple means of repairing sidewalks as long as you have two whole sections to lift. You identified a real problem while fixing with a creative technique. Most concrete companies would no bid or charge a bunch to repair. The other beauty of this concrete repair is the concrete remains same color. The crew handles repair so skillfully like the care they use when pouring new concrete.
Great video. We have had the same problem over the years at our home. Our property line is 10' from the curb, so the township is responsible for the trees and sidewalk. Since we have lived here the town has replace 2 or 3 sections of sidewalk 2 times. The house was built in 1959 so the two Locus Trees are very large.
Hello from Midland Tx. Love the videos. Nice to see people that pay so much attention to detail and quality. I’ve been doing concrete work all my life and around here they don’t use enough expansion joints and control joints. People around here think ugly cracking is just the way it is. I show them my work and they ask why their contractor didn’t do their work that way. I tell them that’s what happens when you don’t check out the contractors work and/or go whit a cheap bid. You get what you pay for. Keep up the great work and videos!
City wanted my dad to plant trees and my dad said no because then he was responsible for repairing the side walk. When my neighbor fix their sidewalk I always wonder why not do what you did here cut remove sections repair and put back in way faster then putting in new sidewalks. Great video
Great job - very interesting approach to this problem. There are many more verities of trees available nowadays that are city / sidewalk friendly. No need to plant oaks, maples, bradford pears that cause problems in the long term. I can visualize a street lined with male Ginkos or dogwoods - beautiful.
I have been battling with my Metro Council here in Louisville over the past 2 years for the city to fix the sidewalk in front of my house where the city planted trees 20 years ago. I suggested this same method of repair and they came up with some over-inflated estimate that would cost $12,000 to remove the roots under the sidewalk.
Slick method. I think a sawz-all might make it a bit cleaner/easier - less damage to the lawn on each side. Run a pruning blade through the soil on each side of the sidewalk about 6" out. Then when you rip the roots up, they only pull up so far back.
Very cool solution to an age old problem. Back in Ohio, we had to replace our sidewalk every 8 years or so due to roots. Not sure why trees are even planted in such a narrow space between sidewalk and the curb, but it happens all the time.
nice job, great tool you made.why not try cutting the roots with the demo salon both sides leave the roots on the grass side to rot and just pull the ones in the sidewalk area it would be less cleanup the area
Someone has been smothering the base of these trees with mulch. Roots need air and adding more and more material around the base of the tree can cause the tree to try to grow roots up closer to the surface.
11:08 i think like a bobcat a implemnt could be made to hook on lift and move the sidewalk So the roots can be delt with And the use of rocks and sand as the base under the sidewalk. I see a lot of gravel was used under the concrete, the devloper where im at just pourd right on clay, The sidewalks are a mess.
I think I would have used a chain saw to trim the roots near the tree rather than rip them up with the excavator shovel. Seems it would be less damage to the tree root system and easier for the tree to recover. Just like you would trim a branch rather than break it off. Otherwise I think the concrete lift plan is a great idea and we’ll executed.
Wow that was so interesting! Did you apply for a patent for that device you made? Amazing to watch your crew in action everyone working together anticipating what needs to be done next. Even the youngest is never standing around idle ......Also is the homeowner responsible for repair costs or the town?
Seems to be around a 20-ish year-old community. Some of the neighborhoods near me have this exact problem... but it's around 60 years of growth of the trees... YIKES!
The trees beside the sidewalk look nice but they sure don't play nice with sidewalks planted that close. That is a neat and quick solution. I like the tool you designed.
I like that you save and reuse the sidewalk, but I have a question. Are you concerned that now that the roots are no longer stabilizing the tree on the sidewalk side, maybe in a BIG rain and wind storm, the tree could uproot and fall, likely into the street. Do you have any remedy or precautionary tips to help minimize that risk ? I am faced with that very problem. And thanks for identifying the pretty music.
We are only tearing out a couple of routes I don’t see the tree blowing over however I have this conversation with every homeowner the trees are just too big and they need to go and be replaced with smaller younger trees they should’ve planted them 10 feet away from the sidewalk in the front yard and we wouldn’t have this issue
I live in New York Staten Island if you ever get caught doing that to a tree you would be put in jail, because of all the tree nuts. Very cool idea works great.
Home owner is responsible for sidewalk & curb. Township just issues citation for uneven pavement or broken curbing. Usually happens when a house is being sold or someone complains. At least that's what happens in Pa, been there before.
@@johnwalker6121 in the land of taxes (NY) the sidewalk and tree lawn are maintained by the municipality. Don’t even think about replacing a hazardous sidewalk flag, they will fine you.
Maple trees have a very long tap root, going straight down, making them resistant to wind. Evergreen tree's? their roots spread out. That's why they go down easily...
since we are thinking out side the box....maybe to help minimize the peripheral damage, after you remove the sidewalk take a sawzall with 12" pruning blades and cut the roots just outside the sidewalk and then pull up the remaining roots with the bucket. Does the city pay for this or is this on the homeowner?
I find it funny that the young guys wear tenna shoes and gym shorts, and the older fellas wear work boots work shorts or pants. I sweat so much I should try the gym shorts idea or just wear my swimsuit!😁👊✌💪🔨
The tree roots pushing up the concrete? By cutting some big roots, I think, the tree will be very prone to being blown or pushed over towards the house now.
I did the same thing in my previous house 3 weeks later we had a thunderstorm with high wind and the tree went down in the street minutes after I had walked past it .
I dug a lot of trench and ripped up many roots. From that experience I would use a recip saw and pruning blade to cut those roots to save the mess in the lawn.
Depending on exactly where you are - who's insurance covers the damage when the tree falls in the street and 'kills' someone's car? Yours - for damaging the root structure? Home owners and/or city's because they owned the tree? Too much damage to the root structure for this tree to be as strong as it was. Sorry, but for all concerned (now, and in the future) IMHO this is a bad move to cure the problem this way. A temporary fix, at best, even if it doesn't blow over. Just sayin' ... PS: I have watched a ton of your vids! I applaud your skills, team work, ingenuity, fast job completion, and professionalism. If you were in my area I would surely hire you, and your team for all the work on my properties!!
Bruh u just cut them tree anchor roots, they're gonna blow over now bud. I can appreciate what ure doing and doing what u have to do but u should never cut more than 25 percent off of any tree root system, especially the anchor root.
I blame the people that planted the tree because they probably didn't take into consideration that the tree will grow and the roots will cause problems
Someone just put the wrong tree in the wrong spot. Trees like that had no business being planted right next to a sidewalk. City planners at their finest, perhaps?
this is a short time fix. roots will grow back if the tree survives. the tree may die. permanent solution would be to replace the tree with one that has different root structure.
Please call an arborist when working under the canopy, or drip line, of a tree. Root damage is generally delayed 5-6 years. Your tree dies long after your “quick fix” and you may be left scratching your head on why. Over 90% of a trees roots are in the top 24 inches of soil and they hold the tree through tension almost like a circus tent so even roots 3-4 inches in diameter can have a big effect on stability
Now that this video is 2 years old, I'd be curious to see an update on what these trees look like now. The excavator mangled their structural roots/critical root zone--if they're still standing, what kind of health are they in? It looks like these might also be public trees, based on their location? To echo other comments, please consult an arborist, have proper tools to cleanly cut roots, and follow ISA BMP's.
Well that was certainly interesting to watch. I have never seen someone approach this problem in such a manner. That was a great way to accomplish this task while saving your customers some money I hope. Great interesting video and good work guys!
Thanks for watching!
I don't know if this is standard in the US but where I'm from we always install root guards to prevent this issue all together. saves your client even more money, but hey at least you can come back in a few years and do it again.
What a clever way to approach a problem.. And your concrete work is an artform to watch.
Hey!! Those were ramps for jumping my bicycle when I was a kid!!
What a great invention. Usually the concrete is destroyed and new concrete is needed. Thumbs up
Came from the Morgan s. Enjoy the videos and Tom's casual narration
Long term stability ? Tree Survival ? Up or Down movement of the tree ? Lets look at this again in a year ?
Luv the fact you reuse the slab. In Australia they just pull everything up and relay the slab. We were especially happy when Jim showed up, you just know it done right when his there lol
Terrific invention. Great thinking and execution!!
I recall the town planting trees along the sidewalk in front of the new high school circa 1971. They put them more than 10 ft away and so many people said it looked odd. Here we are almost 50 years later and the sidewalk is still as straight / level as the day it was poured. Oh, they also planted them on the inside and not between the sidewalk and road where cars can hit them and roots can buckle the curb, never mind salt splash in the winter. I guess someone was thinking ahead for a change!
I agree, street side trees distroy sidewalks and street curbs and the street in some cases. Any tree should be a projected drip line of a mature tree away from the sidewalk and street even if it means back into private property
And the type of trees needs to be selected but also cant all be one type of tree. This adds value to the area unless its a Bradford pear tree then it hurts property values.
That type of tree is so evasive we need to remove all of them.
You have a great team. I love watching them work. Nice job!
Nice job guys well done to you pity others could learn from you
I assume this process kills many of the trees and makes them more vulnerable to wind damage. I guess that's the trade off.
hurricane took my tree over well before a de rooting did
I've never seen it done like that. Good job.
Tom, I might suggest you invest in a cordless sawzall and 12" carbide Diablo blades. They are fantastic for cutting off roots. Should be a little less traumatic for the trees and tear up less of the adjacent grass.
Good job 👍
yup, they work great that's what I use my Milwaukee
get a wood blade for your parter saw..
I was going to ask why they werent cutting the roots first. Glad you know what saw they need
What a money saver, work saver, very versatile crew, great job
Where there is a will there is a way !!! Way to go BOSS MAN !!!
Depending on your budget there is a product called Sidewalk Shield which is installed either at the time of new construction or in this case a repair. The shield forces the roots to go
deeper into the ground thereby minimizing heaving of the concrete/blacktop etc.
Standard depth is 18". Can also be up to 3 or 4 feet deep. Sounds good in theory, but digging almost two feet down to place the shield could be problematic. I think most of the shield products are made from recycled, HDPE plastic.
Simple means of repairing sidewalks as long as you have two whole sections to lift. You identified a real problem while fixing with a creative technique. Most concrete companies would no bid or charge a bunch to repair. The other beauty of this concrete repair is the concrete remains same color.
The crew handles repair so skillfully like the care they use when pouring new concrete.
Soothing for real. Great job fellas. From Houston
Great video. We have had the same problem over the years at our home. Our property line is 10' from the curb, so the township is responsible for the trees and sidewalk. Since we have lived here the town has replace 2 or 3 sections of sidewalk 2 times. The house was built in 1959 so the two Locus Trees are very large.
Doesn't matter where I live they still charge you half the cost. Tiny crack and then they replace the segment.
@@ArnieD17 Sorry to hear that. We've never been charged for sidewalk replacement or tree trimming in front of the house.
Status on the heath of these trees one year later? I was worried about doing mine .
Whoa! Great video…Others have root issues , too! Thank you for posting..
Smiths from Big Sky Country - Great Falls, MT
Another great video! Dang roots always causing problems. Cool service you offer.
Hello from Midland Tx. Love the videos. Nice to see people that pay so much attention to detail and quality. I’ve been doing concrete work all my life and around here they don’t use enough expansion joints and control joints. People around here think ugly cracking is just the way it is. I show them my work and they ask why their contractor didn’t do their work that way. I tell them that’s what happens when you don’t check out the contractors work and/or go whit a cheap bid. You get what you pay for. Keep up the great work and videos!
Wow. Great job. I've never seen that. I need someone like you in my area.
I never cease to be amazed with what you do and how you do it!!
Clever device to extract the concrete section. I guess the trees are more vulnerable now in high winds… tornados and hurricanes.
You guys are awesome. Thanks for sharing this.
City wanted my dad to plant trees and my dad said no because then he was responsible for repairing the side walk. When my neighbor fix their sidewalk I always wonder why not do what you did here cut remove sections repair and put back in way faster then putting in new sidewalks. Great video
Thanks
WOW, I would hire you in a NY minute in New Jersey = Awesome work
Thanks
Great job - very interesting approach to this problem. There are many more verities of trees available nowadays that are city / sidewalk friendly. No need to plant oaks, maples, bradford pears that cause problems in the long term. I can visualize a street lined with male Ginkos or dogwoods - beautiful.
That’s crazy brilliant!!
Thanks
You all do good work
Good help is hard to find
And they said it wouldn’t work!
Nice job!
Very good work money saver beats replacing it and why people plant trees between street and sidewalk just dumb.
Nice job Tom, good repair and keeps everything looking the same....
Ps, get a pair of safety glasses when running that Con saw
Excellent!
Great temporary solution. How long do the trees live before they die or blow down? I have done this fix myself, by hand, no power .
Hello from Chicago! Does digging up the trees roots on one side cause the tree any problems? Either dying down the line or stability problems?
no , hardwoods can survive on 50% of roots
Thank you, I had the same question!
They can survive, but it will have no support on this side of the tree again. I hope it dies before it falls on someone when it's full size.
Nice work. I've seen a cordless saws all make quick work of roots. Your demo saw would work also.
I have been battling with my Metro Council here in Louisville over the past 2 years for the city to fix the sidewalk in front of my house where the city planted trees 20 years ago. I suggested this same method of repair and they came up with some over-inflated estimate that would cost $12,000 to remove the roots under the sidewalk.
Nice job
Pretty cool. Valuable service. Do the trees survive? I'm sure kids on bikes and roller skaters thank you.
I woulda thought u would Sawzall the roots where it meet the peoples lawn that way you get a clean cut and u don't tear up the lawn. Nice vids, tom
Slick method.
I think a sawz-all might make it a bit cleaner/easier - less damage to the lawn on each side. Run a pruning blade through the soil on each side of the sidewalk about 6" out. Then when you rip the roots up, they only pull up so far back.
used to use em as bike jumps as a kid
Very cool solution to an age old problem. Back in Ohio, we had to replace our sidewalk every 8 years or so due to roots. Not sure why trees are even planted in such a narrow space between sidewalk and the curb, but it happens all the time.
nice job, great tool you made.why not try cutting the roots with the demo salon both sides leave the roots on the grass side to rot and just pull the ones in the sidewalk area it would be less cleanup the area
You are correct!!!!!
Work Smarter not Harder!!!!
Won't that make the tree unstable?
Are these projects for the village/town or for the homeowners ?
Thanks for watching. we do them for both .
Someone has been smothering the base of these trees with mulch. Roots need air and adding more and more material around the base of the tree can cause the tree to try to grow roots up closer to the surface.
Exactly right. The term I have seen used is Vulcano. Roots start to girdle around the top. Such a waste.
Yep everytime I see root popping up in my grass I plug in my reciprocating saw and cut out either side and pull it out
Awesome idea!
11:08 i think like a bobcat a implemnt could be made to hook on lift and move the sidewalk
So the roots can be delt with
And the use of rocks and sand as the base under the sidewalk.
I see a lot of gravel was used under the concrete, the devloper where im at just pourd right on clay,
The sidewalks are a mess.
Love this video. Can I ask why after spending the money to lift those slabs, did you not get rid of the source tree? Then it would never come back.
The Township said no
I think I would have used a chain saw to trim the roots near the tree rather than rip them up with the excavator shovel. Seems it would be less damage to the tree root system and easier for the tree to recover. Just like you would trim a branch rather than break it off. Otherwise I think the concrete lift plan is a great idea and we’ll executed.
Wow that was so interesting! Did you apply for a patent for that device you made? Amazing to watch your crew in action everyone working together anticipating what needs to be done next. Even the youngest is never standing around idle ......Also is the homeowner responsible for repair costs or the town?
Seems to be around a 20-ish year-old community.
Some of the neighborhoods near me have this exact problem...
but it's around 60 years of growth of the trees...
YIKES!
The trees beside the sidewalk look nice but they sure don't play nice with sidewalks planted that close. That is a neat and quick solution. I like the tool you designed.
I like that you save and reuse the sidewalk, but I have a question.
Are you concerned that now that the roots are no longer stabilizing the tree on the sidewalk side, maybe in a BIG rain and wind storm, the tree could uproot and fall, likely into the street.
Do you have any remedy or precautionary tips to help minimize that risk ?
I am faced with that very problem.
And thanks for identifying the pretty music.
We are only tearing out a couple of routes I don’t see the tree blowing over however I have this conversation with every homeowner the trees are just too big and they need to go and be replaced with smaller younger trees they should’ve planted them 10 feet away from the sidewalk in the front yard and we wouldn’t have this issue
I live in New York Staten Island if you ever get caught doing that to a tree you would be put in jail, because of all the tree nuts. Very cool idea works great.
Is that the townships responsibility to maintain the walks?
Home owner is responsible for sidewalk & curb. Township just issues citation for uneven pavement or broken curbing. Usually happens when a house is being sold or someone complains. At least that's what happens in Pa, been there before.
@@johnwalker6121 in the land of taxes (NY) the sidewalk and tree lawn are maintained by the municipality. Don’t even think about replacing a hazardous sidewalk flag, they will fine you.
Sure seems you are weakening the ability of the tree to survive a strong wind.
Maple trees have a very long tap root, going straight down, making them resistant to wind. Evergreen tree's? their roots spread out. That's why they go down easily...
This is why city planners need to determine what kind of trees to plant and consider the distance as well.
Who does the landscape repair an at after yinz guys put the sidewalk back?
since we are thinking out side the box....maybe to help minimize the peripheral damage, after you remove the sidewalk take a sawzall with 12" pruning blades and cut the roots just outside the sidewalk and then pull up the remaining roots with the bucket. Does the city pay for this or is this on the homeowner?
And btw Tom you're having too much fun
I say that every day
Here where I live they cut down the tree, tear out the sidewalk, dig out the roots, pour a new section of sidewalk….then plant another tree 🤷♂️
Its Job security for your kids by planting another tree
Here they ignore it as long as they can, then cut down the tree, tear out the sidewalk, and leave the mess for another day (or another year).
Great work......On a side note, the mulch volcano's around all the trees are ridiculous looking....who does that still?
I find it funny that the young guys wear tenna shoes and gym shorts, and the older fellas wear work boots work shorts or pants. I sweat so much I should try the gym shorts idea or just wear my swimsuit!😁👊✌💪🔨
Must be kind to me. !
I sweat so much I leave trails when I take a step...
Good way to fix the sidewalk. Please remember to wear safety glasses and hearing protection when running saws, even for a short time.
What do you put in the joints after resetting slabs?
Doesn't Stress the Tree
... or kill it outright. ?
The tree roots pushing up the concrete? By cutting some big roots, I think, the tree will be very prone to being blown or pushed over towards the house now.
A tree that size I only removed one route I’m sure it’ll be fine
What did you charge for this?
Very nice work!! I think there should be an ordinance that prevents the planting of trees between the sidewalk and the street.
In indiana they just grind them down
I did the same thing in my previous house 3 weeks later we had a thunderstorm with high wind and the tree went down in the street minutes after I had walked past it .
I dug a lot of trench and ripped up many roots. From that experience I would use a recip saw and pruning blade to cut those roots to save the mess in the lawn.
Depending on exactly where you are - who's insurance covers the damage when the tree falls in the street and 'kills' someone's car? Yours - for damaging the root structure? Home owners and/or city's because they owned the tree? Too much damage to the root structure for this tree to be as strong as it was. Sorry, but for all concerned (now, and in the future) IMHO this is a bad move to cure the problem this way. A temporary fix, at best, even if it doesn't blow over. Just sayin' ...
PS: I have watched a ton of your vids! I applaud your skills, team work, ingenuity, fast job completion, and professionalism. If you were in my area I would surely hire you, and your team for all the work on my properties!!
I wonder if there was a cost savings from using the old slab.
100%
What if you sawcut the roots at the edge so they wouldn’t tear up the grass when you lift the roots out?
Because that would actually make sense. But with these jokers...
How many trees have you killed repairing sidewalks
Using a sod cutter before digging up the roots would help to restore the lawns.
Bruh u just cut them tree anchor roots, they're gonna blow over now bud. I can appreciate what ure doing and doing what u have to do but u should never cut more than 25 percent off of any tree root system, especially the anchor root.
I blame the people that planted the tree because they probably didn't take into consideration that the tree will grow and the roots will cause problems
@@matthewrogers94mr yea most definitely not only that but the landscapers who are piling mulch up around the tree base. But nevertheless..
that is what i am concerned over. and even if it blows over, still cost more money to clean blown over tree up.
Someone just put the wrong tree in the wrong spot. Trees like that had no business being planted right next to a sidewalk. City planners at their finest, perhaps?
@J P nobody gives a shit. I ain't got time to type proper
I think I'd have built a small, gorgeous suitable bridge over the hump. Not damage the trees root.
The trees are just too big and small space
Y'all ever consider bidding on Hike/Bike trail building & maintenance? It's booming.
11:08 who pays for this? City or property owners?
this is a short time fix. roots will grow back if the tree survives. the tree may die. permanent solution would be to replace the tree with one that has different root structure.
Look out for the next big wind.
Use a sidewalk bucket and you don't need that whole get up
I would worry about the root loss making the tree more vulnerable to falling over in a storm.
Those trees won't last long with those mulch volcanoes.
You need a patent on your device!
Very ingenious way of repairing the sidewalk. Tom you should get a patent for that sidewalk remover. Safety glasses all around.
That was neat to learn. Thanks Tom!
Is that Dog littering on the grass ?? lol :-)
My question is whose flipping the bill?