T i m wrote
Rod Speed wrote

Yep, none. That neighbour had no access
to the back yard at all for other than people.

So wasn't the tree surgeon

We don't call them that here.

Tree-fella-o?

Tree Services or Tree and Stump Removal Services

a person?

Corse he was.

But you said 'That neighbour had no access
to the back yard at all for other than people.'?

So there is access for a person.

So did he only take them down level with the top of the fence?

They werent that close to the fence, easy enough
to cut them off right down to the ground from
beside the trunk along the fence.

Crikey.

What's so surprising about that ?

Cutting a tree down to ground level over a fence?

Not over a fence, from beside the tree, between the trees along the fence.

You can either lower the chogs down (slow, can be risky but often done
when over buildings or breakable surfaces (like paving slabs, bowling
greens etc) or just slide them off (or tip them over, depending on the
height) the remaining trunk and either straight onto the ground

Yeah, that's what he did. He was skilful enough
to not have any land on the metal fence.

They can also bounce into things.

Sure, but if they land away from the fence, usually wont and didn't.

(if it's rough) or onto something that will break the
fall / spread the load if it's someone's fancy lawn,
like a bed of brash (the light stuff you have already
cut off), some thinner limbs or even some old tyres.

I couldn't see what they were landing on. Palm trees
don't have limbs, just fronds and the chunks of the
trunk arent as solid as with a conventional tree.

Ok.

They were roughly 6' long chunks.
Quite tall palm trees, must have been
about 30' to the top of the trunk.

Ok.

Daughter and b/f took a large ash limb off over a patio laid
with Italian marble slabs and so they had to be *very* careful
and lowered them down with a rope and flying capstan.

Flying capstan must be another another unusual
term, nothing useful shows up with youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...wering+capstan

Yeah that does explain where the name comes from quite well.

or try 'Port-a-Wrap' for a product name.

Yeah, I did find that one by using the term itself.

A 'capstan' is the generic term for something that you typically wrap
a rope round to provide friction to allow something to slide under
control (as in lowering a limb or chog) or for the friction to allow
you to then use with a handle as on a boat as a winch.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capstan_(nautical)

Yeah, I already knew that but couldn't see how that fitted with felling
trees.

They often use a twin double handed version of something
similar on racing yachts often nicknamed 'a coffee grinder'. ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS5zPBFcReE