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With a good slide line, you can move material from one spot to another as if you had a crane, but in some situations, you've got to have an actual crane. The main advantage of a crane is you can move around with an anchor point above, regardless of the strength or safety of the tree. The downside is you have to have a good operator. Most crane operators are pretty good with steel and concrete. But wood is a whole different payload.
Be aware that cranes are meant for static loads and not dynamic ones. Never drop material into cranes because you can overwhelm the rigid boom of a crane. Crane booms are at their strongest when closest to being fully vertical. As they lower, the amount of weight they can support is lessened. You need to factor this in with each maneuver.
Given the rigid and mechanical nature of cranes, you really need to know tree weights, which of course vary from species to species. If you're using a crane, be sure the operator knows trees and, if possible, keep a green wood weight table handy. You can even get software that calculates the weight for you on the spot!
At the other end, give lots of consideration to the slings you use to hold the limbs. Wire choker cables have done the job for years, but they are heavy and awkward. Today, there are a lot of lightweight and dynamic options in slings.
In addition, there is a new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for crane use that you will want to own if you plan to work with a crane. This is great news because in many states insurance is all that is required to rent a crane and, unfortunately, untrained operators have been destroying equipment in tree work.
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