BigEddy
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2002
- Messages
- 268
- Location
- Eastern Ontario
- Tractor
- JD 855, 322, AMT626 plus whatever my son dragged home this month
Okie G
I've been able to "cut" through roots up to about 1" dia with the cable. I've no idea what size the cable is, it's high tension wire that was provided to me by my local hydro team when they were doing a new cable install. They even gave me a pair of pre-forms so I have loops on each end. think its 14,000lb breaking strength, so way more than my 855 can snap.
Drawbar would be fine - I typically hook a chain onto each end, then hook that to the hooks on my loader. That way I can see what I'm doing. The secret is to pull low to the ground, otherwise the cable lifts up into the root ball - I use the chain to lengthen the pull and I usually dig a little trench for each chain out of the moat. Then I just back up slowly. Occasionally I'll hook on a root that is too big to cut through - and it will drag the whole root ball until the tap root pulls out of the ground.
Hard (Sugar) Maples get very big - I've got some 4' dia, but the biggest I ever moved was about 8" dia. Had some help from a bigger tractor dragging that root ball out - was about 6' dia by 4' high.
Here's a picture - small oak- It shows the cable in a noose - which is not recommended as I found out that day. It's difficult to un-noose it if when the pre-form gets all bent around itself. I had forgotten the chains that day.
I've been able to "cut" through roots up to about 1" dia with the cable. I've no idea what size the cable is, it's high tension wire that was provided to me by my local hydro team when they were doing a new cable install. They even gave me a pair of pre-forms so I have loops on each end. think its 14,000lb breaking strength, so way more than my 855 can snap.
Drawbar would be fine - I typically hook a chain onto each end, then hook that to the hooks on my loader. That way I can see what I'm doing. The secret is to pull low to the ground, otherwise the cable lifts up into the root ball - I use the chain to lengthen the pull and I usually dig a little trench for each chain out of the moat. Then I just back up slowly. Occasionally I'll hook on a root that is too big to cut through - and it will drag the whole root ball until the tap root pulls out of the ground.
Hard (Sugar) Maples get very big - I've got some 4' dia, but the biggest I ever moved was about 8" dia. Had some help from a bigger tractor dragging that root ball out - was about 6' dia by 4' high.
Here's a picture - small oak- It shows the cable in a noose - which is not recommended as I found out that day. It's difficult to un-noose it if when the pre-form gets all bent around itself. I had forgotten the chains that day.
