Trees hung up in woods

   / Trees hung up in woods #1  

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We had an ice storm followed by high winds. I now have several trees in my woods that want to come down, but are hung up on other trees. They are maybe 16"-24" at breast height, and at least one is hollow. My wife and I like to take our dogs in the woods, but I have safety concerns with these hung-up trees. Last time I had this problem I wouldn't let anybody go in the woods for 6 months until the tree in question finally came down. I would prefer a quicker solution.

How can I safely get these trees down? I would rather not call a pro if I can avoid it. If I could cut them about 15' up from 15'-25' back I would feel safe.

So far I am considering getting one of those pole-mounted chainsaws and putting it on a tall boom pole hooked to the 3-point hitch of my tractor (no FEL), but would welcome other ideas.
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #2  
If you are talking about a chain saw on a pole, and mounting that to a boom on the 3pt, you are admitting that you should just hire someone that knows what they are doing. Hate to be so blunt, but you get credit for having the good sense and the knowledge that the leaning trees are dangerous. Chain saws on poles are for cutting limbs and mine, at least, is built lightweight for carrying. It would not be something that could be mounted to something else, and controlled to cut a leaning tree, especially of the size you are talking about. The saw would be pinched so fast when part way through that the subsequent removal of the stuck saw would be much more dangerous in the long haul.
Someone who knows what they are doing will go to the leaning tree, assess the predicament, and decide if it can be pulled down, if other trees need to be cut first, or if the tree in question will fall the rest of the way by just cutting it at the stump. Leave it for someone who has experience with cutting trees.
I don't think you are in much more danger walking in your woods than normal, as there are always a lot of dead limbs in trees that can fall and hurt you. But its rare. Probably you falling and getting hurt is a higher risk. None are as high, IMO, as getting in your vehicle on the road.
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #3  
A friend of mine has a 10 wheel drive 5 ton army surplus truck that I work on for him from time to time that he uses to fix this very problem on his property. This truck has a pto winch on the front with 100 feet of cable. He literaly drives up to whatever tree he needs to remove, attaches the cable at the base puts the winch in neutral backs up about 50 feet engages the winch and pulls the tree right out of the woods. I have used his truck for the same thing on my property with the same results. We both live on wet hilly land and this truck is nearly indespensible when it comes to doing these types of tasks. Generally when the tress gets pulled out they just get burned without even sawing them up. Working on trees by yourself is no fun, 15 minutes to drop 3 hours to cut and clean up. This truck really cuts the time. I have even used this truck to pull out trees to get to the one I'm after. I have also used a chain and my tractor using the same technique to do the same job. Using a tractor is not the same as using the much heavier 5 ton truck. Good luck. ric
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #4  
Rubintropfen,

Down in our neck of the woods, these broken trunks/limbs are called "widow makers" - enough said! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Both suggestions are excellent, depends upon you level of financial pain. Having arborists or tree surgeons come can be expensive! A winch or stout chain/rope on a large truck or tractor is a cheaper alternative albeit a little less risky. I would not attempt to cut any of those pesky widow makers by hand while they're hung up in the other trees - just too darn dangerous.

Terry
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #5  
A neighbor of mine, while clearing his lot ended up felling a tree (the wrong way) and got it tangled in others. We have a common driveway and on the day of his "adventure" I had to stop and ask him to move his truck as he was blocking my driveway. He was clearly annoyed and as I looked over his "situation". I understood why. It seems that after the tree got stuck, he took his Stihl to the other side of the tree and ended up getting the thing pinched. He then took his small 12" limbing saw and got it stuck. In a final attempt he got a hand bow saw stuck. Each time the tree would settle a different way.

Later that day, he asked If I had a chain saw he could borrow. I told him I had loaned it to a friend the week before (lied-sorry) and suggested he get a professional to solve his problem.

The next day going to work, I could see the two Stihls and the hand saw prominently "stuck". They were there till the next weekend when he rented a chain saw (heard many new words from the wood's that day - kept close to the phone waiting to call 911).

In the end, he ended up getting someone in there with a tractor to pull the tree down and retrieve his saws. No one got hurt - but it very easily could have gone differently.
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #6  
It maybe wise for you to contact a friend etc.. to take a look.By the sounds the trees that need to be cut down offer many circumstances also safety to one.Are the tress bend over at the top,more limbs on one side than the other,are the trees on a steep slope etc...Just be extra careful when cutting them done.
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #7  
The winch trick works great,I have a 9000 Warn Winch on the front of my JD 4400 and I have pulled trees out of trees,stretch plenty of cable out so you can be far removed from any danger............./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #8  
leaners, blow downs, and dead trees are called widow makers because they kill people. treat them with respect. winch them if you can. i used to cut sections and run like a monty python character. not reccomended. i have also cut down the trees they leaned into. not reccomended. be careful, be safe. the life you save may be yours.
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #9  
Agree totally,I was cutting a locust tree about 3 years ago and was bent over running the saw and the top broke out of it and fell across me,it literally knocked the snot out of me,I thought my nose was bleeding when it was actually it was my sinus's .I laid on the ground a while and my stupid dog was getting right in my face wanting to play,needless to say I was not able to play let alone reach and strangle the mutt,I had no broken bones and I made it to a neighbors house who put ice packs on and around my collar bone. I went back home and went to bed for the afternoon.
 
   / Trees hung up in woods #10  
Dead trees are widowmakers!!! I had a pine tree that was 60 feet tall, and had died in a wildfire. The tree was hard as rock from all the sap being crystalized by the intense heat. I TRIED to fell the tree away from me and my fence. The dead limbs can be deceiving... I miscalculated the weight of the tree, and which side was heavier. I cut the wedge out, and starting cutting from the back of the wedge, when the tree sat down on the chainsaw! I had to manually axe the rest of the tree. I know why lumberjacks have large forearms now... After cutting with the hand axe, the tree finally gave way. It fell in the wrong direction, and slammed into my h-brace. This tree absolutely fooled me! From that point forward, I started using a tow strap and winch to pull the dead trees over. I don't even consider getting near them anymore.

Good luck,

Joe
 
 
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