Pulling tree out with wheel & chain?

[cqaigy2]

I've used the chain over wheel trick a bunch of time. Also used some big tree rounds. I'd use chain instead of wire rope, having broken a few chains, they dropped pretty fast and didn't spring very much.

 

[npalen]

Seems like there ought to be a way to wrap the strap or chain completely around the wheel or tire to gain mechanical advantage but probably impossible without some additional mechanism.

 

[KennyG]

Seems like there ought to be a way to wrap the strap or chain completely around the wheel or tire to gain mechanical advantage but probably impossible without some additional mechanism.

Wrapping it wouldn't gain anything. It's just changing direction, not multiplying the force. Now if you had several wheels you could rig up a giant block and tackle. Think about the design of that for a while.

 

[civilian]

Wrapping it wouldn't gain anything. It's just changing direction, not multiplying the force. Now if you had several wheels you could rig up a giant block and tackle. Think about the design of that for a while.

You would have to have the same number of wheels at the pulling end. Jon

 

[KennyG]

You would have to have the same number of wheels at the pulling end. Jon

Depending on where you anchor and where you pull from, a block and tackle can have one less pulley on one block. In fact, if I were Rube Goldberging this I would probably anchor a single top wheel block to a frame (like an A frame), and lift from a double block on the bottom so the chain attached to the tractor would be low and parallel to the ground. The other end of the chain would be anchored to the upper block or the frame.

 

[ning]

I'm looking forward to getting more precip to help loosen the ground a bit so I can try some of these ideas. Right now, the top couple inches are loose enough to make me think I can pull blackberries, but even they are still anchored too well and I'm certain the trees didn't get at all loosen by the performative rains we've gotten so far

 

[Blue Mule]

The chain and wheel idea is neat. But I'm afraid of the consequences of a broken chain. It would become a violent whip, and the operator of the tractor/truck is in the line of fire. No thanks.

 

[cqaigy2]

The chain and wheel idea is neat. But I'm afraid of the consequences of a broken chain. It would become a violent whip, and the operator of the tractor/truck is in the line of fire. No thanks.

I've not experienced a chain whipping, it pretty much just drops. Now wire rope, that would be a different story.

 

[MTGreen]

I've not experienced a chain whipping, it pretty much just drops. Now wire rope, that would be a different story.

That's been my experience as well. My understanding was the line has to store energy by elastic stretching in order to whip and chains don't have much elasticity and lots of inertia to overcome which soaks up what little elasticity it has

 

[ning]

I've not experienced a chain whipping, it pretty much just drops. Now wire rope, that would be a different story.

A chain can definitely "fly", but I doubt it'll gain aerodynamic properties like a flying cable can... but it can go rapidly from the break point which can result in upward motion

Here's a worse example - screenshot from (

):

Note in both of these cases, they "jerked" the chain hard.
I suspect in most cases of a properly used chain (no jerking) that the chain will just drop flat, but it's definitely worthwhile to blanket or otherwise limit the ability of a broken puller (chain, strap, cable, rope) from flying.