Trees hung up in woods

[woodmills1]

back when all i had was a pickup truck i would tie a stout rope to a tree i wanted to fell and then tie the other end of it to an old tire, then tie the tire to the frame of my truck. i would drive the truck untill the tire was stretched out and then notch and fell the tree. i was able to fall street trees with out hitting any wires by this method. but now i have a dozer and tractor and a forwarder trailer with hydraulic winch.

 

[patrickg]

You betcha Red Rider! BUT the method was for someone with no BEAST. My Dodge diesel Ram 3500 4x4 (is that 6x6 with a dually?) has a 10,000lb winch AND I have a snatch block for it so I could apply up to 10 tons to pull on a tree but on the cheap with poor access two comealongs will do the job.

Alternatively some high velolcity explosive cord like Primacord (SP?) could cut the logs for you where they hang.

Patrick

 

[Chuck52]

Patrckiq,

Was it you that had the "interesting" neighbor who liked to use his rifle to cut down trees? Maybe he could be recruited for this job! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Chuck

 

[Youare]

I have created similar situations as this before I gained more experience in directional felling.

There are several ways of dealing with trees in this situation, each one is dependant on what type of trees are the "broken" ones, what type or trees there are hung in, the good trees, and if they are broke off some distance from the ground or if they are being up-rooted. And, at what angle are they leaning.

If the broken trees are hung in the crotch of a good tree the removal will be more difficult than if the upper branches of the broken trees are just caught in the upper branches of the good tree(s).

Softwood trees usually have smaller diameter crowns than hardwood trees which makes it a litte easier to dislodge if they are the broken trees or the good tree that is holding the broken tree.

If the broken tree is just stuck in the branches of another tree and the brake is near the ground and mostly if not completely severed from the trunk then a small laterial pull on the upper part of the tree will most of the time allow the tree to complete it's fall to the ground.

From a safe distance I have thrown a rope up around the tree or a strong branch of the tree. Then attached a come-a-long to the base of a good tree a good distance away off to the side of the broken tree.

Sometimes just a few inches of movement will pull the branches that are hanging up off there resting place and the tree will drop down some more if not all the way. In this situation you are never in the direction the tree is going to fall and the rope will go slack as the tree falls.

If the tree is caught in the crotch of another tree it could require a great deal of force to pull it out. Under no circumstances would I recomend that the good tree be cut so that both could fall. If the broken tree is not completely severed from the trunk and it is caught in the crotch of the good tree it will have to be cut-off before it can be pulled out.

This can be a dangerous situation depending on the angle of the broken tree and how it is stuck. We had a wind storm a few years back and a two leader 12"DBH maple split off one side and lodged in the crotch of another maple about 14' off the ground. When I cut it free from the stump there was more weight on the top side so the tree trunk went up instead of down, I kind of figured it would because of the pivot point.

If the broken trees have to be cut off at the base first before then can be pulled free there are too many things which have to be considered to make any recomendation except get someone who has many years of experience to handle this.

The bottom line is if you have not had much experience cutting down trees in this situation then find someone who has. As someone else has already pointed out they call these type of trees widow makers for a good reason.

Good luck and be careful out there.
Randy

 

[ric]

Come alongs are alot of work, I'm getting tired just reading about all the work you guys are doing with these things. About the only thing I use a come along for anymore is to square up rough walls or pulling small things up on my trailer that won't move themselves. I don't think a Dodge Ram 3500 dually is a 6x6, it might exert 10 tons on the tree but the truck is a 4x4 by name and a 2x2 in practice. On the other hand the BEAST is a 6x6 because there are six points of contact on the ground using 10 wheels and all 10 wheels drive unlike your Dodge. No idea what kind of force is exterted on the tree but I have yet to meet a down tree I can't pull and stack. Are we having fun yet? ric

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks folks. Mission accomplished. My tractor, 100' of 1/4" aircraft cable, a suitable pulley block etc. and I safely pulled all of the trees in question down today. I wound up chaining the pulley block to the trees to be pulled, with the cable ends on another tree and my tractor, because otherwise I didn't have enough traction. That also used up enough of the 100' cable so I could manuver.