The Tallest Dead Tree That I Have Pushed Over. 40'

[Xfaxman]

Good way to get killed. I was hoping to see something entirely different. Many people have been badly injured and killed doing just this. Push on the tree top breaks out falls on operator. NOT SMART!!!!!!!

True for a tractor, but not true for my Compact Telehandler.

Couldn't get a side view picture of the 40' tree, so here is one with the shorter grapple pushing over a wider top tree. Notice that if the top broke, it would not hit the FOPS cab.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Top 30 feet of a dead pine broke off exactly as you say and clobbered my B21. Got off easy with bent FOPS. I left it bent as a daily reminder to be more careful and less dumb.

 

[gladehound]

Good way to get killed. I was hoping to see something entirely different. Many people have been badly injured and killed doing just this. Push on the tree top breaks out falls on operator. NOT SMART!!!!!!!

Messing with trees with a tractor can indeed be very dangerous. On the other hand, things that seem very dangerous to some, can be done with a high degree of safety. With that little 19hp tractor, I got in the habit of guiding the fall of small trees directly onto the tractor so that I wouldn't have to pick up the wood. Wood gathering doesn't get much more efficient than that. Never had an injury or a close call. Never did any damage to the machine.

So I agree... messing with trees on a tractor is dangerous. And if you have any difficulty assessing the situation, just walk away. There have been many times that I have walked away.

 

[lexluther]

So, pull don't push? Is that the solution?

 

[4570Man]

So, pull don't push? Is that the solution?

If you had a long enough cable that would be safer. That's what I usually do.

 

[k0ua]

If you had a long enough cable that would be safer. That's what I usually do.

Exactly. Get far enough away to make sure the tree cannot fall on you no matter what. There is some risk if the cable or chain should break. I carry 4 20 foot log chains with me. They are Gr70. If you pull after a rain, your success rate will be higher. Place chain as high as possible into the tree for leverage. Pull from your fixed drawbar below the axle for safety.

Pull with the tractor headed downhill if you have hills. Pull gently, never jerk. If it won't pull over one way, you can try another direction. Cut roots if you are able to weaken the trees hold on the ground. If it won't pull over, it won't pull over, there are limits to tractors. There are small tractors and there are large trees. But a couple of days after a good soaking rain, the topsoil will usually be dry enough for some traction for the tractor but the roots of the tree will still be rather weak due to the subsurface moisture.

You may be surprised how large of a tree you will be able to pull over after a rain.

 

[CobyRupert]

I got in the habit of guiding the fall of small trees directly onto the tractor so that I wouldn't have to pick up the wood. Wood gathering doesn't get much more efficient than that. Never had an injury or a close call. Never did any damage to the machine.

View attachment 488048

What the..? How the..? ...but why? Why did you do this? Why not just drag the tree? Hey if it works for you, okay, but seems like things could only go bad. :confused3:

Exactly. Get far enough away to make sure the tree cannot fall on you no matter what. There is some risk if the cable or chain should break. I carry 4 20 foot log chains with me. They are Gr70. If you pull after a rain, your success rate will be higher. Place chain as high as possible into the tree for leverage. Pull from your fixed drawbar below the axle for safety.

Pull with the tractor headed downhill if you have hills. Pull gently, never jerk. If it won't pull over one way, you can try another direction. Cut roots if you are able to weaken the trees hold on the ground. If it won't pull over, it won't pull over, there are limits to tractors. There are small tractors and there are large trees. But a couple of days after a good soaking rain, the topsoil will usually be dry enough for some traction for the tractor but the roots of the tree will still be rather weak due to the subsurface moisture.

You may be surprised how large of a tree you will be able to pull over after a rain.

Good advice. Another thing, the more weight on the back of tractor the better. When cable or chain is hooked on to something higher than the connection point on tractor, the more you pull, the less your tractor "weighs" on the ground under it's rear tires. The more you pull, the less traction you have. This effect become significant the higher you hook on the tree, even though your leverage on the tree significantly increases the higher you hook. Trade-off.

 

[k0ua]

What the..? How the..? ...but why? Why did you do this? Why not just drag the tree? Hey if it works for you, okay, but seems like things could only go bad. :confused3:



Good advice. Another thing, the more weight on the back of tractor the better. When cable or chain is hooked on to something higher than the connection point on tractor, the more you pull, the less your tractor "weighs" on the ground under it's rear tires. The more you pull, the less traction you have. This effect become significant the higher you hook on the tree, even though your leverage on the tree significantly increases the higher you hook. Trade-off.

Yes, good points I failed to mention that. I always have my ballast box on. Sometimes it helps to put some dirt and gravel in the bucket to get a little more traction on the fronts too. But there is a limit to all of it.. Some trees just can't be pulled over with a puny tractor. That is why they make D9 Cats. Sometimes the tree will just break off too. The key is to be way the "heck" out of the way with a long chain or cable so no matter what happens you and yours are out of the line of "action". I have always worried more about cable "whip" so I have always used chain. But I am not stupid enough to think that when metal is under tension, some crazy things couldn't happen. I think there is always some risk. I just try to mitigate that risk.

That is one reason for saying apply power gently and not to jerk on things. Easier on the tractor, easier on the chain, and less likely to get some missile over the head. Resist the urge to "give it he77". Think safety all the time.

 

[gladehound]

What the..? How the..? ...but why? Why did you do this? Why not just drag the tree? Hey if it works for you, okay, but seems like things could only go bad. :confused3:

This is how I react when I see someone smoking! :laughing:

 

[EddieWalker]

Nicely done. That sure is the perfect machine for a lot of things around the land. How many HP is it? Do you use the wheels to push them over or by extending the boom?