Tractors and wood! Show your pics

   / Tractors and wood! Show your pics #20,252  
Also, I've been meaning to share this. It's a short video of me using our new Fransgard to fell a hillside oak tree.

I'd been wanting to fell the tree for years to improve our view a little, but it grew on the precipice of a steep slope and leaned heavily downhill. I didn't want to fell it downhill, because it contains some quality firewood and it would be quite a struggle to get the cordwood back up to the yard.

Not shown in the video is me climbing a ladder to attach the choker ~18' up on the stem, then taking tension on the line. I then notched the tree and plunge-cut it, leaving a thick hinge. Back cut it leaving just a small tag remaining. As I've posted before in this thread, I was a commercial logger when I was younger and routinely used this procedure with a JD 540B cable skidder.

I take the time to thoroughly clear my work area around the base of the tree before I begin anything else, including a planned and cleared escape route for if/when I have to get out of there in a hurry. For example, if the tension I had already put on the line was enough to pop the tag and send the tree over. That was not the case in this situation, but I was prepared for it.

A small bump from the winch was enough to pop the tag, then I continue to pull until it's about halfway down to help prevent the tree twisting from the downhill lean and shearing the hinge. First winch-assisted fell I've made with the Fransgard, and I'm very impressed with it's capabilities. Wish I'd bought one years ago.

What do you mean by "pop the tag" ? I have never been a logger.
 
   / Tractors and wood! Show your pics #20,253  
What do you mean by "pop the tag" ? I have never been a logger.

After plunge cutting the tree and setting the hinge thickness, I start cutting towards the back of the tree with the top side of the saw bar. Instead of cutting all the way through the back side to send the tree falling, I leave a small amount of uncut wood that holds the tree in place.

A little "tag" of uncut wood. I can't really think of a better term.
 
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   / Tractors and wood! Show your pics #20,254  
After plunge cutting the tree and setting the hinge thickness, I start cutting towards the back of the tree with the top side of the saw. Instead of cutting all the way through the back side to send the tree falling, I leave a small amount of uncut wood that holds the tree in place.

A little "tag" of uncut wood. I can't really think of a better term.
I have done that ,plunge cut whatever but I’ve always cut that tag off I didn’t know what it is called
 
   / Tractors and wood! Show your pics #20,257  
We don’t have trees that big thank goodness
 
   / Tractors and wood! Show your pics #20,258  
Found an uprooted hornbeam laying across one of our tote roads this morning. Gave me something fun to do before it got too hot out (wicked heat in Maine today). That stuff is always a welcome addition to my wood pile, it burns like coal.

20220514_092719.jpg
 
   / Tractors and wood! Show your pics #20,259  
L
Found an uprooted hornbeam laying across one of our tote roads this morning. Gave me something fun to do before it got too hot out (wicked heat in Maine today). That stuff is always a welcome addition to my wood pile, it burns like coal.

View attachment 745825
That’s one of the hottest woods we have in Maine. People used to make bumpers from it.
 
   / Tractors and wood! Show your pics #20,260  
We don’t have trees that big thank goodness
I, long ago thought it gave me my adrenaline rush, my younger years were military . . . now noooo but still had to cut a few last year . . . had my oldest son with me so not so bad.
 
 
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