Best Way To Remove This Tree

[Deerlope]

On second thought I would leave the tree right where it is. It probably took 50 years for it to grow that big. It was there before you so move your road to avoid it. You got the equipment and beside it makes for a good speed control device.

 

[randy41]

there are roads around here with trees alongside them like that. state maintained roads. i would leave it.
but removing it is sure no big deal especially with the equipment you've got.
a chainsaw is not a tool to be feared as some of these posts would lead you to think. just learn to use it.

 

[Champy]

I would offer this simple advice - stick with what you know or what you feel capable of learning to do SAFELY.

Some trees are made to be cut / others are real pushovers. Each has its own risks and benefits. The biggest issue either way is to make sure you have an escape route, and be sure you check to see if the tree is rotten, split, or otherswise capable of doing something strange or unexpected. And finally, never do anything by yourself, always have someone else there for advice, help, or to call 911.

Good luck

 

[EddieWalker]

Eddie, I agree about the danger of felling a tree with a chainsaw - especially in the woods. I am curious tho, why you say pushing with the tires would never work, whereas with the hydraulics would. It seems I can push much harder with my traction than I can with my hydraulics. For a sound tree that size I would probably just drive up and push it down with the loader on the Mahindra - then lift on the stump for extra traction and push it free. I dont think any digging would be neccessary. Were the tree much larger tho, I would probably have to weaken its grip with the BH. Im just undecided whether it would be better to then push it down with the FEL or the BH. Is the issue more control and reach, thereby safety?
Larry

Larry,

If he can drive up to the tree and push it over with his his FEL and the traction from his tires, then that would be the easiest way. I've found it almost impossible to take out trees this way. Granted, my backhoe is only two wheel drive, but I do have 80 hp and a full one yard bucket. Small trees just bend and big ones don't budge.

If you mean to push it with the FEL after he's dug his trenches all the way around, again, this means driving over and around the spoils piles. To me, this is very dangerous. I also don't think he will have very much traction to push over the tree in these condistions.

His backhoe hydraulics has thousands and thousands of foot pounds of forces. Much, much more than he'll have at the tires. It's not even close.

With the backhoe outriggers and FEL on the ground, he's locked down solid. This gives him maximum power with his backhoe. WAY MORE than anything else he owns.

Just to wonder off topic a bit, I've found that the very best way to get something big and heavy unstuck is with the hoe stick. The very first lesson I had with this was when I buried a John Deere 450G dozer in the mud along the edge of my small pond. The guy who owned the dozer told me that we could pull it out easy with my backhoe. It's why he has that sized dozer, it's easy to get unstuck!! We hooked the chain to the blade of the dozer and the bucket of the backhoe and pulled it right out of the mud. I think that dozer weighs around 17,000 punds, but I could be off a few grand here.

Another time I had a delilvery of lumber on a flatbed truck. I don't know what it weighs, but it was loaded with allot of wood and he drove off the road into the mud and buried the front end to the bumper. I did the same thing with the backhoe and just poped him right out real easy.

Neither of those two examples would be possible with just HP and traction. Not with anything I have anyway.

I also have a 165 HP dozer that I tried to pull a stump out of the ground with one time. I figured I had all this power and traction, that I'd just wrap the chain around it and pull it out. NOPE. I snaped the chain. So then I finished up what I was doing with the dozer, and brought the backhoe out. A little digging to get under it, and it popped right out.

I hope I answered your question,
Eddie

 

[toolaholic]

Thank's for all the backhoe info Eddie. You have much praticle experiance.

bought a massey ferguson 50 hx ,extendahoe . 16,000 lbs, 1700 hrs at auction.

this is a tight ex city machine 2 wheel drive. I have little experiance, but I'm listening. thank's

 

[kubotabilly]

You guys are making this project entirely to difficult. First, cut the tree about 3 foot off the ground (this gives you some leverage to remove the stump with the backhoe). Second, get the remainder of the tree out of the way. Third, dig around the stump and remove it. Fourth, fill the hole and compact it with your tractor tire and you now have a roadway thats clear of that blasted tree Always do a project like this with safety in mind. Always have an escape route. If you try to push that tree over you will have a dead branch from the tree hit you smack on the head I've removed many trees with my method and have had no problems. You have the equipment, now apply it. Remember, saftey first!!! Good Luck!!!

Bill

 

[Renze]

Egon, i think i should clarify that:

What i do is put a rope, or preferrably a belt under my arms around me and the tree, while my feet are resting on some branches. clearance between the tree and me is about a foot, just enough to feel comfortable. This way i can use one hand to use the hand saw and the other holding myself in position while leaning in the rope.
I should have said "leaning in the rope" instead of "hanging" i suppose, the latter gives the wrong idea of what i mean, probably due to recent Iraqi events in mind

 

[toolaholic]

Renze, FOUL .There are tulips in Holland! We're talking TREES Man !

 

[Egon]

Renze:

How about a full harness with steel corded tie off rope so the saw does not cut through it?

 

[SPYDERLK]

Eddie, Im going to try what you say, and when Ive had a good chance at it Ill let you know what I find out. I seem to have counterindications but it could be my lack of experience in not doing it in an optimal way.
As for loader push over it may be your 2WD or trees with better root systems. In our area with the 4WD Mahindra, 18"D oak seems to be the practical limit to having a good chance of just pushing it over. I engage the tree with the bucket at between 9 and 10'. Closer to 9 because I think it is important that it not be at full height [10' at level lip]. I tip the bucket upward about 15 degrees and push. The tractor with loader,BH,and loaded rears weighs about 12K#. The push against the tree causes the tractor to try to go under the loader arms, levering them upward. The bucket lip digs into the tree at least an inch and the lip on the 6' bucket flexes downward a great deal. These two things force the tractor harder against the ground while lifting the tree. In my experience the rootball starts to tip. I ease off gently and tip the bucket up a little more so that push will counter the downward bend on its lip. I then reengage the tree at the same notch and push again. Usually this results in a 30-40 degree lean and the tractor is obout to climb on the rootball. At this point I find it effective to back up and lift and push on the exposed edge of the rootball - the tree goes to ground. It still amazes me! Im looking for a very stong 4' bucket so I dont have to tip it up so much - it has a tendency to skive out the notch.
Larry