Buying Advice First post shopping for Kubota 32 46 HP range question on Backhow attachment

[Grandad4]

oh no, there were lots of roots holding that tree, it was a sweet gum, and I was able to start out a ways from the trunk, and break them with the hoe, started on the leaning side first, so that when it came time to push it down, it was already leaning the right direction. And yes they were big roots, but that is what took me all day was to nibble away with the BH teeth to break, and believe me that one root that is darker in color was very much alive and holding, matter of fact, it held the entire tree all by its self. it was only with lots of pushing that it finally fell, and I had the front end loader pushing hard into another live tree to keep the whole tractor from moving away from the stump, as that hoe will move the tractor all over the place, easy to reposition the tractor with it, that way.

Gotcha. Glad that tree came down OK and please excuse my old, bifocal festooned eyes. As I dug out those trees I mentioned, a very mild breeze came up as I dug at the base. By the time they were ready to go over, it was not at all certain which way they were going to go. Very uncomfortable feeling with me and some brand new equipment right underneath. I pretty much abandoned that approach after that.

 

[Raised on a Deere]

I learned respect for trees similarly. At a much younger age, I was out with my 20" chain saw felling firewood trees and came upon thin giant ash of some kind. There was a stiff breeze that day and I had experienced the force of a breeze on trees as I felled some smaller ones. I dove right in on this tree not bothering to notch it and started sawing on the up hill and upwind side. I had to cut from both sides to be able to get all the way across with the cut and as I got close the breeze slackened and actually seemed to blow in the opposite direction. This was in the dead of winter and the clouds motion gave the illusion that the tree was falling but it wasn't. As I was nearing 90% through with the cut the tree came backwards and trapped my saw. I studied the situation a good long time, observing the wind and decided to get my other saw out and finish the cut from the other side. Finished the cut and managed to retrieve my saws as the tree rocked with the breeze while standing clear of where the tree might kick to at the stump and then the wind died and there stood the tree balanced on the stump. I began to realize that the tree was so big it could fall on me in any direction I chose to make a getaway and considering its height I could not out run the tree. At least I was thinking that way and probably correctly. After sitting there for about 1/2 hour I decided to make a break for it and got up the hill and away from it's reach. No movement detected at all. I grew tired of watching the tree and decided that this is an area where people hardly ever come so I went back home for some lunch. After lunch I went back to the site and there the tree still stood balanced and looking solid as a big tree can. I had some wedges with me and decided to try driving them into the cut. After a lot of hammering and having no effect on the tree I began thinking how I was going to mark off the area to warn passers by that there was a tree ready to fall and just as I was plotting that action a stiff breeze hit, I started my scramble in a path perpendicular to the fall direction and witnessed the trunk slide off the top of that stump and kick up hill 20+ feet and dig in as the tree continued its fall with a tremendous ground shaking crash. I then realized how foolish I had been and have taken care to follow all the available wisdom in tree cutting and have made a lot of trees fall right where I meant for them to go. Trees are dangerous. My son in law just lost use of one leg in a situation sawing a limb off a tree this past spring. There is a tremendous amount of energy stored up ready to spring in what ever direction we free it to go. We best know what direction that is.

So Granddad4 you were messing with my mind when you posted those pictures. The event became seared into my mind when a week later a neighbor went missing one cold winter night and next day he was found where a tree he was felling had pinned his head, literally buried it in the mud. This man had been felling trees for more than fifty years. I was thinking that should have been me.