19th_VA
Gold Member
Well, time for some humble pie and perhaps others can learn from my Fourth of July follies.
Most of the clearing I've been doing has been dense thickets and saplings. Decided to cut a path through the woods for a change. First pass goes o.k. but I did get hung up on some some deadfall and almost got whacked in the head by some deadfall to be. Also my wife had come a wavin' and a hollerin'--turns out we have a 20 foot sink hole she did not want me to find accidentally. She also did not want me to cut down any dogwoods. Note to self: don't drive into the sink hole and avoid cutting down dogwoods.
Decided to invest in a hardhat before returning to seek my revenge. Now it's time for another pass through the same area. (It's amazing how a piece of equipment can instill false confidence).
This pass is going o.k. but a large fallen tree was across the path, so I decided to move it on down the trail, hoping to either push it to the side or that it would break in half between two large live trees. Bad idea. Not only did the fallen tree not break but it managed to stay across the path all the way down to a point not too far from my friendly neighborhood sink hole--wedged between two live trees across my path and not budging.
It's obviously not going anywhere, so what do I do? I try driving over it, which nearly causes some hygiene problems, as the tree did not lay perfectly perpendular to the tractor/path. I can tell you that the sink hole did not look very inviting from that angle! But I finessed that one only to create a bigger problem. I was so focused on trying to steer in a way that would not land me into the sink hole that I forgot I had a 900# oversized "hook" on the back of my tractor (my rotary cutter had gotten hung up on the dead fall). The tailwheel nicely straddled the log, better than a ship's anchor.
After a few attempts to go forward/back, I managed to get even closer to the sinkhole on the left and away from the path which went to the right. Basically, the tractor is stuck, listing to port at about 10-15 degrees toward the sinkhole, with a precious dogwood in front of me (another underneath me), along with a 12" pecan tree and a good size deadfall that was perched precariously against another tree. And don't forget my rotary cutter was hoplessly hung up on the fallen tree behind me.
Well, all the good advice I hadn't followed on tbynet up 'til now starts to convince me to get the heck off the tractor and use my head instead of my (fill in the blank yourself, as it would surely get censored).
The solution was obvious--I needed a chainsaw bad. Only problem is that before we bought the property, I bought an electric chainsaw which was surely going to be adequate for my 1/3 acre city lot. Even after buying the 13 acres, I've been too cheap to invest in a decent gas-powered unit. This mean hiking back up a steep slope and dragging not only the chainsaw, but also my portable generator, 200 yards back down the hill (at least it wasn't up!). Oh, and did I mention that my right hand is all wrapped up in a splint because I had dislocated one finger and jammed two others a week ago?
Anway, after plenty of finessing and even more brute force, I got the chainsaw, such as it is, and the generator, down to the tractor to begin the work I should have done before playing my game of tractor tet a tot. First, the log behind me, then the precious dogwoods, then the 75' pecan, then the deadfall perched at an angle.
Why, that was a piece of cake! Now that I was no longer looking nose to nose with the sink hole, I got cocky and decided to seek some revenge on the woods. Next thing I know I've got a 2" vine wrapped around my tailwheel and I'm close to pulling another dead tree on top of my head!
So, like the good man who refuses to ask directions until he is so lost he doesn't even know what to ask, I exit the woods, generator and electric chainsaw in the bucket, never to return again, at least not this fourth of July.
Lessons learned:
1) Wear a hard hat in the woods
2) Take the chainsaw in BEFORE you bring in the tractor (kind of like the infantry clearing the way for an M-1 Abrams tank in urban combat.
3) Figure out your path, clear it of deadfall and other hazards, and then bring in the tractor.
4) The woods add additional, important dimensions to the ever present hazards of tractoring--looking up for things falling, paying attention to what's dead, watching your tailwheel which becomes more of a tailhook in the woods.
5) Dogwoods are less important than keeping your wheels on the ground.
Oh, you might be asking why I didn't take any pictures documenting my folly. The simple truth is I didn't have the energy! Despite spending the entire afternoon at the property, I only managed to get 90 minutes of seat time--and most of that was probably at idle!
The only way to salvage this day was to head for the swimming hole!
Most of the clearing I've been doing has been dense thickets and saplings. Decided to cut a path through the woods for a change. First pass goes o.k. but I did get hung up on some some deadfall and almost got whacked in the head by some deadfall to be. Also my wife had come a wavin' and a hollerin'--turns out we have a 20 foot sink hole she did not want me to find accidentally. She also did not want me to cut down any dogwoods. Note to self: don't drive into the sink hole and avoid cutting down dogwoods.
Decided to invest in a hardhat before returning to seek my revenge. Now it's time for another pass through the same area. (It's amazing how a piece of equipment can instill false confidence).
This pass is going o.k. but a large fallen tree was across the path, so I decided to move it on down the trail, hoping to either push it to the side or that it would break in half between two large live trees. Bad idea. Not only did the fallen tree not break but it managed to stay across the path all the way down to a point not too far from my friendly neighborhood sink hole--wedged between two live trees across my path and not budging.
It's obviously not going anywhere, so what do I do? I try driving over it, which nearly causes some hygiene problems, as the tree did not lay perfectly perpendular to the tractor/path. I can tell you that the sink hole did not look very inviting from that angle! But I finessed that one only to create a bigger problem. I was so focused on trying to steer in a way that would not land me into the sink hole that I forgot I had a 900# oversized "hook" on the back of my tractor (my rotary cutter had gotten hung up on the dead fall). The tailwheel nicely straddled the log, better than a ship's anchor.
After a few attempts to go forward/back, I managed to get even closer to the sinkhole on the left and away from the path which went to the right. Basically, the tractor is stuck, listing to port at about 10-15 degrees toward the sinkhole, with a precious dogwood in front of me (another underneath me), along with a 12" pecan tree and a good size deadfall that was perched precariously against another tree. And don't forget my rotary cutter was hoplessly hung up on the fallen tree behind me.
Well, all the good advice I hadn't followed on tbynet up 'til now starts to convince me to get the heck off the tractor and use my head instead of my (fill in the blank yourself, as it would surely get censored).
The solution was obvious--I needed a chainsaw bad. Only problem is that before we bought the property, I bought an electric chainsaw which was surely going to be adequate for my 1/3 acre city lot. Even after buying the 13 acres, I've been too cheap to invest in a decent gas-powered unit. This mean hiking back up a steep slope and dragging not only the chainsaw, but also my portable generator, 200 yards back down the hill (at least it wasn't up!). Oh, and did I mention that my right hand is all wrapped up in a splint because I had dislocated one finger and jammed two others a week ago?
Anway, after plenty of finessing and even more brute force, I got the chainsaw, such as it is, and the generator, down to the tractor to begin the work I should have done before playing my game of tractor tet a tot. First, the log behind me, then the precious dogwoods, then the 75' pecan, then the deadfall perched at an angle.
Why, that was a piece of cake! Now that I was no longer looking nose to nose with the sink hole, I got cocky and decided to seek some revenge on the woods. Next thing I know I've got a 2" vine wrapped around my tailwheel and I'm close to pulling another dead tree on top of my head!
So, like the good man who refuses to ask directions until he is so lost he doesn't even know what to ask, I exit the woods, generator and electric chainsaw in the bucket, never to return again, at least not this fourth of July.
Lessons learned:
1) Wear a hard hat in the woods
2) Take the chainsaw in BEFORE you bring in the tractor (kind of like the infantry clearing the way for an M-1 Abrams tank in urban combat.
3) Figure out your path, clear it of deadfall and other hazards, and then bring in the tractor.
4) The woods add additional, important dimensions to the ever present hazards of tractoring--looking up for things falling, paying attention to what's dead, watching your tailwheel which becomes more of a tailhook in the woods.
5) Dogwoods are less important than keeping your wheels on the ground.
Oh, you might be asking why I didn't take any pictures documenting my folly. The simple truth is I didn't have the energy! Despite spending the entire afternoon at the property, I only managed to get 90 minutes of seat time--and most of that was probably at idle!
The only way to salvage this day was to head for the swimming hole!
