Cliff_Johns
Elite Member
OK, here's another technique for moving trees. A bit old-fashioned and difficult to explain, but you can make it work.
1. Dig around the tree as explained in other posts. It's best two wrap the ball (as much as you can get to) in something to keep the dirt from seperating from the roots anymore than they have to.
2. Make a stand using 2 4X4's for legs (or whatever you have around) and a piece of heavy pipe run through the top of the legs so it will spin, but not come out, make a standing three sided box with the open part down, that is, like a croqeut gate or a staple. This thing needs wo be wider than the root ball and perhaps five feet high (more on height later).
3. Lean the gadget up against the tree so the middle of the pipe is resting against the tree. Now, wrap the tree at that contact point with a few layers of burlap or cloth or something soft and protective. Lash the pipe to the tree.
4. Tie ropes to the top of each of the legs. Now, if I've written this at all well, you can see how if you pull on the ropes (and the bottom of the legs are kept stationary), the tree will be lifted and will be pulled toward you. The root ball will swing through the legs. If you have a waiting sled (or wagon if the staple is tall enough and you angle it enough) you can use your tractor to pull the ropes and thus lift the tree up, out of the hole and set it on the sled with minimum fuss.
You pull the sled (or wagon) to the destination and do the same thing in reverse.
The key is to keep the bottoms of the legs from moving and building the staple tough enough not to twist. Some tension on ropes taken off the other side will make the move less of a thump.
Hope this makes sense (at least somewhat.) Sorry it's so long.
Cliff
1. Dig around the tree as explained in other posts. It's best two wrap the ball (as much as you can get to) in something to keep the dirt from seperating from the roots anymore than they have to.
2. Make a stand using 2 4X4's for legs (or whatever you have around) and a piece of heavy pipe run through the top of the legs so it will spin, but not come out, make a standing three sided box with the open part down, that is, like a croqeut gate or a staple. This thing needs wo be wider than the root ball and perhaps five feet high (more on height later).
3. Lean the gadget up against the tree so the middle of the pipe is resting against the tree. Now, wrap the tree at that contact point with a few layers of burlap or cloth or something soft and protective. Lash the pipe to the tree.
4. Tie ropes to the top of each of the legs. Now, if I've written this at all well, you can see how if you pull on the ropes (and the bottom of the legs are kept stationary), the tree will be lifted and will be pulled toward you. The root ball will swing through the legs. If you have a waiting sled (or wagon if the staple is tall enough and you angle it enough) you can use your tractor to pull the ropes and thus lift the tree up, out of the hole and set it on the sled with minimum fuss.
You pull the sled (or wagon) to the destination and do the same thing in reverse.
The key is to keep the bottoms of the legs from moving and building the staple tough enough not to twist. Some tension on ropes taken off the other side will make the move less of a thump.
Hope this makes sense (at least somewhat.) Sorry it's so long.
Cliff
