How Do I Take This Tree Down Safely ?

[charlz]

How badly is it hung up in the other tree? Sometimes just a little sideways movement is enough to get it to drop on its own. A rope around it up high and pulled sideways from a safe distance might be enough if it is not badly hung.

I would not try using a BH thumb or anything like that.... leverage might be _way_ more than you think when it lets go. If you can't move fast the last place you want to be is right next to it sitting on a tractor.

 

[CurlyDave]

How badly is it hung up in the other tree?

Very badly. The live oak branch is in sort of a U-shape, parallel to the ground, and it is resting in the U. Maybe the top 20 feet of it are above the U.

Upon further inspection, things are even worse that I have said. If this thing falls the wrong way, there is a good chance it will hit my half-full 500 gallon propane tank. I have no idea how strong the tank is, but probably not strong enough.

I gave up on using the thumb on the backhoe.

What I was really thinking about is backing the hoe up to the tree and grounding the bucket on the far side of the tree. The boom and the dipperstick would form sort of an A, with the tree in between the sides of it.

I don't think I would even have to put any pressure on the tree trunk to severely limit the range of places it could bounce to. Then I would dismount and cut the tree with a chainsaw. The more I think about this, the less I like it though. There is a chance of ruining a perfectly good backhoe.

I am either going to use the two-chain method or hire a professional.

I have to agree with SLOBuds, if I hire it out, I would want to be part of the process, at least watching & learning from a safe distance.

- - - -

One last hare-brained idea.

1. Chain it high up so it can't hit the propane tank.

2. Build a wire basket around the break.

3. Clear tinder for 10-15 feet in all directions.

4. Fill basket with charcoal briquets and light.

5. Stand back and watch with hose at the ready. I have hose outlet with about 80 psi maybe 60 feet from the tree. My well is rated for 10 gpm at that pressure. 100' of true 3/4" hose and a good nozzle is a lot less costly than a professional.

The real downside is that this would probably fling hot briquets all over the woods. How about attaching a brush burner head to the stump with the flame aimed at the break, and I stand back with 20' of propane hose and a 5-gallon tank. And the water hose. Shut off the flame when I see the break start to go.

 

[wedge40]

Too bad you weren't closer. I'd recommend a guy I use for stuff I don't want to tackle. We call him "Crazy Phil", but he does good work at very reasonable price. I had him come out and cut down 9 trees that were all greater than 16 inches in diameter. He drives in, jumps out of his truck, walks around there the trees are and told me exactly how and where each tree was going to fall. 15 minutes later we standing there chatting, and every tree was EXACTLY where he said it was going to be.
Oh and the best part. Cost me $300. I tipped him 50 bucks cause I felt guilty.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is if it seems that difficult call in a pro and forget about it. Me I'd cut it part way through and start tugging on it with a chain.

Wedge

 

[Treemonkey1000]

If 20' of the tree is resting in the crook of the oak. I would think that is bearing a lot of the weight. The tree is going to want to drop the butt end down to the ground if you cut it by the break. Eliminating collateral damage to the oak would be nice. Without being there to get a better idea exactly. I would think most of the torsional force is on the inner side of the tree because it is supported at the oak and at the base. Sort of like this \ bracket. If you cut it and the butt end dropped to the ground. Then pulled the butt end with the tractor. The top rides along the oak branch at the top until you have pulled the top past the oak branch. Will the top fall safely away from the propane tank?
Just by the description so far to be safe for the customers benefit I would chain below the cut and then above the cut. You probably wouldn't need the plunge cut I mentioned before as that is more for barber chairing. Make a small notch (face cut)cut on the inside of the tree. Then do your back cut. When you are doing the back cut watch for getting the bar pinched of course. The hinge of wood inside the trunk as you cut the tree can help spin the tree some. So if you think you want to have the top slide to the right leave more of a V shape in your cut where the majority if the remaining wood is to the right.. Not sure if I am explaining it very well.
Odds are that when it does come free the butt is just going to drop and stick in the ground with the top still hung up. Then you are stuck trying to cut sections off of that without hurting yourself until it clears the hung up portion. Tugging the butt end with the tractor after it has been cut from the stump sounds like a viable option.

 

[charlz]

I've done the 'block it out' method to drop leaners (keep cutting sections off). Problem comes when it is so hung up it won't drop even when the butt is in the air... which it sounds like this could result in. Then it will likely end up dropping back towards the stump.

I'd cut it loose at the stump, possibly cutting it most of the way through and then jerk it sideways with the tractor so it for sure clears the stump. Then rig up a snatch block off to the 'right' and try to get a straight pull on the butt and drag it until the top drops out of the oak. Maybe you have access off to the right to get the tractor in a straight line, if so I would use a really long chain or cable as once it starts moving it might keep moving, fast, until the tree is on the ground. Depends on how much the butt wants to dig in.

 

[chvet73]

I had a similar situation at my place. Without a doubt it scared me to even go near it. But what I did was to wrap a chain above the break and got about 40 feet away from it. As it happened my dump trailer was then in between me and the tree. I felt like that made a good protective barrier. My dump trailer has 4' sides so that increased my protection. I then hooked the chain to my Bobcat bucket and pulled back. It did not take long and the whole tree puled back and fell.
Most of all be safe. And if you have any doubts call a pro tree man. Nothing is worth sacraficing your safety.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Im notsure I have all your situational complexities sorted, but absent some totally contrary circumstance I would try to push it off the stump with the loader. -from the picture side, or opposite it, which ever looks more appropriate. I would put the bucket edge into the break and lift and push. You lift as much as possible then push with the joystick neutral. It may be that youll have to weaken the break some - maybe not. With an 8K# tractor and transferring more weight from the tree to it in this way you can push quite hard. Once the ends on the ground just skid it away from the oak til it falls.
larry

 

[Egon]

Just dig out the root ball with the backhoe and hook on with a chain.

 

[daBear]

I don't mean to make light of this but this is about the silliest thread I have seen on TBN. That isn't ten minutes worth of work for someone who knows what he is doing. If you are scared of it, hire it out or put a chain on it and be done with it.

Sorry about that folks, y'all are making a big deal out of a really small tree.

 

[rox]

Well I guess you kinda gott know CurlyDave like we do. This guy is one of the most analytical guys on this board. I would say that there isn't anything he does that he doesn't analyze several/many different scenerios. He is a really smart dude and I guess the many pattens he has shows that he thinks of all the angles first. He is not the kind of guy to fire,aim,ready. He thinks things through. You know what, for guys like curlydave they just can't help it, it is part of their psychi (I know I spelled psychi wrong!) I'm a lot like Curlydave myself. I have got to run through all the scenerios and when I'm still not sure if the situation is appropriate for a TBN post, this is where I also would come for advice.

I love these types of posts, I get a lot out of them. i learn a lot from posts exactly like this one. I would not have known about the tension in the tree. Just like I learned only here on TBN about being careful about when you pull something with a vehicle not to use a rope as if that roap snaps it can fling right back at the driver and kill you. Chains are much safer. I also elarned here that if you need to jerk something out what you do is put a set of chains from the target through and old tire. Then another set of chains from the old tire to the pulling vehicle. A lot of us like to learn how to do things safe and right and these posts are a tremendous value. You apparently know already how to do it but be a bit kind to those of us who like to think it through.