Man killed while felling trees

[Varmintmist]

I'm not sure if you got the point the way I meant it. If you put pressure on a tree, and you dont get it over, it will return to its original position. Problem is since it has a lot of weight on top, it will continue, after it returns to its original place, in the other direction. Even if you dont see the tree spring back, its there. If it comes back over, even a foot at at the top, you are putting pressure in the wrong position and the tree can continue over the wrong way.

I have been in the place TBAR has, and I dont like to pull trees with trucks or tractors. The wife tried to kill me one day when we were clearing for the house. She put pressure on it, bobbled the clutch, dropped pressure, dumped the clutch and snapped the rope. The tree went through 5 moves in about 6 seconds. I was running.

You CANT keep steady pressure. You have the traction, the transmission, and the operator, as variables. I like come-a-longs if I have to pull one. Will I use a tractor or truck again? Probably, if I cant get a come-a-long hooked to a solid base like another tree. The wife will be making the felling cut though, I'ma driving /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[bczoom]

I do use a tractor with cables for assisting with the felling of trees when needed.
But...
There's at least 3 people onsite.
1 cutting
1 spotting
1 driving

The driver doesn't even tighten the cable until the notch is cut.
Once the notch is out, tighten the cable, get in correct gear, get RPM's up (basically, get ready).
I do the cutting.
Spotter's only job is to watch the top of the tree. Gives the signal that it's going. At that point, I normally will get away from the trunk and the tractor driver takes off and is NOT to let off for any reason until the tree has come down or slack in the cable.

 

[Libertine]

Varmintmist (& TBar):

<font color="blue">Problem is since it has a lot of weight on top, it will continue, after it returns to its original place, in the other direction. Even if you dont see the tree spring back, its there. If it comes back over, even a foot at at the top, you are putting pressure in the wrong position and the tree can continue over the wrong way. </font>

Post #1 of 7) I do (I think) understand your point. And I'm not suggesting you're wrong. And this forum IS about safety. But my options in getting this down were to climb the thing, attach pulley to higher limbs and cut the larger laterals and lower to ground (or on top of container next to it). I could have used a hydraulic ram against the tree pushing against the container.

Anyway, I digitized the photos of taking it down and am posting for comment. This pic shows prior to any cutting. If you look at lower part you will see a stump which is 1/2 of tree that already has ceen cut. It was leaning in the right direction - it's always easy enough to cut something leaning the was you want it to fall! However, this part was leaning slight the wrong direction.

 

[Libertine]

Post #2 of 7) This one shows view toward the tractor with chain & rope back towards the tree

 

[Libertine]

Post #3 of 7) This shows view from tractor back towards the tree. Small felling cut was made and small relieving cut. Then force applied. Then additional small cuts made. It went of (cracking the hinge/picot) from force applied by tractor after the third cut. I understand this could be dangerous if I had cut too far and it started falling the wrong way on its own.

 

[Libertine]

Post #4 of 7) Whew. Tree down. This view shows the upper part of the tree. The chain and rope totaled 90' and the top of the tree was about 15'-20' from back of tractor, so tree was 70'-75' in height which was close to what I had estimated. You can get a sense of the size from the scale of the tractor to the tree (tractor is a NH TC40)

 

[Libertine]

Post #5 of 7) This view is the lower part of tree right after felliing.

 

[Libertine]

Post #6 of 7) Here, tree has pretty well been cut up, brush and small limbs are gone (chipper & shredded up).

 

[Libertine]

Post #7 of 7) This view shows where tree was. Bottom of trunk was bear to get out even after stump had been chain sawed up to near ground level. Neither the BH or FEL would break it loose after larger roots were exposed and cut with chainsaw. Finally had to hand dig underneath the thing until it was sort of standing on a column of dirt. Finally though FEL got it loose. I couldn't lift at all with pallet forks (FEL is rated at 2,000 lbs) so just the base/root system must have weighed more than that. I could only shove it around with the tractor, no lifting.

Any suggestions on improving this technique?????

JEH

 

[frank_f15]

just read in yesterdays paper, where another man was killed felling a tree, it did state that the man was 83 and felling trees with his wife when the tree fell on him. FELLING trees is tricky for anyone, but i don't think an 83 year old man should even think about it.