Never Ceases To Amaze Me...

Henro · Aug 21, 2004

How much work my little tractor can do... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Yesterday a large willow fell as the result of rot and wind...today was clean up day, expecially since it fell on the neighbors property but was my tree....

All is down at the brush pile now, except for the remaining piece...which I managed to drag out and set on some wood to hopefully make cutting it into smaller pieces easier.

Little tractors can work so hard!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

What would have been a weeks work turned into a days work. The neighbor's brother who came by and helped with the clean up (neighbor has a bad back and had a bypass last year) said "Too bad we did not have a video camera...we could have made a commercial for the tractor manufacturer...

And he was right! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

RobS · Aug 21, 2004

Impressive Bill, but it begs the question... What does one do with a large chunk of willow wood? I've never heard of willow being used in woodworking, not even softwood carving. What do you plan on doing with it?

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Henro · Aug 21, 2004

What do you plan on doing with it?


It will either rot away or get in the way of a dirt biker... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Burns pretty good on the fire pit too...but splitting something that diameter when one does not have a splitter is a real task better left for real men... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

We can't burn here except for recreation or heating...something that big would not work for either...

aardvark · Aug 21, 2004

Just don't leave that willow log sit for too long, otherwise it will become 6 or 8 or more willow trees. My parents had this problem at thier place in upstate NY. Or shall I say, I had this problem at my parent's place, but that was 14 years ago when I was in high school. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Varmintmist · Aug 21, 2004

Soooo, whens the TBN hot dog cookoff /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif You need to do sone serious recreating and keeping the coals hot till those guys from CA get here might do it. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

jinman · Aug 21, 2004

( Yesterday a large willow fell as the result of rot and wind... )

Too bad tractors can't make trees grow back or get healthy. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif I'm having trouble with some large postoaks right now. They are notorious for liking very poor soil and dry conditions. Just watering my grass puts several of my trees under stress.

It's not related to tractors, but what do you think made the willow die? Was it old age?

Henro · Aug 21, 2004

It's not related to tractors, but what do you think made the willow die? Was it old age? 

That's a good question and I don't have the answer. This tree had two trunks and they Y'd off about 5 foot off the ground. I had a friend of my son-in-law cut down one half last year, as it kind of hung over the house and I began to fear it, thinking it would fall someday, probably when I or a loved one was under it...

Funny thing was, the side that I had removed last year was healthy through and through...and was 42 inches in diameter at the base where it was cut.

The remaining half that fell yesterday was rotted at the base, but healthy above that point. Go figure!

I am glad it is gone. Don't have to worry about the neighbor's yard anymore. I will take a bucket or two of top soil up tomorrow and use my landscape rake to smooth things out, and will get some grass seed and spread it too, even though he said not to worry about it. Heck, I'm even going to give him a case of beer...my tree, his yard...my problem...he's a nice guy, so is his brother...why not?

Cliff_Johns · Aug 21, 2004

( but splitting something that diameter when one does not have a splitter is a real task better left for real men... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif)

I think you'd be surprised how easy it is to split large logs when they are still green. Just don't cut it up first, split it as a whole log. A sledge and 6 or 7 wedges, would probably take about 15 minutes to do the first split. Then you attach legs and call each half a bench.

Cliff

Henro · Aug 21, 2004

Just don't leave that willow log sit for too long, otherwise it will become 6 or 8 or more willow trees. 

Boy, isn't that the truth???!!! I just cut down three relatively large (for me, maybe 20" dia) willows that had grown from old pieces of the same tree pictured. This kind of three is especially unattractive,as it is not a weeping kind, and really offers no shade and only the opportunity for fallen dead limbs or worse to crash down on one's head.

Willows are interesting though, as they do have such an ability to root from clippings. And from what I have read, you can crush the willow wood/small branches, and put them in water and something will enter the water that promotes root grooth even for other plants...

Conclusion: Willows are champion weed trees... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Poppa · Aug 21, 2004

( Little tractors can work so hard!!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

What would have been a weeks work turned into a days work...)

Without a doubt this is what I have noticed. Last year I was the tractor using a shovel and a wheelbarrow. I moved what felt like a lot of dirt and it took a looooooooooong time. This year, with the tractor, I moved six to seven times as much dirt in a fraction of the time. I overexed for a 600 square foot patio and a four hundred square foot sand box. Actually spent more time laying the pavers and raking the sand and was done with the projects a good month earlier than I planned last year, pre-tractor.

That being said, I will say that the wife doesn't seem impressed as much as eager for me to make use of what I thought was found time. Actually, I guess it was found time just that she found it before I could hide it.

Mike

*edit* holey smokes, I hadn't seen the picture before. You weren't kidding when you said large tree. Your tractor looks like a toy. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif