megotatractor
Veteran Member
We have an OLD weeping willow tree that suffered the loss of 4 main limbs in last summer's gusty winds and it is UGLY. How in the world do I take it down? The trunk is nearly 6 feet in diameter!
Old Willow must go!
- Thread starter megotatractor
- Start date
- Views: 2327
Oldtrout
Silver Member
Are there any beavers around??
just kidding..
A bit more information would be useful,ie how tall? any power lines involved? could it hit house or outbuilding? I am in the property maintaince,landscaping and tree removal business; about the only advice I can give you is unless you are an experienced power saw operator leave it to a professional. I have had customers remove all the branches and leave a 20 foot stump than call us to cut it off at ground level however I don't recommend that unless you have a bucket truck,it isn't for the slight of heart to be hanging 30 or more feet in the air with a power saw.I would recommend a power saw with an 36 inch bar as well, even though the longest we use is 24 inches,and yes we can and do cut off trees 6 ft in diameter.
However I do recommend a professional to at least lay it on the ground,if there are no power lines or buildings within strikeing distance its no big deal I don't know what tree removal people charge there however we do just lay several down each year and the owner takes over from there if we can do it on our way by and no power lines etc we would charge 100 bucks to drop it. When we get into climbing,bucket trucks ,clean up it gets pricy ....someone has to pay my insurance . Another idea would be an experienced logger he could knock it down for a few cool ones if he lived close by.
just kidding..A bit more information would be useful,ie how tall? any power lines involved? could it hit house or outbuilding? I am in the property maintaince,landscaping and tree removal business; about the only advice I can give you is unless you are an experienced power saw operator leave it to a professional. I have had customers remove all the branches and leave a 20 foot stump than call us to cut it off at ground level however I don't recommend that unless you have a bucket truck,it isn't for the slight of heart to be hanging 30 or more feet in the air with a power saw.I would recommend a power saw with an 36 inch bar as well, even though the longest we use is 24 inches,and yes we can and do cut off trees 6 ft in diameter.
However I do recommend a professional to at least lay it on the ground,if there are no power lines or buildings within strikeing distance its no big deal I don't know what tree removal people charge there however we do just lay several down each year and the owner takes over from there if we can do it on our way by and no power lines etc we would charge 100 bucks to drop it. When we get into climbing,bucket trucks ,clean up it gets pricy ....someone has to pay my insurance
. Another idea would be an experienced logger he could knock it down for a few cool ones if he lived close by.
JB4310
Super Member
I've never worked with Willow but I've heard it can be unpredictable when cutting.
ShivasIrons
New member
I too have heard they can be unpredictable. As you probably saw with the high winds that took the limbs off, they split pretty easily. I'm no expert but I would definitely hire a pro for something this size.
DreaminGreen
Silver Member
When I was a kid, my dad took one down probably 4ft around he hired a guy wih a crawler loader to get it out it took some work.The thing I remember most is my dad tossing some of the wood in the fire place, to this day I remember it....it smelled like somebody p##sed on the fire. So use caution burning it.
wushaw
Elite Member
Since your Willow has lost some limbs it may also have a hollow section in it making it unpredictable when you go to cuttin into it. I had a 3ft in diameter Willow I removed on my property and it came down rather quickly when I hit that dead spot..... Be very carefull cutting it down.
RonMar
Elite Member
I took out about a 30" Willow a few years ago. This tree was large enough to see in the google earth sattelite photos of our property. The newer photos show it missing
Since it was up pretty close to the garage and house, and because of he large horizontal limbs(forked about 6-8' up in the air), I could not guarantee which way it would go if cut at the trunk. Because of this I did it in sections. I partially cut the side of eached fork limb away from the buildings, then I attached a heavy piece of double braid nylon line and pre-loaded the section slightly with the truck parked across the yard. This guaranteed that the section was not going to go any closer to the building if it twisted when it came down. Then I cut the side toward the building and let the spring tension in the line pull the section away and gravity pulled down. Because of hte way it forked, I was able to partially conceal myself behind the opposite fork while cutting. Once the big limbs of the forks were down, I attached the line to the fork, and loaded slightly with the line, proceeded to cut flat across the stump and topple the remainig fork portion. I had thought of putting a table top on the stump, but our yard plans changed and I just pulled the stump a few months ago with the backhoe.
Due to the fork and the large heavy horizontal pieces, this was perhaps the trickiest tree I have ever done. I would rather put a large fir on the ground any day. Depending on your experience, it might be better to hire it done. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.
Willow wood is very porus and the tree trunk is basically a sponge. When wet, it is hard to burn and does have a unique odor. When dry, it weighs just a fraction of it's green weight and reminds me a lot of balsa wood.
Since it was up pretty close to the garage and house, and because of he large horizontal limbs(forked about 6-8' up in the air), I could not guarantee which way it would go if cut at the trunk. Because of this I did it in sections. I partially cut the side of eached fork limb away from the buildings, then I attached a heavy piece of double braid nylon line and pre-loaded the section slightly with the truck parked across the yard. This guaranteed that the section was not going to go any closer to the building if it twisted when it came down. Then I cut the side toward the building and let the spring tension in the line pull the section away and gravity pulled down. Because of hte way it forked, I was able to partially conceal myself behind the opposite fork while cutting. Once the big limbs of the forks were down, I attached the line to the fork, and loaded slightly with the line, proceeded to cut flat across the stump and topple the remainig fork portion. I had thought of putting a table top on the stump, but our yard plans changed and I just pulled the stump a few months ago with the backhoe.
Due to the fork and the large heavy horizontal pieces, this was perhaps the trickiest tree I have ever done. I would rather put a large fir on the ground any day. Depending on your experience, it might be better to hire it done. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.
Willow wood is very porus and the tree trunk is basically a sponge. When wet, it is hard to burn and does have a unique odor. When dry, it weighs just a fraction of it's green weight and reminds me a lot of balsa wood.
ScottAR
Veteran Member
I echo the others comments. I've felled dozens of trees but am not a pro. When I have a "yard" tree near some obstructions I hire out.
Besides, one 6ft round is gonna need an $800-$1000 saw.
Besides, one 6ft round is gonna need an $800-$1000 saw.
silverdollar6
Silver Member
Nevermind, I thought your wifes name was Willow.
forgeblast
Elite Member
you can girdle it, put two sets of chain saw marks around the tree trunk about 1-2 inches into the tree itself and about 6 inches apart. This will kill the tree and allow it to begin rotting. then the wind will just blow pieces from the top down every so often. I have also heard that you dont want to cut and notch a willow, have been told they are unpredicatable.
