I have some "large shrubs" of my own to remove, here are the details. They are actually four Spruce trees, diameter at ground level is about a foot. They are 35-40 feet tall. I trimmed off all the branches as high as I could reach from the ground, maybe 8 feet high, to make it easier to work around them. Then last Saturday I used the box blade and dug down 1 foot all along one side of the four trees. In the process I cut through many roots, along with 10" of frost. There's nothing more satisfying than snapping off sub-terrainian roots with your box blade scarifiers, except maybe if you own a backhoe. Now, after the frost is completely out, I am thinking I can pull the trees over, by hooking on up fairly high for leverage, and pulling away from the excavated side. In my experience with smaller Spruces, I have found them to have a sprawling flat root structure and no tap root. I believe I have removed all the strength from the one side. Am I in for a shock when I start to pull on them? My choices for equipment include the 2000 pound tractor, the 4wd full size pickup, an 80 Hp tractor of probably 5000 pounds, or a come-along (hand ratchet winch) to a nearby tree. I cant remember the comealong capacity right now. I may start with that, just testing the trees.
Comments welcomed, there's still frost so I have time to change the plan.
