Pushing over cedars

[btolle]

PLEASE! Safety first. Pushing trees with a tractor can be deadly. A fella was killed last week about 20 miles from me. He was pushing on a tree and a big limb broke off and hit him on the head. He was DOA at the hospital. Any tree over 4" can kill you if you aren't careful.

You also need to be aware that the tree you are pushing on may not be the one that kills you. If you push it and the top hits a dead tree you can be in big trouble.

I bought a 150 foot rope that I can tie 6 feet or so up the tree and get way away from it when I pull.

About the hydrostatic: Pressing the pedal does not change the gear ratio any more than pushing the pedal on a standard transmission changes the gear ratio. See Eaton Web Site for a description of the principles of hydrostatic transmissions.

Bill Tolle

 

[txloops]

WOW....i will certainly be careful......i like the long rope or chain suggestion.

 

[rockslab]

As a retired safety guy I feel the need to comment. All the suggestions are very valid and this can be dangerous. I have many cedars on my property that I remove with the tractor.

A special caution when using a rope to pull anything. Make sure the rope has a high breaking strength. Unfortunately I have seen men cut in half and limbs severed when a rope breaks and whips back. This is especially likely to happen with synthetic ropes. If the rope seems to be stretching a lot and the diameter is getting thinner this is a sign to slack off on the pull, If you can find them ropes that have a "static" rating are safer, up to their load limit.

 

[bigpete]

Not many folks would use a rope for pulling. I know there is specialty rope made that can withstand the stress of pulling a tree out by the roots, but it would certainly be special order where I do my shopping. A safety rule of thumb is to make sure your chain/cable/etc is not the weakest link in your pulling asembly A smart rig will have the tractor's ground traction the weakest link. I use 3/8" or 5/16" Grade 70 transport chain and hook assembly for all my pulling and lifting with my 4110.