Removing Trees??

DaveNH · Mar 26, 2002

<font color=blue>A single oak branch eight inches in diameter, four feet long, solid, will weigh about 800 lbs.. depending on green or no.. </font color=blue>

How do you figure that?
One board foot of red oak weights a little over 5 pounds.

http://www.timberbuyer.net/weight.htm

beenthere · Mar 26, 2002

Maybe just a decimal point off, but 80 pounds is still a heavy chunk to have fall on or around you. If it breaks off, it is probably rotten, but still in the neighborhood of 30 - 50 pounds. Your point is still valid and well taken.

JohnMiller3 · Mar 26, 2002

White ash, 16" x 8', 659 pounds
Soft maple, 16" x 8', 645 pounds
Red oak, 16" x 8', 838 pounds

There are formulae for these data and you can find them in Vol. 3 of Utilization of Hardwods Growing on Southern Pine Sites, US Dept of Agriculture Handbook No. 605 (available in many libraries).
~~~from the web~~~

tuckedawaytoo · Mar 26, 2002

Jag can you post a picture of what your tree puller looks like?
I'd be interested in making one.
tuckedawaytoo

frank_f15 · Mar 26, 2002

john: ok give us the real figures . he stated a 8" x4' oak log would weigh 800 lbs, your figures gave a 16" x 8' as 800 lbs, so if u cut dia. in half it should weigh only 400, then if u cut length in half it should only weigh about 200. or am i missing something?we rely on u john to come up with the proper figures or pictures,(damm u are good) in any case when yanking tress always be careful.

kyoders · Mar 26, 2002

Actually, a log 4' long and 8" in diameter would have about 1.4 cubic feet of volume. A log 8' long and 16" in diameter would have a volume of about 11.2 cubic feet. If a board foot of red oak weighs about 5 pounds, and a board foot it basically 1/12 of a cubic foot, then one cubic foot of red oak would weigh about 60 pounds. So,

8" diameter, 4' long ~ 84lbs
16" diameter, 8' long ~ 672lbs

Of course, the figure for the weight of a board foot of red oak is most likely at least air dried, possibly kiln-dried, so one fresh off the tree should weigh a bit more.

And here I thought I forgot all of that math stuff I used to have to know.

Kevin