Taking down trees with tractor help

[have_blue]

I've felled many many trees in close quarters with no problems. I have had a couple of close calls, and they were caused by wind. So always factor in the wind. A good steady wind can even be your friend, but don't take chances when it's variable or gusty.

 

[patrick_g]

Pride cometh before a fall. I went to My SIL's house to remove some Eucalyptus trees between her house and the nice ornamental wooden fence. I had always been good at dropping trees pretty much on target. The hoiuse was aboiut 20 ft from the fence and I dropped 4 of the 5 parallel to the house and fence with no problems to the amazement of the SIL and my wife.

I then put the "girls" on the end of a rope attached to the one bothersome tree. It was smaller but leaning wrong and would need coaxing to miss the house. I explained that they were to keep a modest strain on the rope and run with the rope in the direction I indicated in advance of the excitement. That tree went down perfectly.

At my own house a neighbor tree (when a tree is on both sides of the line it belongs to both and neither can remove it without the other's permission and they are often called a "neioghbor tree.") I went up a ladder and then climbed the tree to about 40' above ground with my trusty 16 inch Mac Eager Beaver chain saw which is small enough to one hand (I was under 50 yrs old.) You are entitled to whatever sticks over the line on our side so I wanted to trim "my" side.

I attached a rope to each large limb one at a time and cut it off and lowered it down to a friend on the ground or on the roof of the master bath depending on limb location. Eventually I dropped a large limb on the roog knocking a hole in the roof deck that required temp repairs pending an upcoming reroof job. The good news was that I missed my friend and I missed the antique red clay tile on all the roof surface except the master bath (added as a remodel.) The tile was a nonstandard size and had the full palm and finger prints of the worker making it on each piece (home built in 1928) so I was really glad to have missed the tile.

Jumping ahead to modern times I was out helping a friend cut down some eastern red cedar. There were three of us with chainsaws, each doing his own thing. I came across a medium sized tree next to a considerably larger one and began making my frontside notch to direct its fall. (This was on uneven terrain on aht side of a ravine.)

I then proceeded to make the falling cut on the backside. It cut cleanly and started to fall EXACTLY where I planned but then the larger tree next to it which I had not noticed to already be cut off but well balanced and being a little bit supported by the smaller tree that I was cutting, fell on me smashing me down under its limbs, pinning me motionlessly to the ground between the little "trigger" tree I cut and the larger tree someone else had cut and left standing. It knocked my glasses off, knocked my Husky hard hat with face shield and ear muffs off, and deeply wounded my pride but little else. No one even noticed.

It was NOT EASY to extricate myself from the press of branches but luckily no large stiff ones hit me just lots of needles in the face, ears, etc. That'l learn me dern me!

If you go out in the woods today you may be in for a big surprise and I don't mean Teddy Bears on picnic. Whoda thunkit? It sure looked to be just two trees waiting to be cut. I was cutting the smaller as it was down wind and down slope of the larger to clear space to cut the larger (which was already cut.) Ya gotta pay attention all the time 'cause whether you know it or not, behind your back, mother nature is waiting to laugh at you.

Pat

 

[daBear]

Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend's wife for president? You $%^&ing kidding me?
Pat

I understand Monica is a Republican now because the Democrats left a bad taste in her mouth.

I don't have a FEL But I do have a 7500# winch with 100' of cable and several chains. Hook as high as you can and back off as far as necessary. Sometimes you get lucky and stump and all comes, other times you have to cut a bit, but it always goes where I am pulling.

 

[patrick_g]

I understand Monica is a Republican now because the Democrats left a bad taste in her mouth.

I don't have a FEL But I do have a 7500# winch with 100' of cable and several chains. Hook as high as you can and back off as far as necessary. Sometimes you get lucky and stump and all comes, other times you have to cut a bit, but it always goes where I am pulling.

Having the right equipment and knowing how to use it makes a big difference for you.

I have a 12,000 lb winch on the front of my 1 ton Dodge/Cummins and in extreme cases I put it into use similar to your action. So far I have only had to chain the back of the truck to a tree a couple times to keep it from sliding forward.

Pat

 

[Eastinlet]

Guys, I'm coming into this discussion late. But what I'm about to say me be a fitting ending and a caution.

I've worked in and around the logging/forestry business since i got my first summer job at age 12 and I'm well over 50 now. i have logged professionally for many years in several states and on both coasts, and have also worked as a tree surgeon. i have no idea how many trees have died at my hands, but it's in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands.

I have known many guys who have been killed on the job, and I started to count them up but it was too depressing and I quit. I probably know over 50 guys who have been badly injured, myself bearing permanent marks from several and countless close calls. Had 7 killed and 21 injured just in one summer out west within a small working radius.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong when you cut a tree and only one thing right. Mistakes are costly if not fatal. Errors to be made have been mentioned, i.e. rot, wind, faulty technique, widow makers, barberchairs. There are things that even the professional may not notice until too late due to human error, and that's a big risk and is what kills experienced men.

I know there are a lot of capable and sensible people posting here, but I want to counsel you not to exceed your experience. You may think that the facts are obvious, but the forces of physics are greater than you imagine with trees.

If you don't have experience in tree felling or pushing then be frank with yourself as to whether you actually KNOW what the ending will be. By all means learn, but do it by starting to learn technique with low-risk smaller trees in areas where they can't damage you or property. Get experience incrementally and never exceed your ability.

End of plea.

 

[patrick_g]

Eastinlet, Well said, excellent. Thank you.

Have you seen the notices (previews, teasers, whatever) for a special on logging to be shown on TV pretty soon.

I for one am seriously looking forward to seeing it and recording a copy.

I'm NOT a forestry professional, at best a fairly skillful amateur or maybe moderately skilled amateur who has been exceedingly lucky for many years.

Pat

 

[Eastinlet]

Eastinlet, Well said, excellent. Thank you.

Have you seen the notices (previews, teasers, whatever) for a special on logging to be shown on TV pretty soon.

I for one am seriously looking forward to seeing it and recording a copy.

I'm NOT a forestry professional, at best a fairly skillful amateur or maybe moderately skilled amateur who has been exceedingly lucky for many years.

Pat

No, haven't seen anything about the show to be aired. Can you let us know when it's on and what channel? Might be educational.

Along similar lines, there was a movie calle "Never Give an Inch" with Paul Newman and Henry Fonda. It's about a logging family defying a union, but the reason I mention it is that there are shown some logging accidents that are so realistic that jumped out of my chair when I saw them. There's a barberchair scene in which a guy loses his arm. So if you want to see a barberchair other than firsthand, go rent this movie somewhere.

 

[patrick_g]

No, haven't seen anything about the show to be aired. Can you let us know when it's on and what channel? Might be educational.

Along similar lines, there was a movie calle "Never Give an Inch" with Paul Newman and Henry Fonda. It's about a logging family defying a union, but the reason I mention it is that there are shown some logging accidents that are so realistic that jumped out of my chair when I saw them. There's a barberchair scene in which a guy loses his arm. So if you want to see a barberchair other than firsthand, go rent this movie somewhere.

AKA "Sometimes a Great Notion"

I saw that way back when. Recall the buddy breathing scene and a little of the rest but not much.

I have seen an ad for the logging thing within the last couple days and thought if it were convenient I'd like to watch or record and watch but didn't note the channel or the time. I'll try to be a more responsible citizen and if I snag some info, post it here. I'm not sure but vaguely think it may be a multi-parter.

...sneaks off to one side to do a Google...

Slips back, undetected...

Oh yeah, I remember now! It is titled Ax Men and it is going to be on the History Channel

Ax Men
Get A Sneak Peek at History.com
Premieres March 10th at 10pm/9C.
The History Channel - Home Page

Whew, there for a moment I thought I might not recall the details.

Pat

 

[Eastinlet]

Thanks, Patrick. I'll try and catch it.

I thought movie was better than the book, unusual for me since it's usually the reverse. Watch it again if you get a chance, the logging scenes are the real deal. The rest of it is a story with a Hollywood twist.

 

[turnkey4099]

AKA "Sometimes a Great Notion"

I saw that way back when. Recall the buddy breathing scene and a little of the rest but not much.

I have seen an ad for the logging thing within the last couple days and thought if it were convenient I'd like to watch or record and watch but didn't note the channel or the time. I'll try to be a more responsible citizen and if I snag some info, post it here. I'm not sure but vaguely think it may be a multi-parter.

...sneaks off to one side to do a Google...

Slips back, undetected...

Oh yeah, I remember now! It is titled Ax Men and it is going to be on the History Channel

Ax Men
Get A Sneak Peek at History.com
Premieres March 10th at 10pm/9C.
The History Channel - Home Page

Whew, there for a moment I thought I might not recall the details.

Pat

I also saw that show 'way back when'. Probably won't find it in the rental shops so will be looking in amazon for it.

The show is to be a series like the 'ice road truckers' last year. Eagerly awating Mar 9.

Harry K