Taking tree down by digging verses cutting?

[Gale Hawkins]

After doing a triangle cut 2-3' deep l like to use the front end loader because at 6' wide it is not likely to slip and come back on me like with the 2' hoe.

As noted gravity is real and trees are heavy so balling trees or falling trees is flirting with death. I feel better on the tractor than standing on the gound with a saw with no full view of what is going on around me. The FEL use gives me a good field of view with instant reverse if needed.

 

[irwin]

I first dig up in the direction of (hopeful) fall. I then tighten up the cable I attached as high up as I could get. Once the tree has enough pressure on it I dig out the sides and the back (we're talking a fairly big oak here) Then like you I push, but I also tighten up the cable (3 ton come-along).. so far so good.

I don't have a large machine, just a L35TLB..still it's much faster and cleaner to take down a tree and remove the stump this way.

This was a double tree (I cut one of them down to make digging it up safer), so the stump is pretty big....http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/irwin55/vids/?action=view&current=P1010041.flv

I'm not sure how brave I'd be without a strong FOPS.. sure is nice to have a solid roof over my head.

 

[Richard]

Just be careful when cutting up the trunk that the root ball doesn't plop back into the hole and whip branches at you as the trunk stands up again.

Heh... I always try (and in some cases can't do it but here, could) to then grab the root end of the tree while still attached to the rest of the tree. Lift the end up and let the root ball slam into the ground. Ultimately, I'm trying to dislodge as much of the dirt from it as I can. This one cleaned up pretty nicely doing that. I'm not always that lucky.

Then I grab the trunk with the bucket, pinching it and had them cut the other side of the bucket so the tree would fall to the ground (4 inches) and I'd already have the root ball pinched, fairly clean and ready to take to my burn pile.