Tractor assisted tree felling.

   / Tractor assisted tree felling. #41  
The son of a friend went to purchase some gaffs; when they were placed in front of him, he asked how to put them on. The counterman immediately grabbed them back, "If you don't know, I'm not going to sell them to you."

Please enlighten me - what is a gaff? I have always thought it was a hook used to 'land' fish that had been caught with a line.
 
   / Tractor assisted tree felling. #42  
Gaffs, spurs, spikes are specialized tree or pole climbing equipment. They are an "L" or "J" shaped pieces of metal with detachable spikes at the angle or bend. The climber puts the arch of his boot on the horizontal part and the vertical part along the inner side of his calf. Some sort of harness secures them to the climbers instep. and calf. While gaff, spur, or spike may technically be only the spike that goes into the tree, the terms are also used for the whole apparatus.

Link to an online catalog. Link is only for information, I do not climb and make no recommendation. In my opinion the counterman acted properly.
 
   / Tractor assisted tree felling. #43  
LOL, I've done 'tractor assisted felling' also PU assisted.
Works Ok as long as the rope/cable used is longer than the tree is high.
That, or have good insurance.
Mind U a decent 5/8 or 3/4 poly rope is good 4 that as it reacts like a nice big elastic.
I have had a tree actually literally jump off of the stump.
 
   / Tractor assisted tree felling. #44  
Gaffs, spurs, spikes are specialized tree or pole climbing equipment. They are an "L" or "J" shaped pieces of metal with detachable spikes at the angle or bend. The climber puts the arch of his boot on the horizontal part and the vertical part along the inner side of his calf. Some sort of harness secures them to the climbers instep. and calf. While gaff, spur, or spike may technically be only the spike that goes into the tree, the terms are also used for the whole apparatus.

Link to an online catalog. Link is only for information, I do not climb and make no recommendation. In my opinion the counterman acted properly.

Thanks, Captain.
 
   / Tractor assisted tree felling. #45  
I have this shed...

View attachment 689153

Scenic, no? I've always enjoyed the way it's nestled into the trees. Or I did until trees started falling on it. Time to clear them.

There is a hill behind the shed. Most of the trees that grow there lean a bit toward the shed.

To the left of the shed just behind that far left magnolia are 2500 gallons' capacity of buried propane tanks. There's probably 15+ feet between the building and the tanks. So if I want to fell trees to the left of the shed I have a "lane" in which they need to fall. It's not narrow, but it exists.

A lot of the trees are small, no problem, I can even push them over in the intended direction with just my body. The larger ones aren't monsters, probably 8-10 inches max, though that's a lot of weight in beech and birch, but clearly care is required. Maybe I'll have to hire most of it out if I can find a professional I trust, though they're few and far between these days (a lot of bad contractor stories of late). I'll be making calls when the snow clears.

I'm not a cutting expert, but I've been cutting trees for decades and have managed not to injure myself, so I'm reasonably careful. I have no block/tackle gear, I'd have to buy things to do this. I have no winch or related attachments for my tractor.

I'm thinking of using straps/cables of some kind to pull the trees in the right direction so they miss the building. The problem is that there is nothing good on the downhill side of the shed to use as anchors. I.e. there are no big trees in any reasonable distance on the other side of the driveway in the picture. If I want to use trees as anchors they'd be to the right and left of the shed (in the woods), forcing me to pull the tree somewhat parallel to the slope instead of largely perpendicular. They're also no larger than the trees I'd be taking down.

So my question is: can I use my tractor (About 3.5 tons with FEL+attachment and nothing on the 3ph) to provide the .... nuanced downhill forces ... and get these trees to fall to either side of my shed? Or is it simply a fool's errand even with sufficiently long straps and I should stricly hire a pro, if I can find one. Would I even trust them to climb the trees to cut them down? Or would a crane be required?

Btw, the shed contains a generator and some substantial electrical switches. This is not a garden shed.

Okay, let the wisdom and memes flow. I'm expecting that wanting to do it myself, for any large trees, is probably not the right thing, but I had to ask since I have this tractor and it'd be nice to save some money. Obviously either way I'll clear out as much small stuff as I can. Pointers to the kinds of rigging blocks I might use and where to buy them also appreciated. Or maybe this is the year of the logging winch setup for the 3ph. You tell me.
Last time I believed I was smart enough to lay trees near my house I nearly took part or it down, limbs slapped the top but the tree was suppose to go the other direction. I don't cut trees near my home anymore but best advice I could give is make sure the wind is pushing in the direction you want to lay it. However if you have a fair size tractor compact or utility I would rope that 10" thick tree about 25' up and give er a pull and see how it reacts, may just pop them roots right up some will some wont. I've pushed over some 4,5,6,up to ten inch thick trees roots and all with my Mahindra emax25 but I was on flat ground and no structures around and had time to consider my moves doing this near a home takes away the ability to make mistakes and time needed.
 
 
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