Gotta go cut a tree

[turnkey4099]

Can't stand it, I jes gotta go play.

Visited my wife in rehab this morning. Visit got cut short so I decided to visit one of my reserved locust patches to see how much snow was there. Hardly any. On way back I figured why not start on it...Took me an hour's work shoveling out most of a frozen, packed remnant of a deep drift in front of the pasture gate. Ready to head out in the morning.

There are 7 Locusts 4 small, ratty half dead ones, 3 medium and one big one. The two way down by the road are some other species that I don't recognize and can't take.

Plan is to cut/load the small, ratty one on far end of the road and then cut the near one and use the PU to skid it down off the rise it is on.

Drawback of that patch is it is right by a heavy traveled highway and people see work being done there, my trees could disappear.

Harry K

 

[Dan_IN_MN]

Let's see more pics of your cutting!

I know the feeling those trees are just a calling. Being able to drop them where we almost wanted them, bucking, hauling, and burning. Let's see more pics of your cutting!

I pray your wife recovers soon!

Dan

 

[wdchuck]

Other than the knarly stuff, and heavy traffic, that looks like nice size wood to handle.

You could always put up a simple sign when you are on site working....

Field/Fence line tree removal...call Turnkey at ###-####.

That may keep the scavengers away if they think its a contracted job.

 

[savageactor7]

huh? no kidding that can be a problem as remote as it is where you live? the only thing I can suggest is that you only cut what you can take.

I been following you and these locusts for quite awhile and am glad they are working out for you...they didn't for us. Years ago we went out of our way to cut all ours down ...except for one.

Got to the point we'd only throw 'em in the stove when we were leaving the house for awhile cause the coals would last forever. The coal pile would be so high we couldn't put more wood on...and with our smoke dragon we were always hot burners cause we live in an old drafty house and wood was no object.

Took us about 5 years of burning it just here and there and re-splitting just to be rid of it. If I never ever burn locust again it'll be too soon.

Yeah, I know it one of the highest btu woods there is..but when we had kids in diapers running around I rather burn the lower regarded Poplar for a more even higher heat.

Best wishes to the wife's full recovery btw.

 

[strongback]

Go get some! Wish I could find me something to cut up right about now.

 

[thejdman04]

I agree, only cut and chunk what you can take with you. Nice rounds already chunked disappear very easily.

 

[jags]

Harry, you at it again??

Can't blame ya, I'm getting the itch again too.

Here's to a speedy recovery for the other half.

 

[beerman6]

I agree, only cut and chunk what you can take with you. Nice rounds already chunked disappear very easily.

yep

 

[turnkey4099]

Once again I let my eyes overload my a$$. Dunno where I got the silly idea I could do two trees in one session. Got out there and decided that far one was more brush than I wanted to deal with on the first time out. Scouted the others, They all seemed too big, too brushy, would lodge in another one unless that big bast*rd was cut first, etc.

Finally picked the near one, wanted it to fall straight away parrellel to the row of trees. Needed to cable it high and rig to snatch block on 3rd in row for an assist getting the tree where I wanted it. Half hour laying out rigging, notch, back cut, yank with PU and no go, cut some more (dangerously close to hinge now. More yankin to get it rocking and it went. Exaclty where I aimed but it lodged in teh second tree. I figured it probably would but gambled that it would just strip the branches off of it and get to the ground.

Ah well, Cut 2 short sections off the butt got it to where I could start removing branches, mucho #### around doing that plus piling brush and was getting late (for me). Had the saw in my hand, fueled up and headed out to finish it up when I decided ENOUGH! Left the remains still lodged (but not dangerous) and what I had cut was still on the ground as it was now under that leaner.

Home empty except for one stray chunk I stumbled over when I crawled out of the PU to begin with. Out tomorrow but early, will visit wife in afternoon.
I figure at most 2 hours will finish cutting, brushing, loading.

Sorry, no pics as the camera was still sitting on the dining room table

Was a nice way to kill a boring winter day. Nothing like a saw self feeding down through a decent sized log!

Wife is doing Okay but not eating enough and not very coopeative with the therapists. Some short term memory loss but no physical impairment except very weak.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

2 hours to finish it up and I wasn't working very hard.

The start with it lodged and result after my first real cut (after trimming branches twigs):

Yes, that is my Husky 51 firmly anchored. Did plunge/down cut and then started the up cut, tree started down bt only twisted a bit trapping the saw. Cut it free with the 310.

Not a lot of wood - about 1/2 load but then I had already removed two big co-dominant stems from it last year.

This is probably the next one to come out when weather gives me a 2 day window:

I want it go to the right, up hill for easiest brush piling. Can't really decide if that is what it wants or not. Those two stems on the left might have to come off first.