It's time to have a serious discussion.

[bitzer]

Snag Baggin'

I know I can't hold a candle to most of you guys, but I thought I'd show some of what I do. I deal mostly in snags, dead timber, lot clearings, etc. The goal is removal with minor impact to desirable trees. This usually means almost total removal. I do some limbing, but I'm really supposed to get everything out. I've got about a hundred of these damn things to get out. These are boxelders. There are just weeds and will choke out and grow around anything in their path. Its hard to tell from the pics, but these things will grow along the ground when they have too. It makes for some interesting pressures when bucking.

I looked at this job last summer and this one was beginning to break under its own pressure. It was still alive. There are about 2 dozen that look just like this. Its amazing people let these damn things grow so long.

Gunning a beauty!

I know, no PPE. I need to get a helmet at least. I'm running a 36" bar on my 440/460bb in these pics. Keeps me at a safe distance. I've had to do some digging in the snow to recover wedges that have been flung 40' or so when these things release. These trees also have very inconsistant growth so the tree could look solid, but all of a sudden you run into a soft spot. Apparantly I lost all of my falling pics of these, didn't save them to disc apparantly. There are some straighter ones. I run a 28" for those. I'm about halfway through this job right now so I should be able to get some more. Lots twists and leans make for some interesting experimentation in swings and spins.

 

[bitzer]

Two of the pics didn't show for some reason, here they are. Must have tried to fit too many in.

Gunning a beauty.

 

[Urbicide]

Administering the coup de grâce.:smoking:

 

[slowp]

This made me hungry today!

I think she was taunting me.....elk meat....yummmmmm.

I started cutting my way to get closer, but they disappeared and I didn't finish.

I saw 6 of the beasts on the way out. I think they like to taunt us.

 

[Burvol]

Elk meat rules....

I hope we can buck a road together some day Slowp

 

[fmaglin]

This made me hungry today!

I think she was taunting me.....elk meat....yummmmmm.

I started cutting my way to get closer, but they disappeared and I didn't finish.

I saw 6 of the beasts on the way out. I think they like to taunt us.

Anyone out there in the PNW ever make Elk jerky? I've made some Deer jerky. One recipe I have is called 3 pepper jerky, which I like the best. You just need to be sure you have plenty of drinking water close by.

 

[stihl sawing]

This made me hungry today!


I think she was taunting me.....elk meat....yummmmmm.

I started cutting my way to get closer, but they disappeared and I didn't finish.

I saw 6 of the beasts on the way out. I think they like to taunt us.

How do ya'll cut them logs up on the asphalt or concrete roads, You ever hit the road with the chain.? ya'll probably have something to lift it up for clearance.

 

[Burvol]

You learn where your bar is after a few years at it.

 

[Burvol]

Administering the coup de grâce.:smoking:

Just wondering why you would cut that right there if you weren't bucking a spcecified length. Go out to the top and release the wow up there first, then buck back to the bad spot where the fulcrum is.

 

[stihl sawing]

You learn where your bar is after a few years at it.

Yep, that would work, I remember when i first started using a saw, Hit the dirt more than a few times.lol Now i'll get close and roll it with a cant hook. Saved a lot of sharpenings.

 

[Burvol]

Yep, that would work, I remember when i first started using a saw, Hit the dirt more than a few times.lol Now i'll get close and roll it with a cant hook. Saved a lot of sharpenings.

I agree with you 100% It's bad news bucking above the road, rocks, ect. I rock chains on occasion, every one does. It's just a trip how you can really feel the end of your bar cutting every little fiber when you slow down on the throttle. Full comp aids in this huge. Why you ask? Because with square ground full comp I can barley tickle the throttle and throw chips. It relies on more sharp cutters rather than a few at high speeds. Skip does not do this as well, no where close. Skip sucks unless you go over 36" on your bars.

 

[stihl sawing]

I agree with you 100% It's bad news bucking above the road, rocks, ect. I rock chains on occasion, every one does. It's just a trip how you can really feel the end of your bar cutting every little fiber when you slow down on the throttle. Full comp aids in this huge. Why you ask? Because with square ground full comp I can barley tickle the throttle and throw chips. It relies on more sharp cutters rather than a few at high speeds. Skip does not do this as well, no where close. Skip sucks unless you go over 36" on your bars.

I know exactly what ya mean, I do the same thing. Slow the saw way down and kinda feel it through. I can't put it into words but i know what ya mean. But i've never even use skip chain. everything is full comp square. I would be scared to try it on concrete though.But like you said, you're still gonna hit the chain sometimes.

 

[stihl sawing]

On standard west coast 32" bars, skip is rediculous unless your by the coast or on the far west side of the Cascades, cutting the nice soft fir, and tree lengthing it, not bucking anything, then it's ok, but still ####ty compared to full comp. Guys that argue this over and over drive me nuts. I don't get it. The stuff is good for soft wood or no bucking, and long bars.

Yeah, I've heard a lot of braggin on how much faster skip chain is. I understand why it's used on long bars but don't see how it's faster than full comp on lets say a 25 inch bar where it's not needed anyway. You guys cut some big trees, Down here we have some nice size oaks. But a 25 inch bar will handle pretty much everthing i cut. Now i may have to make two passes through it but my 460 pulls a 25 inch just about right with full comp square chain.

 

[slowp]

I used to hit the dirt/road a lot. Now just every once in a while. That stretch of road has the trees mostly at angles, so it isn't much of a problem. What could have been a problem were the small trees that I tackled first. The bigger ones were resting on them and there could have been a springy situation. Then I dispatched the limbs that were under pressure, and so on.
I'm not done. I only had about an hour to work on that patch. I see there is more to do up the road.

Burvol, it'll have to be horizontal trees I can't fall trees worth a darn! Unless they are baby alders.

The elk appeared when I was eating my not very satisfying sandwich.

 

[Burvol]

I woke up on the couch with the dogs, atleast I got my shoes off.

I just now caught that part...funny stuff there Randy

 

[RandyMac]

I just now caught that part...funny stuff there Randy

I have good headway on doing that same very thing, right now.

When bucking something on dirt or whatnot, particularly when you plopped a big heavy tree on soft soil where it sunk in some, watch for bark chips, often you can feel the difference at the tip. This applies to trees with real bark, Alders, Madrones and such need more attention.

 

[slowp]

good morning!!

Way up in the sky
The Little Birds Fly
While down in their nest
The Little Birds rest

With a wing on the left
And a wing on the right
The little birds sleep
All through the night

The BRIGHT sun comes up
The dew goes away
GOOD MORNING GOOD MORNING
The little birds say.

Sing that song at 4AM to wake up people in fire camp...did I mention I can't sing? and you will be told something rude to do to the little birds.

Randymac--you can set mousetraps on the couch to keep you off so the dogs won't be disturbed.

 

[bitzer]

Just wondering why you would cut that right there if you weren't bucking a spcecified length. Go out to the top and release the wow up there first, then buck back to the bad spot where the fulcrum is.

Theres a lot going on in the pic you can't see and a lot that I couldn't see with 2 feet of snow on the ground. On the far side there was another larger limb, pushing toward me. It seemed that the pressure was going to come back at me, but I still wanted to stand up hill from it. It was also the best place to stand safely (kind of a ledge) and step back if need be . There was a lot of dead bs on the ground buried in the snow too. This thing also had limbs running in the snow that I couldn't see. It made it easier to skid there and came out in two big pieces. These things explode on release and its hard to tell where the pressure really is. The crowns sprawl like crazy and tie up into other trees that could push back too. I put a small open face in this, bored, and then came down from the top. I threw a wedge in quick right after this pic, because it was starting to pinch. When it did release the top came at me and the stem went the other way tossing the wedge about 40'. I wish my camera could take a little wider angle. Its tough to show the scope of whats going on.

Add: I forgot to mention: anything that is touching the ground is probably frozen to it. We had some rain in January and each limb can be like a spring pole and with these twisted bastards its very difficult to anticipate what is going to happen.

 

[Gologit]

good morning!!

Way up in the sky
The Little Birds Fly
While down in their nest
The Little Birds rest

With a wing on the left
And a wing on the right
The little birds sleep
All through the night

The BRIGHT sun comes up
The dew goes away
GOOD MORNING GOOD MORNING
The little birds say.

Sing that song at 4AM to wake up people in fire camp...did I mention I can't sing? and you will be told something rude to do to the little birds.

Right...after spending the night in a paper sleeping bag, waking up unwashed with a partially digested mystery meat sandwich in your gut, brushing your teeth with your finger, and then have somebody SING to you? Lady, you're lucky you survived that one. :greenchainsaw:

 

[Burvol]

Small slick pine

26" PP. Standing about 20' off the butt. Those little stumps are from a Quadco Hot Saw powered by a Timbco 445 (God I sound like Logger's World LOL). They are about 16", and one little knifer stump. If you are not totally confident you can cut some 3" whips and place them over the stumps, it works great. When cutting oversize timber (this one is not really too big for him, but he leaves a few extra trees with the big ones to make my work last longer in one spot, plus I full man the pine so it's ready to go once it hits the landing) these little bastards will splatter pine. You gotta blade em' right in the slot. I was close on this tree. I got two really hansome 32's and a bunk for pulp out of the top. roughly a 100' pine. This tree would have been nice in another 50 years, it had zero defect.