Tree Pulling/Moving

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JudoChop

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Hello Folks,

have a question regarding moving trees, mainly trees that are already down. When out dropping dead standing trees for firewood i often find myself needing to pull sections of the tree closer to the trail so I can finish cutting them up into junks. Used the dead lift and flip technique, have a winch on my side by side but really dont like being directly in the line of fire when pulling a tree out with the machines winch as i have to park in line with it.

was thinking i could get myself a rigging sling (whoopie, ultra etc) with a pulley then just use my strength or if required use the side by side to pull the tree out closer to the trail. Or should i just get a set a mechanical advantage kit like the Aztek kit i was just checking out online? could also be used to lift/tension things if i require it.

After doing some research there is just so many options, I see a lot of rigging slings have spliced rings, would that be a good option in my case just to redirect the rigging line so my side by side can pull it? my limited understanding is that the ring does introduce some friction into things which would make it hard on me to pull the tree? or is that friction small enough not to worry?

I'm not looking for the cheapest option but don't want to waste money on fancy items that I just don't need or wont use all the functionality, i just want something that can pull safety and be as easy as I can make it on my body. Not getting any younger and moving trees is getting harder haha.

thanks for the help.
 
Hello Folks,

have a question regarding moving trees, mainly trees that are already down. When out dropping dead standing trees for firewood i often find myself needing to pull sections of the tree closer to the trail so I can finish cutting them up into junks. Used the dead lift and flip technique, have a winch on my side by side but really dont like being directly in the line of fire when pulling a tree out with the machines winch as i have to park in line with it.

was thinking i could get myself a rigging sling (whoopie, ultra etc) with a pulley then just use my strength or if required use the side by side to pull the tree out closer to the trail. Or should i just get a set a mechanical advantage kit like the Aztek kit i was just checking out online? could also be used to lift/tension things if i require it.

After doing some research there is just so many options, I see a lot of rigging slings have spliced rings, would that be a good option in my case just to redirect the rigging line so my side by side can pull it? my limited understanding is that the ring does introduce some friction into things which would make it hard on me to pull the tree? or is that friction small enough not to worry?

I'm not looking for the cheapest option but don't want to waste money on fancy items that I just don't need or wont use all the functionality, i just want something that can pull safety and be as easy as I can make it on my body. Not getting any younger and moving trees is getting harder haha.

thanks for the help.
There is no way to describe another option other than a OP can not move much wood with their arms and legs. There are the small two stroke winches like the Lewis winch or the powered rope winch. An electric winch in my opinion is just plain silly as it has little effectiveness. There are many folks who have winches and load or use for difficult accesses which is perfect. If an OP has to charge battery every ten minutes and wait for unit to cool productivity falls out of sight. Or my home made winch. Mine has an estimated force of 6,000 to 8,000 lbs of force which works well for some things. I have learned that if one has logs that need to be pulled keep the leading edge up out of the dirt otherwise you end up plowing a great amount of the forest up and spent energy. A small cart with some kind of wheels to keep wood from digging into terrain is very helpful or a simple sled that is sturdy also works. The biggest issue that I have found is that to move my winch and set it up as it takes from two to four hours plus it weighs about 300 lbs. It can not be tossed upon a load while driving home. If one has several logs to move no problem because setup time is not relevant. I am thinking about building a smaller light weight version winch that could weigh about 80 lbs with about 100' pf 3/16 line. It would have the force of about 2,500 lbs. If all else fails using small logs crossways to logs can allow logs to roll over debris similar to rollers will also work, but is somewhat clumsy. With a larger winch like mine I can pull pretty much any tree right out of the ground providing the OP has a good supply of snatch blocks which double force Thanks
 

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I drag windfalls out all the time. I hook a strap to it with a shackle, drop the eye over the hitch and go like hell. If it’s too far in, I’ll hook two or three straps together, pull a bit, unhook one and go like hell again. Rinse... repeat.
 
thanks for the replies, looking online i see my winch does have a wireless remote option i can buy. Also like the idea of just pulling from the back with the a hitch and just using a sling or something along those lines to redirect if i don't have to room to run straight.
 
Depends on the terrain, a small wheeled log arch connected to the winch. It would reduce the winch load and could be towed by the sxs. Also, wireless winch remote and winch line dampers.
 
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