Pics/Vid from today + Safety tip!

I've got a buddy coming over to cut and split with me tomorrow, so I thought I'd get a jump on things by opening up some trails in the woods and dropping a couple trees.

The cutting and skidding tools: Massey Ferguson 180 tractor, 7300 Dolmar, gas, oil, tools, chaps, and new helmet (more on that one later).

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CAT II drawbar on the 3 point for skidding, with a pair of chain hook clevises to attach chains.



Piece of strap iron on the back of the loader frame makes a nice saw holder:



The first tree was down across the trail. I'd marked it this fall, but it beat me to dropping it. I had to cut a round out of the middle and pull the two sides separately:



Here's where the trouble starts. I dropped a dead elm, and it fell about 3/4 of the way before hanging up on some other trees. No problem, I'll drop the next one on top of it. The next one was tangled a bit in the tops, and I bottomed out the wedge before it came loose. I normally have 3 wedges with, and would have doubled up, but I left one in the box on the ATV after cutting ironwoods yesterday. DOH!



Of course, I had a 10,000 lb solution to the problem. Raise the loader and give it a shove, and it dropped partway, but hung up in the maple in the background before it brought the other one down. I had the camera out for a video of the pushover:

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I put the camera down, threw the tractor in reverse, and just started moving when the maple branch gave out, the 2nd elm landed on the first one, the first one snapped the top off, which flipped back around 180° and landed with the tip about 3 feet from where the tractor was when pushing:



It was probably 30 seconds after I finished the push that all this happened. I got a minor hit from a chunk of wood, bounced off the new helmet, probably would have hurt a bit on the baseball cap I wore up until now. What scared me the most was that it could have happened a couple minutes later while I was hooking the chains to these two, and hurt or killed me. From now on, if it's not on the ground, I'll be sure to get it that wayn before I move on to the next tree.

Hopefully this will help someone else on here, and prevent something bad from happening. It sure woke me up in a hurry.

Yeah, hang ups sure can be a ##### when they randomly let go! Like you say, I always try to get them on the ground before proceeding. Just too nerve wracking to be working next to a hang up. I found myself doing it a couple months back while clearing a path to get a vehicle in to pull 'er over and I didn't like it one bit!

I've got two hung up right now. Done so much cutting, pulling and pushing on them that I'm scared to go near them with a saw anymore. I'll try to remember to take a pic of them tomorrow. Tried a few things that I read about but to no avail. Guess I'll let nature work on them for awhile.

Using the FEL on a tree has always scared me. If something goes wrong your more or less stuck where your at. A tap will bring down any dead limbs, usually too close for comfort. I got lucky a few times and decided that I wasn't going to do that any more. If I can't get a tree do do something with the winch on the skidder I'll leave it alone.

I have been there also and it sure is scarry. I found that if I would put my recoery strap (30') and three lengths of chain(15' to25') so that I was a good distance away . I could safly pull down a hanger, or give it a little jerk with the stap in there to stretch and give it that little jerk. But that is also why you should also carry extra underwear .

Beefie

I like LONG cables (like 50 ft. or more). Then I can be a long way away when branches go flying or whatever.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Pushing with the loader can be a little hairy, but it was the best answer I had at the time. I do have a 75' 3/4" rope I use for pulling trees from time to time, but I didn't have it with. I need to add a pulley block so I can pull from behind the tree as well.

There are always ways to do it safer, but sometimes "get it done" overtakes "lets think about this for a while". Not saying it's right, just that it happens.

It was for sure an eye opener that I'll do my best to prevent in the future.

What is that old saying " what dosn't kill you only makes you stronger" and wiser for the next time around.

Beefie

Here's the two hang ups I've been messin with for a week or so.



Last thing I did was to hook the closest one to the winch to try to pull the bottom out from under it but it would not go. They were split when a larger tree (gone) went over and hit them. Don't want to cut the trees they are leaning against since they are in good shape. Also I'd have two other trees heading for me as they went over.


Hmmm didn't appear sideways when I previewed it......fixed it.

Thats quite a situation you have there. Have you tried a 1 1/2 wrap with a chain then pulling at the base of the top section of the closest tree, trying to twist it off as you pull with the winch. I have had good luck with choking hangers so they twist as you pull.

Steve, glad to hear you were not hurt. Its always a good idea to pull down hung up trees from a distance, especially when working alone. Fence posting them down is also effective but more dangerous.

dont cut the ones their leaning on .

Laird said:

Here's the two hang ups I've been messin with for a week or so...

Click to expand...

For those hung up trees, I would try to get a very long cable (much longer than the height of the trees) up as high as possible, then pull the top portion down with a truck or tractor.

Perhaps you could attach the cable lower down, then use a long pole (or whatever) to move the cable up higher?

I would not do any more cutting down below. Very dangerous!

Don't use too short of a cable or this will happen...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxwYTsmNCoQ

Steve, I have done same durn thing.

Ya get fixated on dropping the first, and don't pay attention to what happens when the rest of the Dominoes get done falling.

I got lucky by jumping and getting hit and thrown, instead of just getting hit while planted. It's what a fly must feel like when they get barehanded at a BBQ.

Lotsa chain, and a come along or winch, or I leave 'em for the next windstorm. I have my eyeballs on an old Military winch for rigging to the PTO.

3/4" cable and a snatch block for a redirect, should just about cure most hangers I reckon.

LOL!!
The leading edge of the bucket on our 1920 looks like the edge on pinking shears....not good. You and I both gotta stop that crap before the Undertaker has to pull a tractor out of our ass before the funeral.

On the last tree, what was keping it from going over? Limb locked, or a renegade knot?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

This is how my FIL does it. Right or wrong he is a OLD skool logger and he does make me nervous sometimes. He is still alive after doing this for 50 years...

Anyway the first time we had this happen was on a old oak. It was about 2 inches past the 20 inch bar at the stump. It fell into a tree about 4 feet away. My FIL said lets go get the tractor. He then backed the John Deer up to the but of the log had me run a chain around it and simply pulled it down..We have done it a few more times since with no problems yet..I don't know if it is the safest but it works....

Turkeyslayer said:

Thats quite a situation you have there. Have you tried a 1 1/2 wrap with a chain then pulling at the base of the top section of the closest tree, trying to twist it off as you pull with the winch. I have had good luck with choking hangers so they twist as you pull.

Click to expand...

Good idea! I'll try that next.

Steve, by filming the pushover, did that keep you in the area longer then normal and that is why you were hit?

I've pushed a couple over with the skidsteer but branches always seem to drop on the roof of the skidder when I'm doing it. If I think there will be a problem these days I attach my 30' tow strap and 60' of chains to the tree before I start cutting it and use the truck to pull it down if it won't go on it's own. Thanks for the reminder to stay cautious Steve, we need to hear it every once in awhile.

dingeryote said:

Steve, I have done same durn thing.

Ya get fixated on dropping the first, and don't pay attention to what happens when the rest of the Dominoes get done falling.

I got lucky by jumping and getting hit and thrown, instead of just getting hit while planted. It's what a fly must feel like when they get barehanded at a BBQ.

Lotsa chain, and a come along or winch, or I leave 'em for the next windstorm. I have my eyeballs on an old Military winch for rigging to the PTO.

3/4" cable and a snatch block for a redirect, should just about cure most hangers I reckon.

LOL!!
The leading edge of the bucket on our 1920 looks like the edge on pinking shears....not good. You and I both gotta stop that crap before the Undertaker has to pull a tractor out of our ass before the funeral.

On the last tree, what was keping it from going over? Limb locked, or a renegade knot?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

Click to expand...

I hear you - loud and clear. The xmas present post gave me some ideas - think I'm asking for gift certs to Bailey's, get me a big ol 150' Amsteel rope, and a snatch block for it, looks to be the stoutest rope out there. I always keep one eye peeled for a cheap PTO winch as well. Mount it on an old back blade, add a cable shield, and voila, logging winch a'la cheapo!

On your question, it was hung in the tops, not bad, but just enough.

Baldman said:

Steve, by filming the pushover, did that keep you in the area longer then normal and that is why you were hit?

Click to expand...

In this case, probably. A couple of seconds and I'd have been out of the way. One of the points I was trying to get across though, was that those things could have let go at any time, maybe right away, maybe while I was on the ground hooking chains, or if I'd left them for the wind to take care of, maybe weeks later. Trying to say, when these things get loaded up with pressure like that, be on full red alert at all times, you never know when one little gust of wind or something can set them off.

Biker Dude said:

I've pushed a couple over with the skidsteer but branches always seem to drop on the roof of the skidder when I'm doing it. If I think there will be a problem these days I attach my 30' tow strap and 60' of chains to the tree before I start cutting it and use the truck to pull it down if it won't go on it's own. Thanks for the reminder to stay cautious Steve, we need to hear it every once in awhile.

Click to expand...

A ROPS with a steel canopy is something I need to be looking for, it wouldn't stop big stuff, but the smaller stuff would bounce off it, plus it'd keep the seat dry(er).

I keep one of these on my atv when cutting.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66106

That and a couple straps and I haven't had a hanger since. The only problem is that its a little slow but not bad.

regarding Lairds hangups

The reason he can not pull the butts loose. Is that he has yet to finish the cut.LOL I do not blame him one bit,That is one dangerous scenario.
That is why having a bull dozer makes firewood gathering so much safer. Just drive up to the stump and give it a push.
I have pushed several small hangups down with the loader on the 4x4 tractor too. I have a roof on it with 4 post. But there is no front screen of any sort. So you do have to watch for limbs to come flying back at you.