My "Challenge Oak"

This half of a white oak is on my list of things to do - Probably one of the harryest I've ever done. She's down over a pretty steep bank, my pic doesn't show it but it bridges from the bank to the flat ground, maybe 10 ft of daylight under it, for 40 ft of it's length. At the butt end, you can just see a Homelite I set there for scale. It's a good 3 ft dia., roughly 25 ft to the first limbs, another 30 or more to where I'm standing, then 40 ft of crown behind me. It's all gotta go up the bank, as there's no [easy] way to get a machine down the bank, just too steep. I'd like to get a couple of sawlogs off the butt, 8 footers probably. The rest will be firewood. If we don't get snow, I'll get started on it, tractor with the 3 pth winch to pull everything up the bank, maybe a snatch block hung in one of those good trees to get some lift on it. More to follow......

homelite you need to go get a saw homes are from the 70s tom trees

All my saws are old Tom, The 041 will do most of this tree, an XL 400, XL 113 & XL 101 too. At 57 I see no need to go spend a thousand on new saws.

You had better stay away from the chainsaw side of AS;You'll find ALL sorts of reasons for new saws!I like the old ones, too, but I also like the newer ones.That'll be a nice load of Oak.Glad to hear you have a tractor.Have fun.

No CAD in my future coog, I'm just too 'cheep' My wife on the otherhand............ well, she did just get a digital camcorder, maybe we can get a video of some of this coming up the bank. That'll be exciting, huh?

Using some good existing trees as a mast for a pulley or to give you lift for moving sawlogs is a great idea. If you research sails of square rigged sailing vessels from the 18th/19th century you will find many advantageous methods of moving such small weights as your log, but, with your crew(tractor) you should be able to get the whole tree moved in sections of log/pole/branch fairly easily, provided you can get the initial pulley high enough on that ridge in the photo.

Have fun, work safe.

Mike Van said:

No CAD in my future coog, I'm just too 'cheep' My wife on the otherhand............ well, she did just get a digital camcorder, maybe we can get a video of some of this coming up the bank. That'll be exciting, huh?

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My weakness(sigh).I have a couple hundred cord 041 that is plain worn out.It was the non-AV Farm Boss.I loved it so much it took about 15 saws to replace it.what happened to that Oak?Hate to lose the Whites.

She blew down in a storm coog - The other half of it would fall up over the ridge where it's flat - But, what fun would that be? You can see the scar on the other half where they grew together for years.

take the branches off one at a time--and winch them to the top. then start on the trunk, and try to get a steel car hood under the top end of it. hook winch--and pull to top--the log setting on the hood--will make it MUCH easier to pull up the hill, and the top end wont dig into the soil----set chunks of the larger branches under the rest of the trunk--so as you cut it to length----- you can get the same hood under the other chunks before you cut them to length

Great tip.From my experience, a 60's Ford pickup hood is perfect.I had a '62 that was missing the hinges, so I bungeed it down...made it easy to take it off for wood sliding.Let me tell you, she was a beauty!

coog said:

Great tip.From my experience, a 60's Ford pickup hood is perfect.I had a '62 that was missing the hinges, so I bungeed it down...made it easy to take it off for wood sliding.Let me tell you, she was a beauty!

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Nope those Ford hoods are no good. You need a Chevy hood if your gonna do it properly.

MATTYB11 said:

Nope those Ford hoods are no good. You need a Chevy hood if your gonna do it properly.

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Sorry, I just wouldn't feel secure using a hood from a company under the threat of bankruptcy

Mike Van said:

All my saws are old Tom, The 041 will do most of this tree, an XL 400, XL 113 & XL 101 too. At 57 I see no need to go spend a thousand on new saws.

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Good job Mike,
There's allot of good wood in that baby. I'm with you on the older saws too. Every one of my current crop are 15yrs or more old. That said, I have a serious hankering for a Dolmar 7900

I sure the deer miss that tree.

tomtrees58 said:

homelite you need to go get a saw homes are from the 70s tom trees

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I think I'm spending too much time here... I actually understood what you were trying to say!

Man that white oak is heavy wood .I cut is a tad smaller than most just bc of the wieght.

It took me a couple times but...

Wet1 said:

I think I'm spending too much time here... I actually understood what you were trying to say!

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:biggrinbounce2: That was amusing:biggrinbounce2:

coog said:

Sorry, I just wouldn't feel secure using a hood from a company under the threat of bankruptcy

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Minor details. honestly, I would find a dodge.. but that is just because I am a bow tie guy... we used to use a hood off of an old dodge power wagon to slide down the hill. I am imagining that up the hill would be just as great.

MATTYB11 said:

Nope those Ford hoods are no good. You need a Chevy hood if your gonna do it properly.

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I agree. fords are made to drive down the road and use as a truck, chevy is only good for sitting in the field and rotting, better get a chevy hood. why tear up a good running ford just for the hood.

I would probably use this I have used it several times skidding on hills
pretty effective