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ropensaddle

ropensaddle

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I was called over to a nice fellers house to cut a large oak out of the water. It uprooted into a deep creek and the huge root ball is submerged about a foot over the wood at the base. The tree is around 40 inch red oak and is turning into one hellova project. I have hip boot waders but it is deeper than their capacity. I cut it off at the other side to get weight off and tried to slide the puppy over to the side and that did not work. I then hooked a
snatch block behind the tree and up ten foot and tried to stand the sob up it was going fine then snap there goes a 5/8 steel cable that had bad spots in it so no great big deal. I am going to try chain and my grapple next I guess. This is all because I cant make a cut as the wood is under water! I was wondering if any of you ever snorkeled a saw to make a cut? I am not wanting to toast a saw but I am tired of wading this creek for no result. I have a canoe I thought I might put the long bar on my old 2101 and snorkel it make the cut but I am wondering if the cold water would crack the cylinder or if it would suck back and cause a meltdown. I wish I could borrow a saw:laugh:
 
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ropensaddle said:
I was called over to a nice fellers house to cut a large oak out of the water. It uprooted into a deep creek and the huge root ball is submerged about a foot over the wood at the base. The tree is around 40 inch red oak and is turning into one hellova project. I have hip boot waders but it is deeper than their capacity. I cut it off at the other side to get weight off and tried to slide the puppy over to the side and that did not work. I then hooked a
snatch block behind the tree and up ten foot and tried to stand the sob up it was going fine then snap there goes a 5/8 steel cable that had bad spots in it so no great big deal. I am going to try chain and my grapple next I guess. This is all because I cant make a cut as the wood is under water! I was wondering if any of you ever snorkeled a saw to make a cut? I am not wanting to toast a saw but I am tired of wading this creek for no result. I have a canoe I thought I might put the long bar on my old 2101 and snorkel it make the cut but I am wondering if the cold water would crack the cylinder or if it would suck back and cause a meltdown. I wish I could borrow a saw:laugh:
Click to expand...

This oughta do the job for yu Rope!

http://www.csunitec.com/saws/airchain.html#4hp

I've got a little Maibo pnuematic trim saw that screams!

Weighs less than 3 pounds!

Pull trigger start, never runs out of gas during an 8-16 hour day!

jomoco
 
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:hmm3grin2orange: yep prolly would but I mean I have came to this problem
once in my 24 years and I am sure the set up would be quite expensive?
 
ropensaddle said:
:hmm3grin2orange: yep prolly would but I mean I have came to this problem
once in my 24 years and I am sure the set up would be quite expensive?
Click to expand...

If you or I can stick around long enough Rope, we'll find that pnuematicly powered chainsaws and loppers are the clean answer that the arborist industry of the future will use.

With greater efficiency, safety, reliability and ease of use.

jomoco
 
jomoco said:
If you or I can stick around long enough Rope, we'll find that pnuematicly powered chainsaws and loppers are the clean answer that the arborist industry of the future will use.

With greater efficiency, safety, reliability and ease of use.

jomoco
Click to expand...

And expense lol How big of compressor ?
 
Would you be able to get an excavator in there? Last spring I had a client who called with a 25"+ DBH willow that had lodged into a stream on his property. We pulled it out without any problems with a 12,000 lb rubber track excavator.

Another job I did, tree fell into the pond, so I waded out and just climbed around on top of the tree... we'd just pull the pieces out with old 1/2" ropes and by hand... but you could just as easily do larger pieces with a small 4x4 truck and rope, or a winch of your choosing.

As far as cutting something underwater goes... you could try to make a temporary dry wall / dam with a machine, cut the sucker out and then flood it again.
 
treeman82 said:
Would you be able to get an excavator in there? Last spring I had a client who called with a 25"+ DBH willow that had lodged into a stream on his property. We pulled it out without any problems with a 12,000 lb rubber track excavator.

Another job I did, tree fell into the pond, so I waded out and just climbed around on top of the tree... we'd just pull the pieces out with old 1/2" ropes and by hand... but you could just as easily do larger pieces with a small 4x4 truck and rope, or a winch of your choosing.

As far as cutting something underwater goes... you could try to make a temporary dry wall / dam with a machine, cut the sucker out and then flood it again.
Click to expand...

Took my idea!! An Ex. with a grapple and put it on shore.
Other than that you are looking at air or hydraulic saws. Get ready to scream either way!
 
Im not a big fan of recovering wet trees, its incredibly dangerous and differcult at times. We have done a few but im not to keen to do it often.

Id look at re trying winching it, even if it just means you get parts of it out of the water and cut them as you are able, you eventually should get enough weight off it to get it out. You might be able to tear bits off this way if your winch has the grunt.

It does sound like an opportune time to get a powdermonkey in and det cord it. water would help contain the blast and probably increase the effectiveness of the charge. Not good for the fish though.
 
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arhillbilly said:
big wrecker or drive north a bit and you can borrow my new 3/4 cable and snatch block
Click to expand...

That was my thought, I've done it before. Sometimes those with the big a-frame boom work well for these operations.

If it comes out hard, you pull enough to cut off a chunk, reset and repeat till it all comes along easilly
 
Ok I am going to explain a bit better this tree is 40" has a rootball approx
20' attached to the approx 25' log and all wood is under water. My winch
is 20 ton and my cable is 5/8 steel it was sliding my 23006 lb truck actual
weight so had to chain the rear, then the tree was coming and was out of water when the old cable pop. I can't cut it my cable snaps to top that
off it is down a steep bank so maybe he will have to let me drill root ball
some and place charges kaaaaaaaaaaaaboooooooooooooom then I hook
winch and things work easier. What you think kaaaaaaaaboooooooom
he is an explosives expert?
 
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ropensaddle said:
What you think kaaaaaaaaboooooooom
he is an explosives expert?
Click to expand...

It did cross my mind. I've only seen Carolina pines felled in the USMC. A few wraps of det'cord.

The problem would be not damaging the cable, maybe a shaped charge on the opposite side from current so you have the force of the water helping? If it is a factor at all.
 
If the tree was lifting up with the 5/8" cable before the cable broke (at a faulty spot as you stated), why not just replace the cable with a newer stronger one and try again? Don't you need to replace it anyways? That seems like the easiest, most cost-effective method to me. Get it out of the water a bit, cut off some weight and repeat the process until you have the trunk cut into manageable sizes that you can rope and pull to shore.
 
John Paul Sanborn said:
It did cross my mind. I've only seen Carolina pines felled in the USMC. A few wraps of det'cord.

The problem would be not damaging the cable, maybe a shaped charge on the opposite side from current so you have the force of the water helping? If it is a factor at all.
Click to expand...

There is very little current the creek is deep and cold lol. I was thinking
he could blow the root ball to smitherines then I could reattach the cable
and easily winch it out. The problem would be not shattering windows
as the tovex went kaaaaaaaaaabooooooooom anyway he is an expert
has clearance but I have not approached him about the idea yet lol.
At this point I would almost gratefully drill the holes and place the
material just to set back and watch it dissolve:hmm3grin2orange:
 
arbor pro said:
If the tree was lifting up with the 5/8" cable before the cable broke (at a faulty spot as you stated), why not just replace the cable with a newer stronger one and try again? Don't you need to replace it anyways? That seems like the easiest, most cost-effective method to me. Get it out of the water a bit, cut off some weight and repeat the process until you have the trunk cut into manageable sizes that you can rope and pull to shore.
Click to expand...

Well you have a point and yes I will need a new cable at some point but
it broke off at the snatch so I still have 100 foot and am not flowing
with deep pockets. I would be worried the new cable would fail I had
20 tons pull or there abouts the cable is a design factor to break before
pulling the trucks frame in two.
 
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