Leaning tree tip

[rbtree]

Just revisiting this thread. Since I'm an arborist, don't have real heavy equipment available on every job (cranes when needed), we usually do a leaning tree differently. We climb the tree its lodged in, or another nearby tree, or set ropes remotely. But when the room is available and a tractor, there's little to go wrong if you size up the situation and make careful cuts.

My earlier response was wrong. If the plan is to pull the tree off the stump, so it comes out of the tree it's hung in, then you need to notch the underside of the tree. Be careful, don't go too deep. Be aware of the downward forces in play. Then, apply a bit of tension with the tractor and make a backcut. Leave a slightly larger than normal hinge, or at least stop when the face either starts to open or close. Then pull it off the stump.

Your sideways pull idea might work as well, but only if it is barely lodged in the other tree.

 

[Ed Roland]

I'm surprised none your wiseazz buddies chirped in with "see, you should have hired a professional.":hmm3grin2orange:

Maybe senior wilson, would like to put a tagline in the top and pull said tree with his little 'z mower'?

Blinky is right about the extreme rotating forces. Be VERY carefull with this one. Post some pics.

 

[tawilson]

Maybe senior wilson, would like to put a tagline in the top and pull said tree with his little 'z mower'?

Blinky is right about the extreme rotating forces. Be VERY carefull with this one. Post some pics.

No, you snag them, I drag them. If that Kubota can't cut it, I got a couple of John Deeres that will.

 

[Ed Roland]

No, you snag them, I drag them. If that Kubota can't cut it, I got a couple of John Deeres that will.

I hear u Tom. I have equipment envy.

 

[smokechase II]

don't put yourself under a hazard

Can you pull it in a manner where you will not have to go under it?

 

[R&W]

Leaning Trees

Having thrown myself headfirst into tree cutting after hurricane Sandy here in NJ
Myself and newfound tree partner just about killed ourselves on our first three jobs.
Thousands of leaning trees here. Ive always cut trees sence a kid, big tree felling, taking down trees with backleans, climbing with homemade ropes and dads deadly
Old homelite.

Never had to deal with leaners. So for starters we underbid the job. Guy must have been laughing to himself at the quote and uttering" Rookies" we had billboarded on our foreheads.

To make a long story short, we were working with an 017, 021, 029 and my new 311 purchased that morning. Also had a bunch of cable pullys, chains and not so heavy duty lines.

So we start making the wrong cuts. We notch the underside then attach a cable pully tothe other large tree it was hung up on. Partner starts making a face cut, pinches the bar, tree breaks and drops 2 feet with the 029 bar resting 8 inches into the ground bentlike a banana. We dig out around the sides to pull the case bolts off and get the head out of the way. Run down to the hardware store and pick up another 20 inch bar that we destroy about an hour later.

So we get back to breaking things. Bend the cable pully handle and now stuck tight to tree. Oh well. So we just pick up a heavy duty chain and lob that over and around"just to be on the safe side".

So our next cuts were the reverse of the first. Face notch, bore cut, backcut. Now with all these cables and chains the tree can only fall in one direction right? No. So we are about to get this unhung now. We move the saws about 40 feet away and do the finishing cuts with the 021. So we are on our toes, make the final finishing cut. Shes MOVING!!!!!! OH NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! WRONG DIRECTION!!!!

So instead of tree dropping down to the ground another two feet, the top rips loose from tention and falls away from lean and onto the saws we had safely moved away driving the 029 into the ground and into a milluon pieces. Lands 5 inches from the 311 I bought that morning. Thank god. So we just bust out laughing because everything that could go wrong did go wrong.

I thought long and hard about taking down leaning trees after that. Kinetic energy can be a real b****! Almost killed myself on the next job cutting a tree that had a fork forced onto the ground between to larger trees. One cut rips the saw out of my hand at full throttle and forked limb springs 6 feet outside of cut. Had I been on the other side the saw would have been planted between my to eyes.

I am gratefull to be alive. Spiritually changed. I love this work. I just know you cant ever predict mother nature and need to be thinking 110% of the time about every possible thing to go wrong because it can and eventually will. This comming from someone that used ti commercial fish mainly longlining in the Bearing Sea. This is just as brutal in the body and just as dangerous. Certainly gets the blood pumping again.

 

[RandyMac]

:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[2treeornot2tree]

opcorn:

 

[treevet]

where you at in Jersey?

 

[treemandan]

where you at in Jersey?

County General?

 

[R&W]

Leaning Trees

I'm surprised none your wiseazz buddies chirped in with "see, you should have hired a professional.":hmm3grin2orange:

Im working from Warren in Somerset to Huntedon County. We are picking the honey holes left. The easy money has been made. Cutters left the entire area a mess. The lack of rain with sandy has come through and loose trees are falling still on the daily basis in the heavy winds. New work on top of fresh clean ups. We sold a job today that looks and will be very dangerous. We have no way out of climbing this one. My partner is 5 foot 9 @130lbs. He wants to climb. I am 212 @ 6 foot. I told him I dont want him to do it. I will climb unless he gets his head together.

Then job is an oak grown out into 3 large limbs about 75 to 100 feet. The growth diapersment started a foot of the ground. Two of the trunk bases are split sideways in the center running up 2 feet from the roots. One is leaning on the neighbors tree that has cancer at the base and is leaning now from the med size limb resting on top. The other split baae on the oak is over 30 inches, again split with a lemon twist 2 feet up from trunk base. 30 feet up is a 500 lb limb hung up on an ash tree, with a 300 to 350 lb limb floating outside.

Game plan is to think about this all weekend but think Im going to climb and cut the 300 lb limb first and hope the tree rises 6 to 10 inches so we can strap it and pull it off enough to make a clean cut near the base.

Yeah..huh? I will post a pic here before I make a deadly miatake and launch myself 40ffeet into the woods.

NAMASTE

 

[2treeornot2tree]

I think you should quit while you are still alive!

 

[R&W]

photo of leaning oak top secton 1

photo of the larger limb. one one left at fork is about 500 lbs and resting. one on right is 300-350 lbs not resting. i am thinking get a strap high up on right limb to a tree off to the lower right out of frame. use an 8000lb strap and slightly stretched garage door spring to keep pressure pulling right. then use the 017 to make a virticle hinge cut in 30% on the right side of right limb. Then
do a virticle hinge cut opposite side in 50%. limb should stay up and swing right when coaxed from the ground.

View attachment 270173

 

[R&W]

Im not sure if your kidding or not. I just might be nuts. if I threw the bag off a deer stand, I could hurl the limb through the woods!

 

[treevet]

Im working from Warren in Somerset to Huntedon County.

The growth diapersment started a foot of the ground.

NAMASTE

What kinda gear you yayhoos got?

I used to work Hunterdon and Somerset out of base in Flemington for a dozen years.

If you could promise me some big bucks up front and a base to work from I might consider bringing some of my toys out there and have at it.

Never saw diapers or cancer on a tree. You guys must be Certipied Aborists?

Cheers

 

[B Harrison]

At first i though this was serious, but now I see that its just the AS version of SNL.

Great stuff!

I was so ready to go into a natural selection essay! alas

 

[R&W]

n0 problem

Kidding?

Hell no. I'm as serious as you are.


We used bacon grease on the rope to cut back on crotch friction but didn't think of tossing from a deer stand.

I went back today took 15 pics and measured with a lazer. I have both a blue and red lazer pointer. kevelar strap lines, french hooks and springs, pitchfork, rake, breaker bars, large and small, light to heavy hand axes, tow chains with hooks 2, dark side of moon cds, pu truck with tie downs, oregon gloves, saftey glasses, 5 saws all ripping but one, some cheap rope, cable and cable cutters, two cell phones and 4g samsung. we carry crystals as well, small point flashlights, good quick knives, asprin and coffee.

yeah, huh

 

[Pelorus]

No green laser? No Steiner with a slip scoop?
Gross deficiencies in the kit are hereby noted in the report.

 

[Bermie]

Don't forget the bags filled with mulch of the landing zone, that awesome brown rope from Lowes and the helpers you get from behind MacDonald's...

C'mon, who remembers THAT guy...