Man, I'm one seriously depressed scrounger right now...

[pennsywoodburnr]

A couple month ago I went to church with the wife (not really a regular attendee, but I'll make an appearance once in a while), so while I'm walking around outside I see this pine tree completely snapped at the top and just resting one end where it snapped, and the other end perched in the next tree over. I would say all this is about 30-35 feet up in the air. So I went back and told some of the head honchos at the church not to let the kids race each other up the hill until that thing is dropped. So today I go back since I had some free time with my masdaam rope puller. Get the throw line into the tree...okay, no problems there. Spool my 1/2 rope rated at 6,500lbs breaking strength up into the tree using the throw line...okay, still going smoothly. Tie it all into the com-a-long and proceed to start winching. Hmmmm, no movement. Try it from a different angle. Still no movement. Not even a hint of anything shifting! So I talk to my buddy Joe and he says he'll help. Joe comes up with his truck and proceeds to tie out the rope to his class 3 trailer hitch. So he starts pulling. Things start moving, but the broken top just refuses to let go. So he backs up and gives it a little gas. Well, the sound of this rope snapping sounded like a rifle shot going off on the hill! People at the church were turning around and looking up the hill trying to see what happened. So the score right now is big, old pine tree:1 , me:0. Anyone else have any broken/busted equipment stories they wanna share to I feel a little better at least? That rope cost me $100, so I'm not a happy camper right now.... :msp_angry:

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

FWIW, I wasn't keeping the pine for firewood, just removal for the kids to enjoy their hill again.

 

[PhilMcWoody]

Oh for a moment there I thought you had run out of wood to scrounge. Now that would be a problem for a scroungeaholic.

But it sounds like the wood is there, it's just giving you a good and expensive fight. Just stay safe and figure out a new plan.

I'm a humble h/o, but if there's one thing I've learned about trees and firewood, it's that they are heavy and can crush you or get you injured by equipment if the variables are not thought out — every cut, every step, has to be well planned out. Even when it gets frustrating, difficult and equipment breaks, one can't cut corners on the planning.

 

[turnkey4099]

A couple month ago I went to church with the wife (not really a regular attendee, but I'll make an appearance once in a while), so while I'm walking around outside I see this pine tree completely snapped at the top and just resting one end where it snapped, and the other end perched in the next tree over. I would say all this is about 30-35 feet up in the air. So I went back and told some of the head honchos at the church not to let the kids race each other up the hill until that thing is dropped. So today I go back since I had some free time with my masdaam rope puller. Get the throw line into the tree...okay, no problems there. Spool my 1/2 rope rated at 6,500lbs breaking strength up into the tree using the throw line...okay, still going smoothly. Tie it all into the com-a-long and proceed to start winching. Hmmmm, no movement. Try it from a different angle. Still no movement. Not even a hint of anything shifting! So I talk to my buddy Joe and he says he'll help. Joe comes up with his truck and proceeds to tie out the rope to his class 3 trailer hitch. So he starts pulling. Things start moving, but the broken top just refuses to let go. So he backs up and gives it a little gas. Well, the sound of this rope snapping sounded like a rifle shot going off on the hill! People at the church were turning around and looking up the hill trying to see what happened. So the score right now is big, old pine tree:1 , me:0. Anyone else have any broken/busted equipment stories they wanna share to I feel a little better at least? That rope cost me $100, so I'm not a happy camper right now.... :msp_angry:

1. Some advice. Do not hook your 5/16" cable one end to a big 4x John Deere tractor and the other end to a big locust. You don't need to ask how I know.

2. Trying to pull a locust back against the lean - won't go even with my 4x ma lashup, get some slack and jerk it. Watched the shackle land about 30 yards on the side away from the truck.

Harry K

 

[Nosmo]

Snapped Rope

Is that rope a 3-strand or is it the braded type. We used to splice 3-strand together when I was in the navy.

Nosmo

 

[slowp]

A coworker and I didn't break anything, but we had that Oh Excrement look on our faces for a while. We were driving the woods roads during a weather "event" keeping culverts open. We had a choker and a tiny little Dodge two wheel drive pickup. There was a pipe partly clogged.
We hooked the choker to a chunk and started pulling with the pickup. The chunk didn't come out but it then totally plugged the pipe. Now we had water going over the road and starting to wash it out. We shoveled, and moved the choker, and repeated, and finally, the chunk came out. Then everything else went through the pipe and the road was saved, in that spot.