Rigging equipment to direct the falling of trees while thinning woodlot.

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You are pretty far behind the times. My heaviest throwball is a 16oz, and 12oz is lots and plenty for almost any toss. A two lb throwball is likely to break a lot of stuff if it goes awry from where you aimed it. That, and it's got to be hard to get much height/accuracy setting a rope when you are using one fourth of a shot-put.

The only reason I can think of for having a heavy weight like a 2lb ball would be if you have a coarse, heavy throw-line. Try some zing-it. Made of Dyneema, the line is exceptionally strong, and it glides through trees with almost no resistance.

Check it out here: https://wesspur.com/items/thr101.html
(one of our sponsors!)
12 oz. is my go to. Then I'll bring it to the ground and trade out for the 14/16 if I need to route it around stuff or isolate a single lead. If it's a low throw I'll use 14 or 16.
 
You are pretty far behind the times. My heaviest throwball is a 16oz, and 12oz is lots and plenty for almost any toss. A two lb throwball is likely to break a lot of stuff if it goes awry from where you aimed it. That, and it's got to be hard to get much height/accuracy setting a rope when you are using one fourth of a shot-put.

The only reason I can think of for having a heavy weight like a 2lb ball would be if you have a coarse, heavy throw-line. Try some zing-it. Made of Dyneema, the line is exceptionally strong, and it glides through trees with almost no resistance.

Check it out here: https://wesspur.com/items/thr101.html
(one of our sponsors!)
Behind... okay.

My 2lb ball is rubber and your not used to tossing through tons of suckers I'd bet. Tell me how you rig limbs you have no hope of reaching and rig them down safely on a rope?
I'll be waiting.

Buck up chief and learn how to toss one up high. If you can't hit the mark, often I still miss at sixty feet or over, you need more practice. The old guy who taught me could hit a one foot area at seventy five to eighty feet up. Never could toss one as high as Devon did.

Sorry I use slick line ace.

Please lay out a better plan for me.
I'll be right here waiting.
 
Throw bags and lines are cheap, but in a pinch have put dirt in a mechanics red rag and used paracord.
>>Want soft fill so deforms and slides into target, not bounces away and light rope that does not catch as try to get bag to slide to ground.
But really, throwbag and line are about the cheapest tree tool, and have a very high return for that investment.
If throwline to a lower branch, and clean branches, can sometimes snatch line just enough to get the ball to come off low branch and pop upwards to catch on higher branch, sometimes even 'walk the dog' up a few steps , watch what plays out on the throw and how to capitalize from there even if not yet in the sweet spot.
Want high, rigid, balance pull position in tree. Can many times even trace rope down back side of tree from high pull, tie off above facing position with knot on back, so doesn't get buried, and is right there by sawyer to untie on top side right after felling, pull slowly out from other end with truck before cutting.
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BUT,
i direct the fall with the hinge and face; and only seek to make the hinge stronger with rope pull, unless pulling a back leaner 'up hill' to Center of Gravity(CoG) over the hinge, to then fall/splash down to the other side. CoG in building materials so important may come stamped on beams etc. In tree work they are not stamped, but just as critical. The tree does not move, until the CoG moves, then carries the rest of the tree with it type model. Mostly have wedge/if any as anti sitback.
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In easy fall, tree leans to target. Can make face like pie cut removes tire chock to allow tree to roll forward on hinge pivot, backcut removes tether preventing tree from doing so, easy Natural fall; 'mono-directional' of simpler mechanics.
Side Lean tree may pull forward and to left; 2 directions of force(critical change in any mechanics let alone this so leveraged and heavy).multi-directional mechanics.
If pull with rope to offset the side force, when tree moves, that rope slackens and that sideforce can thus 'pulse' back , same can happen as lifts from wedge, the corrective force is relieved, suddenly.
With a Tapered Hinge thin on heavy left side, and thick on pull to right side will fold at same forward force against same backfield relief as a standard 'strip' hinge for is same weight pull forward no matter shape of hinge, but now a thicker pull against the cross-axis force of the side lean, all the way until tearoff(!), as a ballast against the sidelean , so that all that remains is a clean fall of the forward force with balanced side pulls neutralizing each other out of the equation, to then only reveal the 'net' forward force, as like simpler fall of mono-direction.
Rope pull forward and/or wedge forward can make thicker hinge by falling earlier, accentuating the Tapered Hinge effect with more fibers then. The 'extra' fibers remaining to controlling right pull side , are really the same fibers against the lean that the tree used all of it's life, this time we just did not remove them, but rather capitalize on them as the most leveraged position against the side lean, now not removed. Further mute pruf witnessed as these are then also the hardest, pulled and stretched fibers(even strip hinge will show pulls from that side, just not enough of'em) !! If left side lean and leave more fibers on left, they keep it from going to the right side, but not going there cuz left is heavy, so reapportion the same forward resistance to have a pull side(this controlling side is the offside in Dent speak) against the sidelean built into the hinge mechanics.
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1 man chainsaw debut 50's, splash into 60's , 2 key books written published in the 70s at peak of rawest discovery by those also familiar with the older ways:
The Fundamentals of General Tree Work by G.F Beraneck , free pdf now on EducatedClimber
shows a triangular hinge and other hinge points along with many topics.
Professional Timber Falling- A Procedural Approach by Douglas Dent $35 amz
is a master's course in hinging for the industry.
Lots on the funny shaped hinge and other strategies that all transfer very well into bucking and climbing/rigging cuts as the info is so accurate. Tapered Hinge in tree rigging gives same magic and can help sweep horizontals sideways some etc.
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Try to only drag in 400#+ trips with truck, even well made wide stacks.
Tie a base knot and pre-fix with a Half Hitch(can install after/in front of Running Bowline, Clove etc.) to drag properly inline. Without the pre-fix Half Hitch, Running Bowline etc. grabs/pull improperly(like in any other tool) at a right angle/not clean proper inline.
Half Hitch pre-fix is a GAME CHANGER because of the correct alignment, as with other correct alignments...
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Never cross face cuts that makes the inner face the real controlling face within the face you see and trying to read.
Specifically, do NOT bypass a cut perpendicular to the fiber/length past the slanted cut it meets, as can be deadly dangerous Dutchman into Barber Chair; with much push in the face on the close of the fiber columns at their stiffest column of resistance/not flexxing fiber! The apex meeting of the faces is best as fine finished carpentry work, w/o flaw as most pivotal controlling point.
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i usually exercise/practice Tapered Hinge on easy forward fall, by turning face some to side etc. to then have a sidelean. To L-earn more, and stay sharp.
i also look at a straight easy fall down as serving into the strongest part of gravity pull,
so then less impact felling to the side, of less intense fall force forward.
 
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