Actually, You said any advice is appreciated. You got your advice. If you've left that tree for a year, you're in over your head.
Rope Size for Directional Felling of 120ft Tree
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You want rope advice, I would suggest a 3 strand 1/2" or 5/8. It's relatively inexpensive.
However I do think you would better off using OP rope. That's Other People's, actually, the rope belonging to the pro you hired to take down the tree.
However I do think you would better off using OP rope. That's Other People's, actually, the rope belonging to the pro you hired to take down the tree.
Easy, the tractor gets dragged. Unless you have the tractor tied off to another stump that will prevent it from being dragged.
If your rope is at too steep an angle, it will pull up on the tractor lessening the traction.
At our company, we are not allowed to tie off on any vehicle, trucks, chippers etc. Too many things can go wrong quickly.
Looking at your stump, you should have your backcut higher than the apex of the notch. It is to prevent the stump from jumping backwards. Also you cut off your hinge. Did you use a wedge? I think you need to focus a little more on the quality of your cuts. I say this from a safety perspective.
ncpete
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quick math in my head - that would call for about 250 feet of rope, considering the slope away from the tree, and if you consider 5/8 arborist bull rope... looks like about $200, but then you have an awful lot of rope, for a one time use.
and I may be totally wrong.
and I may be totally wrong.
Your question shows you don't understand the situation.
It's like asking for a good tire for a single use 100 mile trip.
As far as I know no one is making a single use rope and no one is making a single use tire.
Tractor not going get dragged I usaly cut trees with nothing just like a little security
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Trx250r180
Saw polisher
Not trying to put ya down ,but even tied to a tractor cutting your hinge the tree could slide down or jump off the face cut and go backwards still ,a good hinge and several wedges is much safer than a rope most of the time, also a deep face cut is worse for aim ,takes away wedging room
OP: depends on how good your technique is, whether you use wedges, how solid the wood is, how strong the wood is (to hold the hinge), how high you put the rope in the tree, what you tie it to, what knots you use, etc, etc, etc...
DynaGlide throw line has 1000 lbs tinsel strength at 1.8mm (I'd never use that for pulling...just sayn', it has the strength - until you knot it). The stuff that looks like climbing line at Lowe's is rated for about 200#. I'd never pull a tree with that either.
3 Strand is a pain to work with relative to other better ropes out there, but it is cheap. 1/2" rope (assuming you are using REAL rope - climbing line or rigging rope) is plenty strong for what you want. Somebody would probably sell you a retired climbing line pretty cheap. As long as there are not noticeable nicks, it will not likely fail. I am not recommending any of that...just trying to give you an answer to your question.
My recommendation? Hire it done. Have you called anybody? If you just want it dropped and nothing else done, check not only arborists, but also loggers. They may drop it for less than the cost of a rope....especially if you get a logger when it has been too wet to be in the woods for a couple of weeks.
Based on that picture, I'm pretty sure I could get that tree to go any direction you wanted (but maybe that picture isn't telling enough of the story)...and I'm not saying I am a great directional feller, but rather that tree just doesn't look that challenging for somebody who knows good technique.
What part of NE Ohio are you in? (I am in NW Ohio, so I'm not trying to do it...but perhaps some of us Ohioians can give you a few names to call).
DynaGlide throw line has 1000 lbs tinsel strength at 1.8mm (I'd never use that for pulling...just sayn', it has the strength - until you knot it). The stuff that looks like climbing line at Lowe's is rated for about 200#. I'd never pull a tree with that either.
3 Strand is a pain to work with relative to other better ropes out there, but it is cheap. 1/2" rope (assuming you are using REAL rope - climbing line or rigging rope) is plenty strong for what you want. Somebody would probably sell you a retired climbing line pretty cheap. As long as there are not noticeable nicks, it will not likely fail. I am not recommending any of that...just trying to give you an answer to your question.
My recommendation? Hire it done. Have you called anybody? If you just want it dropped and nothing else done, check not only arborists, but also loggers. They may drop it for less than the cost of a rope....especially if you get a logger when it has been too wet to be in the woods for a couple of weeks.
Based on that picture, I'm pretty sure I could get that tree to go any direction you wanted (but maybe that picture isn't telling enough of the story)...and I'm not saying I am a great directional feller, but rather that tree just doesn't look that challenging for somebody who knows good technique.
What part of NE Ohio are you in? (I am in NW Ohio, so I'm not trying to do it...but perhaps some of us Ohioians can give you a few names to call).
give these guys a call http://atwoodrope.com/ often manufacturers have stock seconds my local rope maker sells 1/2 inch 12mm seconds by the kilo a 25 m length is about $5 bucks.... the 3/8 Utility 1200lbs should be enuff to get it going over as you describe how you get rope tied off 3/4 up and saw fell its up to you
alternative call your local 4x4 club a case of beer will get you 4x4 trucks & rope winches if you promise the funniest home video rights to the club treasurer
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A small dbh 120' tall tree can easily weigh over 6,000 pounds. The weight will increase rapidly with small increases in diameter.
Proper felling technique using wedges, not rope, will provide the mechanical advantage you need. Ropes are used for climbing the tree and lowering it in sections.
Proper felling technique using wedges, not rope, will provide the mechanical advantage you need. Ropes are used for climbing the tree and lowering it in sections.
here ya go have the vid camera handy pls
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-300x3-8...ash=item41a4447771:g:2bwAAOSw14xWKBJu&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-300x3-8...ash=item41a4447771:g:2bwAAOSw14xWKBJu&vxp=mtr
How much are you willing to spend? The types of rope I use start around $150 and go up from there. I personally would never use the ropes sold at Lowes or Home Depot but thats just me.
I have a 250' 5/8" nylon boat anchor rode that I have used on many trees. You could borrow it if you were in N Michigan. Much stronger then poly and also stretches a lot. Ask some boat friends.
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BB, there is a good reason that you not getting much on the rope recommendations - there isn't much, if any, that fit your chosen criteria. I use 1" twisted nylon but with the length you need you are getting close to what an insured pro would charge to put it on the ground for you. Tree services around here use braided bull rope of about the same size - even more bucks.
There is also good reason for the concerns expressed - that is a big old tall heavy dead tree and you have a lot at risk - your health and your property. A MS362CM is a fine saw but IMHO it is undersized for falling your tree. You need a fasting cutting saw to prevent a chair and to lessen your time at the stump. A tension-ed rope will increase the chances of a chair. If you use a rope and guess the lean wrong, you better have something strong and tight on the other end and hope the tree or rope doesn't snap or that the anchor doesn't move or let go. BTW your tree weighs far more than the breaking strength of several of the ropes mentioned in the above posts.
Below are pictures of a shorter more bushy tree I cut several years ago; every little sway would drag a 6000# truck forward uphill. To get it down we had to chain another truck to the first. Also you need to get your length right as don't want to hit your anchor point or crew. Lastly, you never know with dead trees how brittle they are, or what is really holding them up. In my last pictures is a tree that fell over as I was tightening the rope - no chainsaw required. Be safe. Ron
For the stump readers here and for the record, the two stumps in the third picture are not mine. Ron
Oldman47
ArboristSite Guru
Forget the derail aspect and look at the subject people have been trying to tell you about.
For a very well balanced tree of 120 feet high, you could probably get away with a tiny 1/4 inch rope if you had it tied horizontally to a nearby tree 100 feet up. If the tree is not perfectly balanced, even that far up, you would need a much stronger rope. If you are trying to put a rope into that tree only 20 feet up I would start by ignoring any fiber type rope and start looking at wire rope even if the tree is very well balanced.
The real subject you need to face is just how much weight you are working with and the lever arm to the center of mass and to your rope location. Then you need to resolve the vector forces to only consider the portion of the rope's strength that will be applied to hold the tree in position. The force that is not perpendicular to the stress the tree is putting on the rope is just a waste of strength of the rope but is still a load the rope will see.
LoveStihlQuality
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LoveStihlQuality
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Also, what is your deductible vs hiring it? You and your 362 will have plenty of work once its down.
LoveStihlQuality
LoveStihlQuality
I have pulled over 100's of 100 ft + trees.
I have NEVER used a rope, always have used at least 3/8" wire rope. I have broken 3/8" wire rope on larger trees. Scarry sound when the cable hits the expanded mesh back of the FOPS cage.
OP should go to a scrap yard and buy 200 ft of old rusted 5/8" wire rope (for scrap price) if only for 1 time use.
I'd be confident if attached more than 50 ft high you can pull root ball and all with a 10,000# truck winch and one block if the other end of the truck is tied to the base of a larger tree, or if you have a > 5T crawler tractor.
I have NEVER used a rope, always have used at least 3/8" wire rope. I have broken 3/8" wire rope on larger trees. Scarry sound when the cable hits the expanded mesh back of the FOPS cage.
OP should go to a scrap yard and buy 200 ft of old rusted 5/8" wire rope (for scrap price) if only for 1 time use.
I'd be confident if attached more than 50 ft high you can pull root ball and all with a 10,000# truck winch and one block if the other end of the truck is tied to the base of a larger tree, or if you have a > 5T crawler tractor.
ArtB, I am curious as to how our homeowner is going to get the 5/8" cable 50 feet up? Ron
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