will it work?

[turnkey4099]

Old dead locust. About 20" at butt. Leans so that it will miss the trailer house (occupied) but wipe out a very nice patio/deck.

From 90 degrees to theleft from the first pic:

Plan is to cable from up about 15' or so back to a big locust stump just about behind where pic 2 is taken. Will either take out all slack with a come-along or thru a snatch block to the truck.

Felling cuts aimed to put it just about where pic 1 is taken.

Were it my house it would have been on the ground today but... I went out to work up the log I left the other day and once loaded fall that one. Loaded up but chickened out after trimming all the sprouts, stubs, etc up as far as I cared to work, cut that 'banch' sticking out to the right. Clears the way to run the ladder up higher for the cable anchor.

The 'fun' one will be the one behind it (just at the edge of pic 2). That one is huge and aimed dead center at the trailer. I will probably tell them to get a pro to do it and may kick in on the fee

Harry K

 

[ray benson]

A helper to pull with the truck would be nice. The locust is dead, is the hingewood brittle and snap? Do you have control falling the tree as if it was alive? The few dead maples and oaks I dropped had some rotted punky trunks.

 

[smokinj]

If you have a good wedge and aimed (if you know what I mean) then leave 2-3 in. of hinge, the tree will follow your line if you have the line in a good spot.(just use your come-a-long to bring it down)
Thats a lot of "if's" and its better to pratice this on tree's that dont really need to be done like that.

oh yes it will work and also use a wedge but everything needs to be done almost perfect!

 

[Blowncrewcab]

I did similar at my bosses house, we couldn't pull the tree (24" DBH Oak) back against the lean (which was right towards his house) so we put a snatch block on another tree next to the one coming down, pulled all the slack out with the truck and essentually made it so as the tree was falling the rope made it arc to the side of it's fall line, it wanted to fall towards the house but we impeaded it's path by making it follow the rope. (our rope was 10,000lb military strap, 100'+ long) worked like a champ I get the wood

 

[turnkey4099]

A helper to pull with the truck would be nice. The locust is dead, is the hingewood brittle and snap? Do you have control falling the tree as if it was alive? The few dead maples and oaks I dropped had some rotted punky trunks.

B locust is touchy on falling. The wood is brittle and the holding wood tough Once it starts to gothough it "snaps". Generally there is no 'holding wood' by the time the tree has gone about 10 degrees. Even pulling with a PU I have had toalmost cut clear through to get one to fall. On my latest one last week -24" butt going with the lean (no much of one and no pulling) I only had about 1" holding wood left before it went and I was usign a wedge.

My usual practice when pulling with the F150 is to cut until I 'think" it will go and then test with the PU. No go, cut a bit further and try again. Usually the third time is the charm.

Rarely will I fool with a 'hazard' tree except at my own place. This one is a big favor for the occupant. They losst a big snag in last weeks wind storm (gusts to 60 and sustained 30 for at least 12 hours and she is worried. This is a fairly small tree and not a severe leaner so I will risk it. Have to eyeball the angle from tree to anchor again to be sure the anchor is a couple 'hairs' over 90 degree to my planned falling direction. I want that tether pulling on the tree all the way down.

Will have another go at it about the middle of next week and see if I chicken out again.

Harry K.

Harry K
Harry K

 

[Blowncrewcab]

Yes..I put my pulley at the bottom of the Anchor tree to be sure there was no deflection once the weight of the tree was on the pull line...I did tell my boss right before making the notch "I sure hope this goes well" his reply "your saving me $800.00, My deductable is less than that"

 

[smokinj]

B locust is touchy on falling. The wood is brittle and the holding wood tough Once it starts to gothough it "snaps". Generally there is no 'holding wood' by the time the tree has gone about 10 degrees. Even pulling with a PU I have had toalmost cut clear through to get one to fall. On my latest one last week -24" butt going with the lean (no much of one and no pulling) I only had about 1" holding wood left before it went and I was usign a wedge.

My usual practice when pulling with the F150 is to cut until I 'think" it will go and then test with the PU. No go, cut a bit further and try again. Usually the third time is the charm.

Rarely will I fool with a 'hazard' tree except at my own place. This one is a big favor for the occupant. They losst a big snag in last weeks wind storm (gusts to 60 and sustained 30 for at least 12 hours and she is worried. This is a fairly small tree and not a severe leaner so I will risk it. Have to eyeball the angle from tree to anchor again to be sure the anchor is a couple 'hairs' over 90 degree to my planned falling direction. I want that tether pulling on the tree all the way down.

Will have another go at it about the middle of next week and see if I chicken out again.

Harry K.

Harry K
Harry K

One inch on a hardwood and its going to be still pretty stout. But if your using a come a long or wench leave 2-3 in. this will let the tree be able to pull into the best postion and fell in the right direction. up and over the top if you will.

 

[Elim]

:spam: Come here spammer... I have something for you!

 

[turnkey4099]

Change of plans. I have been alternating trip for trip, one to Christine's (the leaning locust) and one to ####'s (Thread "Making progress"). Was at ####'s yesterday and left with one good sized 'two stem' Locust and a big dead Red Elm still to do. Been picking at that place since last fall. Decided I will concentrate on it. Figure 3 more trips should do it and then back to that leaner.

Y'all will have to wait a couple weeks for the disaster pics

Harry K

 

[smokinj]

Change of plans. I have been alternating trip for trip, one to Christine's (the leaning locust) and one to ####'s (Thread "Making progress"). Was at ####'s yesterday and left with one good sized 'two stem' Locust and a big dead Red Elm still to do. Been picking at that place since last fall. Decided I will concentrate on it. Figure 3 more trips should do it and then back to that leaner.

Y'all will have to wait a couple weeks for the disaster pics

Harry K

That a very good idea can you get some more pic's maybe it will show better or it will look differnt to you? I have 3 trees right now that. I have been doing the same thing on one more than a year and a half, its a 63 inch maple but just got my 880 so its looking better.

 

[turnkey4099]

It worked.

Nicely tethered back to a snatchblock to PU to put a strain on it:

On the ground right where I wanted it:

But only after a good coffee break pondering the 'what if's'. finally decided I had the 'nads to risk it. Tree wasn't big enough (only about 18" DBH) to get much use out of wedges.

Yarded it all up in three sections to the area she keeps mowed - didn't dare back down over the edge on all that tall, wet grass. 2x PU is not the way to go in those situations.

All cleaned up, loaded and ready to leave in about 4 hours - quite a bit of time just stringing cables and picking them back up.

Leaves just that big one that still wants to fall on the house. It will have to wait until most of the others are gone - those will wait until after harves so I can get the truck to them.

Also leaves these plus 4 good sized ones out in the middle of her winter wheat field.

I figure one trip a week for the rest of the summer plus a big push when her crop is harvested.

Harry K

 

[Locust Cutter]

Old dead locust. About 20" at butt. Leans so that it will miss the trailer house (occupied) but wipe out a very nice patio/deck.

From 90 degrees to theleft from the first pic:

Plan is to cable from up about 15' or so back to a big locust stump just about behind where pic 2 is taken. Will either take out all slack with a come-along or thru a snatch block to the truck.

Felling cuts aimed to put it just about where pic 1 is taken.
Were it my house it would have been on the ground today but... I went out to work up the log I left the other day and once loaded fall that one. Loaded up but chickened out after trimming all the sprouts, stubs, etc up as far as I cared to work, cut that 'banch' sticking out to the right. Clears the way to run the ladder up higher for the cable anchor.

The 'fun' one will be the one behind it (just at the edge of pic 2). That one is huge and aimed dead center at the trailer. I will probably tell them to get a pro to do it and may kick in on the fee

Harry K

Not to ask a dumba$$ question, but as a firewood cutter/seller , not a professional faller, I've never heard the term 'snatch block'. What is that? I think that I have an Idea, based on the descriptions of the mechanics involved,... But I do help friends occasionally with trees that they're not comfortable tackling and although I'm pretty confident in my aim when falling and have used trucks/ropes/come-alongs several times, I could always use a new trick up my sleeve,.... Thanks

 

[turnkey4099]

Snatch block: A pulley that can be opened and slipped over a cable, rope, etc. anywhere in the run. Used to gain mechanical advantage, change direction of the force, etc. In my case I had to pull at a right angle to the cable. Snatch Block went on a big stump then back to the PU just out of the picture to the left.

I don't have a picture of my homemade one tonight, will post one here tomorrow.

Harry K

 

[Nosmo]

Not to ask a dumba$$ question, but as a firewood cutter/seller , not a professional faller, I've never heard the term 'snatch block'. What is that? I think that I have an Idea, based on the descriptions of the mechanics involved,... But I do help friends occasionally with trees that they're not comfortable tackling and although I'm pretty confident in my aim when falling and have used trucks/ropes/come-alongs several times, I could always use a new trick up my sleeve,.... Thanks

Below is a quote from turnkey4099 with a very good explanation.

Snatch block: A pulley that can be opened and slipped over a cable, rope, etc. anywhere in the run. Used to gain mechanical advantage, change direction of the force, etc. In my case I had to pull at a right angle to the cable. Snatch Block went on a big stump then back to the PU just out of the picture to the left.

Most come-a-longs use this princple without a snatch block - notice the pulley and hook moves along a doubled cable. However winches use a single line and a snatch block can be added to obtain double pulling power.

The enclosed picture shows a winch on the Red vehicle with the cable ran through a snatch block chained to a tree or ? and then ran over to the Blue vehicle. The mechanical advantage is doubled this way.

I used a snatch block with my winch sometimes when I pull in a large log to my truck.

Nosmo

 

[turnkey4099]

I call them 'homebuilt' but they were really built in a shop manufactureing agricultural sprayers (biggest one was 90 ft wide) - fold up models for roadability. Those were made from "sheave housings' to route cables out along the wings for the foldups.

What with stuff like that plus logspitters, etc (one guy built a mini backhoe)that went out the back door it is probably no wonder the company almost folded back in the 85/86 recession. Hard not to "five finger" when even the shop foreman was doing it.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

Below is a quote from turnkey4099 with a very good explanation.

Snatch block: A pulley that can be opened and slipped over a cable, rope, etc. anywhere in the run. Used to gain mechanical advantage, change direction of the force, etc. In my case I had to pull at a right angle to the cable. Snatch Block went on a big stump then back to the PU just out of the picture to the left.

Most come-a-longs use this princple without a snatch block - notice the pulley and hook moves along a doubled cable. However winches use a single line and a snatch block can be added to obtain double pulling power.

The enclosed picture shows a winch on the Red vehicle with the cable ran through a snatch block chained to a tree or ? and then ran over to the Blue vehicle. The mechanical advantage is doubled this way.

I used a snatch block with my winch sometimes when I pull in a large log to my truck.

Nosmo

"The mechanical advantage is doubled this way". - No, it is still a straight pull, just going around a corner.

Harry K

 

[Dalmatian90]

"The mechanical advantage is doubled this way". - No, it is still a straight pull, just going around a corner.

I think that depends on what moves.

The original poster I do believe intends the tree to be stationary, with red pulling the blue truck closer to it.

HOWEVER...if the blue truck remains stationary, the force on the tree is doubled. 1000# winching from the red truck, 1000# anchor from the blue truck, the tree experiences 2000# of pull.

 

[turnkey4099]

I think that depends on what moves.

The original poster I do believe intends the tree to be stationary, with red pulling the blue truck closer to it.

HOWEVER...if the blue truck remains stationary, the force on the tree is doubled. 1000# winching from the red truck, 1000# anchor from the blue truck, the tree experiences 2000# of pull.

You are correct that the force on the tree is 2,000 but the pull is still a 1x pull. The pull on the blue truck is 1,000 lbs. to have a 2x advantate it would have to be rigged: Cable from tree to a sheave on the blue, back to sheave on tree and on to the red.

There is no ma in a system if at least one pulley doesn't move.

Harry k

 

[Nosmo]

I Was Wrong

I stand corrected - you are correct this picture is a 1 to 1 pull. To be a 2 to 1 for example : Using the Red car only run the cable over to the snatch block and back to the Red car to pull the Red car towards the anchor point.

I run my winch cable out to a big log and attach a snatch block and run the cable end back to my truck. It moves the bigger ones up to my truck and I use my crane to load them.

Why not just drive up to the log ? Lots of times I can't get with 10 or 15 feet of a log because it is in a low spot or ??? I like to get them up close to the truck before I cut "em up. I'm getting old and can't carry 100 lb. rounds very far anymore.

turnkey4099 : I like those snatch blocks in your picture.

Nosmo

 

[turnkey4099]

I stand corrected - you are correct this picture is a 1 to 1 pull. To be a 2 to 1 for example : Using the Red car only run the cable over to the snatch block and back to the Red car to pull the Red car towards the anchor point.

Errr....no, it is still a 1x straight pull going around a 180 turn. If the winch pulls 1,000, the pull on the car is still 1,000 - the stump sees 2,000

I run my winch cable out to a big log and attach a snatch block and run the cable end back to my truck. It moves the bigger ones up to my truck and I use my crane to load them.

Yes, that is a 2x ma. The snatch block is moving in that one

Why not just drive up to the log ? Lots of times I can't get with 10 or 15 feet of a log because it is in a low spot or ??? I like to get them up close to the truck before I cut "em up. I'm getting old and can't carry 100 lb. rounds very far anymore.

turnkey4099 : I like those snatch blocks in your picture.

Nosmo

Those snatch blocks look a bit flimsy but they do take the punishment. A month or so ago I was doing a 2x pull and got so interested watching the log come in that I wasn't paying attention to the rigging. Yanked the grab hook and two cable clamps right through the block. No damage except a few scratches. That is the block on the left.

Harry K