Cut tree hung in crotch of another tree

[Ortimber]

I normally keep cutting 4' chunks off the bottom. Many times when near vertical, they fall. Be careful.

Yep, that's my solution as well.

 

[RalphVa]

Let it stay. It will eventually fall. We get them falling that way all the time. They eventually come to the ground where you can deal with them.

Patience.

Ralph

 

[lman]

Newbury's solution edited:

I rely heavily on being able to hear the trees creak giving me time to move my butt.
I've never had the luxury of big backhoes. Donations welcome
Good luck
Stay safe
Keep cool and spaced out.

I've resolved many hangups in the same way, except I don't have an electric saw. I've had a few close calls, but never got hurt.

 

[Garandman]

I know that is what I would do, no way would I cut on that "thing". Pull that sucker out and it will fall with you and your machinery far far away.

A good big come along or chain falls could work too, solves the traction problem.

In pesky situations like this we use an arborist rope and a big snatch block.

If he lifted the loose end up, cut it off, and lowered it again, would it pull itself out?

 

[skipperbrown]

A tree service will probably charge $500 to $1000 to cut this tree out for you. One trip to the ER will start at $2500 and go up from there and will possibly expose you to a virus. Just saying ....

 

[oosik]

It's been 25+ years since I've fell a pine for firewood. However - every now and then a big pine will die - Pinebark beetle. I just let them rot off and fall. Last pine I fell from Pinebark beetle was almost a disaster. As it began falling - the top 20' or so broke free and fell independently. Amazing how fast this old man can move when necessary.

 

[Richard]

The rest of the story (admission I've not read ALL comments so I might miss something)

I've been hesitant on using my outriggers because as it happens, BOTH of them have finally sprung a leak and lose pressure.

I DID "drive up" onto the tree using the front bucket as a weight to push tree down thinking it would pull it out of the crotch. Didn't happen (to the degree I drove up on tree)

I started to cut the tree using my pole saw but as it happens, it's an oak tree and just smoked the little blade on the saw.


We did the tractor/backhoe thing.

I don't have pictures. I don't know the size of his JD but it's "about" 40 HP and we attached 25' chain to his drawbar. I was roughly middle of tree and pinched it with backhoe bucket so I could help pull sideways....lift up, push down....

Had to reposition to get a better angle and decided oil be damned, I put my outriggers down which lifted me much higher so now I can reach higher and "poof" Tree loosened in crotch and with the sideways pull from the JD, it came right out and slid down the tree (actually down two trees)

So my wife's cousin now has a nice piece of oak to replace some of his used firewood.


Side comment.... I wanted the ENTIRE tree down. Even as it is, there are a couple branches that sheared off and are crammed in the crotch but, the tree itself is down. I was going to chunk it down but didn't want it hanging there and me unable to get it down AND now too short to easily reach.... so I was holding that card back.

In truth, it wasn't really a LOT that was holding it in but it was darn tight in there.

Now I get to go have some breakfast!!

 

[ericm979]

I would use Newbury's solution. Cut vertically down, don't try to cross cut the tree. It'll pinch the bar. A felling wedge (plastic) helps once you get more than 1/2 through. When the tree is cut, the butt will fall straight down. Remember to hold the saw up. First time I did this, I let the tree drag the saw to the ground, pinching the bar in the dirt. If the tree doesn't fall, make another cut. As the tree approaches vertical, it will fall out of the crotch. Be aware to the tree movement, have your escape path planned.

A cross cut works. Cut in 1/4 or so from the top. You don't need to cut out a wedge like in felling but it doesn't hurt and can guide how the tree moves when the final cut is complete. Then cut the rest up from the bottom. You want your last cut to be on the tension side not the compression side so the bar is not pinched. Also since the bar ends up in the middle of the trunk when the tree finally breaks, it doesn't go into the dirt. No need for felling wedges with this technique unless you misjudge the forces on the tree.

Here's a video from a wildland fire saw instructor showing the technique: Hang-up Tree Removal, Step-Cut Technique - YouTube

 

[Richard]

I can see that this thread isn't going to have the staying power of a rounded drain plug.

:drink:

 

[k0ua]

See, guys told you it would all be over before noon. Good job.

 

[Peter 315]

Now lets get the branches down.........

 

[airbiscuit]

Now lets get the branches down.........

 

[CobyRupert]

Glad it’s safely down. Now for my Monday morning quarterbacking:

IMHO a hung up tree (and people’s attempt to down them) is one of the most dangerous situations in cutting wood next to barber chairs.
So many things can go wrong when it’s not clear what’s holding what.
I disagree with the people who say to cut the butt end to near vertical. Vertical is no guarantee tree will release so you may just end up with 20’ of tree hanging above your head for years, or it releases unpredictably when you’re sawing underneath it.

Best thing for a hung up tree is to pull it from a safe distance.

Pull on butt, but don’t connect chain up trunk as many have been surprised when butt digs into ground and acts as a hinge and top flops over and kills them because cable was shorter than the tree.

A long cable and a pulley so you can pull from the direction with the most traction would of helped. Or pull from a direction that just breaks off the top at the notch.
:2cents:

 

[JerryK]

About 1952, I went out in the woods with my Dad just before Christmas up in Gladwin, Michigan and he shot down the top of a tree with a 12 gauge. They had been doing that for years where he was raised in Rhodes, Michigan. He was born in 1918, and during his youth they went thru hard times. Poaching was a necessity, and they worked just to help their folks put shoes on their feet.

 

[Skeans1]

Two way to tackle this safely and efficiently.

One is to cripple the tree from the ground do a face on the up side of the hung tree with a small back cut then fall something else to the hung side of the tree. If using this method never use a conventional face use a humboldt to get the butt on the ground before the top hits also make sure the face is at least a 1/3 to 1/2 way the depth of the butt.

Option two is take down the tree that’s holding up the hanger it’s not my favorite to do but make sure you’re on the low side when facing as well as cutting the back cut.

 

[shooterdon]

Glad it’s safely down. Now for my Monday morning quarterbacking:

IMHO a hung up tree (and people’s attempt to down them) is one of the most dangerous situations in cutting wood next to barber chairs.
So many things can go wrong when it’s not clear what’s holding what.
I disagree with the people who say to cut the butt end to near vertical. Vertical is no guarantee tree will release so you may just end up with 20’ of tree hanging above your head for years, or it releases unpredictably when you’re sawing underneath it.

Best thing for a hung up tree is to pull it from a safe distance.

Pull on butt, but don’t connect chain up trunk as many have been surprised when butt digs into ground and acts as a hinge and top flops over and kills them because cable was shorter than the tree.

A long cable and a pulley so you can pull from the direction with the most traction would of helped. Or pull from a direction that just breaks off the top at the notch.
:2cents:

I do not know squat about the topic but this seems the best option to me. I want to be as far away from the problem as possible and a long cable or chain seems like cheap insurance. I have a decent size tractor to pull with, but a pulley system can multiply the force if needed and a snatch block can let me pull from a safer direction or address incline issues.

Glad the OP got'er done.

 

[Richard]

Wanting to live to see another day is why I didn't feel comfortable chunking the tree from the bottom up.... also, why I wanted to "hoist" it (grab from above) rather than push it from underneith.

The tree on its own, though decent sized, can be manhandled by my backhoe. My issue is I'd been putting off rebuilding the stabilzers over the winter until warm weather arrived. I was originally trying to handle the tree without using them which didn't give me as much control. Also, trying to simply pull it down, had me pointed in reverse going up a slight hill in leaves/mud.... and traction was near zero. So a number of small issues were biting at my ankles.

So.... the idea of both machines. On resetting mine, I decided the heck with oil spitting out from the stabilizers (not a LOT, just annoying) it would be worth it to get this done, so unlocked them and the tree was down within probably 90 seconds.

I spent the rest of the day yesterday pounding on the pins that hold the cylinders on. I already have waiting the seal kit for both cylinders.... but the last time they were off the machine (pins taken out) was probably near 20 years ago (15 minimum) and they're stuck hard.

I'm preparing right now, to go back out, put things back together and drive machine over to a neighbors house who's got a large flame (largest I have is a hand held MAP bottle for plumbing and it's just not enough heat)

Those suckers are coming apart today one way or another!!!

 

[k0ua]

Glad it’s safely down. Now for my Monday morning quarterbacking:

IMHO a hung up tree (and people’s attempt to down them) is one of the most dangerous situations in cutting wood next to barber chairs.
So many things can go wrong when it’s not clear what’s holding what.
I disagree with the people who say to cut the butt end to near vertical. Vertical is no guarantee tree will release so you may just end up with 20’ of tree hanging above your head for years, or it releases unpredictably when you’re sawing underneath it.

Best thing for a hung up tree is to pull it from a safe distance.

Pull on butt, but don’t connect chain up trunk as many have been surprised when butt digs into ground and acts as a hinge and top flops over and kills them because cable was shorter than the tree.

A long cable and a pulley so you can pull from the direction with the most traction would of helped. Or pull from a direction that just breaks off the top at the notch.
:2cents:

This makes the most sense to me as well. I just don't have the guts to go up and start chunking off the butt of a tree in hopes I can move fast enough to get out of the way of a vertical trunk coming down. I am more of a be the "heck" away type of guy. You chain saw jockeys can chunk up all you want, but you won't see me doing it.

 

[k0ua]

Note for all that said, go up there and start chunking off pieces of the trees.. He got the tree down in 90 seconds without risk by using machinery.

 

[CobyRupert]

FYI: I know this was not an option as OP wanted to save the uncut old growth tree, but for future reference:
Cutting down the tree that’s holding the hanging tree is the worst possible thing to do.