Error correction

   / Error correction #21  
Pulling it away is probably the safest bet... What I always do is I keep cutting it until its ether fall or stands up vertical and I push it the other way... definitely scary with big trees, hard to say the diameter of this one everything looks smaller in a picture.

FYI cutting it in an angle like you did never works to make fall in that direction.
 
   / Error correction #22  
Buy a choker cable. It’s what professionals use and with your forested land, you will get plenty of use skidding firewood. Fasten to the tractor drawbar, not 3ph.

I agree with @jyoutz . Having a choker or two will come in handy if you are doing much of this work - either skidding trees or freeing ones that are hung up.

You can use either a cable choker as he showed or a chain choker. I don't want to get into the debate of which is "better". It's mostly a matter of personal preference (though the size of the tree can come in to play as well). In my area, almost everyone uses chain chokers, in other parts of the country cable predominates. This link is just an example of a chain choker (I typically buy mine locally): https://www.amazon.com/Winch-Choker-Chain-Forestry-Logging/dp/B08BZT2ZD4/

In our areas, some tractor dealers who also supply loggers will have these in stock. The key is the special slip hook, which captures the chain much better than a typical hardware store slip hook. The pin on the other end is handy for threading the chain under a log on the ground. For the size trees shown in your picture (and even a good bit larger) 5/16" grade 70 chain should be fine. Some people prefer 3/8" chain. It's stronger but significantly heavier. (I have both, but use the 5/16" most of the time.

You'll need something on the end of whatever you are using to pull with to grab the end of the choker. A grab hook works, but there are other logging-specific devices which are less likely to come unattached as you are dragging through the woods.

If you are doing a lot of this sort of work, a 3 Pt hitch logging winch for your tractor comes in handy. It can be hard to justify the cost if you are not doing a lot of this, but once you own one, you'll wonder how you ever got along working in the woods without one.
 
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   / Error correction #23  
I've done that a few times. I used a long chain and my side by sided and pulled it from the bottom until the cut tree laid down.
 
   / Error correction #24  
I use a choker cable as well. That tree isn't really that big so rip it out of there with truck or tractor.
 
   / Error correction #25  
I agree with @jyoutz . Having a choker or two will come in handy if you are doing much of this work - either skidding trees or freeing ones that are hung up.

You can use either a cable choker as he showed or a chain choker. I don't want to get into the debate of which is "better". It's mostly a matter of personal preference (though the size of the tree can come in to play as well). In my area, almost everyone uses chain chokers, in other parts of the country cable predominates. This link is just an example of a chain choker (I typically buy mine locally): https://www.amazon.com/Winch-Choker-Chain-Forestry-Logging/dp/B08BZT2ZD4/

In our areas, some tractor dealers who also supply loggers will have these in stock. The key is the special slip hook, which captures the chain much better than a typical hardware store slip hook. The pin on the other end is handy for threading the chain under a log on the ground. For the size trees shown in your picture (and even a good bit larger) 5/16" grade 70 chain should be fine. Some people prefer 3/8" chain. It's stronger but significantly heavier. (I have both, but use the 5/16" most of the time.

You'll need something on the end of whatever you are using to pull with to grab the end of the choker. A grab hook works, but there are other logging-specific devices which are less likely to come unattached as you are dragging through the woods.

If you are doing a lot of this sort of work, a 3 Pt hitch logging winch for your tractor comes in handy. It can be hard to justify the cost if you are not doing a lot of this, but once you own one, you'll wonder how you ever got along working in the woods without one.
Interesting. I have never seen a chain choker used in the west; they are all cable. I guess both would work. I have a large 5/8” cable choker I found in the woods that I use to skid brush and things to the burn pile. I attach the end loop to a clevis in the drawbar.
 
   / Error correction #26  
The cable choker is easier to get under a tree that's lying on the ground and its lighter to carry to the tree. The chain choker is easier to store on the tractor or logging winch. They both grip trees well.

I'd want to be farther away from the tree than I'd be if the choker was connected directly to the tractor, for safety. Even though it looks straight forward from the pic there may be branches flying when it finally falls through the canopy.

If you pull from the 3pt you can roll the tractor over backwards. The geometry of the drawbar (with the bar extended!) makes that more difficult.

It looks like those woods need a lot of thinning for fire safety, especially if they're close to a building. It'll look nicer too.
 
   / Error correction #27  
Another suggestion, which I don't recall seeing; I would wrap the choker on the back side in such a manner that the tree will spin, not just drag. I sometimes will wrap it completely around the tree so that it will roll off a stump.
 
   / Error correction
  • Thread Starter
#28  
It looks like those woods need a lot of thinning for fire safety, especially if they're close to a building. It'll look nicer too.
Yes, that is the plan. We'll be out there permanently in a few months. Until then it is a few hours of work sandwiched between 2.5 drives.
 
 
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