Pro Loggers - More advice needed

[LD48750]

White Oak snapped over when Red Oak behind i was cut.
~ 2' dia and the hinge is ~ 8-10' high.

It needs to come down so clean up can continue.

How do I go about cutting it down without getting the saw caught or killing myself?

Access to the back side is restricted by the Red Oak behind it.

 

[oosik]

This could be a pretty "touchy" situation to comment on. Reason - no idea what could happen when you start to do something. I would start by "chunking up" the horizontal portion. If you can get to the horizontal portion - saw off short chunks - starting at the top of the tree. When that is done or you have reached a point where you can no longer cut chunks - make several shallow cuts into the vertical portion. Idea being - slowly relieve any stress in that vertical section.

Be very careful. Best if you have another person there with you when this is being done.

 

[CobyRupert]

-I'm not a pro, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn once-

Like Oosik says, start chunking at the top of the tree.
If weight is being supported by top of tree, most of your cuts need to made upwards (bottom-to-top) through log. This is harder than cutting downwards. Or, if cutting downwards, use wedges so trunk pinches wedge and not saw bar.
Think through and pay attention if 'kerf' is opening up or pinching down before saw gets completely hung up. Have more wedges and a big hammer nearby for miscalculations.
As you chunk up the top, if shredded "hinge" is weak enough to keep bending, the new "end" you create at the top with each cut will continue to rest on ground as trunk gets shorter, and trunk's angle gets steeper.
If eventually only the hinge end supports the whole shortened trunk (top end is off ground), you can weaken the hinge, or create a new (proper) one below it, by backcutting just a little at a time (i.e. not all the way through) to pivot trunk more to keep lowering the top in a controlled manner; or if you feel safe enough, to eventually cut trunk completely off at stump.

 

[4570Man]

I must have missed something a while back. What’s this holiday inn reference?

 

[CobyRupert]

I must have missed something a while back. What’s this holiday inn reference?

A reference to an old ad campaign, where a non-professional's (who assumes the role of a professional- that's me!) only qualification is that their smarter because "they stayed in a Holiday Inn last night" (and presumably got a good rest.)
Holiday Inn Express TV Commercial, 'Acupuncture' - iSpot.tv

 

[Birdhunter1]

I would throw a chain around the truck near the hinge point and pull it, chances are you might just snap it. If that doesn't work then move the chain further away on the intact trunk to get some leverage and start pulling and possibly twist on and snap the hingepoint.

 

[oosik]

4570Man -"stayed at a Holiday Inn last night". YOU are either a "young one" or you simply aren't watching enough TV. :laughing::laughing:

 

[atsah]

You are going to need to cut that on the inside of the butt a bit, notch it slowly with a chain on it. Don't bind the saw though..

 

[Snobdds]

Get a chain and toss it over the butt end just in front of the hinge. Tie it off to something heavy and back at a safe distance, like your tractor. This is to prevent that hinge from snapping back while you take chunks off the top of the tree. Once you get to a point where you think there is not a lot of weight on the top of the tree, try and ease the tension off the chain slowly to see if it will snap back some. Then you know you have the stored energy in the tree, weight, somewhat reduced.

Then you have to deal relieving the stress on the compression side of the tree, the tension side is all splinters. I would reposition the the chain on the tree and keep tension via the chain to make sure there is downward force acting on the top end, it dosen't have to be a lot, you just want to keep it in the bent over position while cutting. Then, very carefully, make cuts in the compression side until it breaks. Don't get panicky and in a hurry, just take your time and work with a purpose, it will come down.

 

[LD48750]

The suggestions make sense to me.
Thanks

It's gonna take some clean up of fallen, broken branches and trimmings before I can get to any serious "chunking".

Already got 6 trailer loads of chips from what I have cleaned up so far.
And a good amount of firewood stacked up ready to split.