Push over trees with a small compact?

[RayIN]

Why it's a good idea to have the ROPS in the working position instead of the usual folded position that so many owners on here like to do. I see pictures (on here) of so many tractors with folded ROPS. Why fold it, just remove it entirely....

I will confess I removed the ROPS entirely from my Kubota diesel front mount mower because it gets in the way when mowing under trees. Took it off entirely and it's parked against the shop, in the grass. Other issue is, if it's folded, it interferes with opening the engine hood to check fluid levels so I removed it entirely.

Gal down the road bought a new Cub ZTR and runs around with the ROPS folded and no seat belt on. Hopefully, she don't wind up in a compromising situation.

My Massey Ferguson 451 operators manual states to always use the seat belt when the ROPS is up and never use the seat belt when the ROPS is folded down.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

My mower has to have the ROPS folded down to get under some of my foliage, but my yard is flat, so I don't worry about it. I need to fix my seatbelt, though. The latch was frozen when I got the mower.

 

[WinterDeere]

My mower has to have the ROPS folded down to get under some of my foliage, but my yard is flat, so I don't worry about it. I need to fix my seatbelt, though. The latch was frozen when I got the mower.

I wouldn't even worry about it, unless selling or loaning it out. I was always told to leave seltbelt off, if mowing ROPS-down.

 

[Suburban Plowboy]

The thing that concerns me is hitting something with nothing to keep me from falling forward.

 

[WinterDeere]

The thing that concerns me is hitting something with nothing to keep me from falling forward.

Yeah, you don't want to run yourself over! I never use a ROPS or belt, but I also can't really see myself hitting anything larger than the field mice or bunnies that occasionally pop up in front of the mower at the last second.

But you remind me of a funny story from a buddy who managed to park his mower over a yellowjacket nest. I'll admit I might not remember it perfectly, this was maybe 20 years ago, but somehow he managed to stop his ZTR right over the ground nest of those belligerant and aggressive German yellow jackets. When they started stinging him en masse, he tried to jump off the mower and run, but his boot lace caught on the deck lift pedal as he was jumping off the mower, and he fell on his face on the ground.

To top it off, he somehow pushed one of the control levers into reverse as he jumped out of the seat, putting one wheel of the mower into reverse, while the other was still in its "park position" cradle. So, the mower started spinning backwards, pivoting on one wheel and drigging him with it, right over the opening of the yellowjacket nest.

Long story short, he suffered many dozens (hundreds?) of stings, before a tennant of the apartment building he was mowing saw him being dragged over and over across this nest, and ran over to shut down the mower. A trip by ambulance to the hospital followed.

Yeah, this was the same guy who thought "seat safety switches are stupid"', and had disabled his.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Myself, I want no stretch when directing a tall tree down. I want to know exactly how much effort it's taking to displace the tree in the direction I want it to fall.


I trust gravity that much! And my hinge cuts just a little less ;-)

It's the wind that really gives me concern.

Why do you want no stretch?

 

[eolesen]

Stretch is room for variance... I've brought down several 60-80 ft trees with 1500lb lever chain hosts and chains. Most land within 5 ft of where I've anchored the hoist as long as there's enough tension that the change stops moving. Sleeping just a little bit of slack, either way can increase the distance where it would go left or right.


View attachment 4093933

 

[SiteEngineer]

Don’t use the loader bucket to push a big tree over. An 8–10" tree at ~60ft can kick, jump, or pull the stump and that can flip or damage the tractor.


Notch and back cut properly and use a strap or winch tied higher on the trunk if you need to help it fall not the bucket. Always plan two clear escape routes, wear PPE, keep people well away, and if the tree is near buildings or power lines, call a pro.

 

[EdwardL]

Agreed. I don't even like the way I see many folks winching, putting pressure on the tree before the cut is done, as it can increase probabily of barber chair.

Arrange your line to prevent back fall, but don't start putting big tension on it until after the hinge is fully formed and cutter is out fo the way.

Preferred process for back-leaners:

1. Use throwing bag, rock, or slingshot to throw a lightweight line as high into the tree as you can, looping it over a major branch.
2. Use lightweight line to pull your heavier line up into place. There may be a medium line involved, if light line is not sufficient to pull heavy line.
3. Tie bowline loop or other free-sliding knot in free end of heavy line (from ground), so it can be pulled up and cinched into crotch of tree.
4. Tie bowline into far end of heavy line, and figure out what tree base you'll use for your pulling. You really want more than 1:1 scope, preferrably 2:1 to 3:1 in run:rise.
5. Attach strap to tree base that will be used for pulling, and attach winch to strap. Play out winch line and attach to your heavy pulling line.
6. Tension only enough to lift rig (winch + line) off the ground.
7. Make face cut.
8. Start back cut. As tree tries to sit down and pinch bar, either drive in your wedges or have someone tighten winch just enough to prevent cut from closing, but not enough to put tension on tree.
9. Finish back cut, get you and your saw out of the way, and then start cranking on the winch.

When you see trees barberchair, and basically explode while someone is in the middle of their back cut, there's a good chance a too-tight winch was involved.

Most of the time I put a line in a tree, it ends up being nothing but extra insurance that the tree doesn't fall backwards onto whatever I'm protecting, and I never end up having to even use the winch. You can do a lot with a few plastic wedges. But the point is, if you're going to use a winch, don't tighten it beyond the point of just holding the tree, until after the cutting is done.

I only partly agree. I use a winch too, but its a warn rated for 8000 lb. I hook it to another tree, put a heavy duty strap as high up as I can get it on a tree, make the face, notch cut. Take up the slack on the winch line, start the back cut, take up a bit more on the winch line, continue the back cut -- and the moment I hear a crack or snap -- I stop cutting and use the winch to pull it down. I have a wireless remote for the winch, so I'm always out of any path where the tree can fall.

 

[WinterDeere]

I only partly agree. I use a winch too, but its a warn rated for 8000 lb. I hook it to another tree, put a heavy duty strap as high up as I can get it on a tree, make the face, notch cut. Take up the slack on the winch line, start the back cut, take up a bit more on the winch line, continue the back cut -- and the moment I hear a crack or snap -- I stop cutting and use the winch to pull it down. I have a wireless remote for the winch, so I'm always out of any path where the tree can fall.

Do what works for you. But I drop at least a dozen trees every year, and can only think of 2 times in the last 20 years I ever needed to actually winch a tree over. I'm not opposed to stringing up a safety line, in cases where you want to be really sure it can't fall over backwards, but there's a big difference between a static safety line and actively winching a tree over while you make the back cut.

I don't encounter many trees so badly back-leaning, that they can't be easily pushed over with wedges in the back cut, with better safety and speed than rigging up a winch.