Push over trees with a small compact?

[jyoutz]

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.

Agree. In my 40+ years working as a forester I have never once seen a logger use a winch to fall a tree. And a barber chair is deadly.

 

[eolesen]

I did watch a logger run a line to a skidder to pull one over, but that was after the feeder roots had been ripped out with a D5 dozer blade... stump and all came over nicely.

 

[CalG]

I did watch a logger run a line to a skidder to pull one over, but that was after the feeder roots had been ripped out with a D5 dozer blade... stump and all came over nicely.

You have to ask, What is a logger going to do with a root ball?

That had to have been a special "clearing" event, and had NOTHING to do with logging.

 

[CalG]

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

Pre loading a tree is asking for a barber's chair.

Not my idea of fun.

 

[WinterDeere]

Pre loading a tree is asking for a barber's chair.

Exactly what I've been saying since like... page 1? of this thread!

 

[arrow]

You have to ask, What is a logger going to do with a root ball?

That had to have been a special "clearing" event, and had NOTHING to do with logging.

We never transported in a skidder for a specialization.
A climber and an excavator maybe but not a skidder.

 

[deezler]

Pre loading a tree is asking for a barber's chair.

Not my idea of fun.

So I don't have any good long ropes or cables myself, and have never felled this way. But wouldn't the idea be to get the rope/cable in place and only add any significant tension once you are actually doing the back cut?

In general I agree though, kind of scary.

Personally I prefer to use an excavator to dig the roots up and simply push the entire tree down the way I want it, but that's a whole 'nother safety talk

 

[eolesen]

CalG's right that the skidder and dozer knocking over the big ones was intentionally clearing land vs. a clear cut. The root balls are now part of the backstop berm for my pistol range. They cut the price they charge if they can make a few bucks off the harvest, and that was 5 or 6 truckloads on that job.

 

[CalG]

So I don't have any good long ropes or cables myself, and have never felled this way. But wouldn't the idea be to get the rope/cable in place and only add any significant tension once you are actually doing the back cut?

In general I agree though, kind of scary.

Personally I prefer to use an excavator to dig the roots up and simply push the entire tree down the way I want it, but that's a whole 'nother safety talk

Remember, some trees barber chair all by themselves whilel cutting. Weight, wind, or just being cranky.

I might have pulled on a tree a time or two myself, but the pulling doesn't start until AFTER I've pushed a bore cut through the middle of the hinge wood.

 

[Oaktree]

Remember, some trees barber chair all by themselves whilel cutting. Weight, wind, or just being cranky.

Poplars are notorious for that.