Something to think about ... when a tree might fall on you

[beppington]

If you're going to pull over trees, get a snatch block and some low stretch rope and learn how to use them ... you should never have to put yourself in the position of having your front wheels come up or flipping over due to the direction of your pull. They don't cost much and you stand a much better chance of never becoming a statistic if you use them with care. You can still use the chain to attach to the tree, but attach the free end to the rope and pass the rope thru the block to get out of the fall line of the tree and the recoil line of the chain. Just because the chain does't stretch much doesn't mean it won't come at you like an angry hornet if you attach it to something springy like a sapling.
-Jim

Sounds like you're saying connect one end of the rope to the tractor, run it thru the snatch block attached to say another big tree, & connect the other end of the rope to the tree-to-be-pulled?

I see where that would double the pulling power & keep me & the tractor safely out of the way, yanking it away from me instead of toward. Good idea.

Seems overkill for most of the little trees we pulled this weekend, though. On most of those I just drove forward with the tractor in Low & 4WD & it hardly even knew it did anything.

Edit: Just dawned on me, Nope, wouldn't double the pulling power or even increase it at all, just change the direction the tree will go, which is somewhere away from me. I was thinking two pulleys for some reason :confused2:

 

[nybirdman]

I did exactly the same thing(30 years ago) with a Ford 8N and loader...I got super lucky that day;pushed on an dead elm...the top snapped off ,I saw it coming and let out the clutch more(panic mode) the only thing that saved me the trunk of the tree flattened out and landed across the arms of the loader and bounced over me.Of course I was back there by myself.
I will never try that trick again.

 

[beppington]

I did exactly the same thing(30 years ago) with a Ford 8N and loader...I got super lucky that day;pushed on an dead elm...the top snapped off ,I saw it coming and let out the clutch more(panic mode) the only thing that saved me the trunk of the tree flattened out and landed across the arms of the loader and bounced over me.Of course I was back there by myself.
I will never try that trick again.

Put another mark in the "pro" column for HST transmissions then? ... If I freak out & let go of everything, the tractor stops dead.

Of course, that's not a good thing if a train's comin'.

 

[tungularafishcamp]

ya gotta watch out for that newton guy.
YouTube - Silo collapses on a Bull Dozer.

 

[Car Doc]

Saturday I was clearing trails. Put the FEL against a dead ~35' tall 6"-7" diameter tree. I pushed it slowly so it wouldn't break in the middle & the top half snap back at me. Well, a thin vine at the top hung onto the top anyway, so the tree's middle went forward & partially broke, while it's topped stayed put - Meaning it was now leaning toward me anyway :shocked:

It started to fall toward me, & was headed to land right on me, so I went to bail out ... Uh-oh, the arm rest caught me - I was trapped. I woulda had to go forward to get around the arm rest, which did not come second nature while a tree was falling toward me.

Fortunately the vine ended up hanging on to & holding the tree at a lean.

I'm considering keeping the arm rests up, at least the left one, maybe both, when working on or amongst trees, so at least I can bail out if I think I need to.

Arborists call that a widow maker.

I am always looking up when in the woods cutting etc that branch you see may be ready to come down at any moment never trust them and have an escape route in mind beforehand a hard hat is nice also though I never wear one.

I have narrowly missed getting speared and smashed severely many times and been speared and smashed several times but nothing serious yet.

I have one incident years ago that still scares the crap out of me when I think about it. I cut a tree down with another tree stuck in a crotch about 20' up it came down so fast I felt the air breeze my neck and the ground shake under my feet it missed me by an inch or two, I left the saw in the cut and moved as fast as I could move the split second it went even it almost wasn't enough. I wont ever do that again plus I was out in the woods alone that day not good.

It can happen to anyone even someone that's aware so yes that's good advice imho.

 

[LostInTheWoods]

I realize there's a potential for the tractor's front wheels to come up, & even a possible flip-over, but that's a risk I'm willing to take.

You just like to poke the hornet's nest, don't you. :laughing:

 

[beppington]

You just like to poke the hornet's nest, don't you. :laughing:

You must've been reading my other posts where I literally poked both a hornets' nests & a yellowjacket nest (in the ground). Unknowingly, but still, they came out to tell me to stop doin' that. They can't speak English so they used their stingers. I felt what they were telling me.

 

[soulasphil]

Yesterday I brought a tall poplar tree down by pushing it with the FEL on my JD 3520. Nothing broke, not even small branches, and it took most of its rootball out of the ground in its slow fall. Of course it wasn't a dead tree (I'm very cautious with those) only a tree with bugs eating out the wood at ground level that had to be removed before it became dangerous.

 

[merrickvilleguy]

I've got a 1/2 way fallen tree along my trail from this past weeks wind ... the trunk is completely separated from the roots and its hung up between some trees at the top

I'm thinking to throw a strap around it and use my 100' cable to pull it down (I lack a logging winch)

smart ?

 

[jml755]

Seems overkill for most of the little trees we pulled this weekend, though. On most of those I just drove forward with the tractor in Low & 4WD & it hardly even knew it did anything.

I see where you said that these were 1"-3.5" trees. Well, golly, yeah, hook up a chain and go. :thumbsup: Heck, do 2 or 3 at a time. 1"-2" trees? I'm just running over those with my DR Brush Mower or Brush hog on the tractor. 2"-3.5"? I'm still pulling out my chainsaw but before I could position the tractor, jump off, hook up a chain, get back on, etc., I've cut that small tree down and it's halfway through the wood chipper.

Your original post spoke of a 35' 6"-7" dia tree. That's a lot different than saplings. We all have a technique that works for us considering the equipment we own, but the point a lot of posters are making is that pushing a tree over with a FEL is DANGEROUS! And the intent is not just to slap you upside the head. Heck, you're an adult, I imagine. But there's a lot of people who read these forums to get ideas on how to do stuff and it must be pointed out why it's not a good idea.