Wild Grape Vines are STRONG! - Near Miss

madhouse · May 7, 2019

I was clearing the overgrowth along the fence-line. There were two grape vines that I couldn't quite pull out by hand so when I was at the point of moving the piles of brush with the grapple I first snagged the vines. It appeared that I would be better off grabbing them from the side and continuing down the fence-line verses grabbing them straight on and backing out. I won't make that mistake again! Having the grapple as a shield in-front has a lot of merit!

I heard the tree snap but it was on me before I had a chance to do anything. Luckily, I simply bumped my knee on the console as I recoiled from the surprise. The tree completely missed me and shockingly didn't break the steering-wheel.

RUSTBUCKET BRONCO · May 7, 2019

wow close call, glad you're alright

oosik · May 7, 2019

AH - now, with the pic, I understand. Who would have thought that grape vines were that strong. Appears you were lucky to not get bonked.

CobyRupert · May 7, 2019

Mother Nature is a b*tch!!

She can think of an infinite more ways to kill you than you can think of.

When people say "Go slow...be cautious...look for dangers...think it through" that's fine and well; but you'll never be prepared for what you can't imagine.

"...because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns the ones we don't know we don't know..." - Donald Rumsfeld ( U.S. Secretary of Defense 2001-2006)

jeff9366 · May 7, 2019

I keep a big Lopper on my tractor to cut vines.

Oaktree · May 7, 2019

Where did that tree come from? Were the vines tangled in it somehow or did you hook it with your loader? I've had a couple close calls myself with the loader hooking a tree.

Grapevines are tough. Had a bunch of 'em at my last place. No tractor then. Just kept them cut back, eventually they died off.

madhouse · May 7, 2019

The vines were in the tree. I had cut them off and attempted to pull them out by hand. When that didn't work I hooked them with the grapple. In the past the vines either pulled out or simply gave way. This time they pulled the tree over.

CobyRupert · May 7, 2019

Oaktree said:
Grapevines are tough. Had a bunch of 'em at my last place. No tractor then. Just kept them cut back, eventually they died off.

Had good luck by cutting the main "trunk" where it comes out of the ground. Then they whither, die, get brittle and easily pull or snap out of the tree their entangled with.

RandyT · May 7, 2019

You guys never cut grapevines off at the ground and then use them for Tarzan swinging ropes. Real fun to find one on the edge of a hill so you can swing out over the edge and at times be 40-50 feet above the ground below.

Fuddy1952 · May 7, 2019

Once as a kid we were walking up this steep hill when we got to what looked like a fairly level field, so we started walking across it. I noticed the ground was sort of spongy so I stopped and dug down. After about a foot or so down we were looking at treetops! So we carefully walked back, then went around another way.
Looking up we saw grapevines, kudzu, honeysuckle had grown out over this really steep cliff, attaching to trees. Really bizarre from the top, lucky no one fell through!
You were lucky tree didn't injure you! Yes, they're strong as ropes or cables.

YLee Kioti · May 7, 2019

On the same topic, one can make a mistake thinking we can power through one of those 'little' thorny vines on the ground.
Easy enough to tear a ACL when the vine laughs at us and the boot comes to a dead stop.
I don't like high stepping through the vegetation but better then getting hung up and falling on top of those suckahs.....!:thumbsup:

Zebrafive · May 8, 2019

Off topic, I had a dead limb fall and hit the right rear fender and dent it. It was a big enough limb to do damage, luckily it hit behind me and I front of the ROPS. I was pushed forward a little as it hit. It fell without warning.

ovrszd · May 8, 2019

RANDYT said:
You guys never cut grapevines off at the ground and then use them for Tarzan swinging ropes. Real fun to find one on the edge of a hill so you can swing out over the edge and at times be 40-50 feet above the ground below.

Many, many times as a kid. Brother and I were always on the lookout for a good one.

Pote · May 8, 2019

RANDYT said:
You guys never cut grapevines off at the ground and then use them for Tarzan swinging ropes. Real fun to find one on the edge of a hill so you can swing out over the edge and at times be 40-50 feet above the ground below.

Used to do that til I found one of the grape vines was really poison ivy.

Motorboatin · May 8, 2019

We bought some wooded property a year ago and it has some of the biggest wild grape vines I've ever seen. The vines are tangled up in the canopy about 70 feet up so I went around with a hatchet cutting them at the base last summer. Most fell to the ground over the winter and the rest are ready to fall

They dry out quick when you cut off the water

coldsteelva · May 8, 2019

We have those here in northern VA too; My wife and I cut them off at the base and watch the water just pour out of them. I hook the ends with my backhoe and drive away. We have pulled 75-100 foot vines out of our tree line/canopy. Sometimes the limbs break, but most often they will unwrap/release. Nasty, nasty things choking off the healthy vibrant trees.

Henro · May 8, 2019

Madhouse,

Your experience is the exact reason I built a hood guard and a head guard for my tractor soon after buying it (about 15 years ago). 9 gage flattened expanded metal offers some protection while allowing upward visibility.

Milo · May 8, 2019

I've been dealing with grape vines, similar to what you have pictured as well as some poison ivy vines just as big, for two years now. I *believe* I have most of them on the property cut off. I carry loppers and a Stihl electric chainsaw in my Mule, and loppers on the tractor.

Motorboatin said:
We bought some wooded property a year ago and it has some of the biggest wild grape vines I've ever seen. The vines are tangled up in the canopy about 70 feet up so I went around with a hatchet cutting them at the base last summer. Most fell to the ground over the winter and the rest are ready to fall

They dry out quick when you cut off the water

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madhouse · May 9, 2019

Henro - I like your head guard. I really surprised this isn't an option for tractors. I don't want a cab - I get on an off the tractor too much for that. But an open safety cage makes a lot of sense to me.