I think I just seen the biggest Bur Oak ever in my life!!!

About 3 blocks east & 5 blocks north,cut down in past 2-3 days,across the driveway in pieces.A vacant duplex with a realtor's for sale sign on the grassy strip at edge of property.

Didn't have camera with me (rare occurrence) but will go back tomorrow & snap a few.

Nothing left under 7"-8" except for some scattered leaves,wood chips.Newer concrete driveway all swept/blown off neatly.

But there's easily dozen pieces anywhere from 4 to 10 feet long - diameters from 16" to 45 inches!!!! And another 20 or so smaller pieces from 8-10" to 18" or thereabouts...

Main trunk section is close to 4 foot x 12 foot long WITH NO KNOTS,NO ROT OR HOLLOW SPOTS,just a few tiny bluish spots at the very heart.That beast has to weigh 3-4 tons by itself!! Plus 5-6 more that are 24" plus up to 40" or so....

Wrote down realtor's number (why I have no idea,since I have no room for any of it & ESPECIALLY no way to load even the ''smaller'' ones which have to weigh close to 1000 lbs each (close to 30" diameter)

The whole shooting match has to be 5-6 cords,if not more.Not to mention probably a $1000 worth at least of milled very wide thick planks......

 

If anything would be a test for the Mac 125C,this stuff might be.....I do know that White Oak 30" to 36" diameter last December & January was no match for it however....

We need a ''crying'' smiley.....

 

"That beast has to weigh 3-4 tons by itself!! Plus 5-6 more that are 24" plus up to 40" or so...."

Looks like you got some pretty good "tossin" wood right there. Tuck that 4 ton log under one arm, and just chuck those 40" babies one at a time into the truck with the other... gonna need the camera...

 

Big tree pics........

 

I thought what I drug out of the woods earlier this year was a big tree...sounds like a dink compared to yours.

 

I'll take smaller, easier to deal with full logs anyday. It's the number of the splits that counts... it all makes heat...

 

I totally agree. But also realize that beggars can't be choosers. I will take all the free wood any way I can get it.

 

Sounds like a beast. We need pictures.

 

+1

 

Sounds like a brute ! Cant wait to see some pics

 

I got a call the other day from a guy that I have done cutting for asking me to come get something similar. He was waiting for the property sale to close before starting to limb a very big oak. Somewhere near 31st street in DSM. He did not have a saw big enough or equipment to move it. I love this big stuff. Fun with big saws.

 

Noodle it or whatever, bring it home and sell it unsplit ,put the add up before you even bring it home, then buy another saw

 

Let me rephrase - The biggest Bur Oak I ever seen that was CUT DOWN. Have seen several still standing that were bigger (some within a mile or less from me,others in other IA counties or out of state etc). Snuck over there at first light.... I think I underestimated the amount With those huge trunk pieces being like they are,they had to use a crane to lower them down & place them across the driveway like that.The size of the garage doors in background gives an idea of the size of the main stems.

Had to get these for posterity,since they'll probably be gone before too long.:firepit:

 

Still more......

 

And the rest....

 

Good stuff there. Any sign as to why they took it down. Bet the place looks totally different now.

 

No idea on why it was brought down.Though there was several severe storms across the metro area here in June,with wind gusts from 55 to 75MPH+.Widespread damage,lots of big old ones came down over a 4-5 county radius.

Though this beast obviously withstood those,if it hadn't at least 2 houses & power lines for 7-8 more would've been completely flattened.Maybe the property owner just got nervous & figured that their luck wouldn't last forever....

Will say again that I've never seen any Bur/White Oak that big that didn't have a fair amount of rot in the lower trunks.Looked it over pretty good & only seen a little dark rot in a few smaller upper limbs.It had to be 250+ years old.Most Red/Black Oaks I see over 30" (especially in urban areas) tend to have several hollow spots with age.Even the White/Bur will start to decay after 150 years or so,more quickly with previous storm damage.