I've got this red oak leaner, the top is seriously wedged in there on both sides, and the base is not looking friendly. I might be able to maneuver my truck in to hook up a strap and pull it out, if I can get the base cut up to clear the stump....
Wonder how good the wood is? I noticed it's hollow at the bottom. Might could pull it at an angle to clear the stump. Be careful
Yeah, first attempt would be as TJ described. Chain real low and try to jank it to the side. Jank is a new word. A little jerk a little yank.
If the janking doesn't work, I'd carefully nibble my way up the trunk, expecting the top to slide back towards the stump with each nibble. I'd also expect the angle to change after each nibble. I'd try to nibble lengths to stove, or double stove length. If after nibbling, it's still hung up, maybe more janking will get it down.
I would cut it free of the rootball first, then pull away. Ive bucked 4' section off of leaners to get them down but if it is wedged too tight this may not be a option.
I think the hollowness is only a few feet up. This came down during our 90 mph winds last year. Jank, I like it! I could see it on a t shirt, Jank it! A pull from the side would be really tight,not much room for my truck. In the 2nd picture above is a SXS path that runs about 20 feet from the side, then curves around where, if I can get the truck in, I can pull it from the stump end. I'll have to take another look at it, see if I can get creative with it.
As far as nibbling up the trunk, it's at a steep angle and would be at head height quickly, it's about 15' above the ground at the first tree it's against. Another look at it, with the mentioned strategies in mind. The tree broke away from the stump in a favorable direction. There is a crack running up from the base, which will make any cutting interesting. I agree with cutting it free from the rootball, even if I can pull it as is, that downward hook on the end will want to plow into the ground. The top will fall further down between the hickories, pinching it. I think if I can get one good cut at the base, and one good rolling jank, should pull it down. I don't have much experience with this situation, come to think of it, I have no experience with it. But there's a lot to be said for common sense, and being skeered (cautious). How should I approach the cuts? What side to cut first, cut out any wedges. I imagine the trunk will want to push away from the base, and it may twist some to the side, away from the first tree. That split up the base may make it tricky.
One cautious cut from the top side, to the crack, may continue to hold, or not. If it holds, a good hard jank from the end could be enough to break it free and let it slide out on what is left of the base. In a perfect world. Or it may hang up on what is left of the base, and not want to go anywhere. In an imperfect world, which is usually my world...
Just for the fun of it, here's a view from the other side. There's another tree, to the right in the pic, that also has a hollow base and came down during the wind storm. At least that one was polite enough to land on the ground. The odd thing about this leaner is that it came down side ways to the wind. If it had blown with the wind, it would have been on the ground.
To be honest. I’d let nature take that down. Barber chairs, stuck saws, exploding trunks. If I couldn’t jank or winch it down to take all the pressure off I’d leave it to nature. Or explosives, have we mentioned explosives yet? Always a good way to handle hollow trees.
This is a practical approach. I have time to think about it, I have to wait for the monsoon season to pass, and then see if I can get my truck in there.. Maybe I can get some tannerite targets, and get some practice in!
Do you have access to a winch? Most vehicle-mounted electric winches have between 100-150 feet of cable or synthetic rope. You could probably keep your truck out of the woods by using a snatch block tied to another tree before hooking to the leaner. Works great for pesky hung-up trees and keeps you out of harm's way.
If you bore through it with the bar perpendicular to the ground you can relieve the center and then cut the trigger on the bottom. The tree will peel apart and be more controlled.
