Was cutting the last of the dead oaks in the woods at my moms. It was leaning sone already so I figured it would be an easy drop…no such thing as that as I found out. It was leaning right towards a decent size pine. I wanted to drop it to the right of the pine instead of the left just for ease of picking up the logs with the tractor. Well the oak went right onto the pine and got hung up. Ok no biggie I think. I put a chain on the butt end of the log which was still sitting on the stump. I pulled forward with the tractor and set the chain around the forks. Put the tractor in reverse and the tree came right off the stump as planned with ease. The next 2-3 seconds proved to be much different. As the butt end dropped to the ground, the oak tree snapped about half way up. The main log dropped down harmlessly. The top part dropped straight down from where it broke off like a spear. When it hit the ground butt end first, the top then fell right over the tractor. In the process it brought down a couple sapling sized trees right across the tractor as well. I saw the log coming and thought holy sh*t this is the end. Thankfully the roll bar helped protect me and kept the log from crushing me. Something did manage to whack me in the thigh though and it’s going to leave one helluva bruise. I am walking with a slight limp but will be fine. After a few minutes, I collected myself, fought to get off the tractor and then cut the tractor free. Once I cut the trunk into 8 foot logs and haul to the field, I decided it was a good time to put the saw away for the day. The tree was about 26”-28” at the Stu p end and about 16” in diameter where it snapped in half. What’s laying across the tractor is about 6” in diameter. So as the title says, I am glad to be posting this instead of what could have happened to me.
So glad you are okay buddy!! I had a locust I cut in the woods one time that on the way down hit another tree and the top half broke out and came back at me but luckily didn’t get to me!! Like a dummy I hadn’t retreated at much as I should!! Something similar to your deal, guess both of us a little lucky!! Enjoy your posts, your a firewood machine!!
Wow wow wow! I’m really glad you are OK! That was way too close for comfort. Someone up above is looking out for you! Again, glad you are OK. Hope that bruise isn’t too bad and you heal up quickly.
Holy smokes! Glad you are ok. This is my fear when one of my elderly friends tells me he is going to go cut wood. I stopped him from dropping a tree on his car a few weeks ago. He cut the notch where he wanted the tree to go, but that's not where the tree wanted to go. I got his attention and stopped him before he cut it cut through. It would have snapped the hinge(if he would have left one) and smashed him and his car that was parked on the road. He is stubborn and insists on doing things himself even if he doesn't understand what he is doing.
Yikes! I find myself doing the same thing quite often as there is sometimes not a way to have the tree drop completely. I’ll make sure to use a couple extra lengths of chain or the winch, to get further away.
Your Angels where looking out for you today... Glad it all worked out for you in the end, but man was that a close call...
Like others, I'm very glad to hear that a bad bruise is the worst of it. Could've been much worse obviously. Hoard on safely.
I’m at the bar…no chance of winning but it’s working to calm my nerves. It takes a lot to make me feel uneasy but yet here I am over 6 hours later, still in disbelief.
