Holy chit! Felling those dead ones are scary. Especially that size. Limb shrapnel galore and they break clean unlike living trees. Watched the neighbor next to my storage drop a dead white oak and its snapped. All was okay but what a sound. Good reminder of the dangers involved in all we do. Glad you and tractor are okay and heal up fast.
I'll be extra careful cutting today. I never feel at ease when cutting down a standing tree due to unknowns.
Glad you are ok. No way of ever seeing that coming. Would a longer chain or strap have gotten you out of the "danger zone"?
It would have taken another 20’ which I will be sure to use at least two if not 3 chains in the future.
We've been taking down some dead pine (13 so far) the tops on the trees are the weakest part so we do indirect pulls. The wife uses the RTV with the winch, a tow strap/tree saver always goes around the tree before I fell it. The tree saver and cable is hooked up to a d shackle, another tree saver goes around another tree with a smaller d shackle that that the tree saver and snatch block hook up to (get your cable through the snatch block first and then the cable finally hooks up to the winch on the RTV. We do indirect pulls so the wife is out of harms way. I can leave a fatter hinge than normal (she has a slight tension on it when I'm making my back cut) once I'm out on my escape route she'll start a nice steady pull. In the graphic below A would be the tree, O would be the tree we're felling toward, I use a longer tree saver (keeps the tree you're felling away from the anchor tree) that the snatch block will be hooked to with a smaller d shackle the cable goes through to the winch on the RTV, B would be the wife in the RTV out of harms way. Some people on the site will say what I described isn't needed but since they're not felling the rotten pine, I really could care less what they think, that can go for this info too. I haven't read all the post but how are you feeling a few days after jrider?
So glad you came out ok. We just never know when something could go sideways, go we. There is no reason that tree should have broken like that and its certainly not something one would expect. Thanks for sharing and remember to thank God for His care and protection! Sent from my SM-G930VL using Tapatalk
jrider You might want to keep an eye on the “bruise”. Depending how bad and deep it is there can be clots that form and move through your veins. I had that happen to me at a young age but thankfully no I’ll effects, I was given something to dissolve the clots but it’s been 60 years ago
