What are the options on getting a leaner to fall opposite of the lean. Obviously tie off and use wedges to help, but what can you do with the notch and back cut? I ask because I already tried and while ultimately successful it was scary and dangerous. I like the rush when dropping trees, but this one was more than necessary. I tied off, but no access for equipment, so just an ox of a buddy on the end of the rope. Cut notch, bore cut, release the holding wood and.....nothing. Buddy is struggling to keep tree from going the wrong way, but succeeding. Add more wedge, tree starts to move in the right direction then stops. More wedge and pop... The hinge broke completely free. Scared , but hiding behind 2 other trunks of this tree. Feeling like I can do nothing more at the trunk as is broke free I go around wide and pull with my buddy. Slowly the tree starts coming over and finally, boom, right where it belonged. Took about a half hour for the adrenaline to clear. Luckily those two trunks were there because as the tree came over(with no hinge or any other attachment at the trunk) the trunk settled nicely into the other trunks. The only thing at risk if it went the wrong way was a gate, a broken fence, a nice maple that is to stay, and the rural road which was clear of traffic. Anyway that's my adventure. I know there is plenty I did wrong, but here to learn. Lemme have it.
I have some like that, and at least one will be left for the pros. No rope, no real good equip. access, and so it goes. Or not. Glad you were able to get it down w/o a major problem. Took down a not too big Spruce back in Feb. with my sis-in-law, and she loved seeing that tree drop and the boom when it hit. I showed her where it was going to drop, then put it within a foot or so of that spot. Very cool.
Pyro, go to this thread: http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/for...felling-bucking-the-right-way-good-video.806/ ..and scroll down to the third video, "notch and hinge techniques." I learned a ton about exactly what you are asking, it's just a fantastic video. Really guys, those vids should be a sticky.
Was it a dead tree since the hinge broke ? Need a bigger hinge ? Climb & take some limbs & top down from high up. Break it down to a manageable size. Fighting gravity can be dangerous. Drive a "Dead man" or 2 in the ground to tie it off/winch it t0. Good thing it was not a large tree. A big tree drags you & your buddy back to the stump Pictures? Crushed a saw many years ago when one went wrong on me. Expensive lesson. When you only have one chance to be right, planning & preparation time is cheap $$.
Felling against a heavy lean is very dangerous, but can be done correctly. I can tell you firsthand as we do MANY backleaning trees, but we always have a cable involved and a solid anchor point (or even a couple of trucks) tied to the other end. I will say the best advice is to learn either from a pro first hand (not so much on the internet), or to read up on the subject intensely. It took me quite a few years until I was comfortable doing a heavy backlean tree. I've had some beech trees literally spin almost 180 degrees on the stump before (yes, twisting the seemingly sufficient hinge off) and, while dropping eventually where I wanted them, making me almost stain my pants. For certain, climbing and "piecing down" a heavy leaner is the safest method, as you can effectively take quite a bit of the weight off of that trunk and even, in some cases, let the heavy branches on the side you want the tree to fall and remove the opposite weight which can help get the center of gravity closer where you need it to be. But as I've said many times before in different places, trees are kinda like fingerprints.......that is to say, no two trees are alike. And I'd say that 98% of the time each tree requires a different approach....sometimes a slightly different one, other times drastically different. My point here being that there is no real "catch-all" advise for ANY technique......and for safety's sake, we cannot make a YouTube video a tutorial "sticky" because if someone took that video as the 'gospel' and got themselves killed, that wouldn't be any good at all.....in fact, we'd all feel HORRIBLE if that happened. So the best advice I can give as a tree removal guy myself is to read about it, watch some good, honest videos from an accredited source on the internet (Cornell University has some good videos in regards to the arborist trade), and more than anything, GET WITH A PRO and learn.....and most importantly, BE SAFE OUT THERE. We don't want to see anyone (especially our Firewood Hoarder Family) getting hurt out there...
Yes it was dead ash, with some rot, but not on this trunk. Buddy was not tied, per se, and could have let go without consequences other than inconvenience. The deadman/winch would have been perfect, I'll definitely do that next time. Did climb and remove what I could from the heavy side, but didn't want to go to far up. Not a lot of branches and no climbing gear. Got some tricky trees here to go, but lots of open space. Personal safety is number one, the rest is practice.
a solid "anchor point" driven into the ground. Can also be a nearby tree of sufficient size, and with a snatch block and the right cable/rope it's amazing what you can pull on with little power....
could be a number of different things. heavy metal rod or metal pipe, etc., in an angle opposite of the direction of the object you are pulling on. All depends on what exactly you are pulling on, this again is something you really have to study to make sure you can do it safely....
damm this is some good stuff. Ok. I am certainly NO expert on tree removal. I for one don't like getting a tree to go in the opposite direction that it is already leaning towards. However, I would highly recommend using a come-a-long to a very sturdy tree to pull the tree back the opposite way. I will say this.... That's why there are pros!!
Yup come-along,heavy cables,log chains,block & tackle,12 volt winch,hi-lift (handyman) jack,a stout tree or two nearby....all of these are great for any rigging/skidding operation.Even used a 30 foot nylon tow strap (rated at 5000lbs) with a huge hook at each end last summer a few times.Dad found that at a garage sale for 5 bucks & dropped it in my mailbox one afternoon! It was like Christmas in July!!!
+1 Anchor point I've use a "Danforth " boat anchor in swamps/wet areas. Many atv guys here carry a small anchor with them in the bush. Dig a small hole & get it started digging in. More you pull, deeper it digs in. (Note: If in soft soil it may bury itself, tie a rope to the back side so you can pull the anchor out, back thru the hole it dug) Also use this one a lot: Drive in 2 or 3 pipes (24" long) in a row 18" apart at about a 30° angle, tie them all together & pull on the front one. Another method: Dig a 4 foot log, 18" deep hole & bury 4x4 with a rope tied to the middle, dig a little trough for the rope toward the tree so the pull is sideways (not up) This principle can work in deep snow, may need it to be longer but I've winched snow machines out with a dead man (log) buried in snow. Sometimes no trees close.
Some of the simplest things get overlooked sometimes. This is why I asked. Thanks, and any other suggestions are welcome.
