White Oak today, lots of pics.

[Steve NW WI]

I had to work this morning, otherwise I'd have been down in IA at the GTG. Even though it was 75°, too warm for me normally to cut, I had chainsaw fever and just had to do something. I've been eyeing up a white oak that the top blew out and hung up two different ways for a while. Today I decided to tackle it, after I found a buddy willing to help. I really didn't want to deal with this one alone.

When I got there, I found one side on the ground. Good deal for me, as it takes one less issue to deal with off my hands.

Couple pics, laying on the ground, big end is probably 12":

Drug out in the open with the tractor, no sense cutting in the middle of a prickly ash thicket:

Blocked up, all work for the Dolmar 420:

Here's the rest of the tree, stuck like two dogs in a big maple:

Close up, hung pretty solid:

Got out the Amsteel blue and the throwline, and promptly stuck the throwline.

On to plan B, had my buddy raise me up in the loader, still had a pretty good toss to get the end of the rope with the clevis over it, but got it hooked up:

In the other corner, weighing in at 9,700#, the champion of the woods, tug of war record of 120-0, my '73 Massey Ferguson 180:

More to come shortly.

 

[dingeryote]

LOL!!!

I see ya used the bucket for lifting again....NEVER happens here, Never.

Last time it was the wife on the controls, and she was kinda irked at me...not a good plan.
Got the line on the tree, and fast roped outta the bucket just to be safe. LOL!!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Steve NW WI]

Fairly ugly stump, as I was more interested in what was going on above me than in front of me, face cut sloping downhilll, and back cut too high. Mattered none with the tractor pulling it down, but a matter of pride. Here's the stump shot, angle doesn't do justice to how bad it looked. 26" at the stump, big for my woods but no monster:

On the ground:

All bucked up, 7300 and 420 taking a break:

To be sure to make the AS saw po rn requirement:

Had to haul the blocks about 300 yards through the woods in the bucket, couldn't get the trailer in to where the tree was, besides, I wasn't gonna lift the big blocks up there by hand when I had hydraulics to do it for me.

Lost my pic of the bucket full of wood, here's the results. 1 1/2 cords for sure, maybe close to 2 by the time it's split out:

T'was a good afternoons work!

 

[WetBehindtheEar]

Thanks for sharing, Steve.

I helped my father-in-law with a downed basswood getting a saw log out of it. I was itching to get the saws out too... it's been far too long this year.

 

[ktlm]

If that is your picture in front of the flag, I'll be over to help. 75* here in PA today too. Beautiful Oct. weather.

 

[zogger]

Yowza!

Nice score, great pics!

Tractors make all the difference in the world....

 

[dingeryote]

That stump ain't ugly!!!!

If I didn't have a shred of pride, I'd show ya some ugly stumps!!!

Nice haul for a couple hours!!!


Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[TreePointer]

Nice pics, Steve!

I wish I were making ugly stumps. I've been spending this great weather in the barn fixing a broken tractor and then mulching a large garden. Maybe I'll go out tomorrow and cut down a dead elm just to satisfy the itch.

 

[Rio_Grande]

Looks awsome. I have a white oak I found today in our woods that the top blew out of but there is a mystery,,,, I couldnt find the top,,, I diddnt look really close when I was on top of the ridge and diddnt see it was broke till I was in the bottom. Hoping when I get back that way there is a top waiting for me.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Nice pics, Steve!

I wish I were making ugly stumps. I've been spending this great weather in the barn fixing a broken tractor and then mulching a large garden. Maybe I'll go out tomorrow and cut down a dead elm just to satisfy the itch.

I'll be fixing tomorrow, busted a hydraulic line to the loader today, but it was only leaking on the dump cycle, so life wasn't terribly bad.

I love having the toys to overdo whatever needs doing. I'd have never tackled this tree without heavy equipment.

I like full disclosure on the stump, if someone else learns a bit, I feel good about it. I should go get a shot that shows how bad it truly was, but like I said, the Massey could care less how nice it looked.

My next hand falled tree will have my other new toy as well. I have a lot of trouble matching the back cut to the face, I always wind up high on one side and low on the other. My new toy is a bungee cord with the ends sharpened, hook it in the corner and see exactly where the back cut needs to go. This idea sure ain't patented, use it as it becomes necessary.

 

[Blazin]

Nice haul! And remember.... pretty stumps are irrelevant whilst extracating punky widowmaker trees

 

[dingeryote]

Steve,

Just noticed that you were pulling with the Amsteel blue on the tractor.
Hows it hold up?

Any issues with over stretching the stuff?

Been eyeballing line instead of chain and cable for doing the same thing, but the prospect of trashing expensive line has had me holding off a bit, as I mange chain now and again as it is.:help:

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[woodman6666]

Nice job Steve way to use the old iron. White oak is good wood.


Firewood Rochester, Winona, St. Paul, MN - ProCut Firewood

 

[Iska3]

Thinking of doing the same for the wheelers. Them cables get to be nasty on a persons hands. I like the thought of a strong rope and get away from them chains.

Steve,

Just noticed that you were pulling with the Amsteel blue on the tractor.
Hows it hold up?

Any issues with over stretching the stuff?

Been eyeballing line instead of chain and cable for doing the same thing, but the prospect of trashing expensive line has had me holding off a bit, as I mange chain now and again as it is.:help:

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Biker Dude]

Steve,

Just noticed that you were pulling with the Amsteel blue on the tractor.
Hows it hold up?

Any issues with over stretching the stuff?

Been eyeballing line instead of chain and cable for doing the same thing, but the prospect of trashing expensive line has had me holding off a bit, as I mange chain now and again as it is.:help:

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

I've been using chains interspersed with 30'X3" snap straps but I've been wondering about going to rope too.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I took a video of pulling it down, vid was 2 1/2 minutes of boring with 20 seconds of action, so I didn't upload it, but it did show something. I thought maybe the rope was stretching, and actually stopped pulling for a second. When I watched the video, where I stopped, the tree was pulled about halfway over. That Blue doesn't stretch hardly at all. I haven't used it a lot yet, but so far I like it a lot more than my old 1" bull rope. 3/8" diameter has a 19,000 or something close to that break strength. The stuff is actually used for winch cable quite a bit.

The only thing I want to do is figure out how to attach a piece of fire hose to the last 10' or so, I'm getting a little fraying where it tightens around the tree. If I keep using it as is, I think I'll have to shorten it up eventually.

For what I use it for, I give it an A+, well worth the $$$ it costs. I got it from SherrillTree, they were the cheapest I found when I was looking for it about a year ago. For skidding, I'll stick to good old 3/8 Grade 70 chain, don't really want to drag expensive stuff like this across the ground too much.

Amsteel does market the stuff for winch cable. That should say something about it.

 

[Nosmo]

Ugly Stump

To heck with what the stump looks like if you are getting in or already in a bad spot. Got lucky one day last week and the stump didn't look too pretty afterwards.

I had one that was leaning just a wee bit back from the direction I wanted it to fall. I made the face cut and went to the back side. Dad gum thing set back on my bar and pinched it tight.

Took the power head off and left the bar and chain in the kerf. Went and got the truck and drove across the path to where I was going to winch it down and pooof - the wind carried it right down where I wanted to drop it. The Lord was looking out for me because I had passed over that spot a couple minutes earlier with the truck .

Nosmo