# Watch out while "safely" pushing down trees.



## Kingsley (Nov 16, 2009)

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/crime_and_courts/article_1ad277f0-d158-11de-bb8d-001cc4c002e0.html

I knew Darrell and his Daughters. He will be missed. He was a good guy.
Marty


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## ROOTSXROCKS (Nov 16, 2009)

Unfortunate, accident and a valuable lesson in the unexpected.
Just had a thought of this when nudging a dead pine the other day that wiggled just enough to potentially break and drop before I could get out of its way.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 16, 2009)

I too at the farm do this sorta thing too much. I know what can happen and still do it. Funny at the job I am all safety but get me home on my forty and look out, too little time to take care of all thats needed is a recipe for disaster. I hope his family can pull through and feel for there loss. I am glad I have most of my stuff mitigated here on the 40.


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## hanniedog (Nov 16, 2009)

Virtually anyone that has a tractor and loader is guilty of doing this very thing. My sympathy goes out to his family and friends.


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## Burvol (Nov 17, 2009)

The safest way to do that is too saw up the tree, but leave a tad more holding wood, open the face up nicely, and put three wedges or so in the backcut to hold it for certain. THEN go push it over.


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## 371groundie (Nov 18, 2009)

do this alot when logging with my father (even done it by myself somtimes, ssshhhhh). 

ive had two close calls- 
my little brother cut the hinge off! (stupid, inexperienced saw operator.) small tree slid off the stump stuck in the ground and i pushed it over anyways. 

temperatures about -10, 3ft snow pack. dad pushed one over for me. it brushed past another tree 30ft away in the direction of fall. it broke a limb off on the way by and a peice of limb about 2ft long and 4inches diameter came back and hit him in the shoulder! we found where it broke of 50ft in the air on the tree standing tree, not the falling one! gotta call that one a freak accident. 

anything you push a tree over with should have a fops/rops/ops. and no, i wont tell you how to push a tree over by yourself without wedges, cause its just stupid.


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## rarefish383 (Nov 26, 2009)

I took down 10 or 12 big Oaks and Poplars for my brother in laws neighbor. The 2 Poplars next to the house were about 110ft. I had to tie in twice to get down with a 120ft climbing rope. At the end of the day he asked if he could burn any of the wood, being fall time, I said it was too green. He pointed to a dead Oak in the woods on the other side of his fence and asked if it would burn OK. I said yep, seasoned on the stump, all the bark was gone and the wood was gray and dry. All of the branches were gone and the top had wood pecker holes init. I asked if he wanted me to drop it for him and he said it had been a long day and he would get it later. A couple months later he called and said how ya doin, I'm in shock trauma, I just broke my neck. When he cut it the top broke out and hit him about the hair line on his head and ripped across his face ripping his lip in half. He was lucku, spent a couple months in a Halo and only suffered some temporary loss of feeling in one hand, Joe.


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## Behemoth Jim (Dec 14, 2009)

Yep, my dad has pushed over hundreds if not thousands of trees with his dozer, which had no canopy. (he sold it). What's more-- I used to ride along on it when I was a toddler! Not real safe-- obviously to us now. At the time he was concerned about not letting me fall off and get run over, but there was plenty of room for a tot on the seat beside him, with no room to fall out sideways. Those are some of my best childhood memories, bulldozing with my dad, but my how it all could have ended with one of those dead limbs coming down!


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## dingeryote (Dec 14, 2009)

Steve in WI, recently posted about a near miss he had, doing the same.

I have done it as well, and had branches thrown back.

It's stupid, but a guy gets to forgetting his vulnerability on the tractor for some reason, and we all do it.

Thanks for posting the passing of your friend.
I'll keep it in mind next time I am tempted.

Thoughts and prayers for his family.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote


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## HorseShoeInFork (Dec 14, 2009)

Learned a lesson on this at a the age of about 9. I tried to push over a snag hung up. The top 10ft broke out and came straight down on top of my shoulder. Drove me into the ground and left a huge gouge and scrape down by back. Other than stitches, sore all over, and not being able to play in the woods for a month I got off easy.

The lesson wore off as I got older. Crushed the exhaust and hood on my uncle's 580 Case doing the same. Watched him nearly get his legs cut off when one dropped straight down the rear boom into the cab with him. Have seen several fall on top of the dozer.

It only takes a second to make the wrong decision that can cost your life. I don't know how to make your brain think before doing stuff like this, but when in even the slightest amount of doubt - stop - slow down - think. Or if you see someone doing it, don't be afraid to speak up. They might get m


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## toyfarm (Dec 20, 2009)

I do this often, and always am aware and worried of potential consequences.
My sympathy goes out to the family!


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## wvlogger (Jan 1, 2010)

they do this alot on gas well locations. figure it is easier to get a stump out with the tre pulling it down. very dangerous. i have sen many dozers with the rops and cab (which is typically 3/8" plate steel) crushed. the dozers you see on these sites are old d8's and d7's. that are beat all to hell.


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## ropensaddle (Jan 1, 2010)

371groundie said:


> do this alot when logging with my father (even done it by myself somtimes, ssshhhhh).
> 
> ive had two close calls-
> my little brother cut the hinge off! (stupid, inexperienced saw operator.) small tree slid off the stump stuck in the ground and i pushed it over anyways.
> ...



Good and I won't tell you how many times I been stupid but they fell right lol?""!!##&&&&&&??????55577772233


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## ropensaddle (Jan 1, 2010)

My old 800 ford tractor has no rop and neither does my melroe bobcat 610 I would not know how to feel having protection lol!!


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## Positrack (Jan 14, 2010)

Me and a buddy did this more times than I can count at a past job. It was my first professional experience felling trees, most of which were long dead oaks and live hedge. We were both pretty inexperienced in tree felling, but I grew up on a farm and was good with a bucket loader so this is how we often did it when the lean looked questionable. The tractor was the newer equivalent of a 4020, and didn't have a cab (though IIRC, it did have ROPS). My buddy would cut the wedge and most of the back-cut. Then I'd drive in there with the bucket raised all the way, engage the diff lock, preload the heck out of the tree and stomp the brakes. Then he'd finish his backcut and over she'd go. I worried about falling branches, and was always gentle as could be when pushing, but still, we're darn lucky nothing bad ever happened doing this. My worst nightmare was having the hinge break, shoving the tree off the stump, and having the darn thing come back at me. Thankfully, that never happened either, but I've seen enough goofy stuff with trees that I wouldn't do this anymore (especially with long-dead, potentially rotten trees).


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## Winn R (Apr 26, 2010)

My old buddy George just died of cancer but this thread makes me thankful for friends.

I've got pine beetle kill that I push over with a dozer -- I'd watch the tops and tell myself I'd jump out of the way -- if needed.

George showed up one day with his welder in the truck, put a nearly bullet proof cage and top on it. A week later a top broke out and kind of twisted sideways, came down on the dozer crossways. I don't think I could of got away from it.


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## Kingsley (Apr 27, 2010)

Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. Isn't it great to have friends like that to look over you. Both when they are hear and gone.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Apr 27, 2010)

My condolences to the family.


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