# Going to attempt a tall tree. Need advise.



## Muddyrc (Oct 23, 2011)

Here are a few pics of a tree I want to drop. It is close to a house and I don't know if I should risk it. I was planning on getting a few guys at the end of a rope but not sure if that will be enough. Let me know your thoughts or how I should go about dropping it.
Thanks for any help.

Pretty tall compared to the house. lol


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## JRepairsK70e (Oct 23, 2011)

liability insurance paid up ?? rope is a good idear ,anchor it good with a couple house apes [4] proper hinge .. get er done... lotsa clean up good luck


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## troythetreeman (Oct 23, 2011)

the top leans a bit toward the house but not a lot
get the rope as high as you can
make a good notch and pull it over, 2 good men on your rope should be great plenty near as i can tell
it should go over fairly easy and without a hitch
you have felled trees in the past i hope?


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## Muddyrc (Oct 23, 2011)

troythetreeman said:


> the top leans a bit toward the house but not a lot
> get the rope as high as you can
> make a good notch and pull it over, 2 good men on your rope should be great plenty near as i can tell
> it should go over fairly easy and without a hitch
> you have felled trees in the past i hope?


 

It has a curve at the bottom (about 20 degrees or so) but goes strait up with a little lean towards the house. I figured that the curve at the bottom would be to my benifit. I have dropped many trees but not one that big so close to a house.lol


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## JRepairsK70e (Oct 23, 2011)

there is a first time for everything , plan your work & work your plan... dont rush ... is it gonna pay well ?


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## lfnh (Oct 23, 2011)

Seems like that's a target rich yard there.
Which direction are the prevailing winds from ?


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## fishercat (Oct 24, 2011)

*thats a cakewalk.*

Use a rope. Flip your hitch on your truck and use a lark hitch. Cant come lose with three ball upside down.


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## avason (Oct 24, 2011)

I would feel better if you put a come a long on it. Not fancy but, You can pick one up around 30 bucks. Seems like you have enough trees to tie it off to. Man power is good but you never know what can happen. If you use a come a long you will have constant pressure on the thing and you don't have to worry about anyone sneezing or answering their cell phones while your making your back cut. As others above have stated, Just make sure you get that rope as high as you can. I've used them before and they work great! Good luck. 

Maybe some pics after the drop?:msp_biggrin:


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## Sagetown (Oct 24, 2011)

From the pics you don't have many options other than climbing the tree, and working it down from the top. If you have room, a long rope and at least a 1/2ton pick-up truck and a knowlegeable opertator to pull it down as you cut would be the easiest way.


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## troythetreeman (Oct 24, 2011)

ive seen people break ropes with trucks, people i would not have thought to be idiots


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## gwiley (Oct 24, 2011)

I would rope (a decent bull rope, if you didn't pay more than $100 for 150' it isn't decent) it at 2/3 the height - keep throwing until you can get it up there. Put in a redirect and have someone with a delicate touch on the truck pulling the rope - you want constant pressure on the line.

The problem with humans and come alongs is that they can't maintain pressure as the tree starts to come over - a gust of wind during the first few degrees of travel once the rope is slack can leave you with a serious problem.

I recognize I am paranoid - many of these guys would probably just notch and drop, but I have found that accidents seem to happen less to those of us that are careful enough to be called paranoid.


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## lone wolf (Oct 24, 2011)

gwiley said:


> I would rope (a decent bull rope, if you didn't pay more than $100 for 150' it isn't decent) it at 2/3 the height - keep throwing until you can get it up there. Put in a redirect and have someone with a delicate touch on the truck pulling the rope - you want constant pressure on the line.
> 
> The problem with humans and come alongs is that they can't maintain pressure as the tree starts to come over - a gust of wind during the first few degrees of travel once the rope is slack can leave you with a serious problem.
> 
> I recognize I am paranoid - many of these guys would probably just notch and drop, but I have found that accidents seem to happen less to those of us that are careful enough to be called paranoid.


 
Well a truck on it with a redirecting pulley would be the first thing I would do.Because of lean,weight wind factors etc.Now If the man in the truck pulls to hard he can break the top out and it could get dangerous not to scare you but to warn you.Also what diameter rope do you have that is important ?If the rope is strong enough and you and the guy in the truck have eye to eye contact and your cut is made right you should do good.Dont cut it to fast dont let him pull to hard a little at a time is best .If the truck operator goes balls to the wall in FWD low before you cut it you are in trouble!That being said have fun.DYOD this is not telling you what to do just what I would do.


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## lone wolf (Oct 24, 2011)

troythetreeman said:


> ive seen people break ropes with trucks, people i would not have thought to be idiots


 
What diameter rope?:eek2:


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## troythetreeman (Oct 24, 2011)

total? 2 5/8 and a 3/4 once
i just pulled a massive oak over, heavy lean and all limbs on the opposite side of the way i wanted it to go with a true blue
i used a redirect and had a guy on a mini with instructions not to stall the machine and to dig the forks in if he couldnt pull it
i knew he wouldnt, so i put the truck to the mini myself after i made the cuts and gave it an assist
i love true blues, but i would have felt better if we had a heavier rope along
it went perfectly tho, dead on where i wanted it
ive heard people say true blues are junk but they dont break, ive personally broken 2 blue streaks on stuff i know a true blue would have held and blue streaks are rated heavier


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## lone wolf (Oct 24, 2011)

troythetreeman said:


> total? 2 5/8 and a 3/4 once
> i just pulled a massive oak over, heavy lean and all limbs on the opposite side of the way i wanted it to go with a true blue
> i used a redirect and had a guy on a mini with instructions not to stall the machine and to dig the forks in if he couldnt pull it
> i knew he wouldnt, so i put the truck to the mini myself after i made the cuts and gave it an assist
> ...


 
If I pull with my big truck I use 1 inch I have broken smaller 3/4 and 1/2 to many times in the past and wont pull with a truck without the big rope.I guess it broke at the knot ?I use a Bowline on a bight with a Clevis hook connected at the truck.


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## Sagetown (Oct 24, 2011)

troythetreeman said:


> ive seen people break ropes with trucks, people i would not have thought to be idiots


 
Like the guy who's car was total'd when he asked a young lady to give him a push start. Told her she needed to get up to at least 25mph to start it. "Okay" she replied as she jumped into her car, backed up and came at him at a high rate of speed.:msp_w00t:


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## Sheldon Cooper (Oct 24, 2011)

I would call a climber in to bring it down in pieces just because I lack experience to safely take down a tree that size and not the house with it. :msp_biggrin:


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## lone wolf (Oct 24, 2011)

Sagetown said:


> Like the guy who's car was total'd when he asked a young lady to give him a push start. Told her she needed to get up to at least 25mph to start it. "Okay" she replied as she jumped into her car, backed up and came at him at a high rate of speed.:msp_w00t:


 
Yup something like that like when I told my helper to pull the tree over with my 74 Dodge power Wagon and he put it in low range socked the juice to it ripped the tree in half into a huge splinter and fell next to me!:msp_w00t::msp_w00t::msp_w00t:


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## troythetreeman (Oct 24, 2011)

lone wolf said:


> Yup something like that like when I told my helper to pull the tree over with my 74 Dodge power Wagon and he put it in low range socked the juice to it ripped the tree in half into a huge splinter and fell next to me!:msp_w00t::msp_w00t::msp_w00t:


 

mmmm..... power wagon

also, as a climber, and looking at the pictures, i would pull it over, faster, easier and ultimately, less risk


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## lone wolf (Oct 24, 2011)

troythetreeman said:


> mmmm..... power wagon
> 
> also, as a climber, and looking at the pictures, i would pull it over, faster, easier and ultimately, less risk


 
I would also pull it over looks like it can be done as long as its done safely.


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## millbilly (Oct 30, 2011)

Why a tree should never be pulled over with a truck and a rope

1 You never know how much pressure you are putting on the pull rope
every time you put a load on a rope, you break fiber, and the rope becomes weaker,
and you no longer have any idea how strong your rope is. The rope might look fine but you never know. You dont want a rope failure in the future when someone or something could get injured or killed.

2 Im sure this is printed as a shall and not a should in a few formans manuals.


3 The come along is your best bet


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## lone wolf (Oct 30, 2011)

Well a come along aint fast enough if someone cuts it to fast ,things can go wrong in a hurry then what are you going to do?Now if you use both you sure as hell would be safe.Or put two ropes on the tree if you are worried!


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## avason (Oct 30, 2011)

I recommended the come a long because it seems like the best bet for what you mentioned. My father in law had this dumb azz idea that he could pull a tree over (jack Pine) with just a come a long. i told him he was crazy. Needless to say I helped him with it. It didn't happen over night but after a couple of days of ratcheting the thing and wetting, I mean soaking, the ground with a hose the thing actually gave. We did three of them. I tried to convince him it wasn't worth the mess because half of the stump was sticking out of the ground. The reason he wanted to do it to begin with was the fact that he didn't like stumps in his yard. I know..you still have to fill in the hole and all that crap. Hr didn't buy it. Either way it worked. I don't recommend it because dealing with that fn stump was a pain in the Azz. For some reason, I was there when he needed a hand. He always has a fridge full of beer and is always good company. If He has a hair brained scheme like this again, I will take pics. Good luck with the removal. Did it happen?


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## avason (Oct 30, 2011)

Disclaimer...I don't do this for a living. I just do this to heat my home.:msp_scared:


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## mattfr12 (Oct 31, 2011)

talk about paranoid when i pull backleaning trees over i usually set two pull ropes out of fear of one breaking. usually tension one with a come along and hook the other to a skid loader or truck. and about pre tension on ropes i hook a dynamometer up in my rope alot. i use it usually when picking with a crane it will read up to 15,000 pounds its made by Dillon. you can find use ones at a decent price. its pretty cool when your rigging logs you can see how much shock load is applied. if you hook it up in your system.


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## Saw Dust Smoken (Oct 31, 2011)

*notch and drop*

With room to drop it in one cut. Do it. Or move up 20-30ft and notch\drop. Shorten fall if needed. 
Use two ropes is a good back up\safety plan. Yes the driver\puller vehicle needs to smart with pull.
Pulled twin trunked elm over last week. Half mostly dead. Other fully a live. Horse sheds both sides and behind. West pull only option. First dead half leaning right way. The live half with limbs on opposite side of pull. 35-40 DBH. Two ropes in tree attached to one ton dully with flat bale bed. Trucks heavy empty and more weight add with one or two round bales. Pretensioned ropes some. Notch. Tension more if needed. Backcut and signal driver to move when needed. Save time and labor!


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## HILLBILLYREDNEC (Oct 31, 2011)

This is a tree better off being climbed or rent a man lift and chunk it down to the knuckle then drop the spar. There is to many objects of value to risk a straight drop.


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## Guido Salvage (Oct 31, 2011)

HILLBILLYREDNEC said:


> This is a tree better off being climbed or rent a man lift and chunk it down to the knuckle then drop the spar. There is to many objects of value to risk a straight drop.



The expert has spoken, matter closed.



troythetreeman said:


> mmmm..... power wagon



This is the most recent one I owned, a 1970 W200 with a 413.







As a last resort, you could always call James.....

[video=youtube_share;7oCDcTxFUkk]http://youtu.be/7oCDcTxFUkk[/video]


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## defensiblespace (Oct 31, 2011)

I have to agree with guido salvage here. Just because you have cut trees down before, doesnt mean that you know how to cut a tree down. Weigh the risk vs the reward. Probably not worth it. I'm also surprised nobody mention mechanical advantages here. Sometimes a 2 to 1 is all it takes and they are pretty simple to set up. I would still have an expert cut that tree down. If you are just looking for firewood, just spend the money and buy the wood. Far easier and a hell of a lot less risky.


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## BC WetCoast (Nov 1, 2011)

Our company prohibits the use of a vehicle to pull a tree over. There are too many risks ie overpulling the tree, having the truck stall in the critical time etc.

So

1 use wedges to hold up the tree

2 put rope high in the tree. You can use a vehicle as an anchor, but use a Tirfor winch or if you don't have one, you could use a 5:1 with a couple of pulleys. If you use prussiks to hold the pulleys in place, if you overpull the prussiks will provide some give to prevent overpull.


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## beastmaster (Nov 1, 2011)

I am a climber but I would probably fall that tree my self. Safer and quicker. Like lot of others have said, get a rope as high as you can, the importance of this can't be stressed enough. Have wedges ready. Be careful of those stumps if your fall in those directions as they can make the stick move to the side as it hits them. Don't apply pressure to the rope tell you have your face cut in. Don't cut to deep of a face cut. I would use a truckers hitch and have it nice and tight, that way a gust of wind or a mistake on your part won't distroy the house. Your helpers can put their weight on the line to add more pull if needed. Good luck.


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## randyg (Nov 13, 2011)

*Blame it on the wind*

Could you ever wait till you have a good steady breeze blowing in the direction you want it to fall, then just notch and drop it. Do NOT cut through the hinge. Should be just fine, but in case of any doubt, rope it to another tree it direction you want to drop it before any cuts are made. Rope up 40 feet if tree is around 60. Is it on the ground yet?


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## freeweight (Nov 13, 2011)

wow....truckers hitch to another tree with guys on the rope to pull when slack gives if ur scared put 2 ropes 

notch it and draw down


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## Iustinian (Nov 13, 2011)

as close as it is to buildings, it would be way safer to just hire a climber to run up the side of that tree, limbing it out on the way up, and just fold the top over as he sees fit, and snap the logs down -- if the ground guys are any good at all they'll have the brush drug out of the way before the logs start piling up. Much easierfaster clean up that way, since you wont have the weight of the whole tree on the brush, and the log on top of it all. IMO job as a whole would go way faster, unless its a drop and leave it bid.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 14, 2011)

millbilly said:


> Why a tree should never be pulled over with a truck and a rope


Bull spit


millbilly said:


> 1 You never know how much pressure you are putting on the pull rope
> every time you put a load on a rope, you break fiber, and the rope becomes weaker,
> and you no longer have any idea how strong your rope is. The rope might look fine but you never know. You dont want a rope failure in the future when someone or something could get injured or killed.


Thats why we buy ropes often You should also be skilled in inspecting your gear ,ropes etc. 


millbilly said:


> 2 Im sure this is printed as a shall and not a should in a few formans manuals.


Not in anzi but more importantly in my experience the failures I have seen were from inadequate pull or rope. True the operator factor is a huge concern but before having a 20 ton winch I almost always used a truck and operator I knew understood what was going to be performed. The key here is to use the right rope for the job and not put danny the dummy in the truck. 




millbilly said:


> 3 The come along is your best bet


bull spit a come along is limited in line infeed and could cause way more to go wrong than a correctly used vehicle and inspected and adequate static rated rope. One variation of you theory is a madson rope puller and is much better system than a come along but is still limited infeed rate but at least not limited in travel. I will admit in many cases the come along approach of slow and steady optimum but I have witnessed many it was not and caused damage. Imo my winch is the optimum bet for bringing difficult trees over against lean and I have performed it many many times without fail. Its big enough winch that my line is place 25 feet up to compensate for infeed rate I can uproot 20 inch oak if I wish so my pull is always adequate.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 14, 2011)

mattfr12 said:


> talk about paranoid when i pull backleaning trees over i usually set two pull ropes out of fear of one breaking. usually tension one with a come along and hook the other to a skid loader or truck. and about pre tension on ropes i hook a dynamometer up in my rope alot. i use it usually when picking with a crane it will read up to 15,000 pounds its made by Dillon. you can find use ones at a decent price. its pretty cool when your rigging logs you can see how much shock load is applied. if you hook it up in your system.



You piss me off :rant: I want one :monkey:


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## ropensaddle (Nov 14, 2011)

millbilly said:


> Why a tree should never be pulled over with a truck and a rope
> 
> 
> 3 The come along is your best bet



Ok bring on that come along 25% lean here I will watch :bringit:


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## ropensaddle (Nov 14, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Ok bring on that come along 25% lean here I will watch :bringit:



Too late next time 









I can assure you a come along would spell disaster on this tree.


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## lone wolf (Nov 14, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Too late next time
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Smart man


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## ropensaddle (Nov 14, 2011)

BC WetCoast said:


> Our company prohibits the use of a vehicle to pull a tree over. There are too many risks ie overpulling the tree, having the truck stall in the critical time etc.
> 
> So
> 
> ...



Most times when I used a vehicle the pretension was adequate so it other words I pull it tight then apply brake set park brake then put in park or in low if standard.
That is usually enough, so I actually used as anchor but also as pretension! I have took near 100000 trees down in this way with no failures. I now have a winch that I use similar, cable set at 25 foot and notch then pull til top shakes and kill truck winch in gear. Most times no more pull is needed but if the tree is not lifting at 1 inch meat in hinge I simply shut of saw and motion for more pull and no wedges required


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## lone wolf (Nov 14, 2011)

Where is the OP is it down already?:msp_w00t:


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## millbilly (Nov 14, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Most times when I used a vehicle the pretension was adequate so it other words I pull it tight then apply brake set park brake then put in park or in low if standard.
> That is usually enough, so I actually used as anchor but also as pretension! I have took near 100000 trees down in this way with no failures. I now have a winch that I use similar, cable set at 25 foot and notch then pull til top shakes and kill truck winch in gear. Most times no more pull is needed but if the tree is not lifting at 1 inch meat in hinge I simply shut of saw and motion for more pull and no wedges required



Only a fool pulls anything with a truck and a rope. Just like a fool would trust a parking brake or low gear, and not chock the tires. Also if a man works every day for fourty years he would have to cut down 6.8 trees a day to have cut down 100,000 trees, so please don't try and fool me into thinking its ok to pull a tree over with a rope.

I will admit that a winch and cable is the best way to pull anything over. and if the lean was that sever I would even chain the truck to another tree.


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## thepheniox (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm with the come along guy. To much bad stuff happens when you pull with a truck. If you need the speed of a truck to steer a tree once it starts falling maybe you should put the chainsaw away. On the top shelf at the back. Where you forget it's there.


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## freeweight (Nov 14, 2011)

honestly you guys are making this WAY harder than it really is ......

with all this talk wouldnt suprise me if he got too damn nervous


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## lone wolf (Nov 14, 2011)

ropensaddle said:


> Most times when I used a vehicle the pretension was adequate so it other words I pull it tight then apply brake set park brake then put in park or in low if standard.
> That is usually enough, so I actually used as anchor but also as pretension! I have took near 100000 trees down in this way with no failures. I now have a winch that I use similar, cable set at 25 foot and notch then pull til top shakes and kill truck winch in gear. Most times no more pull is needed but if the tree is not lifting at 1 inch meat in hinge I simply shut of saw and motion for more pull and no wedges required



Hey Rope what size rope you using?


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## Muddyrc (Nov 14, 2011)

Update: it is not down yet but I will be doing it next week. I really thank everyone from all the good info. If I remember I will take video of it when I drop it. I see everyone has mixed feelings on the subject..............Thanks again.


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## lone wolf (Nov 14, 2011)

Muddyrc said:


> Update: it is not down yet but I will be doing it next week. I really thank everyone from all the good info. If I remember I will take video of it when I drop it. I see everyone has mixed feelings on the subject..............Thanks again.



Video will be cool.


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## ropensaddle (Nov 14, 2011)

lone wolf said:


> Hey Rope what size rope you using?



3/4 stable for the bigguns but many times just 1/2 through redirect never a problem especially since I usually pretension it myself.
Sure do like my big shot


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## ropensaddle (Nov 14, 2011)

millbilly said:


> Only a fool pulls anything with a truck and a rope. Just like a fool would trust a parking brake or low gear, and not chock the tires. Also if a man works every day for fourty years he would have to cut down 6.8 trees a day to have cut down 100,000 trees, so please don't try and fool me into thinking its ok to pull a tree over with a rope.
> 
> I will admit that a winch and cable is the best way to pull anything over. and if the lean was that sever I would even chain the truck to another tree.



Omg my man I cut new rows for 20 years try 150 plus trees per day. Lol why would I chain my truck, you think its going to skid me? Millbil really bro I'm not trying to get into a pissin match but its foolish to not use a truck in many instances. Tell you what, you keep dragging out the come a long pard maybe buy yourself at least a madson rope puller or fiddle blocks. I can and still do pull trees over with a truck when my bucket is not onsite or skid steer because I have the experience to get the job done. Btw hurry up and run outside you forgot to wheel chock your pick-up :hmm3grin2orange:


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## treeman911 (Nov 22, 2011)

Don't pull the tree over, just lean on it a bit. With the rope 2/3 the way up tree. If saw is binding in your notch the rope is too tight, have driver ease off slightly. Just have wedges handy and remember never to cut all the way thru on the backcut. Dump this tree and show us.


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## avason (Nov 22, 2011)

treeman911 said:


> Don't pull the tree over, just lean on it a bit. With the rope 2/3 the way up tree. If saw is binding in your notch the rope is too tight, have driver ease off slightly. Just have wedges handy and remember never to cut all the way thru on the backcut. Dump this tree and show us.



I want to know what happened to the thing. Is it still standing?


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## Job Corps Tree (Nov 22, 2011)

*Going to attemp a Tall tree. need advise*



ropensaddle said:


> Omg my man I cut new rows for 20 years try 150 plus trees per day. Lol why would I chain my truck, you think its going to skid me? Millbil really bro I'm not trying to get into a pissin match but its foolish to not use a truck in many instances. Tell you what, you keep dragging out the come a long pard maybe buy yourself at least a madson rope puller or fiddle blocks. I can and still do pull trees over with a truck when my bucket is not onsite or skid steer because I have the experience to get the job done. Btw hurry up and run outside you forgot to wheel chock your pick-up :hmm3grin2orange:



Don't worry ropensaddle we'll just keep using our trucks by the way God I love the "Danny the Dummy behind the wheel" I have met him not the one to be in any Truck pulling!


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