Chicken, then Ugh!

[turnkey4099]

Out to fall that cottonwood - right hand tree, looks about 36" DBH but tapers rapidly.

Round and round I went trying to "see" the lean and weighting. Could not decide where it wants to go. I "think" it wants togo to the right. Last place but one that I want it. There is a grain bin just out of the pic and I"m not sure it wouldn't hit it. Also I would have to drag every bit of the brush back to the area of the stump and then rake the entire area.

Best for me is directly tothe left. Can't come toward the truck as that chain swing would get wiped out. Just about make it out, the verticle pipe in the foreground and about in line with the second tree.

Chickened out as I don't think I can wedge it over to the left. I'll wait until I get a wind in the right direction - there is a lot of sail area up there

On to retrieving a small stem and a big 'butt cut' block I left on my last outing.

Yanked them out of that ditch. Of course the butt cut block came out rolling and tumbling through wet dirt. covered in a good 1/4" of dirt. Scraped off what I could and decided to start the cut with the chain I had on the 310 that was already dulled from cutting up the dirty stem, then use the 361/24" that still had bit of life left on that chain and then start whittling and changing chains....oooppss, no tool box, thus no spare chains, Mental picture of the tool box still setting right next to where I picked up the gas/oil box.

Layed into it and 'leaned on the 310 pretty hard, swapped to 361 and was surprised that it went through 'reasonably. Definitely will need a good sharp job.

So, another fairly unproductive day in the life of a Locust hunter. Did get enough wood out ofthe chunk and stem to pay for the gas...barely.

Hary K

 

[Rookie1]

Nice pics. Thanks for showing me Im not the only one that forgets to bring stuff to the woods.

 

[Iska3]

Nice story.. It sounds like you had a "Good Day" to me. You knew your limits and didn’t push it and smart enough to use the wind to your advantage.

If I had a dime for every time I forgot to bring something along, I’d be rich, retired in a big home, heating with gas and out on some lake fishing.

Tomorrow is another day.

 

[ShaneLogs]

Looks like fun! Boy, Do I love me a nice piece of cottonwood too. Nice work!

 

[4seasons]

+1 on forgot to bring it

I always forget to bring something into the woods with me and it is always the one thing that I need. But since I cut within a 1/4 mile of the house it is never a big deal to go back and get it but it still makes me mad.

On the pics though, you wanted the biggest tree there on the right in the foreground? I know pics can be deceiving and I am for from the foremost authority on tree felling, but from what I can see that tree looks pretty well balanced. Now I can't see what is too the left of there (although I can see the shadow) and it looks a bit like a plowed field behind it I don't see a lot of problem in dropping that tree. Feel free to smack me around a bit because pics can be deceiving but looks like a peace of cake to drop from where I am sitting. At worst I would tie it off to the trees on the left and give it a tug but I don't see a problem with a wedge over in that pic.

All that being said I fully understand the "er on the side of caution" attitude and can respect your decision to wait to drop it as I wasn't there and certainly wouldn't want to be the reason you cut a tree on someone's fence and then had to spend the time and money to fix the mess.

 

[turnkey4099]

I always forget to bring something into the woods with me and it is always the one thing that I need. But since I cut within a 1/4 mile of the house it is never a big deal to go back and get it but it still makes me mad.

On the pics though, you wanted the biggest tree there on the right in the foreground? I know pics can be deceiving and I am for from the foremost authority on tree felling, but from what I can see that tree looks pretty well balanced. Now I can't see what is too the left of there (although I can see the shadow) and it looks a bit like a plowed field behind it I don't see a lot of problem in dropping that tree. Feel free to smack me around a bit because pics can be deceiving but looks like a peace of cake to drop from where I am sitting. At worst I would tie it off to the trees on the left and give it a tug but I don't see a problem with a wedge over in that pic.

All that being said I fully understand the "er on the side of caution" attitude and can respect your decision to wait to drop it as I wasn't there and certainly wouldn't want to be the reason you cut a tree on someone's fence and then had to spend the time and money to fix the mess.

The field in the background is planted (no-tilled), crop up. It doesn't enter the problem as it is the most unlikely direction for it to naturally go. The shadow on in the foreground is from the grain bin.

your thoughts mirror mine exactly, even debated running cable to those trees on left. Had I jsut "layed into it" it almost certainly would have been on the ground but the more I dithered around the less sure I was. I think it was more a "lack of motivation".

Then I am just giving the wood away to my neighbor for his party fire pit. Lots of work, no pay entered into it

Harry K

 

[Chris-PA]

Then I am just giving the wood away to my neighbor for his party fire pit. Lots of work, no pay entered into it

LOL - that usually has a detrimental effect on motivation!

 

[zogger]

If you ain't sure, walk away, come back to it. I did one last summer like that, hmm, two actually, had to build up guts and stare at them for a long time. Both came down perfect when I got to them. One was leaning right at another tree I wanted to save, finally cut it, left a strap, drove wedges, kissed it with the saw, it started falling toward the other tree, stopped, pivoted on its own and fell 90 degrees away, right where I wanted. I was whooping it up on that one because I was actually trying to do that and it worked.

The other one was natural lean towards a fence, so I ran a long rope, attached a comealong, face cut, small tension, real small, went back, back cut and wedges and whomp, right where it needed to go.

Now I have another one in the woods, has a widowmaker hung up in it high, I am still thinking on that one.

The big one you have there seems so straight and near balanced, I would *think* but don't know that could be a multiple wedge job.

I will now defer to the pro fallers, who would proly go over and fire up some 8 cube monster, let it idle, just *glare* at the tree and it would give up and fall all by itself..

 

[Gologit]

I will now defer to the pro fallers, who would proly go over and fire up some 8 cube monster, let it idle, just *glare* at the tree and it would give up and fall all by itself..

:hmm3grin2orange: Suuuuuuuure we would. Works every time.

Zogger, I've had trees that I walked around five times, plumb-bobbed, studied from every angle, factored limb growth and weight, stood up close and stood far back...and the dirty SOB looked different every damn time. The more I thought about it the worse the tree got. Eventually you just make a decision and try to back it up with technology. A little luck doesn't hurt either.

I'd usually go with my gut. And you know what? Some times the tree still didn't do exactly what I had planned for it. Exactly? Sometimes it wasn't even close.

I'd usually blame it on the wind.:msp_biggrin:

 

[zogger]

:hmm3grin2orange: Suuuuuuuure we would. Works every time.

Zogger, I've had trees that I walked around five times, plumb-bobbed, studied from every angle, factored limb growth and weight, stood up close and stood far back...and the dirty SOB looked different every damn time. The more I thought about it the worse the tree got. Eventually you just make a decision and try to back it up with technology. A little luck doesn't hurt either.

I'd usually go with my gut. And you know what? Some times the tree still didn't do exactly what I had planned for it. Exactly? Sometimes it wasn't even close.

I'd usually blame it on the wind.:msp_biggrin:

Considering you are in California..here's another good excuse..

Next time you get a bad one, once she goes, cuss real loud so your nearby friends hear it and say like this "@#$^%^ didja feel that !#$% earthquake hit right before she fell wrong"?

 

[turnkey4099]

It's down!!!

Went out with plans to string cable and pull it the way I wanted. Out of truck, grab first 50' section of cable and string it out to a tree over to the left. While straightening it out, I woke up and realized the breeze was BLOWING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!!.

drop cable, grab the 361/25". Undercut, showed rotten iin core as expected, back cut, set wedge tight, bit more cutting and I saw the wedge move - yep loose! Bit mor cutting and it was down.

Then came reality as I examined that mess of brush. Almost wished I could sstand it back up.

3 1/2 hours slaving away wading around to get two brush piles started, one good limb cut up and about 1/2 the brushing out done. Had run out of "oomph" by then so loaded what I had and left.

No way can I finish it in another day. I'll take the car out (1/3 the gas ) next few days and get most of it worked up. Then follow by using PU and start the day by loading what is ready. I really hate slaving away brushint, cutting and then havin to load when I am already played out. That will result in and extra trip with the PU to pick up the remainder.

I did discover that green cottonwood weighs heavier than green B. Locust!

Harry K

 

[zogger]

It's down!!!



Went out with plans to string cable and pull it the way I wanted. Out of truck, grab first 50' section of cable and string it out to a tree over to the left. While straightening it out, I woke up and realized the breeze was BLOWING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!!.

drop cable, grab the 361/25". Undercut, showed rotten iin core as expected, back cut, set wedge tight, bit more cutting and I saw the wedge move - yep loose! Bit mor cutting and it was down.

Then came reality as I examined that mess of brush. Almost wished I could sstand it back up.

3 1/2 hours slaving away wading around to get two brush piles started, one good limb cut up and about 1/2 the brushing out done. Had run out of "oomph" by then so loaded what I had and left.



No way can I finish it in another day. I'll take the car out (1/3 the gas ) next few days and get most of it worked up. Then follow by using PU and start the day by loading what is ready. I really hate slaving away brushint, cutting and then havin to load when I am already played out. That will result in and extra trip with the PU to pick up the remainder.

I did discover that green cottonwood weighs heavier than green B. Locust!

Harry K

Hey, good for you! I see you had you laser level set up for the fell..hehehehe

It's down, tons 0 wood! Ya, lotta cutting, but you'll get there. Heck, I still have one more brush pile left from the yard oak the bucket truck guys did earlier. Dealing with the tops/brush is tedious.

Shoot wet green most anything is heavy these days...now where did I leave that 20 year old body again....

 

[turnkey4099]

Hadn't planned to cut today but remainder of week is occupied with appointments and possible bad weatheer so loaded and went out.

Not as bad as I expected. 4 hours and have almost all the brushing done, Most of the main log worked up..It extened from the stump to just past the pickup. Nice thing was that once I cut the small stuff off the end it was free of the ground all the way to where I quit cutting. Leaves a couple 24" rounds to noodle into quarters and some smaller rounds that I'll noodle in half. 4 or 5 cuts in that base log that goes around 36" (haven't measured) but it only has a solid ring around a rotten core, should cut up fairly easy. The stem in the back is only about 14" and I canload that with out noodling.

As I left it. One more trip, maybe Saturday and it is out of there! Still have a bunch of work splitting/stacking so it will dry. I'll hold it till next year and then surprise Russ (they guy with the party barn).

Harry K

 

[Iska3]

Looks good Harry, Them branches and leaves make it a bit on the nasty side. Lot of mess to clean up. It's starting to get warm out there, Time to take it a bit slower during the day and drink a lot of water..

 

[Denis Gionet]

Time to take it a bit slower during the day and drink a lot of water..

Totally agree on that part. Even just a little pickup load of firewood is no excuse to take care of yourself - body and mind. Take a little break, file the chain, take a drink, and relax and enjoy the pleasures of having done a job right, and most importantly - safely.

Funny it sure doesn't look that big in the first pic, nice sucker it is !