Falling pics 11/25/09

[mdavlee]

Dang you're almost where I live. I'm about 45 minutes to there.

 

[056kid]

Pretty country. I really want to toss a line with all the streams around!

 

[mdavlee]

There should be some trout up in that area. There's lots of streams up in there.

 

[HuskStihl]

Some poplar. Anyone saw a Dutchman like that ever. Works goood..

Great picks, does your cut rotate the tree right while falling? I retract my earlier statement regarding steep:biggrin:

 

[056kid]

Yes it does. That is semi steep there, I cut the poplar with a busted leg, bruised from the thigh to the ankle.

 

[rwoods]

Thanks!
That's over in east Ten. Not far from Erwin.

I was just about to comment you must be back East. Didn't know you were practically in my back yard. Less than 30 miles by road. Ron

 

[rwoods]

i think i have plastics for this if you need them ,sold my 036 so i dont need extras now ,pm an address i can ship them ups

The parts arrived last night. Really nice pieces. Thanks again. I owe you. Ron

 

[tramp bushler]

56 ; ya that looks like a regular kerf Dutchman. . They work good with thawed out sound timber. Kerf steps help if you really need to bring them around a long ways.
I probably use a kerf Dutchman on 50% of the trees I fall.

Easy to see how a guy could get busted up in that select cutting. Real nice looking work . Real nice. !!!!!!!:msp_thumbup:

 

[bitzer]

Hey kid great pics! I bet its fun cuttin some nice pine. I've always thought that the best holding wood on a dutchman has this kind of shape. Makes sense if you think about it. Its going to break in the middle first and keep the most holding wood where you need it as its coming around. I had er pinned on the back cut on this one she went pretty fast. If you have a slow moving swing you risk pinching cutting that far though.

Thought I'd a do a little before(mostly) and after.

After: This pic was taken about 20ft to the right of the first one. Had a top laying there. You can tell how deep the snow is in here if you can find my saw.

Biggest hard maple on the job. Probably a 6-700bfer.

Biggest red oak. Somewhere around 800bf.

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[bitzer]

Tapin off that red.

Bought a new bucket. It kicks ass! Cut my handling time nearly in half. Lighter and faster and the bypass beats the hell out of the butt bucket.

She closes up real tight.

My view when I come out of the woods in the skidder. Had some rain last weekend but the snow pretty much soaked er up. The forecast says I've got at least another week of winter left. Just crazy. Last year it was 70 degrees and the trees where leafin out at this time. The hill in the background is my next job.

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[rwoods]

Near Miss Today

Hey kid great pics! I bet its fun cuttin some nice pine. I've always thought that the best holding wood on a dutchman has this kind of shape. Makes sense if you think about it. Its going to break in the middle first and keep the most holding wood where you need it as its coming around. I had er pinned on the back cut on this one she went pretty fast. If you have a slow moving swing you risk pinching cutting that far though.

I don't know if this firewood hack ever does anything right, but the above cut is what I try to do when attempting to turn a tree. Today, I had a potentially deadly experience turning a small deformed oak. As a favor to an elderly couple today, I agreed to cut two trees near their house. The first, a fair size tornado ravaged poplar, needed turning and fell as planned (I roped it off as insurance as it was tall enough to hit the house). The couple sat safely on the porch and watched. Before I cut the tree, the gentleman and I talked about staying clear. He spoke and behaved as if he had some experience and appreciated the danger. The next tree they wanted cut was a small deformed oak. It was too short to reach the house but I wanted to turn it to minimize damage to their yard. The couple remained on the front porch. Just as the tree started to fall, I look up and see the old man take off in a sprint just at the point where the tree would hit if it didn't turn. There is nothing I can do but watch as he trys to run diagonally past the falling tree. Unfortunately despite all my bad falling, I got it right this time and the tree literally chased him as it turned. If it hadn't happened so fast I probably would been sick to my stomach in helplessness. Fortunately, he was only struck by a thumb sized limb. I assume he left the porch to get a better look. While it is now a little funny re-running the scene through my mind eye, it sure was not funny in real time. This experience is just one more example of why I prefer to cut alone despite the dangers that entails. Ron

 

[Samlock]

Thought I'd a do a little before(mostly) and after.

After: This pic was taken about 20ft to the right of the first one. Had a top laying there. You can tell how deep the snow is in here if you can find my saw.

Thanks for doing that, Bitz. I've been wondering what's that cutting you're doing is about.

 

[bitzer]

Thanks for doing that, Bitz. I've been wondering what's that cutting you're doing is about.

I wish I would have gotten a real before, but ah well. In the back right corner there was a bunch of pulp marked that I wasn't going to chase. Too steep and not worth it. This is a managed forest property and I think they usually shoot for 60% basal area. Typically my forester wouldn't chase all of the biggest and best trees in a stand anyway, but sometimes he marks a woods a little too geared to good management for my liking. There has to be a dozen or so 8-1000 bf red oaks that I think should go. Any time I mention big trees on a job he says we will get them next time. In his 25 years of forestry he has cut many jobs 2 or 3 times. I guess I have to trust what hes doing. Keeps people happy to see big timber in their stands for a while yet too.

 

[forestryworks]

I wish I would have gotten a real before, but ah well. In the back right corner there was a bunch of pulp marked that I wasn't going to chase. Too steep and not worth it. This is a managed forest property and I think they usually shoot for 60% basal area. Typically my forester wouldn't chase all of the biggest and best trees in a stand anyway, but sometimes he marks a woods a little too geared to good management for my liking. There has to be a dozen or so 8-1000 bf red oaks that I think should go. Any time I mention big trees on a job he says we will get them next time. In his 25 years of forestry he has cut many jobs 2 or 3 times. I guess I have to trust what hes doing. Keeps people happy to see big timber in their stands for a while yet too.

The biggest and the best in a stand usually have the best genetics, too. Or had. Good stand genetics is way more important that sawin' on the big stuff; you'll catch it "next time". And in most areas of the country, the North Woods especially, trying to repair the bad genetics of cut over forests is an on-going deal. The days of big timber are gone forever boys! Better get used to holding that saw a lot longer...

 

[tramp bushler]

Naww ; turn er into a stump patch, it'll grow back!! :msp_wub:

 

[Metals406]

I had an oops today. Removing a DF, that was a three headed hydra, all leaning a different direction. I decided to thread one between the house and shed/barn. Pretty good head and right hand side lean, with the power line feeding the shed/barn just to the right. Wanting to avoid the 3' overhang on the shed/barn, and an equally large one on the house.

Gunned the tree with 3'-4' left for heavy side lean, put a 3/8" cable in it 20' up for a tractor to pull it. Had a little tension on the cable and set the tree up with a bore and strap. Gave him the wave ahead on the tractor and cut the strap. I hear the tractor rev and there he sits spinning the tires on the snow/slush. :msp_unsure::msp_unsure:

The tree just went left of the shed/barn, limb whipping the **** out the overhang and breaking 3 rafter extension. Also, 1 X 2 skip sheathing damaged and 8 sheets of tin. One of the onlookers said he thought a wind gust pushed it right as well -- but that doesn't fix a roof. This was all volunteer stuff, but I'm very dissatisfied.

I will analyse the mechanics and resolve to learn what I could have done better. I really needed that pull to help out with that side lean, and it just didn't happen. :msp_mad:

The guy wasn't even close to upset, and his wife was even a little giddy (she wanted to tear it down anyway).

Hats off to the everyday yard-tree droppers. . . It's freaking nerve racking, and with no happy ending, it really sucks.

 

[Steve NW WI]

I had an oops today. Removing a DF, that was a three headed hydra, all leaning a different direction. I decided to thread one between the house and shed/barn. Pretty good head and right hand side lean, with the power line feeding the shed/barn just to the right. Wanting to avoid the 3' overhang on the shed/barn, and an equally large one on the house.

Gunned the tree with 3'-4' left for heavy side lean, put a 3/8" cable in it 20' up for a tractor to pull it. Had a little tension on the cable and set the tree up with a bore and strap. Gave him the wave ahead on the tractor and cut the strap. I hear the tractor rev and there he sits spinning the tires on the snow/slush. :msp_unsure::msp_unsure:

The tree just went left of the shed/barn, limb whipping the **** out the overhang and breaking 3 rafter extension. Also, 1 X 2 skip sheathing damaged and 8 sheets of tin. One of the onlookers said he thought a wind gust pushed it right as well -- but that doesn't fix a roof. This was all volunteer stuff, but I'm very dissatisfied.

I will analyse the mechanics and resolve to learn what I could have done better. I really needed that pull to help out with that side lean, and it just didn't happen. :msp_mad:

The guy wasn't even close to upset, and his wife was even a little giddy (she wanted to tear it down anyway).

Hats off to the everyday yard-tree droppers. . . It's freaking nerve racking, and with no happy ending, it really sucks.

Got a half dozen trees on the back side of a house I'm waiting on solid ground for for just that reason. My buddy's 644JD loader is next door to the place, but if it can't get traction, size means nothing.

Sooo...does the Mrs.'s reaction mean that rebuilding won't be needed?

 

[Metals406]

Got a half dozen trees on the back side of a house I'm waiting on solid ground for for just that reason. My buddy's 644JD loader is next door to the place, but if it can't get traction, size means nothing.

Sooo...does the Mrs.'s reaction mean that rebuilding won't be needed?

No, he wants to fix it. Luckily, I'm a hoarder and I think I have tin that matches his. I'm also very handy, and can carpenter with the best of'em.

That makes me a Handy-Hoarder? LOL

We both agreed to wait on the other removals until such a time where traction would be a less issue. And a couple may require some climbing anyway.

Their house caught on fire just after Christmas a few months ago. They were renting then. . . There was no insurance. They lost a lot of their personal belongings, cloths, kids toys, etc.

Now they're buying the place from the owner. I was there today to remove some trees he was uncomfortable with (for obvious reasons), and to help with some tear-out and structural damage assessment.

He was plowing with the tractor all morning, and getting around fine. . . I guess some resistance showed he really had poor traction. :msp_rolleyes:

As a bonus, he was showing the contents of said shed/barn. I pointed to a weird looking object on the floor and asked him what it was. He said, "You tell me? I've had several old-timers in here and even they don't know."

So he moved it around a little, and I went *Light bulb* HEY! You have a real nice PTO driven drag saw there. Minus the blade, and a couple other small items. He was pretty stoked when I told him what 'drag saw' meant. LOL

 

[bitzer]

The biggest and the best in a stand usually have the best genetics, too. Or had. Good stand genetics is way more important that sawin' on the big stuff; you'll catch it "next time". And in most areas of the country, the North Woods especially, trying to repair the bad genetics of cut over forests is an on-going deal. The days of big timber are gone forever boys! Better get used to holding that saw a lot longer...

I'm sure thats part of it. Although keeping the landowner happy may be more of it. There was a big discusion about leaving large timber at one of my SFI cert meetings. Dnr foresters and the like will often leave the big stuff that should go just to appease a land owner that is not thrilled to have their woods logged during a mandatory managed harvest. They certainly don't complain about the tax breaks though. I've passed a lot of trees that I believe are ripe and may be a little over ripe the next time around. My forester told me he was following the order of removal principle. The trees in question had nice healthy crowns and they would also promote nice tall trees in the stand. He is right, the stand will have some beautiful timber someday. Some nice straight oaks and maples. It would just be nice to get the big uns now. Personally I think the stand would be just fine without them. Good soil, drainage, and already nice tall re-gen. Oh well.

I did look at a job yesterday where I'm going to be slammin some massive oaks for a house site. As soon as everything breaks I'm over there.

 

[bitzer]

Hey Metals, I know the feeling. I sent a couple of uglies between houses a couple of weekends ago. Had a rope up high and someone pullin as I cut. Everything went fine, but I still hate that feeling in the guts. Very high adrenaline. These trees too were a favor. The more variables at play the more #### that can go wrong!