How do I drop this - plus tonight's work - pics

[Steve NW WI]

Found one split at the edge of the woods tonight, both sides of the split are hung up on other trees. With some cutting of small trees, I could get up to the split with the tractor and work it from in the loader bucket, but I hate cutting new growth if I can avoid it. My best idea so far is to get my big rope up there and pull each half down individually, might even go with chains in case it takes a lot of pulling. Any better ideas?

I apologize for the poor pic quality, took em with the cell, forgot the dang camera again!

Side view, open field about 10 feet to the right of the tree, right side of the tree is actually hanging over the field now.

View from the field, horribly overexposed, but if you squint you can see the tree:

Reason I was out there was fenceline patrol, wound up with a pickup load + of nice dry, debarked elm. Never got out there this winter because even though the hill in the background doesn't look like much, it's about 45° - with a little ditch just over the top of it that drifts full of snow about 3' deep. Too much work when getting to the woods the other way is fairly easy.

This is the trailer I mentioned last night, notice the size of the sideboards!

Steve

 

[bowtechmadman]

Rope and pull...get them hangin straight down then drop her.

 

[willsaw4beer]

I'd probably look for a tree close by to hide behind, and cut very carefully. No matter what way you cut it down it's going to be dangerous.

 

[23putts]

Rope and pull...get them hangin straight down then drop her.

Make sure to have more than one escape route...An additional set of eyes wouldn't hurt either...

 

[Adkpk]

I would carefully make my hinge then use a rope to pull from a distance.

 

[Lurch16th]

I wouldn't touch that sucker without a long rope/cable/chain and/or equipment, big enough to safely take a hit. Your're taking a big risk messing with that otherwise. Like some others stated, get a rope/cable longer than the tree, on it and pull it down from a distance.
I read not to long ago, the biggest killer of loggers, by far, is trying to take down a tree fallen against another.

If you can't get equipment in there to pull with, you could use a hoist, or rope to the base of a much larger tree.

 

[mercer_me]

Take a long rope and hook it to one of the plit peices and yard it down. Then do the same for the other one. Then just cut down whats left standing.

 

[willsaw4beer]

Take a long rope and hook it to one of the plit peices and yard it down. Then do the same for the other one. Then just cut down whats left standing.

Easier said than done, lol.

 

[Tree Pig]

I would definitely try and get at least 1 down before trying to cut the tree. You have the potential for all kinds of crazy things happening with one hung split never mind two.

If you have the equipment and knowledge you may climb the adjacent tree with a pole saw and cut the bases on the splits then try and rope them out. Use a running bowline to but tie the one leaning towards the field at the base then cut it at the base. Get a safe distance and pull it out from the back (direction it went in). one or two people should be able to break that free.

The other one looks a little larger and more hung but I can really tell much from the pics. If you leave it attached and remove the first one you may be able to rope the top of the tree and cut that down toward the field.

But doing so is very dangerous and could also take several other trees down with it so get help and be careful.

 

[KsWoodsMan]

I would definitely try and get at least 1 down before trying to cut the tree. You have the potential for all kinds of crazy things happening with one hung split never mind two.

If you have the equipment and knowledge you may climb the adjacent tree with a pole saw and cut the bases on the splits then try and rope them out. Use a running bowline to but tie the one leaning towards the field at the base then cut it at the base. Get a safe distance and pull it out from the back (direction it went in). one or two people should be able to break that free.

The other one looks a little larger and more hung but I can really tell much from the pics. If you leave it attached and remove the first one you may be able to rope the top of the tree and cut that down toward the field.

But doing so is very dangerous and could also take several other trees down with it so get help and be careful.

:agree2: Thats about what I'm seeing, is take the one on the right (in the first picture) and pull it loose, into the field with a rope OR chain and PU. Drop the stem and pull it stem first, into the field with the PU and it is down to a workable height (ground level) in the open.

 

[tomtrees58]

I would carefully make my hinge then use a rope to pull from a distance.

:agree2: tom trees

 

[Steve NW WI]

I wouldn't touch that sucker without a long rope/cable/chain and/or equipment, big enough to safely take a hit. Your're taking a big risk messing with that otherwise. Like some others stated, get a rope/cable longer than the tree, on it and pull it down from a distance.
I read not to long ago, the biggest killer of loggers, by far, is trying to take down a tree fallen against another.

If you can't get equipment in there to pull with, you could use a hoist, or rope to the base of a much larger tree.

I would definitely try and get at least 1 down before trying to cut the tree. You have the potential for all kinds of crazy things happening with one hung split never mind two.

If you have the equipment and knowledge you may climb the adjacent tree with a pole saw and cut the bases on the splits then try and rope them out. Use a running bowline to but tie the one leaning towards the field at the base then cut it at the base. Get a safe distance and pull it out from the back (direction it went in). one or two people should be able to break that free.

The other one looks a little larger and more hung but I can really tell much from the pics. If you leave it attached and remove the first one you may be able to rope the top of the tree and cut that down toward the field.

But doing so is very dangerous and could also take several other trees down with it so get help and be careful.

I've got a 75' 1" rope that's held up to everything I've pulled on so far. That will be "Plan A", along with going up the tree that's about 3' behind it and at least making a weakening cut on each half of the split. I'm not a climber, but I know enough to use a safety strap (will probably use the one I use with my treestand), and going up the neighboring tree is about like climbing stairs, with lots of good solid branches on the way up.

As far as the safety aspects, I don't expect any "safe" way of doing this, but I want to minimize it as much as possible. I'll have a friend or 2 with when this thing goes down, fairly experienced firewood cutters. I don't have a forestry helmet, but do have an OSHA approved industrial hardhat. Good enough for headgear? A forestry helmet is somewhere on my list of stuff to buy, but hasn't made it to the top yet, as most of my cutting is blocking up down stuff.

I went out on the wheeler tonight and snapped some better pics with the camera. Here's a little better view of the tree showing the relationship to the field:

The half hung up on the woods side:

The half hanging over the field:

Thanks for all the replies so far guys. I'm not sure when this will go down, but I'll be sure to snap a bunch of pics, and maybe some video when it does. It will be good practice, because I found 3 or 4 similar situations out there while riding around today, but most are easier to get a good pull location. Also found a big birch that mother nature has already made a back cut on about 10' up, if it hadn't been windy today, might have never noticed it, but I heard cracking and groaning and couldn't figure what from until I studied it closely. The dead elm branch was just leaning on it, no pressure. I pulled it down by hand after the pic was taken. It was a lesson in studying every tree you plan to take down carefully before unleashing the saw. I could see that one letting loose and having a 10' log and the top going 2 different directions.

Hopefully we can all learn just a little from these types of problems, and keep all our body parts in working order.

Steve

 

[JAM]

Is the loader tall enough to hook it with the bucket?

 

[Tree Pig]

As far as the safety aspects, I don't expect any "safe" way of doing this, but I want to minimize it as much as possible. A forestry helmet is somewhere on my list of stuff to buy, but hasn't made it to the top yet, as most of my cutting is blocking up down stuff.

Steve

Just be careful climbing If you have some type of harness system to tie off. I would be worried about just cutting it with two widow makers hanging over my head while cutting . If you can get one down then drop it with an increased avenue of safety your better off. Remember to keep looking up while cutting to make sure one of them doesnt decide to come back down on you. The other concern fro me was if you just try to cut and rope you may end up with getting the rest of the tree hung up too and then you have a bigger problem.

As far as a helmet anything is better then nothing, especially when it concerns a large limb hitting you in the bean.

Keep us posted on the out come.

PS: I wish I lived closer I would come drop it for you if you let me put a tree stand back in the area come fall.

Sweet property.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Is the loader tall enough to hook it with the bucket?

Unfortunatley, no. Loader goes to +- 12', and the split is roughly 18' up. Would have been my first choice, but not an option with this one. I use the loader a lot for pushing, nudging, mashing down, etc. when I need to. Tractor tends to get a few scratches on it that way, but it's cheaper to paint a tractor than stitch a human!

 

[JAM]

I wouldn't feel too bad about letting mother nature keep that one. It sounds like a long rope would be your best bet. Maybe a snatch block above and to the side so It'll swing away when it breaks free. Are the bases where it's broken firmly attached or will a good tug pull it free?

 

[Tree Pig]

any update yet?????

 

[Steve NW WI]

any update yet?????

Might be a week or 2 - depends when the time and available help come together.

Wisconsin's 2nd national holiday after deer season opener, fishing season opener is this Saturday, so I'll be out drowning some worms for sure then.

I'll get pics up when I get it done.

 

[Raymond]

LOADER? If you have one, put a notch in it and a backcut so far in, get out of there and ripp'er down..DONE.

 

[ericjeeper]

I suggest a rope or cable

Up as high as you can reach. Make my notch.Make a bore cut leaving a good healthy 2 inch hinge cutting away from the hinge leave a good trigger say 1 inch by 4 wide. Then go pull like heck on the tractor.. If it does not go. Then cut a little more out of the trigger.
That tree is certainly one that a man does not need to be standing near when it starts to fall.Or his wife might be standing next to his pine box getting hugs from friends.