How would you approach this (bucking big oak on hill) ?

[spidermonkey17]

a lot of good ideas about getting this big stick of firewood safely cut up but another idea that i am seeing here is to safely block off the area you are going to cut either by putting down wedges or another piece of wood or something and then cutting that piece to the proper size. It sounds like you are cutting this in 12" piece correct? so they will not be huge or super heavy. My idea since you seem to be able to get a chain and truck close enough to pull the log or rotate it is to get some sort of sled or something that is plastic that would slide up hill when pulled, so what you would do would buck the piece up let it fall in a controlled manner on to the sled or push it on to the sled and then pull it up the hiill to level ground and split or noodle it on a flat safe piece of ground. Also another think to make your life easy when bucking this thing up would be to bore cut it or plunge cut it so so you are not having to make a long undercut on that hill and also you don't have to worry as much about you pinching your saw. Hope this helps just started looking at the pic and this might be the way i would handle it in this situation. Good luck and remember stand on the uphill side

 

[ropensaddle]

Just skimmed the thread and seen lots of good ideas mostly about 'Parbuckling'.

The advantages of parbuckling:
2 to 1 mechanical advantage
Rolls the log like a wheel instead of dragging
little or no friction wear on ropes or chains
logs picks up less dirt

I use parbuckling a lot. It is a very good and useful technique to have in your box of ideas.


Here's a video of parbuckling to load a good sized log onto a truck bed 4 or 5 feet high.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f0T9dz-lvMY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f2rBYfKYiQw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I have used the parbuckling to load trailer even using cant hooks which can be bad dangerous but with my bucket winch I don't wanna spend time being fancy. I just hook it and gas it :hmm3grin2orange: It is nice to have 20 tons of pure muscle and the more gas I give it with winch high or low range the faster she come to me

 

[EXCALIBER]

Clearly we are missing the point. No ordinary truck will move such a huge load of wood, we need "dunt da da dah, Super Truck". Easy to find it as it will be the only one with a cape!:hmm3grin2orange:
Almost 5000lbs of pure oak, how can you expect your truck to roll something that weighs almost the same amount of weight as it, after all its just a truck. Well unless its a Chevy, then its more than just a truck. Throw away your cant hooks as they will not move a log either.

Now seriously people, why have a truck if you do not know how to, or won't use it? Take your truck and go trade it in for a Toyota Prius, preferably in pink.
This must be Arnold's big brother!!
[video=youtube;anjssv0WFQw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anjssv0WFQw[/video]

 

[EXCALIBER]

Even a Mercedes can pull a log!
[video=youtube;S0WzbwA9j-s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0WzbwA9j-s[/video]

Do what you will its your show, but cutting it on a hill you will have problems with the bar getting pinched. Good luck

 

[Jakers]

This must be Arnold's big brother!!
[video=youtube;anjssv0WFQw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anjssv0WFQw[/video]

strange he chose to do it that way. unless he doesnt have the rest of the skidsteer to go with that bucket i see in the background

 

[Fronty Owner]

choke it, put the truck in 4lo and ease it up the hill... I wouldn't get after it very hard, 4lo is more for speed control than anything else.
Then again, Ive only got a matchbox truck...

whats the over all length?

 

[tld400]

Just back your truck close to it and noodle it and load truck up some. Tree will weigh less and truck will have more weight on it for traction. Then if you want pull rest of tree up hill.

 

[slowp]

Even a Mercedes can pull a log!
Do what you will its your show, but cutting it on a hill you will have problems with the bar getting pinched. Good luck

Why?

A suggestion? Take some split wood and block the chunk in place. Then, if you must move the log, cut it into a size that you can work out. Just like the big boys do. If the log is too heavy, cut it to a length that isn't then pull it up if you have something to do that with. Then cut it into the chunks you want.

I cut up a maple that was over an edge. I worked some of it up into a size I could get up the hill using a peavey. It wasn't exactly small and I did it myself by first blocking it, then bucking it into a more sensible size, and then cussing and getting it up with the peavey and girl power. The only time I was below it was when I was placing more blocks.

If you buck it in place, it won't pinch if you read it right and or use plastic falling wedges.

 

[Fronty Owner]

if you have a flat bed trailer and can position the trailer downhill., just cut it up and let gravity load your trailer for you...

 

[Blazin]

Block it and cut it! ....or noodle it and cut the blocks off.

 

[Philbo]

Clearly we are missing the point. No ordinary truck will move such a huge load of wood, we need "dunt da da dah, Super Truck". Easy to find it as it will be the only one with a cape!:hmm3grin2orange:
Almost 5000lbs of pure oak, how can you expect your truck to roll something that weighs almost the same amount of weight as it, after all its just a truck. Well unless its a Chevy, then its more than just a truck. Throw away your cant hooks as they will not move a log either.

Now seriously people, why have a truck if you do not know how to, or won't use it? Take your truck and go trade it in for a Toyota Prius, preferably in pink.

I think you're missing the point here...I'm not saying that I'm not going to use to the truck or try to move it. I'm clearly asking for advice in an area that I'm a bit inexperienced in, so that I can get some well rounded opinions before I just jump into it. Don't see anything wrong with that...in fact, that's pretty much what this place is about.

The only reason I'm a bit skeptical about actually getting this log to move with my truck is that the yard is going to be wet and soft and I don't want to tear his yard up. Doesn't mean I won't try it...just covering the bases in case what I try doesn't work. I also think this log can be bucked without moving it too much, though...so I'm also appreciating the comments that are talking from that angle.

...or maybe I should just go charge up my pink Prius to get ready for the job...:msp_laugh:

 

[Bushmans]

I clearly understand the lawn damage aspect. I think you'll be just fine with the noodling and bucking theory. A little hard work is worth it to me to not create more work by tearing up the yard.
Let's face it this is not 20 cord of wood your moving here. A couple hours of hard work and your sipping beers on a stump.
Question. What will you do if a round rolls all the way down that hill? Leave it or fetch it?

 

[Philbo]

If the rounds roll down the hill, they roll down the hill. They'll probably get stopped by something on the way down, or if not...:dunno: I do like the noodling idea though...

My buddy just wants the log cleaned up and out of that part of his yard, any firewood he gets out of it, which will hopefully be most of it will be great for him. I'm not really in it for the wood.

 

[ropensaddle]

If the rounds roll down the hill, they roll down the hill. They'll probably get stopped by something on the way down, or if not...:dunno: I do like the noodling idea though...

My buddy just wants the log cleaned up and out of that part of his yard, any firewood he gets out of it, which will hopefully be most of it will be great for him. I'm not really in it for the wood.

"One thing then" the picture of the noodling technique is off to me. I don't care for vertical cut. I usually prefer to cut an x then do my crosscut. The x method the noodling is complete and no contact with ground anyway sometimes i even make a horizontal cut through the x cause I hate lifting heavy chit anymore!

 

[stihl sawing]

A winch would pull it up easy, It don't look to be on a difficult slope. The stump is stopping it from going down hill. The truck might pull it. If they don't want you in the yard maybe cut off the ends where the buttress is to make it round and try rolling it with a cant hook. Don't look like it's up hill from the pics. but i see if you cut a chunk it could roll down the hill. Probably the easiest is what some have suggested, Just noodle it and it won't roll down and make the chunks lighter to load too.

 

[Philbo]

Update: Got the log cut up safely this afternoon. Ended up sawing on it where it sat (mostly) with a chain hooked to the truck to keep it from rolling very far. It was actually perfectly placed on top of some smaller limbs that held it right in place. Got about 2/3 of it cut up and then pulled it up the hill thanks to some great advice on parbuckling from many earlier in the thread. The 044 pulled a 28" skip chain very well in that oak. Really loving this saw more every time I use it....really good balance between nice power and manageable weight and the option to run a bit of a longer bar.

Here's a couple of pics of the damage...noodled one of the first cuts into 3 or 4 pieces but that was just taking too long and was an awkward stance on the hill so I scrapped that idea. A couple of the rounds took off for a little bit down the hill, but were stopped quickly by the firewood stack down the hill! Too bad the fun's over....now I gotta find something else for this 28" to eat...

Thanks to all for the advice....really appreciated and I learned a thing or two!

 

[stihl sawing]

Good job. Ya got it done.

 

[sgt7546]

Wood is cut. No one injured. It's a win. More importantly you gained experience.


&bull; Sent from my screen to yours.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Got about 2/3 of it cut up and then pulled it up the hill thanks to some great advice on parbuckling from many earlier in the thread.

Oh...parbuckle.

Heard the word before, didn't know what it meant. Gotta remember that one

 

[rwoods]

Nice job. I couldn't help but notice the Mercedes with the trailer hitch - did you use it too? :msp_smile: Ron