Scaffolding to climb tree.

[ropensaddle]

take that ford truck ,park it down the hill,get enough cable or strong rope ,like 100 plus feet so the tree wont fall on your truck ,that's a small tree ,iv'e hooked my winch 10 feet up on a tree like that ,make about a 6 inch face cut ,i prefer humbolt ,face on the bottom ,make a back cut but leave about 3 inches of holding wood for a hinge ,back your truck up slowly breaking the hinge ,the hinge or holding wood will control the direction of the fall ,the same thing could be done with a couple of wedges on the back cut side ,as you pound them in they will break the hinge wood ,make sure your back cut is strait across ,so the tree goes the way your aiming ,if you are wedging make sure to look up a lot make sure nothing falls on your head ,that truck may be safer if you don't have enough falling experience with wedges ,once your cuts are made ,it doesn't take too much force to pull it over, maybe practice on the ones farther from the house till you feel more confident how this method works ,the loggers are pro's don't need any rigging to drop trees ,but if your trying to save a buck and do yourself ,the truck will pull it over

Ok sanford show me a logger who can fall this one no rigging and not destroy home :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[Trx250r180]

Ok sanford show me a logger who can fall this one no rigging and not destroy home :hmm3grin2orange:

well this one will fall somewhere if you cut it with no rigging :hmm3grin2orange: ,my "suggestion" was for that pine by his house , yes all trees are different ,that rotten thing looks pretty sketchy to drop to say the least ,but someone (not me ) that knows what they are doing can find a spot to cut that to make it go away from the house with proper wedges ,may take some climbing gear or a man lift to get up high enough to find a solid spot ,iv'e had luck falling sideways 90 degrees of the lean and go where i want ,180 degrees a lot tougher but iv'e seen it done so it is possible

 

[Zale]

How much would it cost to hire a arborist to put the tree on the ground? I can't see it taking more than 15 minutes with set up time.

 

[StrataTree]

Just leave 'em... Like Jollylogger said, I don't see the fire risk. We do ladder fuel reduction jobs all the time(LFR's)and we only limb dead branches to 10' from grade. Your property looks clean with not much ladder fuel to begin with...I think you're fine. Enjoy the shade!

 

[mountainsco]

Let's slow down here fellas. Ok, first, I'll give those 37" circumference, but not diameter. Second, having seen the pics, I don't see them as a huge fire risk. It looks like you have some pretty good defensible space, and not a lot of ladder fuel around. I would limb them up a little, but,if the rest of your property looks like that, I wouldn't be too worried about it. You can always get the local fire department out to give you a risk assessment. Jeff

27" diameter, not 37". I used a tape measure. And getting a fireman out to assess sounds like a great idea. I'll still have to fell it in a year or so since it's smack dab where my garage is going to be.

Thanks!
Dan

 

[StrataTree]

Ok, well in that case... Nice truck! I'm lookin for a '96 or '97 reg. or extra cab, 5 spd. Power stroke, Love 'em! Flatbed dump would be shweet!

 

[mountainsco]

Ok, well in that case... Nice truck! I'm lookin for a '96 or '97 reg. or extra cab, 5 spd. Power stroke, Love 'em! Flatbed dump would be shweet!

Heh, thanks! She's a 96 F350 crew 4x4, turbo with a manual tranny. She's got a sweet audio system too with 2 12" subs and an external amp behind the back seat. Not boomy, just nice. Going to do something similar in my next truck but far more sophisticated. It's funny, but I had the tranny rebuilt about 10 years ago, and I've replaced the alternator, and the batteries about 3 times. Other than that nothing. Pretty damned good truck.

I'm getting rid of her next year for likely a crew cab Ford Raptor. I don't really need an F350 , and she's awful rough to ride in. I'm retired now and want something smooth and comfy. 37" tires and a lift kit was fine 10 years ago as my toy, but It's hard for my wife to get into anymore, and lately it's become a farm truck. I take her in every 3 months or so to get building materials with a trailer, but an F150 can do that just fine.

I'm done with diesel trucks btw. We hit -40F occasionally up here, and that truck just won't start even with fuel additives. My tractor is diesel, but if you give it a minute or 2 of glowplug time, she starts just fine.

I think my perfect truck would be a Raptor with the ecoboost twin turbo engine for our high altitude, and since I'm (mostly) done with off-roading, all I have to deal with is our washboard roads. The look of the raptor just really appeals to me. Only downside is 13 MPG. Gas is starting to get pretty expensive.

Later-
Dan

 

[TheJollyLogger]

If they're in the way of your garage, no problem. I would much rather see you pull em than do the scaffold thing. As far as your property goes, though, I wouldn't get too stressed about fires. Black Forest was a whole not her ball game, that area has been overgrown for years, way overdue. Kinda reminds me of what I saw after the Bastrop fires. Kinds tired of being right, but most homeowners don't want to listen.

 

[ropensaddle]

well this one will fall somewhere if you cut it with no rigging :hmm3grin2orange: ,my "suggestion" was for that pine by his house , yes all trees are different ,that rotten thing looks pretty sketchy to drop to say the least ,but someone (not me ) that knows what they are doing can find a spot to cut that to make it go away from the house with proper wedges ,may take some climbing gear or a man lift to get up high enough to find a solid spot ,iv'e had luck falling sideways 90 degrees of the lean and go where i want ,180 degrees a lot tougher but iv'e seen it done so it is possible

Haha no mate that was no wedge drop tree it was a 20 ton winch! In the picture I had already taken off all my 60 foot bucket could. A logger with only wedges would have cremed the house. I can fell with wedges, this was certainly no time for them ! Not every tree can be wedge felled without damage is my point. Most long time loggers know when to bring out cables!

 

[mountainsco]

If they're in the way of your garage, no problem. I would much rather see you pull em than do the scaffold thing. As far as your property goes, though, I wouldn't get too stressed about fires. Black Forest was a whole not her ball game, that area has been overgrown for years, way overdue. Kinda reminds me of what I saw after the Bastrop fires. Kinds tired of being right, but most homeowners don't want to listen.

A fire wiped out most of our area about 50 years ago. All of our trees are new growth, and most are under 100' tall. I've walked some of the places where a huge mansion was the place to go for the rich back years ago. I do have some stumps on my property that are about 3' diameter. Never really occurred to us to question. I like our trees alot and cutting some of them down is sad. We have 20 acres, and hundreds of trees including aspens.

I'm handy with a chainsaw means, I've cut all sorts of lumber for the stove on the ground. I understand the theory of cutting down a tree quite well. I think I'll get a fire guy out here and see what he says about the 2 trees close to the house that don't need felling.

Thanks again,
Dan

 

[TheJollyLogger]

A fire wiped out most of our area about 50 years ago. All of our trees are new growth, and most are under 100' tall. I've walked some of the places where a huge mansion was the place to go for the rich back years ago. I do have some stumps on my property that are about 3' diameter. Never really occurred to us to question. I like our trees alot and cutting some of them down is sad. We have 20 acres, and hundreds of trees including aspens.

I'm handy with a chainsaw means, I've cut all sorts of lumber for the stove on the ground. I understand the theory of cutting down a tree quite well. I think I'll get a fire guy out here and see what he says about the 2 trees close to the house that don't need felling.

Thanks again,
Dan

Good. I did a lot of fire mitigation in Douglas County after the Hayman fire, and we worked a lot with the local fire districts. Most departments are more than happy to come out and give you an assessment. They love the trees too, and they can give you a very good plan to keep your new house safe without living in a desert. Not to mention, if push comes to shove, they do remember the homeowners that cared enough to ask when it comes to setting up their defense plan, if a fire should happen. Good luck, Jeff

 

[old CB]

I'm here in Colorado, on the front range, where I cut trees for a living. I agree with other posters above: get a rope into the tree at a point about 2/3 of its height. You'll need rope equal to the task, of course, but the Ponderosas generally balance themselves well so you won't need a mighty pulling force. Use the throwline to get your rope up there. Tie in with a running bowline (or get the rope over a strong limb, run it straight down the trunk, and tie off w/ a timber hitch which anchors you just fine. You can pull the tree over w/ a vehicle, but I prefer to find another tree roughly in the direction of fall, it does not have to be directly inline, and anchor to that tree with a chain and pull the tree over with a come-along. Get the come-along and rope tensioned good--you can see the treetop begin to ease in your direction--then make your facecut, followed by the backcut until you have a good hinge (for which you want about 10% of the diameter). At this point you'll likely see the saw kerf of the backcut begin to open a little and the top of the tree begin to edge toward the lay (unless you're fighting too thick a hinge). Go back to your come-along--WALKING AROUND, NOT THRU, WHERE THE TREE WILL FALL--and pull the tree over. And like the other guy(s) said, do the same on another tree or two first to get comfortable with technique--cutting Pondys is like cutting the same tree day after day. If you can build a house you can pull those trees over without a sweat.

 

[mountainsco]

Felling trees strikes me as extremely dangerous, and every tree does something unexpected. I've decided to hire a pro to do it next year. I really do understand the technique and the forces, but I'd rather pay someone with experience to do it.

I don't intend to become an arborist, I just have a couple trees that need to be gone. I read somewhere that tree-cutting was one of the most dangerous jobs there are, and rethought my plan. While my plan of scaffolding I believe is sound with the small trees I'm dealing with, it's just not worth the time really.

On a side note... Who would have thought that you guys have one of the funniest humor forums I've ever read? I've been reading about 20 jokes a day and it's a great way to wake up with my coffee before heading out. I'm on page 24, and there are 135 more to go. You guys rock!

Thanks!

 

[sgreanbeans]

Felling trees strikes me as extremely dangerous, and every tree does something unexpected. I've decided to hire a pro to do it next year. I really do understand the technique and the forces, but I'd rather pay someone with experience to do it.

Thanks!

Good move

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Felling trees strikes me as extremely dangerous, and every tree does something unexpected. I've decided to hire a pro to do it next year. I really do understand the technique and the forces, but I'd rather pay someone with experience to do it.

I don't intend to become an arborist, I just have a couple trees that need to be gone. I read somewhere that tree-cutting was one of the most dangerous jobs there are, and rethought my plan. While my plan of scaffolding I believe is sound with the small trees I'm dealing with, it's just not worth the time really.

On a side note... Who would have thought that you guys have one of the funniest humor forums I've ever read? I've been reading about 20 jokes a day and it's a great way to wake up with my coffee before heading out. I'm on page 24, and there are 135 more to go. You guys rock!

Thanks!

I thought everyone knew tree guys were good looking, smart and witty. And yes, unfortunately I think last year we passed up the fishermen to take the number one spot on OSHA's list. One of our goals on this site is to keep sharing information and training to lose that dubious honor. The unfortunate fact is that almost all accidents I've seen were preventable with training. Good on ya for getting a pro in there, and you might be surprised how inexpensive it would be if you just have em drop em for you, and then you clean up.

Hey CB, do you know anyone that's going to be working the Black Forest fire clean up? Is FEMA going to be handling haul off? My buddy and I were thinking about coming out. Unfortunately, we have quite a lot of expertise after our fire.

 

[old CB]

No, I don't know a thing about the Black Forest deal. I was out of state camping during that mess, so I didn't even keep up with the news. (My wife was home part of the time, nervous as could be with 95 degrees plus and 11% humidity.) We're uphill from Boulder and thankfully have had no wildfire action yet this season.

We moved here in Oct. 2010, just a few weeks after the Fourmile fire, which was Colorado's most destructive fire at the time (now we get a new one of those each season)--6,000 acres, 169 homes lost. I'm just over the hill from Fourmile Canyon, our home was part of the evacuation area. Most of my work is fire mitigation, creating defensible space around homes, and I've done several jobs of removing trees killed in the Fourmile fire. We're still cleaning up from that biotch. Was running 2 1/2-yr-old burnt dead slash thru the chipper in May--talk about nasty work. Yeah, in Texas I bet you've had your share of that in recent past.

 

[Redbug]

Why can't Dan do the normal wedge cutout and back cut...then knock in wedges to fell that tree? That's the way I would do it. You can do a really slow controlled fall with several wedges hit a little at a time.

 

[TheJollyLogger]

No, I don't know a thing about the Black Forest deal. I was out of state camping during that mess, so I didn't even keep up with the news. (My wife was home part of the time, nervous as could be with 95 degrees plus and 11% humidity.) We're uphill from Boulder and thankfully have had no wildfire action yet this season.

We moved here in Oct. 2010, just a few weeks after the Fourmile fire, which was Colorado's most destructive fire at the time (now we get a new one of those each season)--6,000 acres, 169 homes lost. I'm just over the hill from Fourmile Canyon, our home was part of the evacuation area. Most of my work is fire mitigation, creating defensible space around homes, and I've done several jobs of removing trees killed in the Fourmile fire. We're still cleaning up from that biotch. Was running 2 1/2-yr-old burnt dead slash thru the chipper in May--talk about nasty work. Yeah, in Texas I bet you've had your share of that in recent past.

Yeah, look up the Bastrop complex fire, we lost 1300 homes. Talk about a mess.What tue fire didn't get, the beetles got the following year. They love stressed trees.

 

[StrataTree]

"I've decided to hire a pro to do it next year"...

The smartest thing ever posted on AS!

You, kind sir, are very wise. And I bet you could drop 'em just fine! But your genius outweighs your ego... A rare and precious trait!

 

[mountainsco]

"I've decided to hire a pro to do it next year"...

The smartest thing ever posted on AS!

You, kind sir, are very wise. And I bet you could drop 'em just fine! But your genius outweighs your ego... A rare and precious trait!

I stumbled across 500 bucks the other day. Actually I paid off my tractor early. I'm looking for a person to cut down 3 trees in the Guffey area of Colorado. Job offer. I'll have my tractor ready to pull. Just need a guy to cut them. Probably an hour's work. Holler if you are in the area and want a simple job. Just be a professional.

Dan