Tree Jacks

[Skeans]

Timber West magazine this month mentions Borntrager tree jacks. The only add I could find looked pretty funky, there is no way I would send off $2K with no brick and mortar address. I can not find a web site either. I have not made a phone call to Madsen's yet to as them yet, I just thought I would start here. Has anyone seen their jacks or heard anything about the?

If anyone comes across a used Silvey, any style, I would be interested. The last few I have seen for sale were outrageously priced, as in WAY more than new.

I've seen the new jack, it was built by a caller here in Oregon and a local shop because of silvey being gone.


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[bitzer]

i really wish i knew just what can be done with a jack in the timber here. i hate to leave good sticks. i just have no clue how much the hinge would take in a jacking situation.
i am gonna leave a half load of huge poplar out by the road, every one of them wants the road and power line........i already wedged what i thought i could. one has a huge top, prolly heavier than the stem leaning toward the road. very busy road.

A lot can be done with the right set up. Trial and error before you cut any that count. Theres just some a guys got to leave though.

 

[Skeans]

Or winch over, jacking I'll normally end up with a few choice words it can be a bit nerve racking


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[imagineero]

I'll confess I've never used a silvey, and only a few times used a bottle jack. Most times I'm just putting lines up high and pulling over. I've often wondered though, why the industrial type jacks never caught on for tree jacking. I've used a bunch of them in mining over the years and the range is enormous. Enerpac and a bunch of other companies make separate pump units and modular jacks of all shapes and sizes from the smallest hocky pucks right up to units you'd need a forklift to move, in diameters and tonnages that will boggle the mind. It's all plug and play, different length hoses and gauges available. Some of it even available used at reasonable prices if you look around.

 

[Skeans]

The main is the weight how compact they are. A set of silveys you can push over the limit more so then a port a power


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[056kid]

Ya missed a letter.

Sure did! Whoops.

 

[northmanlogging]

i really wish i knew just what can be done with a jack in the timber here. i hate to leave good sticks. i just have no clue how much the hinge would take in a jacking situation.
i am gonna leave a half load of huge poplar out by the road, every one of them wants the road and power line........i already wedged what i thought i could. one has a huge top, prolly heavier than the stem leaning toward the road. very busy road.

Anything like that climb em and pull em, but a Jack for back up is a good idea.

I've jacked a couple of cottonwoods, probably as close to yer populars as I'm going to get... the did ok... but the jack likes to sink into the wood.

By the way climbing isn't so bad with the right gear, no different the climbing a latter, safer really.

I'll confess I've never used a silvey, and only a few times used a bottle jack. Most times I'm just putting lines up high and pulling over. I've often wondered though, why the industrial type jacks never caught on for tree jacking. I've used a bunch of them in mining over the years and the range is enormous. Enerpac and a bunch of other companies make separate pump units and modular jacks of all shapes and sizes from the smallest hocky pucks right up to units you'd need a forklift to move, in diameters and tonnages that will boggle the mind. It's all plug and play, different length hoses and gauges available. Some of it even available used at reasonable prices if you look around.

Weight is a big concern, the silveys are pretty much all aluminium, and they come with a back pack board when you buy a set... the industrial versions are all very heavy.

 

[imagineero]

even non climbers can get in the game with a big shot, few throwlines and a bull rope.

 

[northmanlogging]

Yup and with a skidder's winch you don't need to go nearly as high as a tree service crew would, 20,000 pound winch is way better then 2-3 fat groundies

 

[BeatCJ]

I've jacked a couple of cottonwoods, probably as close to yer populars as I'm going to get... the did ok... but the jack likes to sink into the wood.

Cottonwood is in the poplar family, so nail on the head.

 

[northmanlogging]

So I was at the Demming Log show today, Borntrager had a booth there, nice folks and a decent product...

 

[madmarksolomon]

Jack report...while having lunch at the Samoa Cookhouse

Me..."How do you like those new jacks?"
Faller friend..."Pretty ****ing good."
Me..."Better than Silvey?"
Faller friend..."No, but close enough."
Me..."Hold pressure pretty good?"
Faller friend "Good enough I guess. Pass that meat platter over here will ya'?"

I'll be able to tell more about them next week. There's some OG to come out and every one has to be jacked.

Hmmm Samoa cookhouse used to eat there a lot when I was a kid. I try to eat there every time I'm in eureka. Must admit I'm a little jealous.

 

[madhatte]

I'm working on getting one of their 28-T jacks. I've had a couple that needed jacking this year and had to just flop them instead. Gov't purchasing is making this a bit difficult but I'll report as soon as I can.

 

[tramp bushler]

You need a Big Shot !! With 16 oz Throw Bags and a couple 200' hanks of throw line. put the line over a limb as high up as you have a clear stem . Or limbs that can be snapped off or bent up into the bole of the tree. pull a good pass rope up and down then pull up the shidders winch line or a length of wire rope or bull line . Bell it up or tie a running bowline on the bull line . tighten it up. Put in the face . cut out the heart. take a little more strain on the line then back cut it. Let the skidder pull it over gently. . easy pie. !! If you pre rig the trees with pass ropes the whole pulling process isnt that slow. But working near powerlines and roads/highways isnt a high ball show.

 

[tramp bushler]

Jacks are fine for somethings . But , a pulling line is the gold standard.
Oh and when shooting the throw bag , its best to do it from the powerline side. Draping a throw line over uninsulated powerlines can really raise your blood pressure .

 

[tramp bushler]

Been there , Dun That. wouldnt wear the T shirt.. . you want at least 50% of the height if you can get it 60% is better . 40% not as good.
And its somethimes fun playing around with a Big Shot

 

[madhatte]

Several of the ones I could have used a jack on this year weren't close enough to anything else to pull from, or were in an impact area where I can't put a vehicle. It's a unique hassle of working on an active military installation.

 

[tramp bushler]

Yup, a jack is just another tool in the fallers box. If around stuff that can be destroyed if a tree doesnt go where you need it to. Then pulling is the best safest. but if out in the right setting . Jacks are good time and effort savers. . It just depends on the show. One of the ways I have established my name as a faller and arborist is by nor hitting what I shouldnt . . Im pretty good at pulling a rabbit out of my hat and hitting my desired lay. But, I dont push what gravity and holding wood fighting with each other can do. Its amazing what a guy can pull over by hand when he puts a line 70' up a 100' tall tree and puts a whip and a luff and a profress capture on a good rope. . doesnt take a very big tail holt either.

 

[madhatte]

Well wouldja lookit this pretty thing. Just arrived and I haven't gotten a chance to use it. Fit and finish is excellent as is vendor feedback.

 

[Skeans]

Looks good, which size did you end up getting?

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