Yup. Bottle jacks are good for a little lift but if you get in a situation where you need a lot of lift they'll usually create more problems than they solve.
Plus, if the tree is punky cutting a good solid jack seat might not even be possible.
Tricks for large punky pumpkins
- Thread starter sierratree
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
Yup. Bottle jacks are good for a little lift but if you get in a situation where you need a lot of lift they'll usually create more problems than they solve.
Plus, if the tree is punky cutting a good solid jack seat might not even be possible.
forestryworks
Addicted to ArboristSite
I'd suspect even if there was a solid spot of wood, a jack on a 40" diameter snag would create some bad mechanical stresses and send the thing slabbing off the stump around ya.
dave k
Addicted to ArboristSite
Great advice in very few posts, just shows the depth of knowledge here.
I've sometimes wondered on a smallish dead stem with no real natural lean would there be any use in attaching a weight to the bull rope so you have a constant but light load to help it over ? the rope would be secured taught and the weight would keep it that way. I have far to much time on my jands today !!
I've sometimes wondered on a smallish dead stem with no real natural lean would there be any use in attaching a weight to the bull rope so you have a constant but light load to help it over ? the rope would be secured taught and the weight would keep it that way. I have far to much time on my jands today !!
OP You did'nt say if you needed to fall it 90 deg. from the lean to make it easier to get to for firewood or if it gets away and falls into the lean it will destroy your house or? What kind of tree? Also there is punky and PUNKY? How much side lean? Head lean? These ? could make a big diff in how to proceed.
Last edited:
sierratree
ArboristSite Member
Got a head lean about 8'. Need to pull it to the side a little less 90 degrees. Tree about 80' tall. Like I said, haven't bored in yet, so don't know what's inside. Just need to give it a little persuasion to miss it's natural target.......pretty sure I'll use a bull rope at a strong point to help it around........will be looking up.......sop.....There's still the option of letting time take care of it, too. But would rather get it down and be done with it.......I'll be wearing my running shoes.....
That could happen.
I am not a fan of using a bottle jack however (with top and bottom plates) it can provide gentle lift. I don't mean to say force the tree over but to use it, along with wedges, to provide lift that will not cause limbs to break off.
Of course a tree jack is much better.
Of course a tree jack is much better.
Sport Faller
Gate Pimp
most of the punky doug fir and larch around here that I've encountered might have a nice solid "shell" of outer wood when you could pretty much kick a hole in the middle
If you have the means to set your line at 50' + you should be in good shape. A second line (not to pull, just guy) set at 90 deg. to your intended lay would help if the hinge wood is in bad shape.
Yeah dead Douglass-firs will typically have that hard rind with the entire center turned to dust. Jeffery pines and Sugar pines will do the same thing in a dry area.
SawGarage
Addicted to ArboristSite
I guess it was late, yes, thinking more of a tree-jack, or a bottle with some GOOD top-bottom plates....bolt-on, or welded diamond plate for some good grip...
it would be nice if there was a bit of GOOD hinge wood... I'd be tempted to try a compressing dutchman, IF the bull rope wasn't really and option. but, a BIT of tension, or a winch on the line around another tree with a strap/snatch block would be a good setup. Course, all depends on HOW MUCH help you have available. Can't do 2-3 jobs, and be SAFE @ the same time...
Jay
Depends on the snag; in particular, how it died and how long ago. Butt and root rots will commonly leave a rind of sapwood in good condition with no solid heartwood. If the tree lost its top to wind or a top rot, the red crumbly rot and the beetles will work from the outside in, in which case the sapwood is mush but the heartwood is solid. You'll want to bore into the tree to figure out its structural integrity before committing to a plan.
Very good advice from a pro.
Thank yez, thank yez. It's all about being observant!
I noticed that with yellow pines back east, White pine was usually sound wood outside and rot or carpenter ants in the middle if there was rot. Hemlock sometimes had real dotey wood with the strong stuff right inside the bark. I have really no idea what Dougs are like:msp_rolleyes: Be interesting to see.
sierratree
ArboristSite Member
After it's on the ground, I'll post some close ups of the stump, etc., so you guys can see what's inside.......
Last edited:
RandyMac
Stiff Member
Some of the worst rotten snags are the true Firs, they tend to collapse as the bar approaches the hinge, trapping the bar, then falling where ever they want.
OregonSawyer
ArboristSite Operative
Typically Firs that are punky decay from the inside out. Like this...
You can even see the different stages at the butt-end of this log. Hollow in the middle and becoming more sound the further out you get.
With that said. Be safe and very alert. The tree in the top picture had about 40' of head-lean, turns out the 5" rind wasn't enough to hold it up
You can even see the different stages at the butt-end of this log. Hollow in the middle and becoming more sound the further out you get.
With that said. Be safe and very alert. The tree in the top picture had about 40' of head-lean, turns out the 5" rind wasn't enough to hold it up
Typically Firs that are punky decay from the inside out. Like this...
I see evidence of at least three fungi there. The center was originally attacked by the brown cubical rot, but when it died, the red crumbly rot took over. What likely actually killed the tree was the laminated root rot, which is evident in the remaining sapwood and the stain in the log on the mill. Note that the brown cubical rot seldom kills trees except by accident, the red crumbly rot is a decay fungus that only sets in after the tree is dead, and the laminated root rot can kill a healthy tree in a matter of weeks. Autopsying trees from the stumps and logs is essential in understanding the dynamics between trees and their associates beneath the soil; a healthy tree may show no evidence of disease hidden deep within the bole, while a dying tree may show symptoms of something other than what's killing it. The post-mortem is where all the pieces come together into a clear picture.
sierratree
ArboristSite Member
great pics...........40' of headlean? that's alot of headlean. that tree must have really been bent over.
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
Hi from Florida recent Chainsaw injury experience with my son- Latest: Breckinridge Elkins
-
-
-
-
-
-
