Water Felling

[1984 Noob]

i just got a job where a bunch of pines are near the water....when they fell they will barely get wet, but the behind area is not bobcat-pushable...


the tree is leaning in the area of felling, but i'm going to run a line to my friends jetski (customer's neighbor) just to make sure it falls exactly where i want it.


bascially the tree is surrounded entirely by delicates, there is no other way to anchor to another tree, it is lone standing...so either we get a crane or dissasemble the elevated deck/walkway and drop through that.


has anyone ever dropped using boats/jetskis?


they have a broken boat but they said the jetski has more horsepower anyways.

what do you guys think?

 

[Redbull]

Never done it, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Pics would help, but from what you're saying, the trees are already headed toward the lake anyway, so a jetski shouldn't have any problem. Just remember, you have no brakes to stop it if it goes the wrong way. Have fun and be careful.

 

[skwerl]

unless the tree has a backlean, the jetski will be unneccessary. Your notch is what steers the direction of the tree. If you're just gonna pull on it as hard as you can and "cut-n-pray", then you're looking for an accident. Although God seems to look out for fools (and drunks).

 

[CaseyForrest]

All I can picture is a Trebuche(sp), and a jet ski and rider flying.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

I would be a bit sceptical about using a jetski for pulling power, although there are some powerful suckers out there its not like it has any purchase or anchoring power if the engine coughs at the wrong time, but hey! its worth a shot, video it and im sure it will, at the very least be interesting!

 

[1I'dJak]

reminds me of the hand falling that used to be done on the bc coast... guys gypo logging small blocks anlong the coastline, often using boats...these guys were often of the old-time fisherman-fallers... one of the last guys i know that did this, a fisherman, had bought a jet boat (canadians will remember) that was relic's boat from the beachcombers...

 

[smokechase II]

water stuff

This sounds like the kind of thing I would like to schedule my next Florida vacation around.

I would suggest you look at very very solidly anchoring a boat over a tree length away and using that as a sturdy anchor to pull the tree from.

How solid is the wood?

 

[1984 Noob]

there is nothing really in the path of the tree except a dock decking that is 50 feet from the actual boat dock, and there are supports about 10 feet wide withthe tree in the center


basically i can just simply fell the tree through the removed dockspace, but just to make sure, i want a rope on all things near delicate ????

1 ground man would be fine, but the lack of land is the only problem, i wouldn't need to slam it into full throttle on te jetski, just some constant pressure, like a hair on the throttle above idle


yeah these people are loaded

on the opposite side of the tree, encompassing it, there is a perfectly maintained put-put course, with hills and dirt sculpted, and like 8 little holes....its like a lake put fantasy.


anyways there is nothing coming down on that, i could bring the t190 on it to push the tree down buti dn't want to risk damaging the fake turf.


so i'll just make a funny video of it, and use the jetski, possibly get a camera on the jetski to make a funny google video.


its a pine about 50 foot, 2&¢ feet at the base





after the orlando storms 2 years ago, they got quoted at 10 grand to crane out all these pines (no more than 50 ft each)


it would be so easy to just dissessemble the deck and fell it




my buddy who lives across the street also on the lake (its like a 10 house mini peninsula) they have 2 pines that have eroded beds and they are both leaning to the dock, i don't know if they want to take them down now, but they will fall if we have another hurricane.


i think it looks like insurance wouldn't cover it, i'll have to take pictures
]

it looks like 1/5 of the tree you can see the roots, the trunk is like the dropoff point of the land/water.


that i would definately have to use a big boat to pull because i'd have to pull it like 30-40 degrees against the lean


i'll go take some pics tomorrow for the hell of it

 

[clearance]

Do what you got to do Noob. Jak, about Relic, that would be a fun guy to go stealing shake blocks with, huh? Could outfox the mounties and drive outta Gibsons with a dozen cords on a rented truck, thanks for the breakfast Nick.

 

[BostonBull]

We had a guy that works for us think it was a good idea to drop a 25' top out of a white pine onto the lake shore form a 90' tree. The problem was he used a 21' ski boat with a 454. He also thought that when he started his backcut he could cut just as fast as the boat pulled. In the ned he got bounced back and forth like one of those balls on a string attached to a paddle that kids play with. The top of the tree shot off like a rocket with his back cut only about 1/4 of the way through. He broke 8 ribs and ended up upside down 15' below where his top cut was upside down and half unconcious.

Not a good idea. Just put a notch in it and if anything else leave more branches on the front of the top then the back for more weight in the felling direction.

Good Luck

 

[jp hallman]

The jetski sounds like the fun way. Am I reading this right? 50 foot tree, 28" on the butt? Use a pike pole for leverage. Push it over. You just want to use the Jetski don't you!

 

[RichGSkyline]

I heard a great story a couple of years back. A cottager near a friend's place decided the price was too high to take down this big sugar maple. This guy decided that he could do it with his buddy. It just so happened that he had recently bought an 18' bowrider with a 150hp out board. The maple... 70' or so tall has just a "bit" of a back lean over the cottage. So he says to buddy in the boat "when I tell you to go just giver!" Well... its not the same if you just picture what happens next so I'll tell you. cottager makes some kind of "front cut" and she starts to go.... he tells buddy to giver and buddy never stops moving backwards till the outboard pulls through the dock its run into and seperates from the transom. By this point big sugar has gone through a fair bit of roof material and the original price for removal seems rediculously looooooooooooow!


Never use something floating in the water to pull a tree over! It has just enough to pull your ass out of the water skiing not much else.

 

[treeman82]

I'm just curious, what are you planning to do with this tree once it hits the water? Why not just get some alturnamats or something and lay them down so a mini-x can get in there to push the tree over and then drag the tree out of the water. I mean this jetski and house are worth ? The alturnamats or even plywood won't be more than a few hundred bucks.

 

[Graeme]

Sounds like a fun day. If there is some uncertanty with the jet ski/winch vehicle, it might be a good idea to put a line onto a dyno and see what pull it can generate.

If the pull created was a bit close to the line pull required, you could wait for me to purchase my tax exempt jet ski (for tree work of course). I'll come over and help you.

Graeme

 

[1984 Noob]

okay, the tree won't actually hit the water....but for a pull line to have any effect it would have to be jesus pulling.

the backside of the tree is a delicate golf course


the tree is leaning towards the destination felling zone, so i'm not worried about it hitting anything except the elevated deckwalk 50 ft from the dock.


i don't need to use a rope, but i don't think it would hurt to put 1 mans tension on it with a little over throttle


????


all the negatives make me not even want to use a pull line.

i'm not relying on it, i'm just using it as a little more directional guidance

 

[coydog]

pines hinge really well , make sure your cut is right, leave a good hinge and keep a wedge handy.

 

[clearance]

pines hinge really well , make sure your cut is right, leave a good hinge and keep a wedge handy.

There is a man with reason, its as easy as falling out of bed, pines are easy, good holding wood, undercut, backcut, stop being foolish, put it on the ground.

 

[jmack]

experienced

We had a guy that works for us think it was a good idea to drop a 25' top out of a white pine onto the lake shore form a 90' tree. The problem was he used a 21' ski boat with a 454. He also thought that when he started his backcut he could cut just as fast as the boat pulled. In the ned he got bounced back and forth like one of those balls on a string attached to a paddle that kids play with. The top of the tree shot off like a rocket with his back cut only about 1/4 of the way through. He broke 8 ribs and ended up upside down 15' below where his top cut was upside down and half unconcious.

Not a good idea. Just put a notch in it and if anything else leave more branches on the front of the top then the back for more weight in the felling direction.

Good Luck

sounds like the pull driver was clueless thank god yer bud was ok after the shaking

 

[tawilson]

If it's just for an added precaution, why not use two ropes at a 45 degree angle to the water anchored at the shoreline? It sounds like you are far enough away from the shore. I'm not an expert, but I'd thought I'd throw this out there for the experts to bash.

 

[oldugly]

Some time ago, (when I was youngugly) we used a pontoon with four anchors, and an electric winch to pull a similar tree over to the lake. (Although the lean was backwards) This seemed to work well, a nice steady slow pull, and a solid anchoring point for a winch. The tree came down in the lake as planned, and gentle enough to make an olympic diver jealous at lack of impact wave. A jetski, although plenty of horse power, is light, and not much of a tool....great toy...but not heavy equipment.