Sumpless tree removal without using a dozer or tractor.

[ScottA]

OK so you want to bring a tree down without the hassle of having a stump to deal with?

Step 1: Get you brother or some other brave soul to climb up high and attach a chain on the tree. In this case my brother is the selected brave soul.



Step 2: Using same brother direct them to connect chains and straps to a comalong and another tree. Be sure the the strap is low on the second tree.



Step 3: Tighten it up a bit. till it looks nice and scary. (see pic)



Step 4: Get your brother to dig out around the base of the tree a little to expose the roots so you can cut them with an axe, sawzall whatever.



Step 5: Send your brother to the truck to get the chain saw so you can finnish the job.



That's all there is to it. We had this tree down in about 30 minutes. Caution I never said this was overly safe so be sure you got decent riggin'.

[PEG688]

 One should use a brother-in -law for such tasks , way easier IF all goes wrong 


Just kidding  David , just in case my brother-in -law is a lurker    

[paul s]

i have been doing the same thing  pulling mine down into a clear field and a bit downhill  i tie it to the truck and put it in low gear and since it is automatic it does its thing  for more pull i turn the air conditioning to up the idle and get more pull works prety good  of course i do it while the wife is at work

[glenn kangiser]

Glad I'm not your brother, Scott.  I guess that is why my brother doesn't hang out with me much anymore....

I fell about a 80 footer the other day but kept my truck out of the way.  Come to think of it, it's still on the trailer.  Whitlock and I loaded it with the crane in 10'6" to 16'6"  logs.  About a 24" dia. at the butt.  Roots were not critical so just left them.

[firefox]

I take it that you use a remote to kill the engine once the tree has let loose?
So you drop the chain saw and grab the remote. Wow, that must take good reflexes to jump away from the chain saw
Bruce

[glenn kangiser]

Not me.  I think I mentioned a few weeks ago I was up a tree about 4 feet standing on a cut off limb cutting a section of the oak tree off and the chainsaw kicked back - I threw it about 8 feet away and jumped the other way - doing good but hit my heel on a rock.  Ouch - Just getting to where that one doesn't hurt.  On the ground the chainsaw always goes with me unless something goes wrong - then it can stay and I'm outa there.

Normal on the ground procedure for me is to cut a face in the in the butt of the tree centered on the direction I want it to fall.  Know my position and location of all obstacles and the location of the building 2 feet away that I don't want the tree to fall on.  The face is cut about 1/3 or a little more through the tree.  I then cut through the back side of the tree opposite the face until the popping and movement starts, keeping the saw running as I make a last moment check of the direction of fall.    I make a last minute weakening cut toward the face on the side I want it to fall farther away from to fine tune the fall location, then I grab the still runnng saw and get the hell out of there. 

By this time the tree is about halfway to the ground.  I try to stay clear of widow makers and the back side of the tree in case something wants to pop back.  That is for straight trees with no wind.  Wind and leaners take different precautions as well as ones with houses nearby.

About a year and a half ago I took down a 140 footer and a 120 footer (leaner) for a house pad.  Two of these fell exactly as I wanted and the other was within 10 feet at the top - not too bad.

[MountainDon]

Seems to me I like pushing the trees over with a dozer better than pulling one over. But that's maybe just me and my sense for self preservation.

[glenn kangiser]

That works there, but our trees are many times too big to push or pull - even with a D8.

It's like.... us Californians have big ones.

[Whitlock]

The proof-


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Sherman_tree

[paul s]

no remote on the truck, rope is strong enough and tree bigenough it does not go any place  well not yet any how

i get by with what i got  a dozer here is 680 ollars per day my neighbor has a  trach hoe excavator like plumers  use and he digs and i pull and the go down quick we do about  a tree ever 20 min  had 35 when i started down to about 20 now.

[Redoverfarm]

The cable and winch are fine providing that you can get high enough on the tree.  Any bow hunters will appreciate using a bow & arrow to locate a higher location.  Fishing reel bow to shoot over a high limb. Followed by a larger dia rope pulled then a cable from the rope.  Or I guess if you were really good throwing rocks you could do it that way.  But I am like Don a dozer is the only way to go providing the tree is green and in good shape.

I once was clearing a fence row with a 450 track loader.  Worked well but not on a semi-dead locust.  Thank goodness that it had ROPS cage.  Does anyone know what a 10" diameter tree top sounds like hitting the roll over on a 450.  

[Redoverfarm]

Yeah Paul a trackhoe or excavator works a little better.  You can use the hoe to apply pressure higher on the tree.  A little stuborn then undermine the roots a little and over it goes. 

I also used the 450 to clear an old orchard 150 acs.  Got it down to about a tree every 2 minutes until the owner got the bright idea to sell the wood.  Allowed them to cut the tree first. That just added another 5-10 minutes to the removal process.   

[glenn kangiser]

He should have got the wood sellng idea after the trees were on the ground - but with the dozer - not the chainsaw.