Leaners

[Greenhorn]

Wondering if anybody has any tricks for blocking down a leaning spar. I dont spend too much time in spikes so that may explain it but I find it extremely hard to cut notches / tie rigging on spars that have a decent amount of lean.

[MasterBlaster]

1st piece of advice; WEAR HOOKS, and get used to em.

[Old Monkey]

I can't think of any tricks per se, it is a hard thing to do. You really don't need much of a face cut if you are falling with the lean, so I wouldn't spend too much time on them.

[TheTreeSpyder]

i'm not one for hooks myself, but that is a strategy hear.

Guy wire with ropes against the lean; tighten , lock off line and extend the compression gear (piggy backed on top of the guy rope)so it can be retightened as you take weight off and the leaner sits up some (slackening the guy 'wire'). Otherwise you are supported well only at the start; by the guy rope. Low impact & do back weight last so it can be a further ballast against lean and impacts into lean. Try to tie in to another overhead support; and even run rigging line from another support to the leaner as secondary support(unless this line can move either tree towards the other when shocked!). Then try to free fall what ya can without rope. cot and throw stuff on hinge and race to cut hinge so stuff throws away from you; with no shaking of leaner, like some kind of ninja move of grace and power.

Instead of running line straight to ground; run it along the strength column of the spar or similair angle. Try to muscle and flex stuff over on hinge so slow; it doesn't impact line; sometimes using a prybar and pushing on top of block/wood at same time. The push down on lever and up on top of lad/block gives 2 distance inputs; like a 2:1 action. i favor a semi trailer tire spoon for a lever, as it fits into the kerf nicely; and has about no give. The hinge at lean will already be forced stronger (will flex over earlier; from it's own weight leverage) than a shallower lean; and have less travel to be upside down too. Also, you can sometimes get it to flex over to the side of the lean sum. The rope choice should be fairly elastic for the weight. Even elastic, but too high a tensile will give too little elasticity. Also, elastic can be Pretightened; and this can even help muscle over the load on the hinge farther before any drop impact into line. first hitch higher than just a butt tie, is a way to sneak extra elastic length into system; and you can place hand in face and push out on line to help sweat line tighter more easily.

So, i guess this is the flipside strategy of OM's. Either can be right by circumstance and/or orchestration IMLHO(but i see most things like that).

[Greenhorn]

Todays removal was what got me wondering. It was a leaning trunk about 20 - 22 inches diameter with no options for overhead tie in. And of course pool and fence beneath. I used multiple "level" cuts with 20 inch bar - finishing with hand saw. Then leaned foward just enough to grab pieces and throw them off to one side behind me. Would have preferred to rig it out but with that much lean couldnt figure out how to get close enough to the work at hand. Gerry mentions resting a knee up against the truck and tightening the safefy up - thus allowing the installation of rigging perhaps..
Oh well, just some green problems I guess. Leaners with no overhead tie in are just a PITA!

[Old Monkey]

You know how to make a snap cut don't you? You cut most of the way across from right to left(or vice versa) and then make a little cut lower than you first cut from left to right. You put your saw down and break the piece of toward the small cut.

[gf beranek]

Working on a leaning trunk over obstacles and without an overhead tie-in or purchase point to rig from is,,,,, well, about as tuff as it can get.

Small pieces is the rule. Snap cuts are a little risky there, I'd say, OM. Handable size, or rig'em off the stem. Could get a little bouncy on a whip, hey?

[Greenhorn]

yah, I use snap cuts, mostly in smaller stuff but I guess its good for larger to if properly executed.

Moral of the leaner story - bid high for such things - and then pay some one else to do it!

[Blinky]

Snap cuts are good on bigger stuff too.

My first thought would be rigging small chunks off the stem and having the groundies land them away from the targets with a tagline. It's still handy to do snap cuts because they're easier than notches and you can control exactly when they fall.