Wedges....

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Im looking for advice on the best felling wedge for felling small diameter trees. Average diameter between 8-15 inches. Some trees may be slightly smaller and some will be larger, but the majority are within the 8- 15 inch range.

We have a job coming up removing 800 Red and White Pines. We are basically thinning a stand. Timber will be salvaged and cut into predetermined lengths.

Im thinking 8" double tapered, but am open to advice. Im looking forward to this job as I will get to really work on my felling skills.
 
In small diameter pulp we would use a wooden pole about 8' long. It was also our measure stick for 8' 2" pulp length.
In the end would be a 16D nail with the head cut off and sharpened.
Gives a lot of leverage to push small diameter trees over.
Along with 7" and 8" high lift wedges it worked well.

Never tried a felling bar, so no idea on that.
 
if nothing else it keep the cut open till you get the saw out and a wedge in
119986_lg.jpg
 
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  • #9
Good idea Willie. Im definatley gonna add that to the list.
 
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  • #10
7d's. Nice and short, wide front, triplentaper, lots of lift.:evil:

Call me naive, but whats a 7d? I guess I wasnt aware of a triple taper. I want to get the most lift possible.
 
Call me naive, but whats a 7d? I guess I wasnt aware of a triple taper. I want to get the most lift possible.

I've always found them at any good sawshop, Bailey's, etc. I believe they are made by Double Taper wedge. There are 7d, and 10d 7" and 10". I use the 7's alot. Often in smaller wood its my first and often only wedge needed. I call it a triple taper, probably improperly, due tom what I see as three different angles of lift on the wedge unlike the normal falling wedge shape. The last third of the wedge really steepens in angle.
 
The little mini cant hook is nice as well. Looks like a handy little one-hand tool for assisting bucking up logs on the ground.
 
Too slow Carlito. Thinning ops usually require putting trres on the ground in a hurry...top did say that salvage is alos involved so a mini might help productivity in this case but trees of the size indicated won't make you any money doing complex rigging in a forestry setting or tying up 2 men and machine. Little wedges, push stick and maybe a felling bar(I've never used a felling bar but if I had another thinning contract I would experiment with one. )
 
I do thinnings from time to time and use wedges axe and fellingbar, fellingssticks are made when needed :)
When using the canthook on the fellingbar you can roll down hang up trees when your sight was not what it was supposed to be :P
you can give the felling bar more roll leverage by use a thin stem between the the tree trunk and the handle of the felling bar !
 

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For that size of trees, definitely felling bar. Just keep a couple of wedges near by, in case there is a tree you can't lever over with the bar.
The felling bar in the picture is the short model, Stihl makes one that is about 3½ feet long, that works a lot better. Gives you lots of leverage.
 
Too slow Carlito. Thinning ops usually require putting trres on the ground in a hurry...top did say that salvage is alos involved so a mini might help productivity in this case but trees of the size indicated won't make you any money doing complex rigging in a forestry setting or tying up 2 men and machine. Little wedges, push stick and maybe a felling bar(I've never used a felling bar but if I had another thinning contract I would experiment with one. )

Complex rigging? I was thinking of pushing them over ezpz like.
 
My point was that neither complex rigging Nor using a amachine make good return for time. The machine means two guys and a machine are tied up withone dinky tree-and there are hundreds to fell. 9Of course in normal thinning most trees are balanced trees that you simply cut and hand push toward the lay. Commercial thinning without salvage is bid based upon acres per man per day. You can't make money based upon manhours or minutes per tree-the work should progress in trees per minute. I realize that what I am describing is NOT precisely what Top is outlining but I'd lay odds that he isn't figuring on making any money unless a lot of trees hit the deck every day of work.
 
I think that Stumpers point is well taken, about a machine for pushing. If you have a lot of decent sized trees to cut that are leaning against the lay, that's when pushing can make up a lot of time. A different scenario than what was mentioned.
 
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  • #23
Seems like a mini skid would be jim dandy if the access was right.


There'll be 2 swingers on site. One for skidding, the other at the deck. Yes some could be pushed over with the loader, but the idea is to keep the trees coming down whilst the swinger stays busy forwarding material. Id be a fool to take on a job like that without a good selection of wedges in my pocket. Even with a loader on site.
 
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  • #24
but I'd lay odds that he isn't figuring on making any money unless a lot of trees hit the deck every day of work.


I dunno 3 to 6 trees per hour?
From the time its felled to being cut to length and stacked at the deck.
Some smaller trees may go in 5 minutes or less, but there are some bigger ones that could take up to a 1/2 hour. The Red Pines being the smaller, but some of the bigger white pines have a substantial amount of crown to them so may take a bit more time and encouragement. Id say average height is 70-80 feet?
The trick will be felling them without getting hung up in other trees, thats where the Swinger will be very helpful.
Im looking forward to this project. Should be next month sometime, and its at a huge corporate headquarters here in the cities. Im going to use the oppurtunity to quit smoking as well since, smoking is not allowed on the site and STRICTLY enforced. And since Ill be on the same site for 2-3 weeks I may as well use it to my advantage.
 
how many guys are you baseing those numbers on? 2? hauling chips? how far of a drag?
 
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