Recovering From A Stalled Tree

lxskllr

Treehouser
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This fall I'm gonna be dropping a large dead oak. Not sure which one yet, so I haven't thoroughly inspected the situation. The one I'm most interested in would be best felled uphill, but it can go anywhere. It's not a huge deal.

Assuming it leans downhill, if I were to fall it uphill, how could I recover if I misjudge, and can't wedge it over? By memory, it's 32"dbh, and I'll be doing it without equipment aside from rope, a puller, pulleys, and misc stuff. IOW, probably not enough to handle a tree of that size. Is there any way of recovering, or should it be avoided altogether, and take it in the direction of lean if any?
 
Pics.

You can pull anything with enough leverage.

Maasdam continuous rope pullers are cheap and powerful, while lightweight.

One up high, and one in beefier wood can do an enormous amount of pulling, especially with a 2:1.

A lot depends on the lean and how the tree is shaped/ weighted.

Can it be climbed to set the lines?

Decayed?
 
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  • #3
I don't have a pic yet. Not even sure exactly what tree. I have a few to choose from, and all are big. It hasn't gotten past the point of going "hmm...". I need to get out and firm up the plan. The main tree I'm looking at it is dead, and if I fall it in the direction I want, I'll probably climb it to remove some sketchy dead stuff that would be over the back cut. I wouldn't want to pound wedges with that stuff overhead. I have a massdam, and could set a line while I was up there. I haven't yet determined lean if any. It actually looks fairly straight, but since it's on a hill, that can be deceiving.

I'm just starting to form a plan, and wanted to ask in case the worst happens. It's bigger than any tree I've done, and I don't want to be standing there with stacked wedges and a hanging tree. Like I said, it can go anywhere. I'd just prefer it went uphill. As it starts getting cooler, I'll firm up the tree and the plan.
 
But if you are maxed out with the rope puller, and the wedges aren't gonna do it, you can be successful counting on both at the same time. The wedges with a heavy lifting power and the rope puller, not quite as strong, but with a giant leverage. Pull the rope hard, pound the set of wedges hard too, then the rope, the wedges again ... bit by bit you should see a progress, tinny at first, then, more and more noticeable.
You may sweat a little.:D
 
If direction doesn't matter , size up the easiest lay. Lean is the obvious factor but getting a dead top through the other standing tops.
 
Oh ! and before doing anything at all, be sure that the tree isn't too decayed to sustain the wedge's pressure. Punky wood lifts nothing.
I recall a trunk of a big dying cedrus, backleaner of course, not much, but ...
 
Yes, kind like a crane or jack is only as good as ground stands on.
Of curse if compression was decayed quite possibly tension comprised for forward and side control
>>perhaps would be dead stop before escalated to stop dead.
 
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  • #10
Yea, significant rot will lead to a different selection, or if the rot isn't too bad, letting it go in the direction it wants. The main tree I looked at still had bark well attached down low, though the upper limbs had shed their bark. I still need to check it out with an axe.
 
You can push an awful lot with a hydraulic bottle jack. A plate on top of the jack might not be necessary if its oak. Keep the wedges tight. Don't do it in the wind.
 
Oak can be remarkably solid down low, many years after it dies, as long as there wasn't rot down there, to begin with.

Most important factor would be falling exactly 180 degrees to the lean, so there is zero side lean. Hinge failure is going to be casued by side lean. After that use multiple ropes and a rigging plan that allows you to pull one at a time with MA, while the others are locked off. A simple prussic minded pulley set up should work to that end. I've pulled with the skid steer and had the progress captured with a prussic. In that case where the pull is well over 1,500 lbs, I would use an old piece of 1/2 inch line and lots of wraps in the prussic... maybe 8-10

The bigger and heavier the back lean the more ropes you need.. 3 is not uncommon for a decent sized tree.
 
On pulls from backlean, i think over the top is best lacing;
>>for it stays at top thru rotation
>>tying to front more of a change i think.
.
Also have always thought over the top, tie down low above cut
>>is more of arc input, into trying to get arc movement on hinge.
.
180 fall to bear along hing major length to fold across minor
>>does put the most leveraged length of hinge against sidelean
But i think can also get a lil'crazy in biggers
>>step Dutch can help once moving
>>this is where i've played with side rope thingy
All in all not fave unless shorter broken off and no other way.
 
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