Big tree, ...back still hurts thinking about it

[LittleJohn]

This story is from a few years and some of you all might appreciate it.   

So one of my sisters co-worker told her about a tree in her yard and if my dad was interested, in taking the whole tree, cause its WHITE OAK and everyone know my dad has a sawmill and is always looking for good firewood.  He can't make it down to the spot to look at the tree, so I go and check it out for him; I tend to think that I know more than he does (TBD).  So I pull up to the house, about a 1/4 mile driveway winding thru the woods (I am thinking how fun it will be to take a 20' trailer down this driving the daully). 

At first I am impressed/scared on the drive in, its winter and about every 50' or so is a MASSIVE Oak trees (3' bases minimum), inches from the drive.  I pull up into the yard and their it is the tree with a broken limb, 4.5' coming out of the ground goes up about 10' and forks into 2 branch each between 2.5 and 3 foot across.  The one that had broken off and almost hit the house was the later, easliy 3'.  So after some measureing and figured (assuming I know how much fits on my dad dually and wood trailer - 16' with grapple arm) I had to break the bad news to him and my best guess is that we would be LUCKY to be able to clean up the wood on the ground.  I then informed him if he wanted to drop the rest of tree, to hire someone with a BIG O' SAW. 

Sure enough a couple of weeks later we pack up the truck, saws and trailer and head down. Three hours later, the "branch" on the ground has taken of every bit of space and weight that we can handle for the ride home.  Left all the branches under about 2", and tops.