Interesting tree felling video

[mick05]

Hi guys,
Found this interesting video the other day, looks pretty cool the way it twists on the stump.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxdH7Gihxik

[RHP Logging]

Round two huh? Curious if they come up with similar replies here.

[treeslayer2003]

i thought he was putting in a siswheel........it didn't work that way. i couldn't hear it, did he mean for it to do what it did?

[Ianab]

I think it landed where he wanted, but I'm not sure why the little spin was needed to get it there? Seems to be about 45° off the direction of the lean. A GOL style bore cut would have put it in the same place with a lot less ballet?

[coxy]

wonder why some people cut the stumps so high loosing a lot of bf doing that

[Spartan]

It twisted after it broke the holding wood over that siswheel type thing.  Thats not how I put in a siswheel.

I would have dumped it in the lean and had the second one on the ground when his hit. ;D

[chep]

Not enough info. Looked like it rolled through another tree maybe? I don't think he meant to do it. Looked like he was experimenting with a siswheel etc.
  Guys with big belllys don't like to get down for lower stumps haha

[treeslayer2003]

any time the wheel does not pull a chunk out of the stump, it failed. the purpose it to pull the stick around, it should never break clean like that.

[RHP Logging]

Not enough info. Looked like it rolled through another tree maybe? I don't think he meant to do it. Looked like he was experimenting with a siswheel etc.
  Guys with big belllys don't like to get down for lower stumps haha

This is the correct answer. It rolled through the tree in front of it. You can see all the brush land in the front corner of the frame. The siswheel did nothing. It broke off almost right away and the tree went were it was going anyway. Just happened to be the way he aimed it. Also he cut the back cut from the low dangerous side. Don't ever cut under the lean of the swing unless you absolutely have to and really know what you're doing. I'm guessing the high stump was for convienence.  Even though the guy is dressed to the hilt it doesn't look like a timber sale to me.

[RHP Logging]

any time the wheel does not pull a chunk out of the stump, it failed. the purpose it to pull the stick around, it should never break clean like that.

Right, he didn't swing anything. How's it going Mike? Finally drying up here a little.

[treeslayer2003]

any time the wheel does not pull a chunk out of the stump, it failed. the purpose it to pull the stick around, it should never break clean like that.

Right, he didn't swing anything. How's it going Mike? Finally drying up here a little.

goin ok, yeah its starting to get right, starting to move a few loads. gonna get into the 90s next week, i'll miss the cool cloudy then lol. you been busy?

[RHP Logging]

any time the wheel does not pull a chunk out of the stump, it failed. the purpose it to pull the stick around, it should never break clean like that.

Right, he didn't swing anything. How's it going Mike? Finally drying up here a little.

goin ok, yeah its starting to get right, starting to move a few loads. gonna get into the 90s next week, i'll miss the cool cloudy then lol. you been busy?

It was a very wet spring. 6th wettest on record. Rained 21 days in April so even though we had no snow/frost for break up that was a kick in the teeth. Been good and dry a few weeks now. Going to hit 90 today. I suspect a hot dry summer.

[longtime lurker]

Looked like it did what it was supposed to to me. Not how I'd do it though - but if it works and everyone goes home alive then its all good.

Y'all guys dont know a real lot about cutting seriously dense short grained aussie hardwoods.... you rarely see fiber pull on a stump here and a siswheel wont work well in the stuff: It'll always break clean, just how it is. Totally different wood to what you guys see and techniques need to be changed to suit the tree because we all know the tree aint going to change to suit the technique. No offense meant - I'd need to change my bag of tricks to cut what you guys cut too.

[John Mc]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, Mick05.

[treeslayer2003]

i bet a wheel will work for ya lurker. i said the exact same thing but when i got the hang of it i found i could even do it on brittle white oak and hickory. the all important rule is all the cuts must match precisely. even a slight 3/8" over cut will make it break right off before it turns. also i have to make the wheel cuts deeper and broader on hardwood than pine. i had to modify the western cuts a little to get them to work, but the big thing is to keep the face really open and match every cut precise.

[longtime lurker]

The wood grain structure is a lot different in some of these species. So you've got wood that's maybe half again as dense as W.O., 200% stronger which means it will hold on nothing for a hinge... and with a short grain that means it tends to shear and go hard and fast when it does.

I'm not saying a wheel won't work but sis depends on longitudinal fibre to pull the tree around. (And a siswheel works real well in other species here come to that)
But in stuff like ironbark which is what OP appears to be playing with a siswheel  will start to pull it then the fibre will shear so you get that spin effect. It works but can be a bit unpredictable and I dislike unpredictable. You also got to factor in that most eucalypts have a scraggly top rather then a bushy form... puts all the head weight in one place quite often.

To use a siswheel in those species you also need to use uneven hinging to help get her started so the face of the wheel only carries load once the tree is moving. So the off side of the tree let's go and it pulls around a bit and hits progressive resistance from the hinge and then as that shears the vertical fibre keeps helping as a kind of last drag in the right direction.

My experience is it's better in those woods to let weight and momentum drive it where you want it rather then try and use fibre to pull it where you want it. Get her moving first then let her kick off a hard Dutchman. Or just use the big yellow wedge. ;D