How much wind would cause you to stop falling trees with a chain saw for ?
10-20mph?
20-30mph?
More? Less?
Anything over 12mph gets my attention.
Depends on the location, foliage, lean and general condition.
When i go get the saw and look at the trees and the little guy in my head is saying put it down,put it down, PUT IT DOWN. ;) ;) ;).
I like a very calm day. Very little wind to no wind.
Thanks Alot Mr Mom
Working in the open, even a little wind gets my attention. Thinning in the thicker woods with a tractor and winch I'm quite a bit braver. Usually have to winch them down even in no wind.
Any time I look up and the tops are swinging around I get concerned. A little breeze is nice though. I'd guess over it's around the 15mph mark that I find something else to do besides falling. Never had a wind speed indicator in my pocket ;) ;D :)
I usually work when it is very windy when thinning our spruce. You feel uncomfortable due to maybe something snapping off and falling on you, but that can happen even if your walking along hunting etc...
I get uncomfortable when the ground starts heaving and you start moving up and down when standing on the shallow spruce roots... it makes me dizzy...
It is actually a big help if you can fall in the right direction with the wind...
I agree with Corley on this too. With a breeze it helps the fell trees only if they are going in the direction of the wind. When the tops start swinging back and forth than you have little control on the direction of the felling and you can get in trouble real fast. So I watch the wind direction for felling decisions but the tops to decide if it is a no go at all.
Farmerdoug
Being a pilot I pay a LOT of attention to wind.
My rule of thumb is motion in the tree top like Corley said.
If I can see the top moving I watch it for a while and decide how much and which way.
Often it doesn't stop me though, but it affects which direction I want to fell it in.
I agree with Corley and F.D. I watch the tops for a min or two if they are moving constantly I quit. If it just a breeze once in a while I use it to my advantage. I once cut a pine before taking the GOL that went down the hill 60' from too much wind and it broke it off before I got to the hinge,thats not Safe.
I keep an eye on the weather forecast and try to plan my work in the woods so I have skidding, bucking and decking to do when a windy day is forcast. Depending on the circumstances, as Keven said, I may cut in a light wind (probably about 10 mph) if the wind is blowing in my favor and fairly steady, not gusting.
I live by the "If ya have ta ask, then ya know the answer," rule. If you think it's too windy....then it is.
Accidents happen so fast and you cannot stop a tree once she's goin down.... >:( >:( >:(
Back when I was 20 or so a very good friend of mine was killed droppin' a firewood tree in the wind........ :-\ :-\
It's not that important....There will be another day..... ;) ;) ;)
I'm with Burl on this one. If you stop to ponder it, it probly means you already know the answer.
Like everyone else it depends on the wind and where and what i'm cutting. Dont like pine when windy. Hardwoods I can stand more wind. Wind can be freind or foe.
I also do not like tree stands on windy days either. ::) I fact I generally hunt on ground level most of the time now. ;D
Farmerdoug
I do urban tree removal, so if the tree sways and breaks the hinge or decides to go sideways on the way down, even with cables on it, it can be a bad experience. So, if the top of the tree is swaying (I would guess 10 mph), especially pine, its time for video games. ;)
My rule of thumb is, if my hard hat blows off, im outta there!
Its 1pm and 12 degs the wind sounds at time like its blowing 35mph.The skidder won't start so here I sit. Going to research that small harvesting equip thread.
Last year a logger here got killed working in I think 40+ mph wind :o What he was doing out in that kinda weather, I have no idea :-\
About 15 years ago when I was chopping in the woods we gave up about noon one day. The winds kept changing. The guy cutting firewood on the landing asked how we were getting the trees down. I just said not a problem, cut them off and run like hell. Oh to be young and foolish. That is why I am in the houde today. :(
Will
I think we tend to over-estimate wind speed. We think the wind is blowing faster or harder than it really is when the speed is actually measured with a wind guage. In other words it doesn't take as much wind to move things as we think it does. With our aerial spraying operations once every year, we get pretty good at estimating wind speeds since we can't spray when it's blowing 5 mph or higher. We measure it with wind guages, and it was an eye opener to me when I discovered how little wind it takes to move things around.
At 5 mph the small upper tree branches are swaying and leaves are rustling. At 10 mph 3' x 5' and smaller flags are fully extended. 20 mph and sapling sized trees are leaning, flags are "snapping", and it is hard to stand up. 40 mph you can hardly brace yourself against it, and small children are blown next door. ;D. Any higher and you need to chain yourself to heavy equipment or very large friends. And of course 75 and above is hurricane force.
But like everybody is saying, you don't really need to know how many mph it is. Like BK says if you are wondering if it's too windy to cut... it is.