Directional Felling Techniques for Narrow Tall Leaning Fence Line Trees

[Nealm66]

Have you considered a Lewis winch? I’ve used them a lot and pulled some large hard leaning trees off they’re lean but I climb up a ways with spurs. I have used a tree service slingshot with success but it’s much faster to climb. 

[stavebuyer]

Its your place and you want what you want but I would stick to a clearing a driveable/mowable trail along the fence and let the canopy close. Unless you clear-cut a tree length swath on both sides you will be fixing fence anyway. Alot less mowing on a shady lane. You got the mulcher to handle the encroaching branches and if the canopy closes there won't be many of them.

[Walnut Beast]

I would hire a man with a track feller / Buncher. Let the logger do his thing and make you a wide road for you. You can cut lumber and make $$. On a lot of trees, you will be using the swing motor on your new toy. Swing doesn't have the muscle like when you're pushing or pulling with the boom.

The right tool for the right job.
You might get it all done for $2.000 to 3,000 short money

He might as well hire somebody else to run his sawmill while he has coffee 😂. With the equipment he has that would be crazy to hire somebody else!

I understand everyone’s safety concerns but this is getting way over complicated. A little common sense, safety and a game plan will get that job done just fine with the equipment he has. Sometimes you have to graduate from diapers to big boy shorts 🩳 😂.

[Old Greenhorn]

.....

I understand everyone’s safety concerns but this is getting way over complicated. .......

But that's what we DO here! It's our job and we are dang good at it.
Sometimes taking things out to the absurd is a good way to expose new ideas that lead a trail back to a truly innovative solution.
We all know YH is a really sharp guy with good gear and I think we all expect he will pick what fits for him best and knock out those trees in fine order. He could easily do it without any help, but I think he may have picked up some tid-bits to help him think it through and perhaps a few things he hadn't considered right off.
I know that's how it works for me when I have a quandry and ask for help here, I do get a lot of stuff that 'does not apply' but I also get a lot of stuff I hadn't thought of and it all works together.
It's the beauty and the frustration of the forum all at once.

[doc henderson]

yes WB, but sometimes you have to go to the house early to change the big boy shorts.   It is part of the fun to be efficient.  We kinda all like to think out loud!  Merry Christmas and God bless.  

[Walnut Beast]

You couldn’t have said it better Greenhorn!! 👍 and Doc !! . Absolutely ideas ideas 💡 

[btulloh]

  

Don’t forget the other part - helping someone else spend their money. YH sounded like he was warming up to that new felling head.  

Go $ Go $ Go!

[Hilltop366]

I had a excavator knock down some spruce trees for me, he pulled them towards him with the tree on the RH side of the boom and as it started to come down he pulled and turned at the same time. The first tree had a dead top so he did more turning as he did not want the top to land on the cab if it broke off. 4 large spruce trees in 12 min. 

This is a 25 ton excavator.



 

[YellowHammer]

You guys know me too well, I'm getting predicable!

You are correct, when I'm asking for information, I like to get a firehose and I will try to take it all in and see what works for me.  I have already learned things I didn't know and that's half the fun and why I asked in the first place.  You guys know your stuff and I know the information I get for you is real and backed by experience, so I take it all in, try stuff out, and see what works for me.  

I do like new toys, and they are never out of the question.  A skid steer feller buncher is way cool, and something I hadn't considered, so it's definitely on the table.

Some of these techniques you guys have talked about are new to me, and today I was talking to another professional sawmill operator who is reading this topic and he said it was equally interesting to him, and he's learned stuff too.

The end goal is to do this myself, as I said while learning is half the fun, the other half is doing it.  I have plenty of time, and the excavator has a heated cab and radio, so working in it is better than sitting in the house watching TV.

The end goal is to get enough room for my pickup truck to drive down the fence.  The canopy may close over, and that's fine, it will keep the underbrush from growing up.

Here is one of the new roads I did this week.  The trees are cleared, and I've cut in the side hill to get a relatively level surface.  This was all roughed in with the excavator, and I'll go back over and dress it up with the CTL and stuff and hopefully it will last another 20 years.



  

[Ianab]

You are correct, when I'm asking for information, I like to get a firehose and I will try to take it all in and see what works for me.  I have already learned things I didn't know and that's half the fun and why I asked in the first place.  You guys know your stuff and I know the information I get for you is real and backed by experience, so I take it all in, try stuff out, and see what works for m

100% agree. There is all sorts of ways of dealing with problem trees, and the more of them you know, the better you will be able to chose the better one.  My "sacrifice the fence" suggestion is just based on  a planned job here. 3ft dia cypress leaning and weighted over the fence. Even with Blair's 20 ton excavator, they are going to take out the fence. They are hairy enough to drop (real risk of barber chair), without trying to steer them as well.    

[Walnut Beast]

Looks Fantastic YH. You have a beautiful place! 

[Skeans1]

Can they be set up to domino parallel to the fence?

[Old Greenhorn]

Skeans, you left out the second question to go with that thought: "Do ya feel Lucky? Well, do ya?!"
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 In the interest of having a comprehensive set of suggestions I should add you could try this making the notch above the top fence string with a deep enough tenon, the trunk will sty on the stump after the fall and you can pick it out with the machine, or whittle the log down.


 

 I only do this rarely when the tree MUST fall where the hole is. To help make sure the tenon stays in the slot, you should use a humbolt opening on the face. I have seen arborists use the method to keep the trunks from hitting the ground near the stump to protect sidewalks, curbs, and other stuff.

[Nealm66]

The best way I’ve found to avoid barber chair is ti cut in on both sides before starting the back cut. This of course if you’re not trying to swing( falling the direction of the lean). This has proven helpful while topping or on very steep ground with blow down and no escape path. I’ve also noticed a Dunbar helping if swinging is necessary. Hope this helps 

[reedco]

      pull the staples and let the wires lay on the ground?  Just another idea.

[thecfarm]

Nealm66,I always cut on both sides.
My Father cut a lot of trees for firewood and I had no idea what a barber chair was. He cut on both sides too.
I went to work with a guy that was clearing a lot for a nursing home when I was about 16. I found out what a barber chair was. 

[YellowHammer]

Some feedback, I have not dropped a tree on the fence line since I learned these techniques on this post and done probably a half mile maybe 3/4 mile or so - Thanks!

I've tried several, and have been trying as many as possible to get some practice on them.  The one I've seem to settle on most is a shallow face cut directed to a gap of trees in the woods, generally at a 45° to the fenceline, away from where my mini excavator is sitting parrallel to the fenceline.  Then I do the back cut, and I try to stop just before the kerf starts to sag and I leave it a little hinge heavy on the upstream (excavator) side for a little extra pulling wood to the woods.  Then I ease up on it with the Kubota excavator parrallel to the fence line and push and swing at the same time into the woods and the extra hinge helps pull it off the fence and swing it more than the shallow, parallel angle I can push from the fenceline with the excavator.  At that point, the top either drops clear to the ground or hangs a little, but either way its clear of the fence and in no danger or hurting it anymore.  Then I'll just finish the drop pushing it down through the canopy with the excavator if its hung, and done.

Thanks again.