Anyone ever use a jack to tip over trees?

[Lumberjohn]

I have a few trees that are in close proximity to a house and some wires that need to go on the next job. I wont be able to winch them over with the skidder because it is steep where they need to go and it will be brushed in also.
Was wondering how big of a jack (tons) I would need or if it would even work to get them to go against the lean. Or I thought of using a porta power with a ram kind of like a Silvey jack.
They are red oak 3-4' on the stump and tallied so they have to go.
Any suggestions, Im no dutchman man.

[CCC4]

Message Bitzer or Northman. They have experience with it.

[Autocar]

I use to lift alot of my trees years ago with a 20 ton jack with a peace of 3/4 inch plate about three inches square for the ram would cover a bigger area. I have blown seals a couple of times also but twenty ton was as big as I had. But man alive you can lift big trees and tip them over back wards pretty sweat. But over the years I lost alot of my nerve pulling stuff like that. The higher I can get my cable the better I like it anymore. I never lost a tree using a jack but when your lifting a tree to keep it off a house or a bean feild that someone else owns I just won't do that anymore. Thats about the only time I like the winch on my grapple skidder  :D

[RHP Logging]

Who's this Bitzer dude?  Sounds like a cool guy...

30 ton jack.  I welded a pivot to the RAM and plate.  It pivots on the bolt.  I would do it differently if I did it again.  I have broken bolts, but I was really testing it out that time.  I've lifted a 4ft ash with it.  Make sure you always back up with wedges.  The jack is really more to assist the wedging.  When you get beyond a double stack of wedges make.sure you have a block cut to set it he kerf.  Where you put your hinge can be just as important as lifting the tree itself.  Too close to the jack and you can jack it right off the stump.  I've probably jacked  50-100 trees in my life, using 12,20, & 30 ton jacks.  I've broken several 12 & 20 ton jacks.




 

[treeslayer2003]

Bob i like to see a good way to make the swivel. i have give it some thought, but not come up with a good way yet.

[RHP Logging]

 



 




 

[RHP Logging]

Bob i like to see a good way to make the swivel. i have give it some thought, but not come up with a good way yet.

Next time I do it I'm gong to copy a silvey with the springs.  The plate I will machine a slot that fits over the RAM. Seems the most trouble free way.  That bolt I have in there has a shear strength of 40-50k.  Kind of defeats the purpose of the 60k of lift I should have.  It would be nice to shorten the thing up too.  That 30 ton is 14" tall.  Weighs 60lbs.

Idk why my phone keeps capitalizing RAM.

[treeslayer2003]

in other words so the plate kinda floats on the ram but can't slip off. i gotcha

[CCC4]

Bitzer is kinda cool...  ;D

[Raider Bill]

I'm not sure if this guy is using a jack or not..



  

 

[Lumberjohn]

Great info, thanks. Sounds like I need a 20 ton jack or bigger. For sure I will assist with wedges. I am going to have a tree guy come out for prices on topping, if that is feasible I will go that route. Sounds like I will have a high stump with a jack, but oh well, thats life.

[OH logger]

wonder what he spends on 2x4's?? prolly more than he does on insurance

[RHP Logging]

Bitzer is kinda cool...  ;D

If I could only convince my wife of that...

[treeslayer2003]

Bitzer is kinda cool...  ;D

If I could only convince my wife of that...

she must think so or ya wouldn't have all them youngans

[RHP Logging]

That's true although sometimes she wants to kill me for having all those kids!

[teakwood]

Who's this Bitzer dude?  Sounds like a cool guy...



:D :D I didn't get it first!  I just thought that you have some kind of mancrush on that blitzer guy!

[RHP Logging]

My username on other sites is Bitzer.  Clint (CCC4) always refers to me as that.  That's actually the first part of the name of a company I worked for years ago.  Before I started the Logging buisness. I'm guessing a bunch of guys would know me by that and to help out the others that don't. 

[thenorthman]

Stuff and things...

this was probably mentioned earlier, but I sort of sped through most of the other posts...

But always back up with wedges, jacks fail and fail spectacularly.

My jacks are just a set of 25 ton bottle jacks from home gyppo or sLowes, with a piece of 3/8 plate and a pit of schedule 80 pipe welded on to slip over the ram.  Don't mess around with anything smaller than say a 20ton, the more weight they can hold the better, and I have bent the handles on my 25 ton jacks...

Heres a recent vid...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeuOevmPgoQ

[thenorthman]

And an older one.

On heavier leaners, its a good idear to put the back cut in and start the jacks before making the face cut, But on heavy leaners that absolutely need to go one way, I hang a line as well. Seems like most times I use the jacks it wasn't exactly planned and I ran out of wedges... (one giant suck fest)

enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPOvqHaaKjg

[thenorthman]

Note... in the second vid there is a log crossways up the hill, with a big slab taken out of it... the other end tried to kill me the day before, slabbed off rolled and pivoted up the hill taking me with it.  That tree was supposed to go the same way as the jacked tree, cause I had no way of getting the skidder in there and wanted to get them as close to the road as possible...

Live and learn, I leave more hold wood on sketchy trees now, I was getting fairly cocky at the time of that vid and needed a few wake up calls.

[treeslayer2003]

you need less of them wake up calls as the years go on my friend.

[thenorthman]

I get little wake up calls now... like nearly falling 15 feet off a log reminding me to slow down a little, or standing at the crummy talking to a land owner and that rest of that snag from yesterday comes crashing down... good times...