Removing logs from cemetery

[kelLOGg]

I have a friend who has had small (14" and smaller dia) pines cut from an old (19th and 20th century) cemetery in an area of historical significance. There are probably 30 to 40 logs cut to 12 ft which she wants removed without damaging the tombstones. One guy has already turned the job down. Once removed I will be cutting 2 x 4s from them. Some that are not near tombstones can be dragged but others must be lifted. I am looking for ideas/ equipment that I can pass on to my friend. These are certainly not big logs but avoiding damage to the tombstones complicates it.



 

 

[mike_belben]

a mini excavator could swing them out.  if its gonna be done by hand a logrite arch would work.  or string some ropes across tree tops and hoist them up with a winch.  a 4wd atv will drag them out too. 


its more economical to cut the hard ones up into rounds and move them out with a wheelbarrow and just buy some 2x4s or cut logs that are easier to retrieve.

[Southside]

Agree with the ATV and arch, but 1800's pine box and a mini excavator track might not play nice together and then you find yourself in the Poltergeist movie.  ;D

[GRANITEstateMP]

my buddy has a Toro Dingo with a grapple, perfect for jobs like that

[beenthere]

Likely the logs are not worth spending much money on the right equipment to safely remove them.

So just cut in lengths (firewood) to hand carry them out of the cemetery area.  

Or get the Logrite arch that can be moved by hand...
Log Arches - Logrite.com - LogRite Tools LLC

[leeroyjd]

4 or 5 extra bodies should be able to pick them up.

[Ljohnsaw]

4 or 5 extra bodies should be able to pick them up.

And maybe 2 or 3 of these?
Timber Tuff Log Grapple

I stand corrected - I didn't realize Logrite had these as well:
Two man log carrier
These would last your life time and are not that much more money.

[chep]

Helicopter!!

I think renting a toro dingo type machine for a day would be the ticket. Grapple on the front. Or a log arch with a truck winch pulling it out. 
Gotta give credit where its due. Someone had some cajones dropping trees through the headstones.  Assuming missing them all? Even with small timber it is a challenge for most to be that accurate. 

[Southside]

CAROL ANNE!!  CAROL ANNE  - DO NOT GO INTO THE LIGHT!!   :D  :D  :D

[rjwoelk]

Well most of the equipment is loud enough to waken up the dead, so try someone with horses to drag them out. ;D

[Resonator]

The grave diggers by me use mini excavators, track machines are the best to use for least ground pressure psi. Even then I would throw down some heavy planks to use like swamp matts.

[firefighter ontheside]

4 or 5 extra bodies should be able to pick them up.

Lots of those in a cemetery.

[dgdrls]

I'm with @beenthere   Logright Arch



D

[Don P]

2 man timber carriers or firewood. They can even strap to a few cross poles for 2 man carries.
We were working up on the hill on one farm, just outside the cemetery fence. A fair amount of moderately heavy equipment and activities. Towards the end they had ground penetrating radar out to identify graves and reset some stones. When we got back, there were flags in our work area, oops. In the south especially there is probably an unmarked row or few. You're not going to fall in, but just as a matter of respect.

[kantuckid]

Two well placed cant hooks on one end works as well.
I pulled some large old cedar logs from a cemetery years ago. Used a rope and my FIL to pull away from gravestones. A man or two, (not an old fart like me :D) can easily pull those pine logs. In my own case if I had a FEL there I'd just skirt around the markers and lift them with the machine.
We have (like almost every landowner in KY) a cemetery on our place now. I bushhog it now and then, so no trees and as the family that's mostly buried there doesn't go there ever.
FWIW, The county spends much taxpayer money on maintaining roads, some really long ones as in miles, and keeps these clean as a political must do task. Meanwhile some are maintained at great private costs, such as my wife's families one, a long way from us.

[scsmith42]

Bob, I can refer you to a horse logger in Chapel Hill if interested.  

Scott

[WV Sawmiller]

   I'm wondering why a long 1/4" cable with a snatch block or two attached to judiciously located trees and an ATV, pick-up, or small tractor could not be used to pull them out. A helper or two with a good LogRite cant or peavy hook accompanying and guiding the log as needed/where needed should work to remove even the most difficult logs without damage to the monuments and graves.

[chet]

I've removed many trees from a lot of different cemeteries. Many over 3 foot on the stump. Removing logs and wood was never a real problem, used can't hooks, snatch blocks, cables and ropes. In more recent years an arch where possible. Planking a road for the arch to ride on for really large logs was always done. Removing wood was never a real problem, taking down the trees with out doing any damage, that was sometimes a little stressful.

[chet]

Another trick we used in earlier years was to place large logs on an old metal stone boat that I had made narrower and longer. Then cable it out, if ya had a pretty straight run. Steering it was not an option.  :D

[Iwawoodwork]

Build an ATV log arch with flotation tires like the rear tires & wheels from a riding lawn mower. I just bore out the center of the wheel so it will accept a shaft, I have made 4 atv trailers using them, cheap and easily located, a couple I bored in the side of the wheel hub and put in a grease fitting/Zerck. with those small logs they could easily be moved with a mid-size 400cc-700cc atv and arch without rutting up the area. I have ground skidded that size log with my 800 Polaris but was not worried about tearing up the ground.

[Gere Flewelling]

I have an old cemetery that I maintain just down the road from my home.  I have used a 4wheeler with a home made logging arch to both carry logs out from between stones and to right up stones that have fallen over.  I use ratchet straps on the stones and lift the stones into place with the hand winch on the arch.  As for the pine box's, I would use some 4'x4' pieces of plywood placed flat on the suspected soft areas to support the load and just drive over the plywood.  I have seem a local vault company put down 4'x8'x3/4" plywood to back their heavy vault trucks in some unbelievable spots in the cemetery as well.  Actually just find some loam to smooth over the holes if they occur.  I am sure that no one down there will complain.

[kelLOGg]

Lots more good replies. My friend is renovating property for a B&B and I made the link to FF available to her do she can read the responses. She is determined to make this succeed and I will keep everyone posted. 

[Joe Hillmann]

I vote for a 4 wheeler and a logging arch in dry weather.  I maintain a couple cemeteries and heavy equipment driving across makes mowing very difficult.

[Jeff]

You dont even need a quad with a logrite arch equipped with a manual t_handle 2 guys can easily move and maneuver a pretty large log.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I have an old 15 gallon plastic barrel I cut one end out and split the side and I'd slip it over the end of the log to keep it from digging into the ground. The rounded edges work fine for that.

 You could also lay some small parallel poles on the ground and over the slabs to protect them as a sort of track then cut 3-4 4" diameter rollers to use under the logs and on the track and just pull/roll the logs out. Just before the log runs off a roller at the rear place another one in front and it should not be a major task to move logs no bigger than those shown/described. You could keep moving your track as needed also.