Be safe out there.

doc henderson · March 29, 2025, 09:18:38 PM

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nxbSqSmWL6Y

some videos are goofy, these look legit.

LeftFinger · March 30, 2025, 12:01:33 AM

How do they catch that many people playing silly buggers

TreefarmerNN · March 30, 2025, 06:55:39 AM

The wild fire guy had guts and skill to cut into a smoking tree. Some of the others shouldn't and probably won't pick up a chainsaw again, or at least not the saw they ruined and got hurt trying to save it.

cutterboy · March 30, 2025, 07:04:36 AM

GET AWAY! GET AWAY! Forget the saw!!!

thecfarm · March 30, 2025, 07:53:52 AM

I am not the most smartest person in the world.
But you should always get away from the tree when it starts to fall.
Yes, things can happen quick, and I have seen the "quick" a few times. But a good escape route has saved me a few times.
But there was a few on there, I would not have been doing.

I agree with cutterboy 10 times over.

Old Greenhorn · March 30, 2025, 11:00:46 AM

Yeah, they all look legit. Some are pro's doing a good job, some are having a bad day, and some are just stupid people. I have always felt that when doing work like this you have to consider all the things that could go wrong and have a plan for each. For instance, if my saw pinches when a tree starts to fall and it doesn't come out with the first yank, I leave it and get out of the way. The chances are that saw will be just fine and if it isn't, at least I am in one piece and can fix it. But you only get a few seconds to make that decision, so you had better thing about it well ahead of time. This also includes standing on 'the safe side' when you cut lest you get a butt log in the crotch or face.
As far as that burning tree goes, it had to come down before the fire climbed up to the crown. I have done one or two of those (although smaller) and it's not much different than a regular cut. It just has some pyrotechnics to make it look interesting and the smoke can be distracting.

TreefarmerNN · March 30, 2025, 01:34:15 PM

My worry with a smoking tree would be that I don't know how big or how compromised the hollow is. With any luck, I'll never have to do one but if I do; you can bet I'll be as nervous as can be until it's headed toward the ground.

Old Greenhorn · March 30, 2025, 01:44:42 PM

Well of course you are right. The unpredictability goes way up with those. On the other hand you don't have worry about loosing timber value with poor cutting.

You jut want to get it to fall into 'the black' if at all possible.

aigheadish · March 31, 2025, 01:42:00 PM

We have two big ash trees, on the property line, that are dead standing, and are threatening with wind and age, to fall on the barn.

The wife dragged me out yesterday to show me a limb about 8 inches around that had broken off. I've already asked the neighbor if I can drop them in her back field (she'd never notice anyway) and she is ok with that.

The trouble is that I'm pretty scared of these trees. The big one is probably too big to hug by a good amount and there are some big branches up in it. It's full of cracks and I'd rather not touch it, but I can't afford to hire someone, nor do I have big ropes to attach. I've got the backhoe and I can gently shove it up around 15-17 feet high and see what happens, and likely dislodge some of the more loose branches. I've had a branch from a different tree fall on top of the backhoe when I was pushing a much smaller tree over and it was scary. I can probably get ropes or chains and give a tug from far away with the backhoe...

I'd be very pleased if they just fell over on their own, even on to my scrap pile back there, but miss the barn. My son is willing to climb the trees but I don't think I'd trust the branches for him to try.

teakwood · April 01, 2025, 07:27:30 AM

You are right, these are dangerous trees and if you don't feel right don't try to drop them.

the chain idea is not bad, give them several good shakes and then you know that all the rotten branches have come down. put the backhoe bucket up to height so you have a roof (inda like your personal FOPS), then make a felling cut and the backcut and run away, don't try to push them over with the backhoe. Backhoe don't reach very high and don't have the power to push trees over.

don't let your son climb the tree neither!

aigheadish · April 01, 2025, 10:31:22 AM

The bucket as a personal ROPS is a pretty good idea!

Uh, i have to disagree about using the backhoe to push trees down, it works really well for me. Some folks will dig out the roots on one side, then push and claim that works well too.

chep · April 01, 2025, 02:13:10 PM

@aigheadish

I disagree with putting your bachoe on them with no cuts made. An 8 inch limb has already shed out with no machine bashing it... think about what might come out of it when you try to get it moving with hydraulics. A tree service to just put it on the ground will be way cheaper then a. Your life b. Your pride c. Your machine getting smashed d. Your wife dealing with wiping yer backside for eternity

Or use a throwball and throw line and try to pull limbs out bit by bit from a distance

aigheadish · April 01, 2025, 07:32:29 PM

Yeah, I get it, and agree on these trees.

I'd forgotten about using cables to try to pull on it instead of chains. I have some cable laying around if I can get it in there and have something good to yank against.

Thanks guys for the tips and advice!

TreefarmerNN · Reply #13 - Re: Be safe out there.

I've used a cable to break limbs down on dead trees and it works well, most of the time. The hard part is getting a messenger line up as high was you want and over the right limb.

A couple of warnings. Make sure you have a way to get your cable back if the limb doesn't break. Either double the cable back to the pull point or tie a good pull rope to the shackle or other way you loop the cable. It would be embarrassing to have to leave a cable up the tree until things rotted more.

This one is a big safety issue. Make sure your cable is long enough so that if the trunk breaks or the tree uproots you aren't under it. I was breaking limbs on a dead cherry and was surprised when the whole tree fell over. I was using a Tajfun winch on my tractor which had 190' of cable and was well out of the way but dead trees are full of surprises. Don't let one of them be your last surprise.

And like anytime you are pulling with a cable, chain or rope be aware that they can whip around if they break. This is especially important when the cable is up in the air as it will fly a long ways and have gravity helping it along. Do NOT get a running start to snatch on the cable. Bad things happen with sudden shock loads.

aigheadish · Reply #14 - Re: Be safe out there.

Good advice Treefarmer, thank you! I certainly worry about getting caught up in an unexpected loop of cable or rope that decides to take off. That sounds terrible!

Big wind this evening may solve my problems or cause new ones!