Author Topic: Felling wedges. Which brand is best (Read 5459 times)

Bthomasb3 · « **on:** March 04, 2019, 08:41:26 PM »

So guys lets talk about felling wedges.first what brand do you like ,what lasts the longest lifts the best ect.I am asking because i dont have enough experience with them to have a opinion.i have 5.5, 7.5 and 8 inch. Stihl and forester. I was cuting a 18 inch tree with a lot of back lean and just about destroyed my wedges so i though i would see what you all like before i buy more. I found some hardhead wedges at sheldon hill forestry that have a machined cap with a tang thats runs into the wedge, anyone using these? Thanks

Old Greenhorn · « **Reply #1 on:** March 04, 2019, 09:02:36 PM »

Where are you located? If you shop at Sheldon Hill, you must be pretty local to me. I had the smaller wedges and now find them useless except for oddball stuff like when I get a bar pinched, or using them to hold slabs apart when milling. For felling, I only use 10 inch long and up. Life is too short for small tools

. Seriously, wedges are 'disposable tools'. They don't last forever, they are made so you can hit them with a saw and not hurt the saw. Mine get occasional nicks and I beat the heck out of them when needed so the heads swell pretty good, especially when I am tired and my aim sucks. I keep 3 ten inchers in my pouch and 1 or 2 short ones for those oddball things. Check out Baileys, they have a great selection with decent prices. I am sure there are other suppliers out there. Next time I order, I will try some of those hard headed ones to see how those work. I am not a pro, just a hacker. Your mileage will very.

Riwaka · « **Reply #2 on:** March 04, 2019, 09:03:03 PM »

In plastic - prefer oregon wedges
If you are destroying wedges usually might be pushing/ pulling the tree with a machine before then. Or taken branches off the tree to lighten/ rebalance the tree if skilled to do so.

Koller mechanical wedges, hydraulic tree jacks and aluminium wedges have their place.

Bthomasb3 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 04, 2019, 09:23:25 PM »

Im grom pa. I was looking online at sheldon hill for wedges.I know they are disposable but i pretty much ruined them on that one tree. If i would have let it fall the way it wanted it would have been no point in cutting it because it would have been in a deep gully and nobody wanted to go in there to carry it out. Im just a firewood cutter mostly, for 30 plus years, i do take down some problem trees for people on occasion but i dont have access to and machines and forgot my come a long that day. I enjoy cutting big trees but im smart enough to leave some alone. I think im going to get some of those hard heads and some husqavarna or redhead wedges, unless someone tells me why i should get something else.

Old Greenhorn · « **Reply #4 on:** March 04, 2019, 09:33:53 PM »

If you're in PA I am surprised you are not shopping at Stahls, but the prices seem all comparable within a buck or two. Yeah, I'd like to try those out next time around. Sheldon Hill is local to me, but I am a little mad at them, they were just up the road, but they moved two towns over so now I have to drive a 40 minutes to get there and they are only open till noon on Saturday. It's probably a good thing, because every time I would stop in to pick up some little doo-dad I would always walk out having spent a hundred bucks or more.

BargeMonkey · « **Reply #5 on:** March 04, 2019, 09:52:58 PM »

Stahls prices especially on saws cant be beat, I will meet up with Adam for some 572s when he comes up again.
I like the red /whites, even the foresters work. Again they dont live forever. I carry 2 longer wedges but have one of the 5.5s in my back pocket, sometimes that's all you need.
I tried the metal capped hard head ones, eh its alot of money, they dont live that long and god forbit you hit it with the saw 😂 Consumable items like that are best bought at the show, Booneville is great for that 1x a yr type of thing.

Buy a Estwing ax and see how long it lasts in the woods. After the 2nd one in a short time I called them up, "they aren't meant to be used that hard".... was what I got on the phone. 👎never again.

Skeans1 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 04, 2019, 09:59:57 PM »

Look up Madsens they are a pro shop out here on the west coast, they have a catalog online great guys to deal with and very reasonable. Myself I carry a 15”, 2 12” orange single lifts, 4 10” single lifts or 3 10” double lifts depending on the day and what’s coming that day. These will last about a month if I’m cutting everyday depending on which beating iron I’m using if it’s the 4 pound axe it’s about a month if it’s the 10 pound custom axe they might go 3 weeks.

Old Greenhorn · « **Reply #7 on:** March 04, 2019, 10:03:11 PM »

Quote from: BargeMonkey on March 04, 2019, 09:52:58 PM

Buy a Estwing ax and see how long it lasts in the woods. After the 2nd one in a short time I called them up, "they aren't meant to be used that hard".... was what I got on the phone. 👎never again.

AH, THAT IS rich! In other words "We never expected you would actually HIT something with it!" Actually, it's surprising and Estwing wouldn't hold up, they make good stuff. Tat they didn't stand behind it is even more surprising.

barbender · « **Reply #8 on:** March 04, 2019, 10:43:23 PM »

The last few Oregon wedges I bought were still yellow, but a much more brittle plastic. Broke one in half, wasn't very impressed👎

mills · « **Reply #9 on:** March 05, 2019, 04:59:55 AM »

I do a lot of directional falling in big hardwoods. Diesel power is by far the quickest, most reliable means of controlling a contrary tree. But most of the time I'm by myself, or can't get the skidder in position to push or pull. So, for speed I pack a four lb. hammer with wedges that have the hard head ends. These are the only wedges that will hold up for me. I think they run $8 or $9 each.

thecfarm · « **Reply #10 on:** March 05, 2019, 06:13:56 AM »

Bthomasb3,welcome to the forum.

Bthomasb3 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 05, 2019, 07:35:01 AM »

Quote from: thecfarm on March 05, 2019, 06:13:56 AM

Bthomasb3,welcome to the forum.

Thanks. I like it buts its taking me time to learn my way around. Im a little slow at times

upnut · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2019, 09:27:02 AM »

My favorites are the ones I find at yard sales when some poor guys wife (or ex) is cleaning out the garage, usually for less than a buck...

...Scott B.

leeroyjd · « **Reply #13 on:** March 05, 2019, 12:55:13 PM »

K&H wedges hold up very well.

Plankton · « **Reply #14 on:** March 05, 2019, 04:57:14 PM »

Quote from: leeroyjd on March 05, 2019, 12:55:13 PM

K&H wedges hold up very well.

Second that, that's all I use now drive and lift good and are hard to break. I like the "triple taper" 8s or 10s

Grandpa · « **Reply #15 on:** March 06, 2019, 07:22:05 AM »

Another vote for K&H. I use 8" and 10".

VT_Forestry · « **Reply #16 on:** March 06, 2019, 08:00:20 AM »

K&H RedHeads are all we buy, work great and very tough

78NHTFY · « **Reply #17 on:** March 06, 2019, 09:30:35 AM »

...just wondering, anyone build their own? 1" thick x 10" x 3" maple/ash/any good hardwood board off cut; to the bandsaw and slice at diagonal gives two nice wedges; some old spray paint for color, and voila! Maybe 1/2 hours' work and you've got 10 good wood wedges. Full disclosure: haven't done it (yet)

, but it sounds like a good idea, especially since I'm down to my two last chewed up wedges....and I'm a pretty cheap Yankee. All the best, Rob.

leeroyjd · « **Reply #18 on:** March 06, 2019, 10:30:42 AM »

I make them from time to time and they are ok, but don't drive as well as plastic.

Ed_K · « **Reply #19 on:** March 06, 2019, 01:25:18 PM »

I buy cheap wedges from Bailey's 7.5 an 12 green ones. I have made wooden ones when I ran out of plastic but they only last for one or two trees

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Author Topic: Felling wedges. Which brand is best (Read 5459 times)

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