Felling hollow trees

[Treeation]

Got a large sycamore that I want to fell in a oner......its pretty hollow....client wants it down so she can install a native species hedge....any tips on felling large hollow trees? Im going to winch it over just wondering how much hinge I should leave on the sides....

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

You are thinking along the right tracks. Leave a thicker hinge. Make sure your hinge is formed of sound wood. Maybe go deeper with your gob but make sure you leave enough room for wedging. The action you take will be dependent upon a number of factors. What species is it? If in doubt make sure you rope it up well i.e. one rope for pulling another to keep it on course. You could always climb it and section it down if its not too rotten.

[inthewoods]

Make sure the Winch keeps pulling 'till she's down, no snatching, good direct pull on Tree so no twisting, as sound a hinge as you can muster & a mighty pair of gonads! :-)

[Logged On]

If it's anything like the hollow tree we received for firewood....

 

Have a good supply of sharp / spare / extra chains to hand....

 

The guys who felled it, warned us for when we come to cutting a chopping it up further, that the centre was full of crud and rubbish that was blunting their chains no end...

[inthewoods]

You are thinking along the right tracks. Leave a thicker hinge. Make sure your hinge is formed of sound wood. Maybe go deeper with your gob but make sure you leave enough room for wedging. The action you take will be dependent upon a number of factors. What species is it? If in doubt make sure you rope it up well i.e. one rope for pulling another to keep it on course. You could always climb it and section it down if its not too rotten.

 

Imho, as long as you've got the correct tension on the Winch cable I wouldn't bother wedging (unless the Winch or operator is snatchy) as you're giving the tree more time to fail, just use a big saw with a big bar, get in get it done get out... & in the pub for 2pm ;-)

[SteveA]

Make sure the Winch keeps pulling 'till she's down, no snatching, good direct pull on Tree so no twisting, as sound a hinge as you can muster & a mighty pair of gonads! :-)

 

Hey man, your glove reminds me of this song:

 

"I was standing next to a Mountain (Ash)

Chop it down with the edge of my hand

cuz I'm a voodoo stihl

Lord knows I'm a voodoo stihl" ....etc

 

cheers, steve

 

p.s.... getting my coat right now!

[bigtreedon]

Imho, as long as you've got the correct tension on the Winch cable I wouldn't bother wedging (unless the Winch or operator is snatchy) as you're giving the tree more time to fail, just use a big saw with a big bar, get in get it done get out... & in the pub for 2pm ;-)

Couldn't agree more bar long enough for the job make sure u you have the hinge in the best wood possible if u can get a bit of buttress either side perfect bit of pre tension not to much when the pull starts don't dither about leave a good hinge

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Arbtalk mobile app

[jomoco]

The only tree I've ever wussed out on dropping?

 

Was a huge hollow Coulter Pine with three heads, leaning over a three story mansion, on the lake arrowhead shoreline.

 

About five foot diameter, ivy encrusted base, bouta 100 feet tall.

 

So I attach a 7/8ths 150 foot bull line to the two outer heads, a pulley in the middle, another bull line from the pulley to a big tracked skid steer on the beach.

 

But once I'd cut the Ivy from the base, I discovered a cavity big enough to walk into and raise my elbows, the dang thing only had about six inches of good wood, all the way around it.

 

So I call the third generation logger that owned the outfit I was subbin for to apprise him of the dicey situation.

 

He says no problem Jon, just use a boxcut with about six inches of face, chase it to the top leaving the same amount of hinge, and she'll hold onto that stump till she hits the ground!

 

So I explain I'd never heard of a boxcut, much less how to cut one, and would he kindly come on over and show me how? Grumbling he said he'd be there shortly.

 

And sure enough, he cut a two foot deep rectangle, with a six inch face out, using a vertical plunge cut. Then chased the finish to hit the top of the face, all the way around til there was six inches of hinge on each side. Yelling go he hotfooted it outta there as the skid steer dug in, and my big bull lines got real skinny before that tree stood up and fell towards the beach.

 

And just as Matt said it would, it held that stump until it bounced and slid down hill a bit.

 

Seeing's believin!

 

Jomoco

[swinny]

Still sat here puzzeled about the box cut

[Treeation]

You are thinking along the right tracks. Leave a thicker hinge. Make sure your hinge is formed of sound wood. Maybe go deeper with your gob but make sure you leave enough room for wedging. The action you take will be dependent upon a number of factors. What species is it? If in doubt make sure you rope it up well i.e. one rope for pulling another to keep it on course. You could always climb it and section it down if its not too rotten.

 

Cheers its a sycamore and absolutely smothered top to bottom in ivy! So not wanting to lose the will to live id rather drop her from the ground ....its got an open face cavity where i want to direct it but the sides look fairly sound (for a pretty hollow tree) with some nice butresses flaring off where the hinge will go...just interested why you go deeper with the gob - im guessing to make the tipping point a bit more agreeable? I do that whilst felling stems but not really tried on a full crowned tree