Flange expander as felling wedge

[kav]

On 04/05/2019 at 06:24, Stubby said:

Try a bottle jack with a metal plate top and bottom . works a treat . Bit more cutting to position it though .

Does a bottle jack need a pivoting top plate? I was told they can fire out otherwise? Not used one-just relaying what I was told

[outinthewood]

I drill the top of the plate with a good few swallow holes to allow the plate to "bite" and use a thick plate that also has a bit of pto shaft welded to the reverse side to stop the jack sliding away. Also angle the bottom of the cut, the base of the jack, in just a tiny bit to help - or I should say just make sure it isn't angled out !

[Spruce Pirate]

Bottle jack and a plate is by far the cheapest option.  You can get a Tree Jack, but they're 5*, 6*, 10* the price.  As above a slight angle down toward the felling direction helps keep it in place.  Back it up with wedges.

[N1ck]

This is the other option.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hydraulic-Flange-Separator-Integral-Hydraulic-Spreader-Fire-Rescue-Expander-Tool/143226989346?hash=item2158fe6b22:g:BiAAAOSw7upcwCUf

 

It has 14t spreading capacity and appears to have wider jaws but it's starting to get into more serious money and might not be the highest quality, plus there is the uncertainty of delivery timescale and import duty.

 

Still, it is a fraction of the cost of the hydraulic felling wedge sold by Clarkes and others for effectively the same thing.

[outinthewood]

Only problem is again it's trying to lift the tree with a very small lever unlike the "proper" thing which is a sliding wedge. I can't see how such a small lever type system could work ? 

[ESS]

39 minutes ago, outinthewood said:

Only problem is again it's trying to lift the tree with a very small lever unlike the "proper" thing which is a sliding wedge. I can't see how such a small lever type system could work ? 

Nor me, tbh I would have thought wedges would be more efficient .

 

[kav]

did a quick google and found this

https://www.treemans-jacks.co.uk/about

[Stubby]

1 minute ago, kav said:

did a quick google and found this

https://www.treemans-jacks.co.uk/about

Yea . Its just a bottle jack with plates and springs .

[woody paul]

If you use a low jack it will be easier to cut shelf in back, jack like this one as only 125mm high closed 

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/tbj10l-10-ton-low-profile-telescopic-bottle-jack

[Kent Arboreal]

Interested to know how you got along if you decided to try this out. I'm not convinced but it's an interesting idea.