Felling Vertically Hung Tree?

[Witterings]

I have actually got it down  but I'm sure there must have been a better way to have done it and asking in case I'm ever in this situation again ... especially if it was a larger tree.

 

The tree had a severe L shape growing nearly horizontal to the ground for a couple of feet before a sharp bend that took it nearly vertical although still with quite a strong lean towards the left hand side of the L which was the only direction the tree could fall without doing damage - BUT - towards the top of the tree and just in front of the direction you wanted it to fall was the branch of another tree so in essence it was always going to end up vertical until you could drop it enough that the top went under the branch above.

If you could climb (I can't) the obvious would be take the top off to below the level of the tree in front so it just fell in the direction of the lean with the right cuts.

 

I've seen how to fell hung trees but they always seem to have quite an angle so you do a bore cut leaving a strap at the top down towards the bottom and then an undercut up just behind the bore so when it drops it doesn't take the saw with it ... but how would you do it with a vertical tree where the base is on the ground and still have some control over the direction it'd drop / fall?

 

I was thinking maybe a humboldt with a very heavy downward angle on the side you'd like the trunk to slide down and then a heavily downward angled back cut to release it but thought even before it goes it'd pinch the saw on the backcut. 

 

Any help appreciated 🙂 

 

 

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

Remove the obstructing tree first then remove your target tree. 
 

I like simplicity! 😂

[nepia]

Ladder... rope... pulley... tied off to an anchor so you can fight the lean with a 3:1?

[peds]

There was a video on here not long ago of a hung tree being taken down with two complete sets of felling cuts, one about 80cm above the other and facing the opposite direction, with a rope just below the upper cut, tugging in the direction of the lower cut. Give the rope a tug and the two cuts fold, pulling the tree backwards before it completes the forward flop.

Maybe someone can remember what thread it was in and find a link. Looked pretty cool. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by peds

[Witterings]

1 hour ago, kevinjohnsonmbe said:

Remove the obstructing tree first then remove your target tree. 
 

I like simplicity! 😂

 

That would be the simplest but the obstructing tree was the one we wanted to keep it's a lovely big Ash and the other a pine growing up through the Ash stopping it's canopy growing properly on 1 side which was part of the reason we wanted to lose the pine.

 

55 minutes ago, peds said:

There was a video on here not long ago of a hung tree being taken down with two complete sets of felling cuts, one about 80cm above the other and facing the opposite direction, with a rope just below the upper cut, tugging in the direction of the lower cut. Give the rope a tug and the two cuts fold, pulling the tree backwards before it completes the forward flop.

Maybe someone can remember what thread it was in and find a link. Looked pretty cool. 

 

Be interested to see that I'll have a search and see if I can find it.

 

I was wondering about it over night as well .... what if you did a very heavily angled cut on the opposite side to the way you want it to fall from the lower level upwards(Cut 1) and then a heavily angled cut the opposite side (Cut 2) going down to meet it .... the trunk would then slide down the face of cut 1 and a little backwards reinstating some lean in the direction you want it to go and as it dropped hopefully now below the level of the holding branch it'd fall in the direction you wanted ... or would cut 2 just snag up the saw?

[Stere]

Post  pictures...

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

29 minutes ago, Witterings said:

it's a lovely big Ash

Understood.  If it turns out to be an ADB resilient tree then definitely worth retaining.  

 

On the other hand, if the Ash shows sign of succumbing to ADB it wouldn't hurt to leave the pine in situ for a year or 2 whilst you wait to see how the Ash bears up.  If the Ash loses the fight against ADB, it may need to be reduced / removed anyway.  🤞🏻   

[Con]

Well done. Buggers, hung up trees. If it's down safely, with no damage, I'd say that's a success. Is this a follow up to a previous thread? Pics would help

[Witterings]

1 hour ago, Con said:

Well done. Buggers, hung up trees. If it's down safely, with no damage, I'd say that's a success. Is this a follow up to a previous thread? Pics would help

 

No it's not a follow up ... it was a bit last minute as whilst I'd been planning it for a while my son was here, told him what I was intending and he said he'd give me a hand so thought I'd get it done whilst I had the help.

Initially I thought it was going to be easy so didn't think to take pics before we did it .... it was when we were looking for any problems just before we started that I noticed there was a branch that'd stop it falling so concentration went on how to best go about it.

It wasn't easy but we just took it carefully cutting bit by bit until there was virtually no hinge left, one bit the hinge failed but it just rested on the trunk below so we used ropes to pull it off in the direction we wanted BUT I'm sure there are easier ways than how we did it (took ages as well especially as we were being careful) so it's more asking for the future and out of interest.

[Billhook]

If I have any worry about a hung tree or rotten dangerous one I bring the Teleporter with a 6 metre boom, 3 tons of lift and a lot of pushing power as well as quite a bit of pulling power.  4 wheel drive ad the teleram to push the machine out of a muddy situation, it will tackle nearly anything that it can drive up to.

Last job was a large Lime that had split about eight feet up and was leaning at about 30 degrees into a mass of Sycamore small branches. Too dangerous for me even to chainsaw,  and a nightmare to rope up and winch so I just went in with the Teleporter and with a heavy weight on the forks rested it on top of the large limb which came crashing down safely to the ground

moved the machine further up the limb and the weight brought the rest of it down to the ground.  Ten minute job, solo with me 6 metres away in a safety cab.

Ok not everyone has a teleporter, but it is worth thinking about speaking to a local farmer or contractor who may be happy to charge you but what price is safety?