Tree Jack Project

[Haironyourchest]

Nearly finished. It's a simpler design than the flashy expensive ones like Reipal. Longer reach as well. Closed length 6'6" extended 11 foot. Haven't tried it yet though. Plan is to have an attachment plate on the low end of the moving part, with swappable gadgets. Spike for log lifting, and a plate for elevating big rounds on to my splitter table....the power source is a 1/4 tonne lever hoist. Not as strong as the commercial Jacks, but mine has a longer reach, so better leverage. The benefit of the hoist is constant control, in both directions. Unloaded, it can free-spool, allowing for rapid deployment and reset. Also detachable for other jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

[Haironyourchest]

 

[Khriss]

Coat of paint on it and a sticker , smashing job K

Edited September 7, 2021 by Khriss
... You could pull an ATM out of the wall, with that 😉

[Dan Maynard]

Need a video of it pushing a tree. I like that you can quickly take up the slack on the chain.

[Haironyourchest]

Finished the fabrication, built three modular attachments for the pushing end, and a footstand, bought a 500kg lever hoist for it, cleaned and undercoat with Galvafroid. 

 

Now I'm thinking about colour schemes... Thinking maybe a maybe a white/orange Stihl rip-off, with black accents. Or keep it simple and go all dayglow yellow?

 

[Khriss]

Colchester green, black stripes. K

[Haironyourchest]

Finished the paint job.

 

[Haironyourchest]

Well, she's done and put to work. First test video. Tree hung up though... I've no doubt it will be just the ticket from time to time. I did try the foot spike, to lift a serious butt end later, rest of the tree was lodged with others in a heap, there was no chance of it budging...gave it some crankage and the foot end started flexing! Backed off and it flexed back straight again. So, as I expected, the box tube is the weak part.

 

 

[slack ma girdle]

Its too long, and the tube section too thin. If it is bending with a small relatively vertical tree, it is not going to have the strength to push a back leaning tree which is want you want it to do.

The idea is good, it just needs some refinement.

[Haironyourchest]

2 hours ago, slack ma girdle said:

Its too long, and the tube section too thin. If it is bending with a small relatively vertical tree, it is not going to have the strength to push a back leaning tree which is want you want it to do.

The idea is good, it just needs some refinement.

Yeah sorry, I was a bit unclear- it wasn't bending against that tree in the vid, it was a different tree later, on the ground and wedged in with other trees. The tree had been felled some years ago and I tried to lift the butt end with the spike, just to see what would happen. The spike being a sticky-outey thing, the load on the box was changed from near veritcal to 45 degrees or thereabouts.

 

But I agree the 35mm box is too thin/narrow, generally. It's just what I had to hand, scrap from another job. Thanks for watching!