Rate My Hinge.

[Rich Rule]

Up top hinge 

 

 

[dadio]

we've been getting into it over at the buzz and thought I'd post some pics here for your perusal.. Hope everyone s doing well..

 

I do believe in the tapered hinge's ability to help control against side lean, and use it religiously, though I understand it is not taught by pro trainers, one of whom has gone as far as to call it B.S.

 

I also like fat hinges, high pull lines tied off to trucks or skid steer loaders, and don't use wedges much, though will often gut the hinge to reduce drag from the hinge fibers...

 

Here are some pics, with more unconventional cuts coming soon

[dadio]

Here's a few pics of gutted hinge

[dadio]

And here are a couple of controversial pics.. I took these pics because the hinges worked. In the case of the ash, much better than I expected it to...  I never really thought much about it, or considered them extraordinary. They just seemed to be a logical extension of the tapered hinge...  putting as much of the hinge on the far side of the lean as possible... Only to find out later that this type of hinge was named the swing dutchman by Doug Dent and illustrated in his book, "Professional Timber Falling" on pages 110-111

[dadio]

some viewers have mistakenly thought there was a bypass in the face of the locust pictured above.. I NEVER bypass my face cuts... Usually, just the opposite, taking an extra 20 seconds to make a "plate cut", a name I gave to the practice of taking a third cut from the face and lifting out a flat piece (usually around 1/2") from the floor of the face, which gives a little height to the fibers at the front of the hinge.

Edited November 27, 2018 by dadio

[Khriss]

Bottom one is a Fish cut - for those new to the game. k

[Steve Bullman]

58 minutes ago, dadio said:

though I understand it is not taught by pro trainers, one of whom has gone as far as to call it B.S.

Find it hard to believe how anyone can't understand how/why a tapered hinge works, its pretty straight forward stuff.  Like you I used to use it all the time.

 

Is your original article still kicking around?  I'd love to get it posted in the article section here.  I may have asked you that before?

[Khriss]

Definately poke thru my hinges more than should- but with Hi Lifts they Definately go over easier, possibly the tension grown into the timber is released ( speshly in big cedars ) k

[dadio]

31 minutes ago, Steve Bullman said:

Find it hard to believe how anyone can't understand how/why a tapered hinge works, its pretty straight forward stuff.  Like you I used to use it all the time.

 

Is your original article still kicking around?  I'd love to get it posted in the article section here.  I may have asked you that before?

Me too Steve... it's still a matter of heated debate in the industry, with one side saying it simply doesn't work or at best is unreliable, and therefore shouldn't be used and the other side standing here with our jaws dropped ...

 

 

Here's a link to the article:

http://allabouttrees.com/wp-content/uploads/guides/climber/Felling_Accuracy.pdf

 

and a comment at the buzz from Tony Tresselt, a professional trainer and safety officer for a well respected tree service about an hour from me.:

"I have not nor will I ever teach or use this technique on a arborist production work site. It was bull shit when the article came out, shitty pictures and all, and it’s B. S. now, lacking effect, perdictibality and flys in the face of most if not all safer felling practices."

[Steve Bullman]

Mind if I reformat it and post it in the articles section at some point then?