Felling leaning trees

[Mark Bolam]

It does not matter what you do Sycamore will never hold, it is too brittle for fancy cuts. The oly way that it will go other than the lean is with a winch/ ropes.

 

[Matthew Burton]

Mathew, this wasnt chance your way worked.

Imagine you lean forward, at the point where you would fall over, someone grabbed your belt, you could lean forward but not fall over. As long as that point was not let go off, you wont fall over as it is doing all the work, it is the same with holding wood at the back of a leaning tree. The tension side. Depending on what species and time of year determines how playable the timber is. You can do anything with a leaning tree it all depends what you have to hand to assist. If you dont have a wedge and only a saw it will make a diference compared to sticking a turfor or winch on it, but you still need to understand what yo are doing and why it is doing it a certain way.

 

I'm up to speed with the effect of maximising the use of holding wood against the pull of the lean. The tapering hinge leaves more wood where the greater leaverage is giving more control. the cuts I saw left even more hinge wood than a taper cut most of the way across the diameter of the tree but then a more acutely narrowed section underneath the lean (see pic). Logically this leaves more timber holding the tree and more control? If my thinking is right why isnt this more widely used?

[3dogs]

this looks like the start of slipped hinge you just determine the amount or speed of twist by the amount of hinge removed as the tree starts to fall.

[Stephen Blair]

 

you guys just need to try harder:001_tt2:

 

Mathew, i didnt realise that is what you meant. :blushing:i have never seen that technique before and dont think it would be something i would use for felling.

But i will try it out 1 day where nothing can be damaged:biggrin:

[Mark Bolam]

you guys just need to try harder:001_tt2:

 

Mathew, i didnt realise that is what you meant. :blushing:i have never seen that technique before and dont think it would be something i would use for felling.

But i will try it out 1 day where nothing can be damaged:biggrin:

 

I'm a throwbag genius now mate. Line in, pull it where you want it. Leave the experimental gob/hinge/lateral tension/taper/super-duper stuff to folks who don't mind replacing fence panels.

 

Wood acts differently at different times of year as well, so many variables.

 

I haven't had a leaner go the wrong way since at least 11 o'clock this morning.

[blazer]

I have felled pines with a lean at 90 deg to felling. I set the gob as normal but set up some slings and a 1.5 tonne chain block with the ground point in line with the hinge, so with a thich tapered henge the chain block. So when the tree went the chain block held the tree as it went.

 

It takes a bit of working out to sort the 'physics' & estimate the load, but it works - I have used x2 chain blocks with the second to pull the tree. I'm reluctant to use the winch at the back of my L200 - just in case it goes wrong.