Windblow hung up trees

[AlexB]

I don't get what this guy is trying to achieve here. I had a few of these to do at Alice Holt a few weeks ago. None needed climbing. Initially treat as a leaning tree with a dog tooth cut and then treat as a plain hung up tree. Nibble the hinge and hope it will roll out or winch back. Really no need for any of these funky methods. Why make something harder and obviously more dangerous than it needs to be? Unless it's purely for the sake of controversy and provoking reaction?

[crackoff]

I am not picking at your post but the whole point of this that seems to be overlooked by others is that gravity says the butt end is going to fall away from the cutter, The reasoning behind cutting high in my experience is to get enough momentum to make sure the tree clears the one it is hung up in, if you cut only a foot or two above the stump there is no fall and no momentum and what tends to happen is that the butt of the leaner creeps closer to the standing tree and makes the situation worse because in that scenario you would eventually be dealing with an almost upright hanger

 

Hi lgl... I think you misunderstand my "plunge cut went too high" statement... What I mean is not to do with where he makes the cut, just that it leaves too little wood in the top part of the cut (only a couple of inches if that) If on the other hand he leaves three or even four inches at the top of the cut, the release is far more controlled as the last of the wood splits up the trunk quite slowly. In the vid, the release is almost instant, which is where I feel he is doing it wrong...

[JimM]

I don't get what this guy is trying to achieve here. I had a few of these to do at Alice Holt a few weeks ago. None needed climbing. Initially treat as a leaning tree with a dog tooth cut and then treat as a plain hung up tree. Nibble the hinge and hope it will roll out or winch back. Really no need for any of these funky methods. Why make something harder and obviously more dangerous than it needs to be?

 

 

I agree. I also wonder why anyone would approach a windthrow tree area and not have a winch in their possession.

 

The other issue with bigger trees is that if you are on soft ground (which is often why it's wind thrown) and you use Dadio's method, the resulting butt will spear deeper into the ground, invariably amongst the root system which, if it won't roll out then, will make it a nightmare to winch back and out.

Even worse, a limb catches high up, preventing the stem drop, and the resultant butt swings in towards the tree it's hung on and leaves it floating above the ground.

I've created both scenarios, through laziness in not getting the winch out, pure and simple. It's not big and it's not clever.

[dadio]

Hi lgl... I think you misunderstand my "plunge cut went too high" statement... What I mean is not to do with where he makes the cut, just that it leaves too little wood in the top part of the cut (only a couple of inches if that) If on the other hand he leaves three or even four inches at the top of the cut, the release is far more controlled as the last of the wood splits up the trunk quite slowly. In the vid, the release is almost instant, which is where I feel he is doing it wrong...

 

The movement off the stump is going to to be much different, depending on whether the tree is still attached to the stump or not...the second video as well as the inserted ash drop in the original vid show the slower movement once the tree is free of the stump (i was actually able to walk away from the cut and wait for the piece to fall).. When the tree is still on the stump the holding strap needs to be smaller.. lots of variables to consider.. the stick is always going to move quickly off the stump..

AND as long as the piece is not top heavy (which is very rare) the but is going to move down and in, away from the cutter.

 

Here's another vid I shot after hurricane Sandy hit the easy coast, in 2012.

 

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2 minutes of cutting and I was down the road... even with a dull saw.. do you really think there are faster and easier methods?

[mistahbenn]

Hows it going Dan? You've been quiet of late. Been doing alot of munching?

[dadio]

been saving up the vids Ben..

got a few charmers too!

 

Had an external HD crash, which wasn't backed up, so sent it away and they recovered the 3 years of vids I had on it.. Haven't sorted out the system since then. Was expecting some time this winter, but work got very busy..