Sorry, oak tree

[chim]

I planted an oak tree in front of the house about 30 years ago. Suddenly "it was all growed up". Although it was a healthy specimen, there were some problems. While it was growing, there was an adjacent silver maple tree that didn't respect the oak's personal space. The oak compensated when it got to a certain height by developing a lean to the West (toward the house). This sealed its fate. The maple had to come down a few years ago because it was rotten inside.

Wifey wanted the oak gone but was nervous about both the lean and that I said it's a DIY project. It came down today while she was out shopping. This was my first chance to use the new winch mount on the Trailblazer. The Warn 9K is on a portable mount I've used in the rear receiver. Had the material for a front mount for a long time, but only recently got the welder out to make it happen.

There are examples on YouTube of cutting a trunk in a sort of tongue and groove shape to help guide the tree as it falls. Between that and connecting to the trunk almost 20' up with the winch line, it went pretty well. I anchored the rear of the Trailblazer to another tree in the lower yard just to make sure it stayed put. The bar on my little Stihl came up short of being able to plunge through the tree, so I first cut flats on opposite sides to make it reach. My BIL came over and kept a thumb on the wireless remote so he could encourage the tree to go in the right directions when things started making cracking sounds. The tree went in the right direction and then rolled down the hill.

Wifey saw the tree on the ground when she got home and was about to chastise me for not having anyone around while dropping it. I explained that her brother was here to assist with the winch and contact EMS if things suddenly went bad.

 

[D2Cat]

Nice. I've seen videos of it done but never cut a hinge like that. It does direct the direction of the fall. It's always a bit of relief when it's on the ground (and in the correct spot).

 

[jaxs]

When I read both bumpers were attached to trees I just knew we were about to see a Trailblazer suspended mid-air between trees when the Oak fell.
Good job but I'd be sick over losing a tree that size from my yard.

 

[DSA]

If that's your first notch, that's an amazing job!

 

[GreensvilleJay]

curious as to how long you spent cutting the T&G notch ?
I've always done the 3 cut hinge method.Pretensioned loooong rope to tractor ,if needed.
Sawyers around here, on bucket trucks,cut horizontal from both sides then use bucket to break and push over the piece.

 

[jaxs]

If that's your first notch, that's an amazing job!

My thought exactly. You might have a potential career in chainsaw carving.

 

[Trimley]

Nice work.

 

[WI_Hedgehog]

That's an "unusual" set of decisions. The hinge type is used for steering against a side-lean, back-lean is generally offset using wedges. Looking at the holding wood and shape of the hinge...well, at least the Trailblazer was likely not out-matched by the tree weight, nobody was hurt, and there's no property damage.

I think the wife was likely correct in this case. Non-leaning trees present a lot of dangers and it's easy to be seriously injured, learners present a whole new set of challenges. Doing things behind someone's back is a sign a person is not trustworthy, especially given risks which would have impacted others were taken against their will; with friends--and more importantly the people you live with--being up-front and honest is important to a healthy long-term relationship.

I'm glad the job "went okay," though I think it's worth mentioning taking time to reflect on one's life and decision making process couldn't hurt and might help--and I say that constructively: Deciding to try something "seen on YouTube" is in general when most people cringe--and for good reason. It's best to do a few trial runs, figure out how things work, and make any mistakes where is doesn't so much matter.

 

[chim]

Although I've used a winch to drop trees in the past, it was always with traditional cuts. I tried the notch this time because of the lean. It took more time to make the two cuts to "slim down" the trunk so the bar reached through. The hinge cuts took less than 5 minutes.

This (fortunately/unfortunately) was a solid healthy tree. No widowmakers hanging. I trust the 9K winch on an anchored vehicle much more than wedges to direct the tree. Wifey's brother was a lot more useful than she would have been.

 

[D2Cat]

Doing things behind someone's back is a sign a person is not trustworthy, especially given risks which would have impacted others were taken against their will; with friends--and more importantly the people you live with--being up-front and honest is important to a healthy long-term relationship.

A bit of over reach of your opinion of how an individual handles their affairs. Do you charge a decent price for your internet counseling?

 

[JRHill]

I planted an oak tree in front of the house about 30 years ago. Suddenly "it was all growed up". Although it was a healthy specimen, there were some problems. While it was growing, there was an adjacent silver maple tree that didn't respect the oak's personal space. The oak compensated when it got to a certain height by developing a lean to the West (toward the house). This sealed its fate. The maple had to come down a few years ago because it was rotten inside.

Wifey wanted the oak gone but was nervous about both the lean and that I said it's a DIY project. It came down today while she was out shopping. This was my first chance to use the new winch mount on the Trailblazer. The Warn 9K is on a portable mount I've used in the rear receiver. Had the material for a front mount for a long time, but only recently got the welder out to make it happen.

There are examples on YouTube of cutting a trunk in a sort of tongue and groove shape to help guide the tree as it falls. Between that and connecting to the trunk almost 20' up with the winch line, it went pretty well. I anchored the rear of the Trailblazer to another tree in the lower yard just to make sure it stayed put. The bar on my little Stihl came up short of being able to plunge through the tree, so I first cut flats on opposite sides to make it reach. My BIL came over and kept a thumb on the wireless remote so he could encourage the tree to go in the right directions when things started making cracking sounds. The tree went in the right direction and then rolled down the hill.

Wifey saw the tree on the ground when she got home and was about to chastise me for not having anyone around while dropping it. I explained that her brother was here to assist with the winch and contact EMS if things suddenly went bad.

The E.JPG picture of the stump: I keep wondering what you could use that for as its kind of cool. Teeter totter for kids?

 

[Lil Foot]

The old guy who taught me the finer points of tree dropping (35+yrs with the FS) showed me the "hinge" method 30+ years ago. He was an artist- for every tree he dropped, he would place a pop can out where he wanted the tree to fall. Never saw him miss. He warned me that the hinge always works, unless the tree is rotted or badly hollowed out. (but then all bets are off anyway)
I asked the old guy if it was so effective, why doesn't everyone use it alll the time? He said it is too time consuming for general logging, when more trees on the ground means more money in the bank.

I have never used the hinge, but was planning to on a dead ponderosa pine (65+ft) at my place in the high country, but then I got a call from the power company saying they will drop it & buck it up for free, so it won't hit the power line. It is leaning away from the power line, but who am I to argue.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

Well, looking at your stump, all I'm going to say is, you got lucky.

/smh/

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

Wow, that’s wild. I would have just used a wedge. Hah. But good for you. Thanks for sharing the pics. Interesting to see how others tackle problems.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

curious, looked at picture again...
did it really fall straight down (like a hinge,following the notch) and then bounce over to where it is ?

 

[chim]

curious, looked at picture again...
did it really fall straight down (like a hinge,following the notch) and then bounce over to where it is ?

There's a steep hill that starts at the stump and it did shift around a little. I think the tree disengaged from the hinge part way down. The winch was certainly going to keep the tree from heading toward the house, but the rope retrieval speed wasn't fast enough to keep the trunk pointing in the exact direction it was aimed in. Below is another pic from today with the trunk trimmed up some.