dead oak status?

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Jeez, it's a 5 minute flopper. Coulda shoulda woulda had the tree on the ground in less time than it took to read this whole thread.











;)
 
Well whatever squirrelly man. But I still throw a wedge into a backcut even while using a pull line.:P

Maybe it's my bush background but I don't feel comfortable felling a tree, spar or whatever without having a axe and wedges around.
 
Never had a time when something with only a rope went pear shaped (that was caused by only using a rope), never felt the threat of it happening.

Face, pretension, back cut, pull. Worse case, the rope still prevents set back.

Not saying I never use both, but in that tree I wouldn't.
 
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  • #30
Well whatever squirrelly man. But I still throw a wedge into a backcut even while using a pull line.:P

Maybe it's my bush background but I don't feel comfortable felling a tree, spar or whatever without having a axe and wedges around.

I've started making it a habit to use a wedge whenever I can...several of Burnham's comments in the past got my attention...if it's good enough for Burnham it is certainly good enough for me.
 
You can generate a shit ton more pull with a rope than you can push with a wedge. By the same token, with way less force in the rope, you can generate the same amount of lift that the wedge offers without extra stress on the hindge.

You feel better with wedges, I feel better with a rope. The main difference, as I see it, is you're wrong. :P:lol:

Like Steve said, if the tree's been dead since 04, the hinge will most likely be a premature releaser, and we all know how bad that can be.
 
My take on it is this. In climbing we're all about redundant systems/back-ups to increase safety. A wedge is a extremely simple time efficient back-up in that situation. I'm certain that tree could easily be pulled back, it doesn't look to big or to bad of a lean. But I'd still have a wedge in there, situated on the side of the house so that if something did go south with the pull line and the tree setback hard and popped the hinge the wedge could deflect it away from the house......possibly. Or could just stop the tree from setting back hard or popping the hinge in the first place if the rope system failed. I don't know oak very well but I know dead, and I wouldn't want to be trusting that hinge to much.

What do they say plan for the best, prepare for the worst. Or something like that.:|:
 
You feel better with wedges, I feel better with a rope. The main difference, as I see it, is you're wrong. :P:lol:

You are understanding that I'm talking about using a rope and a wedge as a back-up right? So I guess that makes me more right than you.:P
 
Touche

While you're getting the ax and wedge out of the truck, I'm already loading the wood and trying to decide about lunch.

Forgot the smilie: :P
 
That I would like to see.:lol:


My saws are razor sharp and my two main guns either of which I'd be using on this tree are woods modded. So actually I'd have the tree down and cut up with a wedge having been stuck in the backcut while you would still probably be widdling out your notch.:P

As long as we're gonna internet arbor spar.:lol:


:lol:I can't help myself sometimes. No offense man. Potatoes, potatos.
 
I'm packin a saw that makes a 24" cut in green oak in about 9.4 seconds with an out of the box factory chain.


Whatchoo throwing down wit?
 
EHP 361 or 660. The 660 rips real nice. Or I could use a bagged out 46.:lol:

Out of the box factory chain? Shoot I sharpen them up just to get them up to snuff. Lol.
 
He can beat 9.4 seconds with no advantage sharpening (woods chain) and pump gas with one of those saws? He hasn't the cubes!

KD did mine.
 
Hey Carl... quit while yer ahead. I still got pics of a certain roof...

;)
 
With all due respect, and aside from what we can be packin', I'd feel comfortable cutting that tree with an Echo CS whatever. I think the good likelihood is that the lift you'd get from a wedge, could be much minimalized by the tree being dead for awhile, but nevertheless, why bother? Thinking beyond a rope is not necessary...imo. Hard to exactly say without being in person. but it looks like an easy run of the mill flop, basically, i.e., no back-up required.

Jay
 
With all due respect, and aside from what we can be packin', I'd feel comfortable cutting that tree with an Echo CS whatever. I think the good likelihood is that the lift you'd get from a wedge, could be much minimalized by the tree being dead for awhile, but nevertheless, why bother? Thinking beyond a rope is not necessary...imo. Hard to exactly say without being in person. but it looks like an easy run of the mill flop, basically, i.e., no back-up required.

Jay

You're missing the point Jay. What if the rope broke, for whatever most unlikely reason. Wouldn't you wish you had stuck a wedge in the backcut? Not to wedge a dead oak tree over but for the just in case of the rope failing. That wedge would give you the opportunity to set a new line/fix the car or truck that had failed or whatever the case may be. It would prevent the tree from setting back. I'm not understanding the resistance to using a two second back-up in this scenario? All your ropes are new and inspected before each use?
 
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  • #47
What if the rope broke, for whatever most unlikely reason. Wouldn't you wish you had stuck a wedge in the backcut? ...... It would prevent the tree from setting back.

That's what gets my attention...if the tensioning system fails/slips/whatever there is a tree ready to use gravity and whatever force vectors get added to the mix when the tensioning system slips/fails. Big oooppppsss.

A wedge could possibly help a little.
 
All the talk about: "what if the rope breaks" make me wonder what y'all use to pull trees with.

twine?
 
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  • #49
All the talk about: "what if the rope breaks" make me wonder what y'all use to pull trees with.

twine?

Nah, 9/16" Samson Stable Braid...I don't expect it to break, for sure...Average Breaking Strength 13,300lbs, WS is 2,700 lbs...the pull needs to be steady and slow, not fast and jerky.

I suppose it is possible there could be an internal rupture of a rope that would not be visible or might be missed. Rigging ropes get banged around a lot, what with falling tops and chunks. Elegance in treework is nice, a smooth controlled handllng of each piece...but violence and banging around of stuff is pretty common, too.

It's the "whatever" part I try to plan for...there's more than one link in a system, just building in a little backup.
 
I was just kidding, because it really wont take much to pull that little oak.
Pulling a tree like that one, a dynamic rope actualle works great.
Make your undercut, tension the rope and do your felling cut.
The stretch in the rope will most likely be enough to pull it over.
That way it goes nice and smoothly with no jerks that can knock dead branches loose.
 
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