dead oak status?

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Ah the good ole "pile it on the trailer and unload it with a front end loader" days.

$2300 in damage, best I remember.
 
Alright everybody, I'll settle this. ;) Justin is right. A wedge is the cheapest insurance you could ever buy for a situation like this. I don't care who you are, if you haven't broken a line yet, you will. It's a sure enough thing that you might as well plan on it (nobody ever nicked your line without telling you? No tree ever fell and landed right on your running bowline? No saw ever got yanked out from under the nicely coiled line? No saw gas ever got spilled on it?). And besides, how much extra time does it take to stuff a wedge into the backcut? 1 second? C'mon!
 
Frankly, with a tree dead for that long my concern would have nothing to do with failure of the rope, but more with the increased likelihood of the top breaking out at the pull point. At that point you are fooked with the top going wherever, but at least the rest of the stem has a chance of going the right way with some wedges backing up the cut.
 
so climb the damn tree and cut the leaders out, white oaks hold good enough for that. jeez.
 
If cutting that tree with just a rope gives concern, then better to pull with a cable. That will give more security than a wedge in possibly unsound wood, imo.
 
I wouldnt use a cable. I would use rope that has some stretch in it. Otherwise you could possibly break out the top. Im all for wedging, but if its hollow at all they wont help much.
 
Using a cable to pull that tree would be dangerous and foolish. A cable has no stretch and would shock load that brittle wood, causing breakouts.

Open your eyes and look at how much back lean there is. Probably 100-200 lbs is all, 250 lbs if it's really wet and you have a headwind. Why do you need a cable to pull it over? :roll: This is a minor pull, nothing at all justifying pulling out the heavy hardware. Toss a tag line up there and have your nephew pull it over while you make the back cut. And ignore anybody telling you to use a heavy steel cable for that little tree.

(edited to remove my rude comment. My apologies, Jay)
 
"Fool eyes"...that sounds almost nice.... Tony Bennett?

Only because people are saying that they need a wedge. Like I earlier posted, I think a rope is all that is required.

I disagree with the shockload, it depends on how you pull. Bring it up to tension, cut and pull accordingly while watching what's going on. I didn't say to yank the damn thing.
 
Y'all have missed my point if there ever was one now. Use a damn line to pull the tree over. If you're a fully equipped and capable tree man a good back-up safety to employ in similar situations is to tap a wedge into that backcut. NOT to wedge the damn dead tree over when it's easy peasy to set a line in it. Is this clear? Am I missing something in my own posts? No do not wedge over a dead tree when it's easy enough to set a pull line. Yes tap a wedge snuggly into that backcut if you're there making it anyways. If you're inexperienced, wedging over a dead tree against it's lean is a good way to learn all about running away when you pop that hinge. But setting not driving a wedge into the kerf of the backcut is sound practice when pulling a tree against it's lean. Of course imo.

If we want to argue this tree in particular? I woulda had it on the ground, as previously stated, in five minutes from the safety of my bucket. Take the bucket out of the picture? I would set a pull line, make my undercut, have my main man groundy put some tension on, make my backcut setting a wedge in snuggly at the same time, and then pull it over. If you want to leave out the setting the wedge because you think it's a colossal waste of time you need more practice with wedges. If you want to leave the wedge setting out because you deem it's simply not nescessary, then that's your choice.

Lucky that tree's dead, otherwise we woulda talked it to death anyways.:D
 
In most cases, Id say not necessary. That is if a rope is employed. With proper tension on the line. The backcut isnt going to close anyway.

I will be the first to admit, I rarely use a wedge for felling. If it needs encouragement of any kind I just shoot a line up it. Inexperienced with wedges? Yes, but I am working at using them more and am becoming more comfortable with them. I have even taken some trees out of a good backlean without a rope using wedges in a noncritical situation just for the practice.

Good practice to tap in a wedge into the backcut? Sure, but with a rope, not needed IMO (in most cases)
 
But you can admit that without a wedge in the backcut kerf the tree in this particular scenario is gonna setback hard(possibly hard enough to pop the hinge and loose the tree?) 'if' somehow the line or something in it's system fails as unlikely as that may be. Now seeing as how there's a house in the direction of lean of this tree, however unlikely it may be for anything in the pull system to fail, I'll take the second and set the wedge. For me it's a second. A wedge and axe are right in the box with all my rigging easy to grab, easy to use.

And hell ya wedges are for loggers.:evil:
 
Look Squish. No wedges. :D





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I'll often bring a wedge up with me to use when blocking down the spar; helps the chunks slide off slicker'n'snot!
 
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