Kaveman
Treehouser
Everyone is a critic... lolz
The plates on tree jacks have slightly convex domes on the middle/ inside, fitted into matching concave ' sockets, as I recall ( been 10 years). This adjusts as the backcut opens.End grain...flat grain would make me nervous.
Once the tree is tilted, the opening becomes angled, increasing the propensity to spit out...all theory for me. I don't usually get trees where jacking would be the way. Hm! Maybe that big codom euc.
@stig I wonder if the thick hinge had let go by the time it stalled in the other trees.
I got one for what's it worth. Handy for sure mChecked Madsens, and it's $25 now. Here's a link to their pdf catalog(2023)...
Their catalog's pretty cool. Very retro. Nicely laid out, and no BS. Reminds me of catalogs from when I was a kid.
A wooden wedge cut off the end of the log, a la Tucker943 (iirc)... even better. I rarely buck with wedges if I can use that trick (and I always have a wedge or 20 in the truck).I would think a mag wedge would good in a bucking situation.
In all honesty, not so much yet. It should be good in smaller timber.The hammer wedge? Do you like using it?
Wedging is an art.