Tree felling vids

[Jack]

using your teeth don't count!

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[gf beranek]

Ah, one-handed knot tying. Now the taught line hitch is very easy to tie one-handed. In the old days I reset my tie-in points so many times that way.

There's not many systems you can say that about today. Good old school basics.

 

[NHlocal]

Your techniques ring a familiar note. Specially with the natural crotching. Good helmet cam vid, and a job well done.

Thanks for sharing!!

Thank you Gerry, that really means a lot coming from you.
I specially appreciate my "techniques ring a familiar note", those Working Climber DVD's laid the
foundation of what I know and taught me how to work safe.

Thanks again.....
.....Randy

P.S. Those "old school basics" are still rock solid today!

 

[Bixler]

JB I'm splitting wood today thinking to myself, "he's going to have to show me a vid of that" ... And sure enough!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

WTG Jack

 

[Jack]

JB I'm splitting wood today thinking to myself, "he's going to have to show me a vid of that" ... And sure enough!

... just payin' it forward ...

 

[Bixler]

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[MasterBlaster]

Nice job! Cool vid effect, those three frame shots. You really should learn the right code to post... the embed code.

 

[cory]

That tie off point at 1:06 was sweet. that was a heck of a job, good climbing and rope work. Is that you Bix? If so just wondering why you like the stihl to hang so far below your feet?

 

[Bixler]

Nope, not me.

MB, thanks for fixin' that... again.

Just some random vid I found.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Bix is a brightly clad lad, and helmet clad, too, I think.

 

[NHlocal]

Here's an easy one I did after "work" at the shop yesterday.....

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[MasterBlaster]

Pines are my favorite to slay!!!

 

[Bixler]

Bix is a brightly clad lad, and helmet clad, too, I think.

yep, yep

 

[pantheraba]

Good drop. Using a Big Shot or even just a throw line could have saved you a climb it seems to me. Do you use such?

Also, I was taught to keep the brake hand on a rappel near the hip as much as possible. Too close to the "8" and a finger can get sucked into the friction device if something goes wrong. I once saw a girl get her hair sucked into a biner on a rappel...she was stuck at 40 feet until the hair was removed.

 

[bonner1040]

Good drop. Using a Big Shot or even just a throw line could have saved you a climb....

With a base tied anchor

 

[Tucker943]

Looks like a 362XP Special you have there. I had one and miss it. It was a great weapon with a 20" bar.

 

[NHlocal]

Pines are my favorite to slay!!!

Ayuh, and every one has it's own little "challenges".....

Good drop. Using a Big Shot or even just a throw line could have saved you a climb it seems to me. Do you use such?

Also, I was taught to keep the brake hand on a rappel near the hip as much as possible. Too close to the "8" and a finger can get sucked into the friction device if something goes wrong. I once saw a girl get her hair sucked into a biner on a rappel...she was stuck at 40 feet until the hair was removed.

I have a confession to make. I do use a throwline, and I do have a Big Shot. It took three throws by hand to hit the limb I wanted but I couldn't get it set to be able to cinch up the rope. Next I used the Big Shot and hit what I wanted first shot, same result. I couldn't get the throwline "set" to be able to cinch up the rope on the trunk of the tree. Pines trees are my "arch enemy" when it comes to trying to get a rope set with my throwline. I can isolate a limb and set a rope no problem in a hardwood, but Pines..... I'm not doing something right that's for sure!
You can chuckle or razz me or whatever, that's OK, I don't mind. The amount of time I spent trying to set a rope with my throwline was literally almost double what it took me to climb the tree, tie off the rope, make the cuts and pull the tree over, and that's the honest truth.

With a base tied anchor

Another confession, I only brought my rigging rope.....

Looks like a 362XP Special you have there. I had one and miss it. It was a great weapon with a 20" bar.

Bought that saw new in '06(and that's the original 20" bar), and has served me well ever since.

 

[Bixler]

I can isolate a limb and set a rope no problem in a hardwood, but Pines..... I'm not doing something right that's for sure!

Gotta have an APTA!
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[NHlocal]

Nicely done, looked like that tree had a good bit of limb weight on the house side, not to mention the lean.....

 

[MasterBlaster]

No way would I'd have done that. Just too iffy!

But, perhaps there was something I couldn't see.

 

[Bixler]

Thanks NHLocal, I was in the zone.

Whoops... what did I do now MB?

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm just not big on throwing whole trees that close to a structure. I would have at least removed the limbs on the back side.

 

[Jed]

Hey Bix. Well done. Seems like you hit your intended lay.

Gotta confess (because I know you can handle it--I've been utterly impressed by your broad limb climbing removals) that I'm almost thoroughly confused by your technique at the stump, and so I thought I'd shoot out a few questions.

1) Were you taught to fall that way, or did you come up with it on your own?

2) Why did you--apparently intentionally--cut off your far corner, (the corner that was away from you when you finished your back cut) but then counteract the whole business by ramming (well I won't say ramming--you need to get yourself a faller's axe, but that's another matter) wedges into the far side???

3) Who taught you to start the back cut on the far corner, and then drag the power-head around to your near corner, and/or why do you do it that way. Seems to me like you're going about things back-ackwards. (I was taught that if you dogged the bar-tip--only kerf-deap--around the tree, and then cut up to the corners, you would end up with a straighter back cut) Have you found otherwise for you personally?

Please understand that I don't mean to be an ass, and that I've only taken these rather tactless social liberties with you because I deeply respect your climbing and rigging methods. (Not to mention, that I've got a ton to learn about SRT). Do you like the rope wrench? I wasn't too impressed with my friends', and I was thinking about springing for the hitch-hiker.

 

[Bixler]

Thanks Jed, it's an older vid, I left longer clips, for this reason, hoping a few people might actually watch it, we can talk and I can learn.

1) I came up with it on my own.

2) I usually start the cutting on the far side or low-side of the tree first, ending the cut on the high side towards me. Even in topping a tree up high i've just got in the habit now, it seems more safe than doing it opposite (main reason being a faster escape if need be). I cut off the far corner on that tree because I knew eventually the wood was going to need to be cut, and figured throwing in the wedges couldn't hurt.

3) I think I can visualize it, but not quite sure.

I was taught that if you dogged the bar-tip--only kerf-deap--around the tree, and then cut up to the corners, you would end up with a straighter back cut

Sounds cool though. I've never really been taught one way or the other. I'd love the opportunity to do more tree cutting out in an open field with no targets, especially with a good faller.

Jed, i've been around long enough now to know when your being an ass BTW. Only way your gonna learn more on SRT is by forcing yourself to do it, at least for me that's what had to happen. I like the wrench because it gives me SRT capabilities (ascending the rope became twice as efficient), when it came out there was no HitchHiker on the market. I think you should spring for the hitch-hiker though, seems more practical. You see anything that could use some improvement or tuning, you don't hesitate to bring it up to me ya hear!?!