Tree jack / bottle jack with plate

[Al Smith]

It would take either a 400 pound giant or a gorilla to pop the seals out of a good 20 ton .You can take a twenty ton and with no handle at all raise a pick up truck .Takes forever though .

FWIW some of my smaller 5 and 8 ton jacks have relief valves and you can't over load them or so they say .I don't know if my 12's or the one 20 does or not .I've never had a big enough load to find out .

 

[woodworkingboy]

I think with jacking trees, the fact that there might be wind factor that would give a sudden pressure release then set back, it's probably not a very desirable thing for a regular bottle jack that doesn't have built in protection for that, as opposed to slowly reaching maximum pressure gradually.

 

[Cobleskill]

Pressure can be roughly gauged by the force on the handle. The better presses come with a gauge too. f

 

[gf beranek]

Thanks for the thumbs up guys. much appreciated.

a bottle jack can work. and with a few simple modifications like re-inforcing the base plate and putting a gimbal on the ram for the top plate to pivot,, they can get you by for light duty. like stubs and large fair standing trees. I've used them and known others that have as well. But they are light duty and meant for static loads. A tree rocking in the wind will quickly blow a bottle jack or crush it into the stump. so use with caution.

The moral of the story here is, if you really need a jack for a tree then get the real thing. As B said, "the real McCoy's are under- rated." I know this because a 20 ton tree jack can hold far more abuse that a 20 ton bottle jack ever could.

Dollar wise it is tempting to go with a cheap modified bottle jack. But if you do just remember what B said, "Keep the wedges tight."

 

[flushcut]

I have a 20t low profile with the threaded insert in the top so I could take up any slack in my cut before I started jacking to get maximum lift. I rounded the top of the insert so it would mate better with 1/2" plate that I have drilled a shallow hole in and rounded out with a die grinder. Then I welded a series of dots on top for grip. It works well enough but I would love to play with a Silvey but there is no way I can justify the cost. I have only used it maybe four or five times.

 

[Cobleskill]

A tree is one heck of a lever. Wedges could be used as insurance.

 

[flushcut]

Wedges could be used as insurance.

Always!

 

[Al Smith]

Most of the time they jack those giant trees in the PNW .I don't know if it's worth the effort on most eastern hardwoods .Maybe in some cases .??? We were just discussing that on another thread ,ropes and wedges

 

[flushcut]

Some times and rarely does a jack come in handy here in S.E. WI.

 

[Al Smith]

It's just like the discussion of ropes .I suppose it's just what a person is more comfortable with .Big timber fellers certainly would be more attuned to using a jack than the average cutter .

 

[flushcut]

I would think so as well.

 

[sotc]

Most of the time they jack those giant trees in the PNW

I wouldn't say that, only on heavy back leaners. Even then most guys don't have a good jack anymore

 

[Al Smith]

Well yeah and those are most likely those giant azz Douglas firs .

 

[woodworkingboy]

How effective is a wedge on huge trees? Do you still get decent lift?

 

[thattreeguy]

I wouldn't say that, only on heavy back leaners. Even then most guys don't have a good jack anymore

ha ha..i mustve oten lucky, i have the hein wrner with the plate that goes on top, like jer said..boat anchor

i also have this big ass silvey my faller left me, 2 piece system, 1 is the large ram,2 is the hydraulic pump and gauge...

i love using it, 1 st set the jack seat, position jack and run the pressure up to 2000 to 2500lbs, cut the face in, while watching for pressure changes, and work together and the back cut and occasional pump to encourage the tree to commit to the lay


i did see a guy pump too hard and fast once, no joke, the tree jumped up off the stump, and fell over sideways...pump slowly.....i'll take the big silvey out everyday rather than the hein warner

 

[SouthSoundTree]

How effective is a wedge on huge trees? Do you still get decent lift?[/QUOTE

A wedge doesn't do a whole lot, but a whole lotta wedges can do a whole LOT of lifting. At times like like this, a bigger pounder is in order, IMHO. I use a maul. It can be swung lightly, or go for the gusto for backleaners. as well, if there is limited swinging space, a heavier hammer swung a short distance can help in the right situation. A faller's ax is a good tool for most trees, though.

For big trees, we pull out what my supervisor calls the 'tongue', which we buy at Madsen's for about $12.95. About 12-14 inches long, with a very thin tip, which helps to get into the kerf it a tree starts to sit back before getting a wedge in place (just be quick on the wedge, and don't worry about that). Three to five of those can do some mean lifting (especially when a big dude like Duane is pounding the wedges). We can see the jack pressure gauge drop 250-500 pounds per swing with the tongues and a 5 pound ax.

They don't replace tree jacks, but are much faster and easier for the right situation. The Silveys that we have take some time to unstrap/ restrap to the truck, cut the notch, set it up, yada yada, whereas the wedges are relatively light (compared to the 50 pounds or so for the big, double ram 120 ton Silvey), and effective.

When we need to be sure, or its broken off spar (no top, little limbs), gotta love the jacks.

On my own work, I have used a 20 ton bottle jack with tightly snugged wedges. It can be really nice for dead trees or lots of dead branches above, and spars. Less jarring.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks Sean, informative reply.

 

[forestryworks]

Bottle jacks, especially the modern day jacks, are way more apt to spit out than a Silvey. Silveys are designed and built expressly for trees.

You will definitely need some sort of plate to use on a bottle jack. I've seen a few guys add a modification onto their bottle jacks that lets the plate pivot; nice ingenuity, but a bottle jack wasn't designed for trees. I have used a 20ton bottle jack on a few trees. Still would have rather had a Silvey though.

Regardless of which jack you have, you should ALWAYS back it up with wedges; doubled up!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Wonder how many tree jacks get sold each year?

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Still would have rather had a Silvey though.

What that saying? Ain't nothing like the real thing.


Though $3000 is some cheddar.

 

[bonner1040]

Sulvey tree Jack - hijacker model 45 ton. single ram. $2000

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=SC+J45&catID=

-- -------------

little feller backpack model - double ram one pump 3000$

http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=SC+J70&catID=

 

[allmarktree]

How effective is a wedge on huge trees? Do you still get decent lift?[/QUOTE

A wedge doesn't do a whole lot, but a whole lotta wedges can do a whole LOT of lifting. At times like like this, a bigger pounder is in order, IMHO. I use a maul. It can be swung lightly, or go for the gusto for backleaners. as well, if there is limited swinging space, a heavier hammer swung a short distance can help in the right situation. A faller's ax is a good tool for most trees, though.

QUOTE]

I use a dead blow sledge hammer. 8# i think it works awesome,

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Allmark, good to see you here. Welcome!

I've been wanting to try a deadblow, never used one, trees or otherwise.

I wonder if it is less strain on joints.

 

[Al Smith]

Probaley would but it would smash a foot just as effectively as a steel one .

I've got a couple of the orange 4 pounders ,18" handle or so .They make a pretty good thump .