SeanKroll
Treehouser
Wedging trees is an art that many are not familiar with.
Instead of pulling harder, more wedging!
Instead of pulling harder, more wedging!
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CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Fug no
I just meant if you were gonna insist on wedging, that’s all that would do it.
CurSedVoyce
California Hillbilly
Sitting too hard back, you would destroy a redwood wedge before you would get it to sink. So. Still no.
Or did you mean "redhead"
And still, hard head would serve better or magnesium IMO
Or did you mean "redhead"
And still, hard head would serve better or magnesium IMO
The monster thin steel wedges they used to tip the redwoods before jacks.
I’m not dumb enough to think you could wedge a tree with essentially cedar. I’ve tried euc and it doesn’t hold up.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Multi-prong approach.
I have wedged some big trees. A bottle jack, if you don't have a real tree jack is a whole lotta 'go over there" with plenty of tight wedges. I've only jacked big trees with Silvey jacks.
He called for more rope force which went from whole lotta (insufficient) pull to zero when it broke.
2 more (good rope-angle) ropes on two more machines would have also been a good way.
5 long wedges can do a lotta lifting.
10, twice as much.
How much backweight does it seem to have had?
I have wedged some big trees. A bottle jack, if you don't have a real tree jack is a whole lotta 'go over there" with plenty of tight wedges. I've only jacked big trees with Silvey jacks.
He called for more rope force which went from whole lotta (insufficient) pull to zero when it broke.
2 more (good rope-angle) ropes on two more machines would have also been a good way.
5 long wedges can do a lotta lifting.
10, twice as much.
How much backweight does it seem to have had?
flushcut
TreeHouser
Wedges aren’t that effective in trees with large canopy spreads. You might get the log to tip but the back weight can balance out a lot of wedge.
My SOP for big pull trees is to cut some of the back weight off first. They had the gear on site it wouldn’t have taken that much more time to rig out the back weight so they could destroy what ever pavement later.
And leaving a good hinge is probably a solid idea.
My SOP for big pull trees is to cut some of the back weight off first. They had the gear on site it wouldn’t have taken that much more time to rig out the back weight so they could destroy what ever pavement later.
And leaving a good hinge is probably a solid idea.
It’s funny that comes up. After slamming one tree after another for a couple days, I’ve got a lot of felling stuff rattling around in my nugget. Wedging is way harder on back weighted short wide canopy “yard trees” vs. conifers. The hardwood resists bending more. The center of gravity is way further back and possibly much heavier. The conifer is taller and once the weight is shifted forward (usually not having to travel as far) the weight helps you and has the leverage of the long trunk to pull it over. This is why I often use Bjarne’s power wedges and a heavy axe. I put lots of them in there and pace myself beating them.
Not a great example or video but it is possible with a lot of wedges. Before I discovered power wedges
SeanKroll
Treehouser
How much back weight compared to front weight? The trunk looks reasonably straight. The crown goes front and back.
Pulling/ wedging/ jacking force had to overcome that difference in weight plus bend whatever hinge is present.
Enough oomph will tip anything.
Once we had a terribly rotten maple backleaner. Too rotten to cut.
Leaning way back.
I weakened the tree with only a backcut while attached to the St Parks 40 y.o.Garrett skidder that had a hella skookum winch (skidder butted against a strong tree). Not enough to pull over. Weakened some more. Cleared out, again. My boss pulled the whole thing over backwards. We didn't use the 1/2"/ 34000 pound mbs Amsteel, rather steel cable.
Enough speed and power of pull and you can flip anything, anywhere... give a big enough lever...
I wouldn't have done it their way at all.
Who was it?
Pulling/ wedging/ jacking force had to overcome that difference in weight plus bend whatever hinge is present.
Enough oomph will tip anything.
Once we had a terribly rotten maple backleaner. Too rotten to cut.
Leaning way back.
I weakened the tree with only a backcut while attached to the St Parks 40 y.o.Garrett skidder that had a hella skookum winch (skidder butted against a strong tree). Not enough to pull over. Weakened some more. Cleared out, again. My boss pulled the whole thing over backwards. We didn't use the 1/2"/ 34000 pound mbs Amsteel, rather steel cable.
Enough speed and power of pull and you can flip anything, anywhere... give a big enough lever...
I wouldn't have done it their way at all.
Who was it?
flushcut
TreeHouser
If the tree is reasonably balanced wedges alone will work. But if the trunk is back leaning and there 20”-30” limbs 60’ long under the lean you ain’t wedging nothing. Especially in a five foot DBH oak, many many tons going the wrong way. Pull, jack, and wedges are in order, stack the deck in your favor.
What they did was ballzy and a little reckless IMO.
And what did they think that skidsteer was going to do? I’ll tell ya not a damn thing. It would have been better off pulling on another line.
What they did was ballzy and a little reckless IMO.
And what did they think that skidsteer was going to do? I’ll tell ya not a damn thing. It would have been better off pulling on another line.
Cobleskill
Treehouser
8 feet of leverage vs. 80 feet of tree. Big mismatch.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
I agree that when they're is a ton of backweight wedges are hard pressed.
I don't know the amount of backweight, naturally.
How do you read the weight distribution?
People often choke one leg of a rope with a knot rather than s tensionless hitch, then tie or wrap a bollard with the other end. A rope can be "basketed"/ doubled around the tree with 2 legs going to the bollard.
I don't know the amount of backweight, naturally.
How do you read the weight distribution?
People often choke one leg of a rope with a knot rather than s tensionless hitch, then tie or wrap a bollard with the other end. A rope can be "basketed"/ doubled around the tree with 2 legs going to the bollard.
flushcut
TreeHouser
I use a plumb bob on difficult to read trees. Then I look at the canopy, two limbs going this way six going that way and what not. More limbs under the lean than ahead of the lean is bad ju ju for a good outcome in a tree of that mass. I’d cut the limbs off under the lean first.
SeanKroll
Treehouser
If only you had a throw line on hand
SeanKroll
Treehouser
Looks like the Madsen's catalog only has 12" long at 8% slope as they're most powerful wedge.
Idk if that was our biggest size at St Parks. My boss used to call that biggest the 'tongue' for unknown reason. Might have only been 12".
Send at least as long as my 13" boot. 15 years ago. Fuzzy.
People can always have wedges made at whatever angle they need, just wouldn't be as cheap as off the shelf.
A $2500 tree jack wouldn't have hurt a thing.
I've used a half dozen wedges (before stacking) as we had to force a big fir toward land with no trees or vehicle as an anchor.
I was close to a lean 200#. My boss was about 6'3", 240.
We alternated for about 15 solid minutes, fighting some sap rot to boot.
I am definitely not saying every tree can be wedged over. I bet it wouldn't have rocked back and snapped off so easily if they had a complement of wedges unless the tree was soft.
Idk if that was our biggest size at St Parks. My boss used to call that biggest the 'tongue' for unknown reason. Might have only been 12".
Send at least as long as my 13" boot. 15 years ago. Fuzzy.
People can always have wedges made at whatever angle they need, just wouldn't be as cheap as off the shelf.
A $2500 tree jack wouldn't have hurt a thing.
I've used a half dozen wedges (before stacking) as we had to force a big fir toward land with no trees or vehicle as an anchor.
I was close to a lean 200#. My boss was about 6'3", 240.
We alternated for about 15 solid minutes, fighting some sap rot to boot.
I am definitely not saying every tree can be wedged over. I bet it wouldn't have rocked back and snapped off so easily if they had a complement of wedges unless the tree was soft.
