Widowmaker

We have a good size maple down but the widowmaker is still up top, part of the birch broke off. We still have a small ash down in the same area but much safer.
zap

Forgive me if I am missing the obvious Zap, but what makes it a widowmaker? Can it not be just chained & yanked to the ground?

*Edit* But the rest on the ground looks good. Mmm, I love maple

Realstone, I'm zoomed in 24 times on the camera, that is way up there so I can't get a cable or rope around it. I think I have two options, wait for mother nature or try felling another tree into the widowmaker.

zap

Sling shot with a bean bag & throw line to pull your bull rope up there Zap. Nothin to it. A C

Then that's one tall birch!
Crossbow with 600lb test line should do the trick

Next time I'm in that area I'll get a picture(not zoomed in) of the birch.

AC, just another item I need, thanks.

zap

I was up top today so I took a picture of the Birch.
zap

Yep, slingshot for sure, my arm ain't that good anymore. A C

12 gauge.

What size shot would you use?
zap

LOL whatever I could get.00 buck I suppose

I like the beanbag idea, I have a 1lb homemade throw weight and a pull line I use for tricky situations. Once the pull line is over, you pull up your bullrope. If that fails, shotgun or hi-powered rifle if you are a good shot and there's no risk for a distance behind the target.

Mother nature will bring it down soon enough. Its like magic you go inside and the next thing ya know its on the ground when you come back.


Pete

......was splitting wood a couple weeks back on a still eve when I heard crack, crack, caboom
It wasn't too far away, so I went exploring back in my woods. I didn't find it at first and then I look closer and a huge shagbark had come crashing down. It took out another smaller one on the way down but it is 100% laying on the ground. ...................a winter job

Years ago Dad rigged up one of those. 2 - 3" diameter heavy galvanized threaded pipe connectors found in junk box at garage sale I think -about 2lbs roughly on 1/2"nylon rope,about 50 ft give or take.I still use it today,though its not needed very often.Works great though,you can 'double it back' to another tree to help pull it over if tree has slight lean in opposite direction.When working with felling wedges.

Just be sure to always wear hardhat,watch your aim,if you come up short or throw straight up instead of at angle,be ready to jump back out of the way.

He got me a present the other day -found one of those commercial ratchet tie downs laying along the road someplace - 3" wide strap,30'+ long.Looks very good,very little use/wear.Probably bounced off some truck with our wonderful roads around here.Guessing its $60 or more new.No use for it right now,but sure could've used it last summer.

That is a nice tall birch Zap. Is there room to fell it cleanly? Pic #1 seems to show an open area to the left of the birch, and perhaps a tendency to fall that way.

I think so Realstone but my worry is that widowmaker coming down and back at me. Next time I'm in that area again I'll take a better look at the Hemlock the widowmaker is hung up in.

zap

Realstone, I mean no offense, but I wouldn't go anywhere near that tree with a saw till that widow maker was pancake flat on the ground. Stuff like that falls when it falls, & if you wiggle that trunk putting a face cut, back cut, or just pure bad timing, it nails you in the head. A helmet may save your brain, but that sucker would compress your spine, or break other bones from that height. Felling snags, or leaners, is best done with ropes & rigging. A throw line, bull rope, & a redirect block & tackle setup is far cheaper than the E R visit/time off work or worse. Just my .02 cents worth, take it for what you will. A C

I would be wise to heed such advice as I am back in the scrounging/cutting game after a 20 year hiatus. So I guess it also couldn't be winched out from the bottom very simply either?

The problem with that is the stump prolly wouldn't tip without cutting the base. That's why I'll always try to remove the snag or hanger first.

Long bar set-up and stay on the balls of your feet with chin up!

I'm a chicken, and a novice.
Shotgun.

We will see what Mother Nature brings from the Gulf of Mexico this Hurricane season.

zap