How would you get this braced blow-down on the ground?

[Woody Stover]

It blew down maybe three years ago. We worked it back as far as we could, but now I've gotta get the trunk on the ground so we can continue.
I think the roots will hold it from rolling.



I was thinking maybe I'd cut a groove part way through, like this, then grab below that with a log tongs and pull with the quad, peeling a strip off the uncut portion of the branch to maybe slow the fall of the trunk slightly (maybe not much at all?)

 

[thewoodlands]

It blew down maybe three years ago. We worked it back as far as we could, but now I've gotta get the trunk on the ground so we can continue.
I think the roots will hold it from rolling.

I was thinking I'd cut a groove part way through, like this, then grab below that with a log tongs and pull with the quad, peeling a strip off the uncut portion of the branch to maybe slow the fall of the trunk slightly (maybe not much at all?)

Picture?

 

[Woody Stover]

Or maybe pile up those rounds under the trunk, just in back of the brace branch?
In any event, I'd try to get a plastic wedge into the first part of the saw cut, once the bar got deep enough..

 

[Woody Stover]

Edited pic above to show where these log tongs would grab..

 

[thewoodlands]

Or maybe pile up those rounds under the trunk, just in back of the brace branch?
In any event, I'd try to get a plastic wedge into the first part of the saw cut, once the bar got deep enough..

Or maybe pile up those rounds under the trunk, just in back of the brace branch?
In any event, I'd try to get a plastic wedge into the first part of the saw cut, once the bar got deep enough..

How rotten is the branch that is stuck in the ground? Can you get a tow strap around that and hook that up to your winch and give it a try pulling it, maybe it would break.

Another way would be working your way up from the stump end with some top cuts (a third of the way down (don't pinch your saw) and once you get towards the middle of the log after you do your top cut, come up from the bottom, would that work? Just some thoughts, do what you think is the safest way.

I would have a tow strap around it hooked to the winch pulling it (tension) away from the side you're cutting from.

 

[Woody Stover]

It looks a bit rotty in the pic, but that's just a little sapwood punking--that core is rock-solid.
I have a hand winch ("come-along") that I could attach a chain and maybe reach another tree trunk, I'll have to look and see if anything substantial is close enough.
Yeah, I could do those type cuts from the base, but I think maybe the roots will help stabilize the entire trunk, if they are still intact. They look pretty solid, tree has only been down a few years, and roots fed the leaves for a time. Hard to say, though--I'm no root guru! 😆
Good idea, securing it on the opposite side I'm standing to make the cuts. 👍

 

[TomMcDonald]

I'd just tow it over with the truck or use a winch.

 

[peakbagger]

I would set up a power pull (come along from the side to pull on it steady. Then standing at the branch end of the log (looking down the log), I would cut a notch facing away from the direction I was pulling it. I would not cut through, I would just cut enough to use the power pull to pull it over onto the ground. That way I am out of way if things snap unexpectedly.

 

[Garbanzo62]

If it was me, I would cut at the roots first because it is already supported by the ground, then use the Quad or come-along to pull it over onto its side. What is in the ground will keep it from rolling.

 

[SpaceBus]

I don't think it will fall down very fast with the roots attached. If it were my problem I would be cutting off the roots and staying away from the scary end. The log may even roll over on its own once the roots are cut free.

 

[sneefy]

I would be cutting off the roots and staying away from the scary end.

That's my thought as well. Work on the end with the least potential for injury.

 

[qwee]

I would see it and think, 'Thanks little tree/branch for holding up this big tree - now I don't have to worry about getting my chain into the dirt'. I would get on the non-roll-on-you side and partial buck the entire log length (that is cut 80% through). Next, I would cut out the little crutch/branch tree by making a small cut on the tension side and a finishing cut on the top.

Good idea - place branches or rounds under it before cutting the crutch/branch. Next, cut the downed tree by the base to free it all up. Peavey/roll it over and finish your cuts.

 

[Newbie78]

Wow. What a production!

Just notch the top side near the stump and undercut it to free it. Leave holding wood and it should just set down easy. You won't pinch your saw if you use falling cuts. It might roll. Read it as you make your back/undercut. Keep your body to the stump side.

If uncomfortable with that, then just drag it down with something.

The scary end is the end off the ground.

 

[Woody Stover]

Great input, guys! 👍

I'd just tow it over with the truck or use a winch.

If uncomfortable with that, then just drag it down with something.

I may try that first; The brace is on the uphill side a bit. Maybe if I hook a chain to it and pull downhill with the quad, it will just roll over onto the ground. But I'm thinking the roots may prevent that. Or maybe chain/hand winch to a tree on the downhill side...it there's a tree close enough.

I would set up a power pull (come along from the side to pull on it steady. Then standing at the branch end of the log (looking down the log), I would cut a notch facing away from the direction I was pulling it. I would not cut through, I would just cut enough to use the power pull to pull it over onto the ground. That way I am out of way if things snap unexpectedly.

Another good idea, thanks!

If it was me, I would cut at the roots first because it is already supported by the ground, then use the Quad or come-along to pull it over onto its side. What is in the ground will keep it from rolling.

Yeah, if I did that, I'd cut down from the top at the root end, pound in a plastic wedge then cut down pretty low, leaving a little bit at the bottom of the cut so that when I pull it downhill it would maybe hinge around what I had left uncut.

I don't think it will fall down very fast with the roots attached. If it were my problem I would be cutting off the roots and staying away from the scary end. The log may even roll over on its own once the roots are cut free.

Quite possibly it would, since as I said, the brace branch is pushing the weight downhill.

Good idea - place branches or rounds under it before cutting the crutch/branch. Next, cut the downed tree by the base to free it all up. Peavey/roll it over and finish your cuts.

I liked that idea when I first thought of it...until I realized I'd have to haul all the rounds about 30' and stack them. 😣 If I have to cut wood for another 20 yrs, I should probably start avoiding body wear and tear when I can.

 

[TomMcDonald]

If the truck isn't an option shoot a box of .308 at it. It'll come down real quick.

 

[xman23]

Stack a few rounds under it back by the stump end. With a come along pull out the branch holding up the end. Hopefully it’s now hanging in the air. Lop off 15, 18” pieces

 

[Fiddler]

If the truck isn't an option shoot a box of .308 at it. It'll come down real quick.

with a 1/2lb of tannerite sitting under it.

 

[Woody Stover]

I decided to go with the "round underneath at the bottom of the trunk" option, for easy bucking.
I first tried cutting part way through the prop branch, thinking that pulling with the log tongs would cause a strip to peel off the back of the prop as I pulled it away with the quad.
What I didn't factor in was that the prop branch got jammed into the ground by the falling trunk, at least a couple feet deep; No way I was pulling that thing very far at all with the quad. 😯
Pushing on the trunk from both sides with my hands, it seemed like the trunk was wanting to go downhill, plus the prop was holding the weight that way, so with two plastic wedges holding the kerf open I slowly continued to cut the prop from the uphill side, standing as far away as I could and beyond the end of the trunk as much as possible. When the amount of wood left to cut was getting pretty small, the trunk moves slightly on the prop, in the downhill direction I thought it might. Then I got back on the quad, pulling downhill, and was able to break the remaining wood and pull the prop branch out from under the trunk, which then sat down on the round under the root-ball end.
Whew, another scary job done, and i lived to tell about it! 😅 🤗 My nephew came over the next day and we lifted the prop branch out of the hole.
Before I cut the prop branch, I trimmed the previously cut rounds of punked sapwood and hauled them to my nephew/folks' stacking area. I tried to whack a couple with a maul, but quickly decided that it was a fool's errand. 👇 Once again I got to wondering "How the heck did they do all this by hand back in the day??" 😖 I guess they burned a lot more easy-splitting White Ash and Red Oak than they did Sycamore, Gum and White Oak. 😏

 

[peakbagger]

Thanks for the follow up with pictures no less. Lot to be said for thinking it through.

I have 110 foot white pine that is leaning towards a road and utility lines, I thought it through and am paying someone to take it down

 

[Garbanzo62]

Thanks for the follow up with pictures no less. Lot to be said for thinking it through.

I have 110 foot white pine that is leaning towards a road and utility lines, I thought it through and am paying someone to take it down

Wise Choice.. If you cut it and it took down utility lines, you could be liable for damages.