Need to fell a 70' maple and drop it in a 10' wide spot...

[wldm09]

Does anyone have any books or methods I could read up on? This is a monster maple that's got to have close to 2 cords in it, but I don't dare cut it down until I think it all through. Its on a friends land... and he doesn't want any other trees damaged in the process. Thanks! Dean

 

[smokinj]

Does anyone have any books or methods I could read up on? This is a monster maple that's got to have close to 2 cords in it, but I don't dare cut it down until I think it all through. Its on a friends land... and he doesn't want any other trees damaged in the process. Thanks! Dean

your stihl manul has good info If you want to be sure where its going to fall face cut it then back cut it (little at a time)and wedge it down "back cutting a little at a time while you are driving wedges" BEST TO FIND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS HOW AND WATCH THEM once you start on it there is no turning back

 

[smokinj]

what size it it around? limbs alone got to be 30 foot wide

 

[wldm09]

It is 18-24 inches in diameter. I was hoping to read up or watch a video. I know how to fell a tree with the back-cutting, hingeing, etc, but there is zero, and I do mean zero, room for error on this tree.

 

[smokinj]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzHr5n8QvUk you will see the face cut there is 3 wedges that are driven as far as they would go just type in tree felling there is alot of videos on it

 

[smokinj]

It is 18-24 inches in diameter. I was hoping to read up or watch a video. I know how to fell a tree with the back-cutting, hingeing, etc, but there is zero, and I do mean zero, room for error on this tree.

18 to 24 not a real big tree thats about 6ft round gives you 2 ft on each side to make it if other trees is all thats in the way and not a house

 

[smokinj]

http://www.forestapps.com/tips/notch/notch.htm

good pic of the notch now use wedges in the back cut to lift it to force it to fall right where you want it (i will use one splitting metal wedge for more lift when you need alot of control on the drop) and 3-4 plastic felling wedges

 

[Risser09]

With the limbs....it sounds impossible to get through 10'. You might be best off getting a harness and climbing the tree to get it limbed. Then possibly top it once or twice, then try to actually fell it. Good luck.

 

[[email protected]]

I would use the rope and truck method
Make your face cut then pull tension

Works best with 2 people 1 in the truck and one making the back cut very slowly

Works for me

 

[smokinj]

I would use the rope and truck method
Make your face cut then pull tension

Works best with 2 people 1 in the truck and one making the back cut very slowly

Works for me

make sure your rope longer than 70 ft lol

 

[flyingcow]

Let us know when this takes place, if it wasn't so far away I'd bring the beer and the grill. Always lookin' for a good show. You'll have to video it.

A possible way to get this done is if it's near power lines or close to lines feeding the house. Some power co's will take care of it for next to nothing. They don't want the lawsuit problems. Just a thought.

 

[drdoct]

Shoot, don't you watch Heli-loggers on tv? Those guys do it every day or a lot of times anyway, and they still have trees go where they don't expect. If there is no room for error then a bucket truck in required. Or you could just do it like these guys....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9j6GpNJZ_c

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Get someone with a back hoe or even a front end loader and push the tree where you want it to go. Even better is to climb the tree and tie a rope or chain around it and then rope, chain or cable it to a tractor or truck. Keep some tension on it while making the cut. As soon as the tree starts to tip, motion for the guy in the truck or on the tractor to go. (This works best if the truck or tractor is facing the tree so he has to use reverse. This keeps the eyes where they need to be looking.)

 

[Brian VT]

What are the real consequences if it doesn't go in the slot ?
I bet you can do it fine but the best layed plans can go wrong. It is a tree and they're sometimes gonna do what they're gonna do.
Tell him you'll do your best, but no other promises, and if he can't accept that then fagetaboutit.
2 cord of wood (minus all your work) ain't worth losing a friendship over.

 

[wldm09]

One side of the lot is a million dollar house (his). Not exaggerating in any way. 50 feet away is a ski resort with associated ski lift. Not good. I can't get a vehicle in there. Not even an ATV.

Thanks to everyone. I agree that its not worth losing a friendship over.

 

[Fins59]

Recently (a month or two ago) a guy in WI got killed while cutting down a tree. He hooked it to his pickup truck and tree crushed cab while he was in truck. I've already used a chain and come-a-long to assist tree in falling in right place.

 

[flyingcow]

All above noted, but I have seen some trees put within a few feet, or less, of where planned. In the same type of situation as you described. I grew up around woods cutters(these guys went to work with at least 3 saws, and used them). I am not one, but always have been in awe of what(now old timers) can do. Now they are few and far between, sign of the times. These type of guys is what you need.

 

[Brian VT]

All above noted, but I have seen some trees put within a few feet, or less, of where planned.

I'm just a newb so I've been putting a stick in the ground and trying to drop my trees on it. I've hit the stick 3 times and had 25(+,-) others come within a foot of it.
2 trees went waaaayyy off (30 deg.+,-). 1 due to my miss-reading the crown and 1 due to some rot hidden in the trunk. So...@99% of the time the tree has behaved as expected. None of my fells had any risk to property. If they did, I would want to be 100% sure I could hit that stick and that's not realistic. That's what pros with liabilty insurance & workman's comp. are for.

 

[mayhem]

If your friend is doing ok financially and teh margin here is truly zero, I'd suggest he hire a pro to drop it, limb it, grind the stump and leave everything bigger then 3-4" diameter for you. Offer to split the cost in exchange for the wood.

 

[CowboyAndy]

If your friend is doing ok financially and teh margin here is truly zero, I'd suggest he hire a pro to drop it, limb it, grind the stump and leave everything bigger then 3-4" diameter for you. Offer to split the cost in exchange for the wood.

Split the cost??? hardly worth it. there is NOT 2 cords in a 70' 18" maple... MAYBE 1. We dropped a 70-80' 22" maple that only netted me 3 trailer loads (1/2 cord each). a tree service is going to charge upwards of $500+ for a job like that. $250+ for a cord is not reasonable.

 

[Tarmsolo60]

tell him you'll be happy to come clean up the mess for the wood after he has a pro drop it. Sounds like too much can go wrong with this.

 

[heppm01]

This is easy!

Spend a couple years felling a few hundred trees, then tackle the maple.

Books and videos can teach you technique, but only experience will give you experience.

 

[Hurricane]

I agree that you need to leave this one alone. You cannot learn experience from a book. Experience comes from felling a few hundred trees first (or even a few). I have felled many trees and would not consider doing a zero margin tree. I paid a friend to do one in my own yard because if it went the wrong way it would have flattened my neighbors shed. We need to know our limits.

 

[fossil]

If it's as tight as you say, I can't imagine doing it any other way than climbing & limbing, then topping...and tethering everything as it's cut loose, then lowering the pieces slowly to the ground. Tedious, but precise. I took down a ~60' standing dead pine (~24" diameter at the base) that way when I lived in Soquel, CA, because there simply wasn't anyplace to just drop it. It was tightly in range of my house and two neighbors' houses, fences, gardens, etc. Rick

 

[Brian VT]

Some power co's will take care of it for next to nothing. They don't want the lawsuit problems.

Doubtful. They're unlikely to send a crew and equipment for 1 tree. Preventative maintenance is usually done on whole sections of line. Singles like that are usually only dealt with when they actually create a problem (takes out a line).