Winch way is up

[Wood Wules]

I live in fear of a large tree that has been hung up for one year. I hear about widow makers and Barber poles. I don't worry about the widow makers since I'm divorced.

I was reading my chainsaw manual and it said to use a Winch. Does anyone know how to do this. How do you secure the Winch base. They are pretty cheap at HF.

 

[Oldman47]

Do you have a picture of your problem tree so that we can be more help?

 

[Wood Wules]

Thanks old man but I'm older than you and have no idea how to put a picture on the computer machine. The hanging tree is a pretty generic situation. Besides I have acres of trees that all lean towards each other but have been afraid to get in there and mix it up.

Have you ever used a Winch or know anyone who has.

 

[gzecc]

Using a winch is similar to using a truck or tractor to pull down a tree. A winch can be anchored to the base of another tree. The benefit is you stay away from the danger area while the tree is pulled down.

 

[D8Chumley]

Thanks old man but I'm older than you and have no idea how to put a picture on the computer machine.

Get your kids to show you, that's how I learned lol

 

[Wood Wules]

Thank you gzecc the Winch method sounds viable I think I'm going to give it a try.

Thanks chum but.the kids aren't talking to me. They claim I tried to blow up my ex wife's car. It's all a big misunderstanding but you know how kids are.

 

[D8Chumley]

You tried to blow up your ex's car and you're afraid of a tree?? Lmao if she's like my wife I'd run far and fast

 

[Wood Wules]

Still people have consciences trees don't.

 

[blades]

I take you were unsuccessful in that particular scenario.

 

[Starstuff]

Thank you gzecc the Winch method sounds viable I think I'm going to give it a try.

Thanks chum but.the kids aren't talking to me. They claim I tried to blow up my ex wife's car. It's all a big misunderstanding but you know how kids are.

You wouldn't happen to be a Colombian cocaine mogul, would you?

 

[Wood Wules]

Believe me I didn't try to blow up her car. I blame ethanol build up.

 

[gzecc]

Thank you gzecc the Winch method sounds viable I think I'm going to give it a try.

Thanks chum but.the kids aren't talking to me. They claim I tried to blow up my ex wife's car. It's all a big misunderstanding but you know how kids are.

I hate when that happens.

 

[Fred Wright]

Lacking a photo of the aforementioned hung tree it's hard to offer suggestions. But I'll try.

A winch or comealong is great for pulling a hanger off the stump if it's wedged there. I've had success with a few I got hung up when my aim was off.

If the tree has a root ball (a blowdown) you may not be able to winch it loose from ground level without a cable in the top. If the hanger is laying in the fork of an adjacent tree, it may have to be cut near the base. The hanger, not the supporting tree.

Hung trees can be unpredictable. I'd recommend getting a pro to look it over before you start working on it.

 

[Wood Wules]

Thank you Fred. It's not a blow down. Back then I didn't look up to see the path of falling. The hanger is in the fork of the other tree. Do you think I should cut near the base.

Also what is a come along.

 

[DougA]

If you can use a winch, that should work if it's just hung in another tree. Just stay well back.
Another option would be to tie the base to a truck or tractor and yank it clear. Same thing.

I've had lots hung like that when cutting. In a crowded forest it's hard to cull dead trees without getting them hung. Sometimes I will very carefully make a cut 4' up and watch which way it's going to go. Almost always, the trunk falls exactly where the first one was and you are forced to repeat the process several times to get the whole thing down. PITA. This is why they are called widow makers and barber chairs. You have to tread the line between crazy and suicidal.

The correct way is to cut down the tree that the first is hung up on. Even that is dangerous due to the extra weight on it that can push the felled tree in unpredictable directions.

Edit. If the tree is heavy and sitting right on the ground for a year, IMHO a cheap winch will not drag the base out. You've got a ton or two weight but the friction on the ground is the deal breaker. Without a photo, my advice is to fell the tree it's hung up on.

 

[Wood Wules]

Thanks Doug but you are freaking me out. The base of the hanging tree is sitting detached on the stump. You are saying to cut down the holding tree. If I cut down the holding tree won't the hanging tree crash down on me. Are you saying to run like a banshee when I hear the Crack.

Are you friends with my ex wife by any chance.

 

[Jags]

Cutting the tree that is holding the hanger tree is a very dangerous adventure. I would not recommend this method.

Really - without clear pictures, I wouldn't even begin to recommend a method. Lots of variables to take into consideration.

 

[DougA]

Are you friends with my ex wife by any chance.

Is she really cute?

I didn't realize you had stump to trunk contact. In that case, I would winch it with a come along, which is a manual winch/ratchet. You only need to move it a few feet but my guess is that once it's off the stump, it will still be stuck in the same position. If you can get a vehicle to where it needs to be, it would be far better to use a snatch block to pull it out. With a vehicle, you've got more momentum to keep moving so the tree won't stay hung.

Cutting the tree that it's hung on is not dangerous IF you have experience in knowing how to cut trees so that they will fall exactly where you intend. I suspect you might not.

If you think any of this is too dangerous, best to just leave it there. If it's that stuck, it will stay put for years. Jags post is probably the best answer.

 

[Oldman47]

Thanks old man but I'm older than you and have no idea how to put a picture on the computer machine. The hanging tree is a pretty generic situation. Besides I have acres of trees that all lean towards each other but have been afraid to get in there and mix it up..

Don't even try to play that age card. Pictures on line are really easy. Use your digital camera to take a picture. Go back to your PC, the one you are using for the forum would be just fine. Use the cord you got with the camera to plug in to your PC, these days it is usually a USB cord with either a mini-USB or a micro-USB on the camera end. To put the picture onto your PC, turn on the camera and open the windows explorer. If you right click the "START" button on the lower left of your desktop there are 2 things to select. One is properties and the other is the explorer.
With the explorer open you will see a drive that never existed before and it will have a name somewhat like the brand or model of your camera, they do that because they want it to be easy. You may have to go 2 or 3 levels deep on that drive to find the .jpg files but when you do, those are your pictures. Select any pictures you want to transfer and hit the "COPY" button. Go to a place you can find easily and "PASTE" the pictures there. Now you have a copy on your PC.
Next up is putting the picture on line. I suggest that you open a Photobucket account. It is free and is easy to use. As soon as you create a new account a symbol will come up telling you that it is ready for you to put your pictures there. You can either upload by clicking on the upload button and going to the place where your pictures are located and clicking on the ones you want or just drag the files from where you have them stored to the target they give you with a label something like "drag pictures here to upload"
Once you have pictures uploaded there will be 4 links that you can choose from to link your pictures. Click on the one that is called an IMG link and copy it. Then come back here and just paste that link. It can be pasted just like a text paste so use carriage returns, spaces, etc. to position it where you want it and paste away. I have a harbor seal pup picture from a few years back that I use an an example. This one:
(broken image removed)

That picture is not really here. If I erase it on Photobucket all you will see here is an error message. If you right click the picture and choose image info you can see where that picture really is, what I called it in my account, the x/y pixel count, file size and so on.

How about posting a picture of your widow maker?

 

[Wood Wules]

Thank you sir but your explanation of how to post a picture sounds incredibly complicated. I'm not a techie. Years ago I tried engineering and flunked out. Besides my camera is before microwave ovens when a joint was a bad place to be.

I think I'm going to try a come along. It is only twenty nine dollars at HF. It sounds like fun.

 

[BrotherBart]

Fact is that if you cut one and it is hung up and still on the stump, dangerous thing on your hands. With those I undercut halfway through about waist high and then again about shoulder high. Then put a chain or cable on it between the cuts and then with the tractor pull the piece out sideways. Just cutting a piece at a time off of the stump just lets it drop again and it is rinse and repeat. And if it kicks your way when one of those pieces comes out, it will kill you. Or make you wish it had.

 

[Lake Girl]

Worksafe BC Faller videos (broken link removed)

Be safe...

 

[BigCountryNY]

Fact is that if you cut one and it is hung up and still on the stump, dangerous thing on your hands. With those I undercut halfway through about waist high and then again about shoulder high. Then put a chain or cable on it between the cuts and then with the tractor pull the piece out sideways. Just cutting a piece at a time off of the stump just lets it drop again and it is rinse and repeat. And if it kicks your way when one of those pieces comes out, it will kill you. Or make you wish it had.

BrotherBart's method he described is probably the safest bet and can also be performed with a comealong or winch. I've had to cut leaners that were hung up in another tree but not on the stump, rather on the ground. I use offset cuts to create a release and stand as far away as I can safely stand and maintain good balance. The result is that the tree drops the length of the cut and you have to keep repeating until it's free. It's dangerous and certainly not for someone who isn't experienced.

The bottom line is if you have the smallest bit of doubt, don't do it. That tree isn't worth your health or your life.

 

[BrotherBart]

On occasion I have put the cable just above the top cut and pulled the whole thing down when the two cut piece let go. Takes a lot of come along or a strong tractor. Usually the piece above the top cut is gonna dig in when it drops and can only be overcome with horsepower to drag it out of the hang-up.

 

[Wood Wules]

Thank you all for your replies. I would like to go out there and have at it but I also worry about bbs dire warning. It could kill you or make you wish it did.

One problem is the come along I was looking at only has a ten foot line.

There are thousands of trees in my backyard but the hanging tree taunts me. Sort of like captain ahab and Moby dick. Of course spoiler that didn't turn out well for the captain.