Dangers of "leaners"

[Cowboy Billy]

Yo Fjord

Its Cowboy coming at you live Dude lighten up! No one is ragging on you. I can and do run saw safely. In fact I have been running one since I was 10 years old and I am 44 now. And cutting 5-6 cords a year in the worst place Suburban felling around houses, power lines and busy streets. Four years ago My Dad Brother and I bought 120 acres adjoining the family farm UP in solid woods and have been working on developing it since then. I had to make a 1/4 mile road across my Uncles property just to get to ours. And have been making building sites and trails around the property. How many trees have you pushed over? That you can make the statement that you have less or no control of knocking a tree over with a piece of equipment rather than felling. I am not saying I or anyone else needs it but I have it and use it. I would not go in and push a tree over just for firewood but I would if it were a tree that needed to come down and would be safer using equ to do it.

Billy

 

[fjord]

Yo Fjord
Its Cowboy coming at you live Dude lighten up! No one is ragging on you. I can and do run saw safely. In fact I have been running one since I was 10 years old and I am 44 now. And cutting 5-6 cords a year in the worst place Suburban felling around houses, power lines and busy streets. Four years ago My Dad Brother and I bought 120 acres adjoining the family farm UP in solid woods and have been working on developing it since then. I had to make a 1/4 mile road across my Uncles property just to get to ours. And have been making building sites and trails around the property. How many trees have you pushed over? That you can make the statement that you have less or no control of knocking a tree over with a piece of equipment rather than felling. I am not saying I or anyone else needs it but I have it and use it. I would not go in and push a tree over just for firewood but I would if it were a tree that needed to come down and would be safer using equ to do it.
Billy

Yo Dude Cowboy, dude:

No ragging assumed, just some silly use of terms here that mean something else to most. You got to be more thick skinned. Let's see--
"cowboy" = common usage for wild ones, usually male, doing things without any thought, such as "..driving like a cowboy...", or, " ..the boy behaves like a cowboy..". No offense meant for real vaqueros usually found out west like Montana or Texas....
So no dude dude either here. Where the H did that come from ?

You think a line or chain is going to hold a 26" DBH from falling, you are free to believe in the Tooth Fairy. For most logging pros, with experience, felling without a Timberjack whole tree harvester will be accomplished by experience, by skill, efficiently and safely by chainsaw (s), wedges, planning.

And what's a 44 YO from Michigan doing calling people "dude" dude ?

Some of you dudes dude are too sensitive.....dude.

Whew...........................cowboy dude out...........

 

[RobC]

Back to the videos. Video 1 the guy didn't stay in the cut. When the tree starts to go KEEP cutting ( he didn't). However DON'T cut through the hinge. Cut slow and square into your scarf, watch the top of the tree as the tree starts to topple increase your chain speed to a high but controlled rate and stop your cutting leaving a hinge and move out of way. Except for a quick "look and see" to check on your cut ALWAYS watch the top of the tree. Never get behind a tree that's being cut.
Video 2 was so FUBAR I couldn't watch it.

 

[JustWood]

Best bet with a leaner is to use equipment to push it down or pull it down (like my bobcat) or use a come along and pull it down from a safe distance. I like to use a chain and pull the butt end if a push will not do the trick. As said earlier this is not technically what they call a widow maker, although it can be one, a widow maker is dead limbs that can fall on you. I have a huge Oak that has been half dead for as long as I have lived on my property. I would love to cut it down, but scared to death of the dead limbs hanging up above. Better to go after the easy ones.

No and no. No one we know "pushes" or "come alongs" any tree. Not secure. Butt: glad you can walk away from one.

Better to Learn the how of felling. Most small time loggers and firewood harvesters work alone, cut in woodlands with only ( only) experience, savvy, felling tools, and saws. We've discovered the intelligence when NOT to do a tree.

There are many many programs out there: Game of Logging, or spend time with a professional doing his job.

In the programs taken you learn how to plan a cut. Drop a leaner in an opposite direction, fell safely with a bar that may be less than 1/2 the DBH, and get an escape route in hand with danger in check. Over the years my saws have gotten smaller, the bars shorter, the trees larger. Why?

Thanks Cowboy, I am not sure what fjord was thinking because if you see anybody clearing land with equipment they push over trees all the time. And if you go to you tube you will see professionals recommending the use of come alongs. Why cut a tree when you can work in either the safety of equipment or work totally out of the way with a come along if you do not have the equipment? I guess I would have to change it back to yes and yes.

Dear Nut:

Cowboy here. We don do no clearing. We harvest in deep thick woodlands with simple non heavy equipment. Clearings, right of ways, full logging, yes, heavy duty equipment for the pros is fine and used. In fact Dude (dude) you should know ( you don't obviously ) that real logging is and has been done with Harvesters. Look 'em up. Right now, we don need no harvesters or any other kind of heavy gear to do the work efficiently and safely.

What we do in Cowboyland dude ( dude ) here in thick woods on bony wet ground is firewood, forest management, blowdowns, pulping, with skill, the saws, many wedges, experience, and a few light skidding machines. Oh yes, the PPE you love.

If and only if I need to push over or chain a tree to drop it, my manhood is gone. Gone. I'll go back to surfing the net, looking at YouTube logging.
If I can't drop any tree where I want it, when I want it to fall, I shouldn't be chainsawing.

BTW: more accidents with that HD equipment than with saws.

Cowboy Fjord out.

Hey Nut, lighten up.

eF-jord

Your foot keeps sinking further into your deep fjord (mouth).
I think maybe you fell asleep in GOL class when they discussed hazard ID,escape routes, and/or degree of lean AND REMOVAL BY MACHINERY due to extreme hazard!
BUTT your a man so your excuse was written before class started.

 

[OhioBurner©]

If and only if I need to push over or chain a tree to drop it, my manhood is gone. Gone. I'll go back to surfing the net, looking at YouTube logging.

I agree. We should be mostly concerned about manhood when felling. And if you happen to follow any of those links to youtube then you must be an idiot that knows nothing. Glad we cleared that all up.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I appreciate you posting Lee, since I respect your experience. Maybe Fjord just doesn't know how to spell Ford since he is all over Cowboy Billys ID I have to poke some fun. I agree that with OhioBurner, we are trying to keep our manhood, therefore I approach a dangerous situation with caution, not with attitude. There are some leaners that no matter how much you cut are not going to come down without some mechanical help unless you are stupid enough to stand underneath the tree holding up the leaner, then all I can say is good luck.

 

[Kenster]

Well, my thread has taken a real nasty turn. But thanks to all of you who offered a productive reply. And just to clarify... there IS a difference between a "leaner" and a "hang up," isn't there. I don't think I'll ever be so hard up for wood as to worry about taking a hang up down, but there are some leaners around and that is what my original query was about. What I think I've learned is that I might tackle a leaner that is only leaning a few degrees. If it's leaning way over, I'll just let nature and gravity run it's course and do all the hard work for me.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

Wow kenster, if you were just talking about a leaning tree, not leaning on another that is a whole other story. That is at risk for a barber chair but much easier to deal with. Be sure to cut a notch, even though you may not think you need one, then cut from the side, never get behind it. It may start cracking way before you think it should and the tree can split into what they call a barber chair. I thought you were talking about a leaner where the tree was leaning on another.

 

[Kenster]

Wow kenster, if you were just talking about a leaning tree, not leaning on another that is a whole other story. That is at risk for a barber chair but much easier to deal with. Be sure to cut a notch, even though you may not think you need one, then cut from the side, never get behind it. It may start cracking way before you think it should and the tree can split into what they call a barber chair. I thought you were talking about a leaner where the tree was leaning on another.

Still sort of new at this and not always certain of the terminology. Should have been more clear.

Your advise is what I am looking for.
Thanks!

 

[fjord]

Sorry boys and girls ....and dudes, inclusive of cowboys and machitos:

In the real world of logging, forestry, and felling, here's what is commonly used:

"LEANER" = a tree that is tilted or leaning to one side. No specific angle of tilt or lean needed. Leaners are usually live, growing, rooted.

"HUNG UP" or "HANGER" = tree that is 'naturally' hanging on another tree,often in another's crotch (opening for the boys' thoughts here), or that the feller hung up by improper techniques, or gust. Can be dangerous to bring down WITH OR WITHOUT HEAVY EQUIPMENT.

Any other blog or internet derived use as found here is not acceptable, real, or correct. Emotional flames accepted from the usual sandbox.

N.B. Ask what any poster's experience--logging, chainsaw use, wood heating---actually is before veracity is accepted.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Sorry boys and girls ....and dudes, inclusive of cowboys and machitos:

In the real world of logging, forestry, and felling, here's what is commonly used:

"LEANER" = a tree that is tilted or leaning to one side. No specific angle of tilt or lean needed. Leaners are usually live, growing, rooted.

"HUNG UP" or "HANGER" = tree that is 'naturally' hanging on another tree,often in another's crotch (opening for the boys' thoughts here), or that the feller hung up by improper techniques, or gust. Can be dangerous to bring down WITH OR WITHOUT HEAVY EQUIPMENT.

Any other blog or internet derived use as found here is not acceptable, real, or correct. Emotional flames accepted from the usual sandbox.

N.B. Ask what any poster's experience--logging, chainsaw use, wood heating---actually is before veracity is accepted.

And a bit of common sense....