Widowmaker - the Mousetrap

[qwee]

The cutting scene - an 18 foot high rootball, 90 degrees to the ground, with 2 large trees (cuttoffs, 20' & 30' long, 30" & 35" bases) in the rootball. The 30' tree is on the ground at 6 o'clock position, and the 20' tree is up high at 1:30 (clock analogy) dangling in the air. I best not cut the bottom tree first or the top tree may come down on me with the rootball- a mousetrap. But if I stand on the bottom tree and cut the top tree the rootball may fall back to the earth with me on it. I'm not sure of the weight distribution. I think the bottom tree will hold the rootball if the top tree is cut but I'm unsure. What to do?

My first thought is to stand on the lower tree and cut about 15 feet of the 20 feet off of the top dangling tree. But I'm caught there on the tree if something happens. If I survive this top cut, I could then cut the bottom tree - the rootball will probably flop to the ground away from me. This is a dangerous situation - a mousetrap. Those trees are big and wet with enough weight to do some real damage. Any thoughts?

 

[Slimdusty]

Walk away from it, not worth the risk. Or cables/equipment and pull from a safe distance

 

[qwee]

The company has some heavy equipment, a big loader. I'm not sure how a loader helps me. We could rope/strap onto the top tree to the loader, then cut the bottom tree, and then back the loader off to see what happens. That is, where does the rootball fall? But the strapped tree hooked to the loader might decide to fall in the opposite direction of the pull. Such a mess.

 

[ScottLewis]

Pay up your life insurance.

 

[begreen]

One of the original moderators here had a wonky tree go south on him. He did most things right, but in the blink of an eye it went south and he became paralyzed from the waist down. Just walk away and let nature have this one.

 

[ScottLewis]

No kidding? One of our original moderators is a paraplegic due to a logging accident. How terribly sad.

 

[begreen]

Yes, fluke accident ended up tragically.

Where is Gooserider?

I am Gooserider's long-time girlfriend. He has had an accident involving a piece of tree falling on him. It has broken his leg just below the knee and broken some ribs, which tore his aorta and may have slightly punctured a lung. So, he is in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Lahey Clinic...

www.hearth.com

 

[qwee]

Poor guy. I once cut a large tree that had a 60% second top. When the tree fell, the 2nd top hit another tree and was redirected 90 degrees, it then hit another tree and changed course another 90 degrees - in a flash, it was headed right back at me. The top of the tree landed at my feet before I could even move. Yes, anything can happen.

These trees are at a warehouse where they cleared the land last year - so piled up in a field. The original person should have cut those trees lower. I better go talk to the owner before someone gets smashed by a tree. Maybe once he sees the potential danger (and potential liability) he will have the tree company drop the trees. Then they could safely be cut up.