tommorow, my friend and I will attempt to pull a tree down with triton power. The tree is 3-4 stories high, we have a cable tied to the trunk about a story up with a winch to another tree for safety. I'm planning on attaching another cable to the tree about the same height, and bending the tree with the truck as my friend slowly cuts away the base with a chainsaw. This should make the tree slowly crack over in a controlled manner. we hope.

i have never done this before(using a truck to pull down a tree), is it better to pull the tree down in reverse in 4 low(using the front tow hooks), or going forwards attaching the cable to the rear. Which way has a better gear ratio for torque, I need some low end muscle. thanks.


Brian

 

Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
Any reason why it can't be done the old fashioned way? Chainsaw?

Seriously, sounds like something could go so easily wrong.

Habibi

 

~~~~It won't happen... good luck though. Traction will be your biggest problem (biggest not including the size of the tree.)

 

Good luck...take pics...dont get you, your friend, anyone else, or your truck hurt

 

Seriously, I would not recommend doing it. But if you do...please get a buddy to come with to take some video. That way we, (and everybody else on the internet) can all laugh our asses off at what idiots you are for trying it.

30-40 feet high? How big is the diameter? There is no way that you will be able to controllably bring it down. If you, or your friend are not proficient enough with a chainsaw to bring it down the right way then you should leave it to professionals. I would be willing to bet my bank account that you, your friend and/or your truck will get hurt by doing this.

Im not just joking around with this, I have cut down enough trees, and pulled enough large/mostly immovable objects to know that this isnt the way to do things. It is not a pretty sight when a cable or chain lets loose when pulling on something...especially in pickups. Ever seen a heavy cable snap? Many people have been killed/decapitated when a cable/chain lets loose and smashes through the back window.

My advice, hire a tree service to come out and cut it down. Then you and your buddy can take the chainsaw to it to cut it up. Dont try pulling the stump either, its not gonna happen. They need to either be grinded down, dug out with a backhoe, or pushed out with a dozer.

 

i have seen a chain snap and it definately is not pretty. at the spot were people go mudding all the time someone got so buried they were nearly up to the door handle in mud (also just flooded a couple days earlier). they took this huge chain that too 3 guys to carry and tried to pull him out. well the chain snapped and it shot up right through the rear window. the chain came within inches of hitting the drivers head.

so im sayin, dont try it. its a deathwish. someone will get hurt. i know fords can do some heavy work, but thats too much work for even a ford. ive cut down some pretty big trees and that truck will just make things worse. from the way you are saying it im thinking the tree will land flat on the truck

 

lol, it's not THAT big. I am taking pics. Here is a pic of me and my buddy, I'm the guy with the chainsaw.

www.eden.rutgers.edu/~bhawalka/lumber.jpg
(it's a goofy pic, we don't look as dumb and goofy as that looks, hahaha, or else we are in DEEP crap)

We already cut down that other stump a while ago, now we are cutting down the one that is straight up. It's tall but not HUGE. We dug all the way around the tree, and my friend and his dad have pulled out over a dozen trees(and stumps) with the same method. Just pulling on the tree and he hacks at the roots. I will not only just use the truck, but like I said we have a winch attached to another tree as well that will be cranked. Well, I will take pics, and if I break anything you guys can laugh at me, but if I succeed those who say we will fail can bow down. Or if you guys don't ever get a response, I am presumed dead and you can cancel my account here.

When I said cable, my friend have access to the barricade netting that they use on aircraft carriers. They are designed to stop 50000 lb aircraft coming in at 120mph, so they are not going to break. And IF they break, it's fiber, not a metal cable, alot safer.

It won't happen huh?? well, it's going to happen, and I'll have pics up tonight to prove it

I placed a poll on camaroz28.com, .
http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...18#post1829218
Brian

 

Not exactly sure what you're trying to do, but if you want the roots to go with it then you might want to fall the tree leaving a 5 foot stump or so. Then, go back and dig as much of the roots out as posible (pain in the rear) then hook onto the upper part of the stump and yank it out. I know this method can work, but you need to not pull REAL hard on the cable/chain. Trying to fall a tree roots and all, uhmmm, wouldn't be my approach.

If you're just using the cable to guide the tree out so not to hit a house or something then it's just a matter of being carefull you don't drop it on the truck. I've helped my dad drop pine trees that way. (using really long cables) Preferably you just want to cut a face and drop a tree that way, but sometimes it doesn't work like that.

Good luck, and be carefull.

btw: What type of tree is this?

 

yes, the main point of going with the truck and pulldown method is the HOUSE. I want 0% it going that way(The tree has a slight lean towards the house, and the branches are on the side towards the house, if i cut it down without "guidance" it will fall into my house, and then I will not be happy). The tree is a pine tree. If we can't get the stump to start pulling out, we will keep hacking at the roots until it will, i don't care if it takes all day, that stump is coming out.

Brian

 

Listen to what the man says......

 

Do what you need to do but, I certainly think that this has DARWIN AWARD written all over it.

 

I helped my neighbor pull down a tree with the method you just described. There was this tree on his property that was alot bigger than you described, and he wanted it cut down because he was going to put up a fence really close to where the tree was. Well, this tree was right next to the road. So he thought he would put a chain around it, and pull it down as the guy up in the tree used a chainsaw to cut it. Long story short, my neighbor hooked the chain up to his rear hitch, and told me to watch for traffic coming down the road in case the tree fell in the road. And as the guy up in the tree was cutting his way through it with the chainsaw, my neighbor tried to pull the tree in the direction away from the road. Man you should have seen that little nissan when that tree started to fall. That tree jerked that little truck across the yard, front wheels in the air, petal to the metal, rear wheels hopping up and down, the chain broke, and the tree fell towards the road. Well, when the tree fell, it took down a power line and blew a transformer that sounded like a stick of dynamite went off when it blew up. And part of the tree ended up falling in the road. The moral of this story is, DON'T TRY PULLING DOWN TREES WITH A TRUCK...

 

You need to hire a tree cutting service. There's a reason for "professionals". They carry insurance, they have the training and tools. If you want to "cut down" (no pun intended) the cost have them leave the stump and you can dig around it, then pull it out.
In my "vast" 40 years of living I have learned a couple of valuable lessons with regards to helping friends.....

#1 When I got rid of my first truck for a car, I lost half my "friends". Which goes to show WHY they called you for help.

#2 If you volunteer to help and use your own tools and they break, your friends don't replace them.

#3 If you volunteer to help and something of theirs gets damaged, they now expect you to help fix the damage.

I don't know how "close" of a friend this is. He may be your best buddy. If you damage your truck, YOU'RE going to bear the cost of repair. If you suggest to your friend that pulling down this tree could likely damage your truck and he doesn't understand, you may have an example of point #1.

Just my .02

 

As long as you use enough length cable so the truck won't get hit , you should be OK.

The the only thing that really concerns me is tying it off to another tree with a cable. This may act as fulcrum or pivot point . When the final cut is made it may kick up at the cutter or even swing into the house.

Triple check your falling geometry, your pulling angles against the static cable and a "what if " this thing dangles and bounces like on a bungee cord , trees are deceptively heavy.

I've cut them the same way but tieing it to another tree is asking for trouble.

Don't try to pull the tree out just keep good steady tension with a clear path in front you. Like you said before let the cut release on its own , or don't cut thru too fast to allow the tree to buck up on you.

Keep it safe and think thru the" what if "scenarios and Oh yeah a video would be great.

 

Well since you seem determined to be an idiot...here's some tips for you.

Do not pull in reverse, transmissions and rear ends are not designed to give maximum pulling power when in reverse. In looking at your truck pick I saw no evidence of a receiver hitch. Do not hook to the bumper or you will pull it right off.

Pull in 4 lo only, do not jerk, take it slow and steady. Judging from the tires that I saw on your truck, you are not likely to be very successful. Traction/weight...not (triton) power ...is the deciding factor. Pickups can do alot of work, but they are not the right choice for a job like this.

Here is what is likely to happen, assuming that you are pulling on it and have not yet broken anything. That tree will likely hold on to the very last root. And then it will come down fast and uncontrollably.

With the proper chainsaw technique and skill, there is no reason that you cant cut it off with about 3 feet of stump left. Then deal with the stump as you please. But again I would not advise doing this in the way you are still describing. I have pulled out stumps before, with a LARGE tractor. Were talking 250 hp, full throttle, low gear ( far far far lower gearing than any truck), 4 traction tires digging with the front wheels of the tractor about a foot off the ground...hooked to the stump with a 4 inch dia. BARGE cable.

Bottom line I would still leave this to the professionals. But like RP said, if you insist you are allready being nominated for the DARWIN AWARD.