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Cublover · 02-19-2012, 10:59 AM

Just got off the phone with my brother. He was cutting wood by himself saturday. He was bringing down a 100 ft tall poplar that was dead.
He said that it fell into another tree, that broke off several of the dead limbs, that came flying back at him. He said that he saw a 10' x 3" branch flying at him and side stepped it, he said that he didn't see the one that hit him.
He was struck on the face at his left eye. His eyelid was torn loose and glasses smashed. He couldn't see out of his left eye. He found one of his lenses and held it and a rag up to his face, while he drove himself to the landowner's house.
The landowner is a Dr, so she did some preliminary assessment, then they took him to the emergency room.
The left eye was scratched, but the vision loss was attributed to blood clouding the fluids, blocking light.
The retina is OK and Dr said that vision should return in a few days.

At that same time, 70 miles west, I had a 100 ft dead locust get 'hung up'. It's refusing to fall. I tried to pull it down with the PU. I was not alone, but we couldn't get it down. The vines have it stuck! It's still hanging. I know that if I try to cut the tree it's stuck on, it will splinter and try to kill me, then the big one will fall where I would be working..
I'm going to get the biggest, nastyest chain 'come-along' I can find today and pull the base till it comes down. I managed to get it off the stump, but it won't fall.
I told Jack that if we get nothing else done today, that tree was going to hit the ground.
The tree is located 100 ft up a hill, so the only vehicle we can get near it is a 4 wheeler. We were using 100Ft wire rope hooked to the pickup to tug it.
The chain come-along is supposed to be here in 1/2 hour.
WATCH yourself!! Try to take someone with you when you cut! Trees are dangerous!

**tractor beam** · 02-19-2012, 12:34 PM

Indeed! I worked with a heck of a tough guy that looked like a rugged pissed off mountain man, that was helicoptor logging. He hadjust choked a load and they were picking it when he looked up just in time to catch the top of one of the tree tops that had broke off. The broken portion went through his nose, the roof of his mouth and out the bottom of his jaw. The helicoptor cut the load loose and picked him up and ran him to the ER. Years later, he has one hell of a scar, and a beard like mine, to cover much of the damage. This guy is fairly small, but boy does he have a raspy pissed of yell, and a lot of anger issues, but he's still alive. Every person on our crew at that time, myself included, voted him off the island (job site) and I've not seen the guy since.

tcreeley · 02-19-2012, 01:44 PM

I've never really trusted come alongs, though I use them from time to time. Never tried a chain come along. I am always thinking- what if some thing snaps and the cable comes back to me for a visit! Hung up trees are a pain. Had one drop over the power line to the house this summer. The electric company sent a guy who was willing to do it- even though it was our responsibility. I watched him bounce his pole saw around- hitting the wire and all.
December when a birch folded over and hung on the wire, I decided to do it myself. I did with a pole saw - worried the while I was a foot from the power line. But I got it down in pieces.

Dropping hung up trees is tricky- figuring how they will spin, turn and drop. I hate it when I have to take 3' at a time off the base and the tree drops down ready for the next 3' to come off.

Thomas · 02-19-2012, 02:41 PM

Speedy recovery for your brother...can never be to careful.

Hangers just asking for trouble,strong chain/cable w/distance..finger cross for luck.

Cublover · 02-19-2012, 05:03 PM

The 'hanger' is down, no blood lost.
Enter Dodge powerwagon. Chains on all 4 corners, low range , low gear, Dodge just headed for CHINA!
We took an ax and chopped the roots it was stuck on, then got 3 feet.
I moved the chain to one of the big branches that was not supporting it, then cut it 3/4 of the way through. Dodge broke that piece off and the main tree turned a mite, just enough that we could cut it 3/4 of the way, intending to break it off the trunk. well, with the weight reduced, the Dodge pulled it down.
It took us 3 hours of rigging and pulling, but we got er done!
100 Ft wire rope, 20ft log chain on each end. The driveway looks almost ready to 'plant' the vegies! He dug all the gravel out of that area! 10" ruts cut 30 ft..

Cublover · 02-19-2012, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tcreeley

I've never really trusted come alongs, though I use them from time to time. Never tried a chain come along. I am always thinking- what if some thing snaps and the cable comes back to me for a visit! Hung up trees are a pain. Had one drop over the power line to the house this summer. The electric company sent a guy who was willing to do it- even though it was our responsibility. I watched him bounce his pole saw around- hitting the wire and all.
December when a birch folded over and hung on the wire, I decided to do it myself. I did with a pole saw - worried the while I was a foot from the power line. But I got it down in pieces.

Dropping hung up trees is tricky- figuring how they will spin, turn and drop. I hate it when I have to take 3' at a time off the base and the tree drops down ready for the next 3' to come off.

The chain type don't slip. They are rated up to 5 tons. I've seen the hook bend on one from a mine that was used to free a stuck dozer.
The base of this thing was too big for my bar to do that. Plus the angle was too steep to trust it to not fall towards us. We couldn't really tell what way the weight was 'loaded'. We actually wrapped the chain around it 3/4 turn to give it some 'spin' the way it needed to go to come loose.

**tractor beam** · 02-19-2012, 07:38 PM

Cub, you better have taken some pictures!

Cublover · 02-19-2012, 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tractor beam

Cub, you better have taken some pictures!

Sorry! I was too busy shaking in anticipation of 'DOOM' to think abt a camera!Really punctuated by my conversation with my bro..
Fear NOT!! We have an OAK that is 2 times as big that the same 'rig' will be used on. The only difference is that we are murduring everything in the drop zone to prevent a replay.

Cublover · 02-20-2012, 07:20 PM

Just talked with Bro. He saw the Dr today and there was an 'ultra-sound done. He's going to have twins!... ERR, not really. He's going to have an eye that works again though..
He reported that he no longer sees 'blind', but sees a heavy fog and detects 'motion'.
His attitude is good. He will recover.
I may have to drive 70 miles east to yank his tree down. He said that it's still 'hanging'!! He's out of commission for a month or so. Dr's ORDERS!!

**Country Boy** · 02-20-2012, 10:59 PM

When I get a stuck tree, I wrap an old crane cable I have (100' long, about 1/2-5/8" diameter) around the tree, then attach the other end to my 1066 and give 'er hell. The 1066 weighs about 16-18,000lbs with all the weights I have on there, and it hasn't failed yet pulling a tree out of its neighbors. I like to put something over the cable to prevent it from snapping back should it break or come off the tree. Hanging a heavy blanket or tires over the cable makes it far safer.

**farmertim** · 02-21-2012, 04:26 AM

Chains don't fly like Cables you can put one in the middle of your pull!!!!

**Country Boy** · 02-21-2012, 06:25 PM

I've seen a chain snap, and I wouldn't want to be in its way either. I was pulling trees last winter with the 1066 with a chain, and on a 24" diameter tree, the chain snapped half way down the field and all I saw was the end of the chain rocket between the front tires and land 20' down the field. That was a heavy duty chain, too. I replaced it with two high grade chains and used two at all times after that. I have the fence line out now, so I hope to not be pulling trees like that again in the near future.

Larry in OK · 02-22-2012, 07:21 AM

When pulling with a cable or rope lay a heavy blanket over it. I use an old moving pad. If the line parts under load that will take up enough of the energy that it seriously reduces injury potential.

Felling trees can be a dangerous game. Several years ago one of my uncles (I think he was 70 at the time) was bringing down a monster Black Walnut for his sawmill when it barber poled on him and landed on his leg. He was working alone and had to free himself. He managed to dig out from under it enough with his pocket knife to pull his tore up foot and leg out from under it. Then he had to drive his old logging truck about 1/2 a mile to the property owners gate where he was able to get the attention of the owner and get to the ER. He was back at it less tan 6 months later but my aunt wouldn't let him work alone after that. He's pushing 80 now and still does some of that kind of stuff

ErnieS · 02-22-2012, 11:50 AM

Had an 11" oak that I had pushed ove about 30 degrees. It had twisted a bit and got hung. I tried pulling sideways, but neither tractor or chain fall would pull it free. I figured I'd cut the sucker off at chest level to have enough trunk left to give leverage for pulling the stump. I figured that the angle I cut it at would prevent kick back, but it broke free at the cut a bit before I figured it would and zoomed back, missing my chin by a couple inches. The butt hit the ground 10 feet from where it started.
No blood, but I did rethink the next 2 trees.
Glad to heat your bro's sight will be OK.

Cublover · 02-22-2012, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErnieS

Had an 11" oak that I had pushed ove about 30 degrees. It had twisted a bit and got hung. I tried pulling sideways, but neither tractor or chain fall would pull it free. I figured I'd cut the sucker off at chest level to have enough trunk left to give leverage for pulling the stump. I figured that the angle I cut it at would prevent kick back, but it broke free at the cut a bit before I figured it would and zoomed back, missing my chin by a couple inches. The butt hit the ground 10 feet from where it started.
No blood, but I did rethink the next 2 trees.
Glad to heat your bro's sight will be OK.

I missed being 'spiked' last year by INCHES! I swore off cutting alone that very SECOND! I was struck by a tree that splintered, but there was nothing behind me that would have alowed me to be 'impaled'. Iwas shoved away.... I loaded the wood that was cut and went HOME!!

Cublover · 02-26-2012, 11:12 AM

1 week after the episode, his vision has returned to the point that he can see, but it is still a bit cloudy. He's Dr ordered to sit around for a few more weeks.
Thanks for the concerns, all.

WATCH yourself when cutting!

Kevin Beitz · 02-26-2012, 05:19 PM

I'm ready.....

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