Thursday, June 2, 2016

Gravity Does Like To Win!

This video is not one of mine, and I wish it had a closeup of the stump so I could see this guy's cuts, but it's a good lesson, nonetheless.  How much lean can you handle?  On a 50 segment tree you can handle about 8 to 10 feet of back lean with wedges if the wood is solid and you make the hinge correctly.  Back lean pulls against the hinge evenly, all the way across the stump.  The back lean limit means that you can handle a little less than 4 or 5 feet of side lean on a 50 segment tree.  Side lean compresses the hinge on one side and puts the other side under tension, and that tension is distributed unevenly.    In this case it appears that the crown's balance is about 6 feet toward the building.  That is more side lean than the hinge of a 50 segment tree will hold.  These outcomes of these problems are often quite predictable.

(Move the slider to about the minute mark to save time.)

The rope is another whole issue.  A rope to counter side lean should be opposite the side lean, not at a 90 degree angle to it.  This tree must also have back lean, because the four wheel drive truck spins its tires and does not move the tree forward.  The moral I see here is that you do not cut trees that have a chance of hitting your improvements or hazards.  It's better to spend money for a contractor than it is to pay for damages.


1 comment:

Merle said...

Well, another idiot just got an expensive lesson!!!

Merle