Pulling with vehicle, etc.

I snapped a loopie sling once on a storm damage water oak in Lafayette La after hurricane Lily. We had climbed and removed the canopy and just had a 45ft spar left. Unfortunately the hollow spar was filled with about 3 yards of concrete. I re directed the 5/8 stable braid to a block and sling anchored on a tree across the street and pulled down the street with my Bronco in 4 low. The new loopie 420 snapped sending the block and bull rope recoiling across the street into a street light. Fortunately only the street light was damaged and no one got hurt. This was 13 years ago. I am more inclined to rig up a Z-rig and get mechanical advantage these days and rarely use equipment to pull.
 
As a non-professional tree feller, but one with many years of rigging experience, and because I'm always working solo, I have pulled a few over with my truck using a 25-year-old 1/2" kernmantle (retired) rescue rope.

As for precautions, I always use a change-of-direction pulley (butt block) at the base of another tree so my truck is not in the fall line, and pretension the rope with the truck. Also use wedges to prevent backfall against the tensioned rope. Never had a problem. Always got them to fall where I wanted.

On the other hand, I was watching a couple of guys this autumn pulling down trees with a cable come-along and running out of the fall zone as the tree started to fall towards them. I think they were vying for the Darwin Award.
 
RescueMan said:
I think they were vying for the Darwin Award.
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If you do a search on YouTube for "tree cutting fail" you'll see hundreds of people who are highly qualified to join the ranks of Darwin Award recipients, probably sooner than later. Included are lots of folks attempting to pull trees down with cars and trucks with hilarious results. These same people could probably decapitate themselves with fingernail clippers without supervision or instructions.

I've done it with a 4x4 truck when the tree couldn't possibly hit anything, no matter which way it fell. Creeps me out a bit, though.
 
Tom Dunlap said:
How often do you pull a trunk/tree over with a vehicle?

What safeguards do you have in place if you do?

Have you ever broken a rope when pulling with a vehicle? If so, what was the rope diameter?

I'm fishing here in the pool of tribal knowledge. Of course I have my answers and they'll come out after some discussion.
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C'mon Tom , you are re treading the wheel . Pros/ cons vs., reality . I pull 90 % of trees over with a vehicle or loader . In three decades , do you think I'd do that if ropes were snapping ? seen ropes break , mostly because people pull trees over with old ropes . Worries me more is creating a barber chair . I would rather cut a huge tree over knowing it is on a machine than manpower /rigging . That's why man made machines . I'd run three four redirect blocks down a hill , up a hill , to a driveway ,on blacktop and rip a huge widow maker over , where I want it to go . Not taking that chance with humans . Not saying it can't be done . Batman has no super powers . 4 wheel drive , low , up root some trees before they go the wrong way . A sales catalog will tell you to buy the "best " purchase pull on the market . Than you drive your new 40k 4 wheel diesel up to the store and buy it , and your truck looks at you like you just cheated on it , WTF?
 
The other day we did a big silver maple, reduced weight on the back and used multiple 5/8" lines all back to a big excavator, that did the trick.
 
I've always wanted the boss to shell out for a load cell to see exactly how much force we put on ropes when we pull to get trees over with a vehicle.

A little of common sense and a lot of knowledge makes the difference. If you understand what you're doing I don't think pulling get with a vehicle is a huge hazard in my opinion.
 
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You don't know the exact force of pull with a 5:1 system either without a load cell. I've never loved putting all that load on prussik cords. You could easily be right at the "slippage" point without knowing and be in deep if the tree set back and you would be done. I do both but if I am looking for a sure thing, I am looking for two separate ropes on a mini or loader with a smooth attachment point and sure footing and good communication. I feel that you have more options in case of a mistake or surprise.
 
check out this rigging prussic explode when my timing goes ass backwards - please bear in mind I do not recommend this technique nor suggest that this is a reasonable use of the rigging prussik in any circumstances when doing a vehicle pull/fell.
 
Stihlmadd said:
check out this rigging prussic explode when my timing goes ass backwards - please bear in mind I do not recommend this technique nor suggest that this is a reasonable use of the rigging prussik in any circumstances when doing a vehicle pull/fell.
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Left a little too much hinge on that 1st tree huh?
 
tennarbor said:
You don't know the exact force of pull with a 5:1 system either without a load cell. I've never loved putting all that load on prussik cords.
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so this prussic slipped a good four feet while it heated up narrowed the diameter of the rope by half then melted onto the rope when it let go with a visible pop. this was the last time I attempted to perform such a task with a rigging prussic but by far not the first - a load cell would have been very interesting in this scenario
 
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