Logger Certification

chris_girard

chris_girard

Branched out member
Location
Gilmanton, N.H.
I'm going through my logger recertification training this spring and one of the courses that I will be taking is the advanced felling training course. Pretty much the same one taught at The Game Of Logging.

The last time that I took this course we were shown how to fell trees with a sidelean using only the Adjusted Gunning technique, not the Tapered Hinge technique.

These techniques have been discussed at length here on the Buzz, and I feel that using both at the same time is the best way to go. I am going to demonstrate this at the class as well using each one on its own and see how it goes.

I was wondering if you guys have been using the Combined Tech. with success. Any ideas that we Arbos can shear with our Logger friends? Remember, these guys usually only work in a woods setting, so I don't think that they will ever use a side tensioning line in a tight area. Just as easy to pull it over with the skidder!
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these guys usually only work in a woods setting, so I don't think that they will ever use a side tensioning line in a tight area. Just as easy to pull it over with the skidder!
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Far as I know loggers almost always push trees with the skidder as it is faster and easier.
 
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these guys usually only work in a woods setting, so I don't think that they will ever use a side tensioning line in a tight area. Just as easy to pull it over with the skidder!
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Far as I know loggers almost always push trees with the skidder as it is faster and easier.

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Not the loggers I've worked for. Far safer to pull a hung tree with the cable winch than to push it with the blade.

Scott, contact Jason Stock at NHTOA in Concord. As far as I know, the class dates have not been set yet. Here is the site.

www.nhtoa.org
 
Best to push with the arch instead of blade cuz the greater height gives more leverage.

Regarding safety,I think most any tree pushable with the skidder wouldn't hurt the machine if it fell on it in a pushing mishap.
 
Small stuff but trust me, if you drop any larger wood or logs they have a tendencey to smach other things like your wind shield.
 
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cory do you drop wood on the buckett truck knowing the cage can take it?

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Of course not. My only point was, if you were gonna push a tricky tree with the skidder, it would be fine to do it without getting all involved with the winch cable for safety reasons. A skidder is far more heavy duty in every way than a bucket cage. We've all seen bucket cages with a big V in the front from a top that fell wrong.

I know from personally screwing up that if you accidentally drop a hickory, say one 32"w x 90'h, square onto the cab of an old medium size Timberjack skidder, absolutely nothing will happen to the machine, although the whole thing will kinda bounce once. Oops.

And btw, lotta guys drop stuff all over the cab of a bucket on purpose, they probably feel they are using the machine to its fullest, and they probably are. Just not my style.
 
Ok I think thread was stolen for some odd reason.
1. where I live an old friend wittnessed that push a tree with skidder driver crushed by tree soooooo want to push trees still.
2. when I am felling a tree usaully depends on the lean, openess of the drop zone,and other trees around the 1 I am felling. I have been doing some selective logging jobs and use a wide aray of cutts to reaaly cut down on damageing surrounding trees.
 
Kinda back to the original question... to the best of my knowledge a tappered hinge doesn't do anything. Infact, it was at a GOL cert class that I was shown this. Left a tapered hinge and the tree still fell straight... just pulled a few strands out on the thick side, which for us isn't a big deal, but for a logger it can cost money.
My knowledge is quite limited compaired to many on here, but that is the way I understand it.
Let us know how it goes for you.
 
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to the best of my knowledge a tapered hinge doesn't do anything. In fact, it was at a GOL cert class that I was shown this. Left a tapered hinge and the tree still fell straight

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Wow, that is news to me. Maybe a tapered hinge on a non leaning tree wouldnt do anything, but on a leaner, that would be a major change to learn tapered hinges don't help.
 
That's the reason so many arborists stay at the stump trying to steer the tree to the ground.
They are removing wood that is holding the tree and actually causing it to turn.
There's no doubt that it works.
 
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Kinda back to the original question... to the best of my knowledge a tappered hinge doesn't do anything. Infact, it was at a GOL cert class that I was shown this. Left a tapered hinge and the tree still fell straight...

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You mean left a tapered hinge on a non-leaning tree and the tree still fell straight? If you put a side rope on a non-leaning tree it too would have no effect.

Try it the other way. Use a straight hinge on a leaning tree vs a tapered hinge and/or a side rope on a leaning tree and, at least in my opinion, there is a difference.

Similarly you could make a notch with a bypass cut on a non-leaning and the tree would still go where you want it to go. But, make a notch with a bypass cut on a leaning tree and you lose some of the control that you would have with a clean notch.

The idea that a tapered hinge has no effect was put forward some years ago. At first I resisted the idea, then realized that I was just being close-minded (like the people who refuse to let go of flush cuts, topping etc.) so I tried it for awhile. After experimenting on branches, tree sections, and whole trees I decided that the tapered hinge <u>does</u> have an effect.
 
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That's the reason so many arborists stay at the stump trying to steer the tree to the ground.

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Loggers too. I'm surprised GOL of all groups would be discounting a time honored technique for safer, accurate felling.
 
It could be the time of year or other variables such as species.
The tapered hinge has less pulling power during the winter here, the fibers just snap and won't hold.
 
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