FARM What type Winch for standing up fallen tree?

[Cascadians]

Variegated Leyland blown almost down in windstorm. Roots look okay. Beautiful tree, part of privacy and want to save it.

Tree service recommended using a Winch and a cedar pole. We already put the cedar pole in cement. I know nothing about winches and am having a hard time understanding what type and brand of winch to buy to wrap around the tree and pull it up.

My yard guy will be digging around intact root ball to make a large deeper hole and essentially sliding the tree into it as we upright it. And then re-staking it.

If any of you know what type / size / brand of winch is appropriate, or a better method, please type it!
Thanks

 

[Millwright]

I wouldn't buy a winch for a 1-time deal like this.

Use a truck and very carefully pull it up.

Tug through a pulley on top of the pole so you are lifting as you pull...if that makes sense.

 

[Cascadians]

We cannot get a truck into the area. In side yard, very cramped. Thanks for suggestion. Will upload pix.

 

[WalknTrot]

You should be able to go to a rental place and get a decent come-along. Just tell the guys what you want it for.

 

[Millwright]

We cannot get a truck into the area. In side yard, very cramped. Thanks for suggestion. Will upload pix.

Look at Harbor Freight then. Never pay their sticker price...get the coupons.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=winch


Can't really even guess at a size without having some idea of how big the tree is.


ETA: Yes, on the rental. Unless you just need a good reason to buy a winch.

 

[Codeno]

Cascadians, once you decide on a winch/strategy, the most important thing to remember is to use a strap rather than a cable around the far side of the tree from the cedar pole. A cable will cut through the bark/cambium/xylem/phloem in short order, in essence girdling all of the circumference that it touches. A strap will have to be moved every year or 2 as well, in order to prevent the same thing from happening, but is much more forgiving initially.

 

[Dozdoats]

Can a wrecker get to the area in line with the leaning tree to pull it upright?

A strong strap looped over the trunk about 2/3 of the way up should help leverage wise as well as spreading the force of the lift on the trunk more than a rope or cable would. An open loop will allow the strap to be pulled down once the lift is done.

A gin pole might also help with leverage if the tree is down pretty far. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gin_pole

You need a SF engineer out there

 

[Cascadians]

Nothing but a skinny man can get to the area in line with the leaning tree. I have pix but am having trouble uploading them. They are too big. emailed them to myself smaller, but they won't drag. Working on it.

 

[mecoastie]

how big is the tree? SO you plan on pulling it upright and then securing it to the cedar pole permanently? If it is a large tree, I would hire a tree guy to take care of it. If you pull it the wrong way can it hit your house or your neighbors?

 

[Cascadians]

It's young, about 7 years old, so not that thick, but a little tall and bushy. We are doing a major pruning job now. The windstorm came before we got to this leyland. Got the picture problem fixed, will try uploading again.

 

[WalknTrot]

Something on the line of this, but you will probably need a longer cable. I'd start with the rental place first.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/reese-towpower-2-1-25-ton-cable-puller?cm_vc=IOPDP1

And yes, definitely use some sort of wide cinch strap around the tree to protect it.

 

[Cascadians]

1st picture: Rootball
2nd picture: Base of Leyland
3rd picture: mid & top of Leyland leaning over fence into neighbor's yard
4th picture: cedar post to wrap winch around

 

[Cascadians]

Don't know why cedar pole picture is sideways, don't know how to fix that.

 

[Cascadians]

The cedar pole is on the opposite side of the flagstone walkway so probably not going to anchor the tree to that for very long. Will drive metal stakes around tree when uprighted and chainlock it to those. Probably to the cedar pole for a year but I use that path daily.

 

[bw]

Don't just attach a come-along to the cedar pole and start pulling - you'll probably snap the pull. Use a pulley attached at its top, and carry the line to something solid some distance past the pole, so the pole carries weight from the line but not sideways force. Have two straps handy - one on the come-along. When you get the come-along pulled in, put the other strap on and secure it to something solid. Then slack the come-along, adjust the strap and do it again.

 

[WalknTrot]

I dunno - after seeing the pictures, that looks like a pretty unstable spot for a tree. I can see why the washout happened. You might be better off to cut your losses and plant something like a hedge instead. Just an idea.

 

[Cascadians]

Thanks for all tips! I'm spatially challenged (autism) so if anybody has graphics, pictures, or a video, it would really help.

We did hire a tree service from Angie's List to take down a black cottonwood which voluntarily planted itself right beside the house. We had no idea it would grow so fast. We let the cottonwood grow there because it provided amazing abundant shade for our house during 4 severe drought summers of relentless record breaking heat. However, this fall the cottonwood and its behemoth roots threatened to demolish our house so we had to have it taken down. Only way to do that because of the over 300 trees planted to suck up the water problem was to have a guy climb the tree, rope each branch and swing it down to a 2-guy team. It was 6 stories high. Cost $900 and that was lowest bid we got, since it was surrounded by trees and over our roof.

While they were bidding we asked how they'd upright the leyland and the guy said to put a cedar pole deep and use a winch to upright the tree. He seemed to think it was fairly easy and simple. It does not seem simple at all to me.

 

[bw]

the guy said to put a cedar pole deep and use a winch to upright the tree. He seemed to think it was fairly easy and simple. It does not seem simple at all to me.

The first one is intimidating. The second one will seem simple.

 

[Cascadians]

The spot is good for a leyland. We just have to re-plant it. It is too big and heavy for me, Lynn and the yard guy to do without mechanical help from tools. There is an arborvitae hedge but it is croaking, along with many arbors in Portland. We planted leylands to replace them. Leylands are faster growing and more drought resistant.

 

[Knighttemplar]

Having raised a few ham towers you will need to use a gin pole. The angle will be too flat without one. You will also need a very good anchor to attach the winch device to. You can use pulleys to change angles if need be. From looking at it I would want at least 3/8 aircraft cable and make sure you put a throw rug over the cable near where you will be in case it lets go.

 

[FarmerJohn]

I've used a cable and snatch block to pull from different angles than I could ever get with my truck. You can use as long a cable as you need to to pul from somewhere comfortable. As long as you have a good anchor for the block, you can pull from any direction where the access is good enough to string the cable.

I second the suggestion about using something soft on the trunk of the tree.

When you get done with the 100' cable, you have the makings of a nice little zip line.

 

[Cascadians]

Thank you everybody! Busy googling the objects and terms you've used, no familiarity with any of them, and looking at pix to try to figure out how they are used.

 

[Knoxville's Joker]

I would recommend contacting a local tree company. This should be an easy job for them to fix and do periodic maintenance on the tree for you in regards to keeping it upright. Only a trained arborist would have the tools, knowledge, and proper equipment to get your job done properly. Presidential modify a solution and you will have a failure of presidential proportions. Just bear this in mind when you make your choice in action to correct the issue.

 

[Dennis Olson]

So Leska, for your next task, are you going to pilot a helicopter on your own?


There's a REASON THAT TREE SERVICES EXIST. CALL ONE. LET THEM DO IT.


It never ceases to amaze me how many people try to "do it yourself" when they have no freakin clue what to do or how to do it. This is why professionals exist. Calling a tree service will certainly cost less than buying a freakin winch!

 

[China Connection]

Haven't posted on your problem till now.

Look I am just guessing but I would say that you have a shallow layer of top soil over rock or a hard layer of something. Most trees can be strongly cut back and with this tree it wouldn't hurt for a strong root trim. Cut back to where you would be happy with it branching out from.

If you have a strong hand on hand then digging down and breaking up the subsoil will allow the tree to get a lot better rooted this time round.

Best of luck.

 

[Dennis Olson]

What's a "hand on hand?" Seriously.

 

[China Connection]

A strong hand is someone strong. On hand means available. So some one strong who is available. Must be Australian slang by the sound of things.

 

[China Connection]

How to Trim a Cottonwood Tree

If you already have a cottonwood tree in the landscape, pruning may be necessary to control its growth. The best time to prune cottonwoods is late winter while the tree is dormant. Prune for proper growth while the tree is a young sapling. Its rapid growth soon puts the branches out of reach.

Always use clean pruners when pruning cottonwoods. The tree is prone to disease, and dirty tools can introduce bacteria, fungal spores and insect eggs into the pruning wound. Wipe them down with a cloth saturated with alcohol or a disinfectant cleaner, or dip them in boiling water.

Begin by removing all the branches from the lower one-third of the tree. Using long-handled pruners, make the cuts close to the trunk, cutting at an angle that slants down and away from the tree. Leave stubs of about one-quarter inch.

Next, remove branches that cross each other and may rub together in the winds. Because of their soft wood, cottonwood branches can develop significant wounds that provide entry points for disease from rubbing.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/cottonwood/cottonwood-tree-in-landscapes.htm

 

[China Connection]

A big site that goes into detail for pruning such a tree.


Pruning Maturing Shade Trees

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/Gardennotes/615.html

 

[bw]

A strong hand is someone strong. On hand means available. So some one strong who is available. Must be Australian slang by the sound of things.

Midwest works fine. That's how we'd say it.

 

[WalknTrot]

Haha!

Yup. A hand is a person, a hand is an appendage, "on hand" means close by, and a hand is help.

 

[Cascadians]

Already have the hand hired who has already cemented in the cedar pole, already had the tree service (reading comprehension highly recommended), just need the best tool for the job for this location, still looking things up.

Leylands are notoriously shallow rooted and our yard gets inundated with water. Record breaking rains the last 3 months. Which is great, way better than drought, but also high winds.

Will be digging deeper hole for this variegated leyland to gently slide into as we pull back upright. Not rock underneath, just water logged. Drainage is good but when it rains steadily for hours/days/weeks/months there are times it doesn't drain so fast. Again, good for the terrible droughts in summer, also record breaking. Last summer was horrendous.

 

[Cascadians]

If it is less than $100 I think I'd rather buy the winch or whatever it ends up being, because we have over 300 trees and some are leaning. We are in a wind corridor and the submerged lake of a yard during heavy rain and the intense wind = probably future need for uprighting trees and / or straightening trees.

 

[Satanta]

A strong hand is someone strong. On hand means available. So some one strong who is available. Must be Australian slang by the sound of things.

Dennis is a city boy. I got it but I've lived the farm life and what you said was plain as daylight to me. lol:

 

[bw]

If it is less than $100 I think I'd rather buy the winch

A come-along will set you back $25 maybe. You'll need some rope and a pulley.

 

[ShadowMan]

Personally....if it fell over once, it's root structure is weak, it will fall over again. Cut your loses, remove the tree and replant with a stronger rooting tree. You're going to spend a lot of time, effort and money on a tree that will simply fall over again. Take that money and buy a replacement that is large enough to fill in the space quickly and you can make sure it's properly supported with a stronger root type.

 

[Border Collie]

I would use one of these
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200511665_200511665

which are good for 4000 lbs, which should be plenty to pull this sideways. The hard part is that you need a strong anchor for it, and you need strong and long chains, which you're not likely to have. I would not use any common rope for this task (well, 3/4" nylon would be strong enough, but the elasticity would result in a dangerous situation if anything went wrong.

And for practical purposes, a person should be using two of these come-a-longs here.

Strongly agree on the use of a strap for wrapping around the trunk. That would be a good place for strong nylon rope, too. But the length of logging chains that you need to reach from the tree to the come-a-long, and from the come-a-long to the anchor, you're not likely to have unless you're into farming or logging.

So we're back to asking a professional or experienced amateur to handle this task.

Border Collie