Does such a tool/device exist?
 

Here's what I want to accomplish: On a portion of my property I have a relatively wooded area with many small, yet fast growing, Sumac (read weed) trees. I'd like to get my truck back there and rip these puppies out of the ground by their roots. Is there a device that I can attach to the end of a chain and quickly place on the base of the small tree to pull out. I'm thinking it would have gripping claws (like pliers/vice grips???) that would clamp tighter as the pulling pressure increases. It would work similarly to ice tongs but with more gripping surface.

Does this exist or am I hallucinating?

Here ya go, Cat C-9:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1088540256.jpg

You could always have what you want done quoted by an excavator or landscaper, then ask how they would do it...odds are if there is a lot of it they will whack off what they need to and the bobcat then rest...you might be able to just get under neath the junk and plow forward.

Send my your mailing address and I'll get you some C4 and Det cord. Works like a charm.

look up "roundslings" on the internet. it is basically a badass tow strap that crane guys use for rigging. just how big are these trees? remember, you want to use physics in your favor, so a long strap with a bunch of those tuff shackles would be a better bet. that way you can hook the strap up higher on the tree. and yank, using leverage to overturn the bastards. dont forget, the tree gets stronger at the bottom when it comes to overturning. a small bush can resist a 4x4 pretty well, trust me, i did some hmmm..."landscaping" in the front with my pickup, it was hell on my tranny. i only wish the bushes were tall enough to rig up higher.

The trees are not that big (3" diameter) and the have pretty shallow roots. Just a pain in th A$$ to dig 20 or so up. If I rig up high it will snap the tree as they are pretty weak.

Dude i've similar in the past with my 302 V-8 Jeep CJ7, used a long length of heavy i mean heavy chain, wrapped it around the base of tree/bush and attached the one end around to itself and the other looped around the frame/bumper of the jeep. like popp'in zits! bam out go the trees. Did it in reverse mainly for the visual advantage and well, the rear bumper/frame was probabley not up for the job. just remember to use good chain etiquet(sp?) real manly stuff have fun!

edit, also helps on bigger stuff to dig out behind the root base so the chain can cinch around the roots and kinda rip'em out. very cool fun

Just don't use nylon rope to pull the trees out. Nylon rope stretches. Think slingshot. I'll tell you the story sometime.:D

No snatch straps for me. I'll use commercial chain from a buddie's International flatbed. Because of the size I didn't think chain would get a good enough bite and would slip.

Possibly get a rental truck too.:)

Yep a good chain will bite plenty. Just give it several wraps and let her eat. Be safe though!

Regarding the device: don't loggers use use something similar to what I describe? I have no idea what the thing could be called.

...and I'll be careful.

Maybe something like this.......????

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&langId=-1&catalogId=4006970&PHOTOS=on&productId=334731&cat egoryId=76438

no way on the chain. not enough give, which is too hard on the drivetrain. granted chains are tough to break, but when they do, they can send some projectiles out far and fast. i know that too. roundslings are rated in tons. not much stretch but just a tiny bit depending on the strength rating. any strap that the 4x4 crowd would use to rescue a stuck vehicle would work too.

do these trees grow back if you cut them down? does the root ball need to come out? if not, get an echo chainsaw and have a ball.
(just thought this through, if the trees are small, and they are, a chain would work great!)

Cliff, They are small enough for a chain. I could bite the bullet and dig these things up but Damn-it I'm gonna use my Explorer for something more than groceries and an occasionl tow. :D

BTW, these pest/weed trees grow 3-4 feet a year. Cutting them with a chain saw just teases these flora-rodents.

My choice would be a 4WD tractor and boom pole.

The only advantage to a truck is the momentum you carry, since you're severely traction limited. With a boom pole, you're lifting the tree, which pulls your rear tires into the ground, building crazy stupid traction.

How big are these trees anyway? Jürgen

one word: fire

i think the tension sort of conection you describe is a unit you use with steel cable. i think its crimped, or set into one end of the cable, then you wrap it around your target and set it in the "jaws" if you will. then as you put tension on the long end it tightens like a noose. i do not recall a manufacture or name though, sorry.

you'd also be amazed at how well a tow strap will cinch up. i see guys hang/install/set street light and signals poles all the time with just a strap and a boom truck. i dont see a tree stock being slicker than a painted or galvanized pole. hehehe,,, i said pole

hehe burn hehe burn hehe

My friend tied a piece of chain to his truck and around a small 1 1/2-2" tree. He left a little slack to give it a good tug. When the chain ran striaght the truck stopped on a dime, his chin hit the steering wheel and his front teeth fell out. Think the whole project out.

John

I use a 1/2" eye/eye cable sling... I either run one end of the cable through one of the eyes, or just use a shackle... the more you pull, the tighter it gets on the tree/shrub/bush etc...

use a 10-15 foot toe rope or chain, and have the sling attached on the end...

I also know about " the slingshot" effect... wasnt pretty....

Dude, DO NOT use anything OTHER than a chain...seriously. I've tried recovery straps, rope of varying kinds. Chain is the way to go.

It doesnt flex or stretch, and it wont make the knots impossible to untie once you pull the stump out. Try undoing a knot without a knife after you've yanked out a stump.

I've used my Grand Cherokee and a chain hooked to the trailer hitch in 4-low to pull out dozens of stumps from honeysuckle and yew bushes. It's all in the technique. Don't try to push it too far though, you've got to know when to quit. Some stumps/trees need heavier equipment.

If you use chain, make sure you put some shackles or hooks on both ends. Your local hardware store can usually make one up for you. 12' is the shortest I'd use.

drape a blanket or heavy jacket over the chain when pulling. that way, if a link snaps, the weight of the cloth will pull the hardware down, rather than up, through your windshield or worse, your spotter.

:cool:

Whatever you use, don't hook it to your bumper. They are not as strong as they look!

:D

Are you getting the hints that are not so subtle here?

DO NOT let your wife see this thread.

Her divorce/estate lawyer would have a field day with it.

Dig them out; otherwise you will have sumacs back immediately. It's not that big a deal - 20 3" sumacs? that's 3 hours with a pitchfork and persuader bar to do the complete job. If you could pull them out with a chain & etc, you'd leave some root in which would then grow more back. And you'll be tearing the ground up around them and compacting soil, making it a lot harder to grow anything there in it's place. Even grass. While you're at it...don't plant mowable grass there...if you have sumacs, you have some water underneath, and you can plant all sorts of beautiful shrubs that like wet.

What about whacking 'em at the groud with the chain saw, then drilling a hole and aplying stump remover/acid to the core? A local arborist society/database might help.

Bouncing even a ladder-frame might be lookin' fer trouble.

Go To Ready rentals and Rent a Stump Grinder. They usally have a half day rental. A 30in pine tree Stump takes about 15 min.

If these weeds/trees are less then 4" in diameter, buy yourself a DR Trimmer/Mower ($650+/-)with the Beaver chain saw blade. Most of the smaller growth can be cut with the cord trimmer (weed whacker on wheels). I have cleared 6 arces of trees and heavy brush with mine.
Or you can buy or rent a bush mower that knocks over 1"-2" trees and cuts them up.
The DR was the best piece of equipment I bought for the clearing of my land.
Terry Hastings

I pulled about a half dozen 3" trees in my backyard last summer. I used an electric winch. The only thing I did different was to put a metal pole with a plate I welded to it at a 45 degree angle against the tree. I then draped the wire up over the post down to the base of the tree, where i looped it a couple of times and hooked it. this way when I pulled back it also pulled up. It seemed to work better (in my mind). Physicist please feel free to argue.

Would soaking the area with water help in the extraction?
Joe

ok, i gotta ask. are these trees good looking? are they indegenious? i tried to google them, but i got poison ivy stuff, spice stuff, etc.....

3" in diameter? Ever heard of a chainsaw? Sheesh! Just cut 'em flush...then bore a few 1/2" or so holes down into the stump. Fill holes with undiluted brush killer, let it soak in. They'll never sprout again. These aren't trees, they are toothpicks. To help tree trunks rot faster,. I usually make a criss cross pattern in them with the saw tip, to below ground level. Rain water collects, speeding the normal rot process...so, if these are trees that sprout easily again? Same trick...only the first "rainwater" is brush killer. If worried about pets, place a weighted bucket over the stump until the brush killer soaks in. Fraying the bark with an axe works too...then just pour a bit of brush killer in the layer between the bark and the heart wood..

I would rent a mini excavator on tracks... and you will want to get every root or they will pop back up tenfold... the mini excavator will allow you to compact the ground when you are done and cut your wife a nice rose bed to boot... :)

You know, it just occurred to me RickM lives in Convent Station, NJ.

You should get the nuns to come over and pray those trees outta there.



Are you sure there aren't any bodies buried out there? Isn't that Sopranos' country?



You know that old saying... "where Bambi goes, nuthin grows..."




OK, what else you need help with????

Heh heh, I didn't think pulling trees would inspire such passion.

Warren, tried the cut n poison route and these things are like cockroaches. I'll take a pic for you guys to feast your eyes on.

Sing, look out for the flying nun when near MMU. :)

use an old wheel put the chain over where the tire would be hook the chain around the base of the tree and drive off and it will pull the tree straight up and out with a lot of leverage and it works very well.