I was able to use this technique yesterday on two different Ash trees which had some pretty significant back lean. The guy I was cutting with was really impressed by how well it worked, and he’s a pretty experienced faller. I really appreciate the thoughtful and educational content that you put out. Keep up the great work and be safe! - Jim in Minnesota
That's awesome to hear Jim. It is a really good technique but definitely takes practice. Thanks for your comment, it is encouraging to see others learning from the content. God bless brother and stay safe.
Thank You for the excellent video on how to fell a leaning tree safely and chainsaw management. I have a leaner to cut and with your instructions can do it right.
Nice work man! Great tips and advices. I'm not a tree worker but I do this kind of work for myself and neighbors enough that I'm always trying to learn new technics to make my life easier. So when I come across a good video like this I make sure to leave my comment. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us brother! Stay safe!
Nice video, thanks. Good tip for cutting large stumps if you’ve forgotten your wedge is to use the top of the bar…..the chip goes into the cut and keeps the bar from being jammed 👍👌
I was watching a video on another channel and saw them fell a tree with a back cut first technique. I had never heard of it before and was intrigued. I'm just your average homeowner type...with the very powerful MS 170 and MS 250 saws (lol) that I use to clean up dead or fallen trees around my 3 acre lot my home sits on. I carry a towel with my saw so I can dry behind my ears. 😉 So I decided to search for 'back cut first' and came across this video. I like the way you explained what you were doing. Cheers from New Brunswick, Canada...eh.
Thanks for the comment. It is another tool to have when dealing with leaners that could set back even harder once you put the face cut in. Just make sure to go slow and don't cut your hinge wood off.
Ive been using this cut to drop some of the trees around my place. I dont have alot of experience with it so it feels a bit awkward, but it has been working a treat!
Once the 2 faces of notch connect, the hinge blows apart & gravity takes over. More angle on notch will allow hinge to follow through longer which will direct an off camber tree away (longer) from the lean it wants to fall. If you could have a camera on drone & camera by cut & put both images side by side in sync, you'd see tree falling in one direction & then shift towards gravity/lean almost immediately after the faces of notch connect. That wider angle notch allows that shift to occur closer to the ground.
Really helpful video you are very skilled bro!!! Have you ever used the tree pusher from Sweden? Thinking about getting one for my 5 acres of Alder and Fir 🌲Here in Oregon! Stay safe out there!
Ive seen a couple people do videos of this cut and im wondering why do folks do this instead of bore cutting, pounding wedges in, cutting your trigger, then pounding them home? Is there a certain reason or is it just 2 different cuts that produce the same out come? Reallt enjoy your videos, well done.
Bore cutting is a really good technique for hard forward leaning trees so you can prevent barber chairing, but when it comes to a tree that is heavily back leaned, I would definitely go with the back cutting technique for these reasons: When you bore cut a tree, leave a trigger in the back, and pound wedges before cutting the trigger, there is a potential you may have thinned your hinge too much, especially on a compromised tree that has rot. As soon as you cut that trigger, the tree can go backwards. In other words, you have no control over that tree once the trigger is cut, you just have to hope everything holds and you have the face and hinge dialed in for the exact direction you want that tree to go. Conversely, with the back cut first technique, you have complete control over the tree the whole time. For example, if a tree is compromised, you can start wedging it with a thick hinge and leaning it into the lay before you thin it down to the final hinge which gives you control during the entire process. You can guide the tree once it starts to go by simply swiping your wedges out of the back cut and thinning the hinge further to direct it into the lay. A bore cut on a back leaning tree is also more risky in that when you set wedges, it is not moving the tree forward while you are pounding them. It takes cutting the trigger before you can actually start to move the tree towards the lay, whereas the back cut first you are immediately moving the tree towards the lay with wedges in the back cut before you even put your face cut in. This adds to safety in that if you mess something up with the face cut, there is a potential you already have the tree stood up enough from wedging in the back cut that it will go towards the lay as you work on the face vs cutting the trigger and hoping everything goes as planned. I hope this explanation helped. It would definitely make a good video to help clarify this technique.
Great video up until you grab the chain of a running chainsaw! How much time do you lose shutting it off to tighten the chain VS dealing with a mangled hand.
I was running a 25" Stihl lightweight bar in the video. My saw has a light porting job on it from Madsen's saw shop. One of these days I will send a new saw down to Jack in Oregon and have him port it. His saws put out an incredible amount of power for their size.
@@levigranger5383 yeah I already have two 28-in still light bars I would like to use them I was told you can just file the adjuster pin down a little bit to fit into the sthill bar
Thanks for helping b r out Levi. It is hard for me to get to comments because we are so busy. Just as you said Levi, use your round file for your chains and file the whole in your bar that the adjuster pin sits in. Put the bar on, and if it doesn't fit, keep filing until out does. Those Stihl light weight bars are nice. I guess they were having delimitation problems with the Oregon lightweight bars so now Madsens (local saw shop) has went away from selling them.
@@SOLOTREESERVICE the problem I'm having is is the adjuster on the side case that goes in the bar hole it's too big I was told I could file that adjuster pin down so it would fit into the steel bar is that true do you know
You don't need to file the adjuster pin that is on the cover plate down. Just file the actual mounting hole the pin goes into on the bar. I can't remember if I filed up or down, but one of those directions will allow that pin to fit into the mounting hole and it will work just fine. Just make sure you file both holes on the bar, because you will need to flip the bar in between sharpens.
When doing a back cut first, most of the time you sink your wedges into the back cut to the point you can no longer get your bar in there. To thin the hinge any further, it is easier to make swipes from the face side, just make sure you are thinning an even amount from both sides of the hinge so you don't change the direction you intend the tree to fall.
@@SOLOTREESERVICE ok so its more about using that space for wedge travel. I guess its all tree dependent, a bigger tree you likely wouldnt bottom out your wedges. If you cut more in the face to thin your hinge it seems riskier because your effectivly moving your hinge backwards out of the tension wood but if youve moved the top of the tree enough at that point it probably doesnt matter. Great video man, im halfway through and its good info really well presented!
That's correct Whiskey. In really hard back leaned trees, you have to sink the wedges as far as you can before making any face cuts or the tree will set back even harder and may be incapable of being wedged. You can actually wedge so much that you can tare the hinge out if it is thinned too much and has too much lean on it, so you don't want to give the tree any ground by setting those wedges first and pushing it forward before thinning the hinge to its final point. Swiping from the front, basically creating a small dutchman, will not cause any issues such as barber chair if done properly. Dutchman's are only dangerous if the tree has a lot of momentum as the face closes into kerf of the dutchman. If the tree is moving slowly, as it does when wedging, it won't create enough pressure for the back of the tree to open up. Sorry for the long reply, tree falling is definitely a passion of mine and I enjoy teaching, so I hope this helped you. I have been really busy lately and haven't been able to put out new videos, but I hope to soon. God bless, and have a good rest of your day!
@@SOLOTREESERVICE That all makes good sense. Yeah im with you on the tree falling passion, strictly amateur here but its fun and challenging, every situation is different. Hey do you have a go to recommendation for a good chain? I run an Echo 620 with a 24" bar.
@@whiskey4553 Nothing specific. For smaller Bars run a full comp chain not a skip. Always go with a full chisel round file chain. Don't waste you time with the safety style chains or the rounded profile chains that are supposed to be better for cutting dirty wood or have anti kickback features. I have found them to be a waste of time due to how slow they are in the cut. Practice hand sharpening without guides and you will get pretty fast, so fixing up those full chisel chains is easier. Square ground chain is more for professional loggers due to the complexity of sharpening, so I would avoid them until you have more experience.
8/23/22. Just saw this video 2day..2 Fir trees leaning over neighbors yard (big yellow container in center of view). Much enjoy your 'no-nonsense-talk' while performing & filming these videos (compared to some others)...Gotta ask why no 'tag' or pull rope & winch/(come-a-long) to guarantee (?+or-) the fall direction you want? Seems like (long) pull rope anchored a distance in line with fall direction + ratchet type Winch (Maasdam or other) would give protection from unwanted fall direction & useful to overcome upper 'limb entanglement' from (any) neighboring tree branches. Kinda seems worth time & mental comfort to set up Winch pull line rather than rely totally on hinge taper/thickness -nibbling on one side or the other-to (try) to control direction placement/landing.🤔🪚🌲🪓
I CANT believe you posted a video showing you using you hand on the chain while it was running and loosened the chain with it still running. I realize you a way experienced logman but most of your odyence are not and this is not the way to show safely using a chainsaw!!!!
Your risk mitigation and customer satisfaction practices are stellar. I'm a proud subscriber. God Bless.
Humbled by your expertise. Well done.
Always well done and explained. I enjoy watching your vids. Hope you keep making them. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment ToB. I appreciate the words of encouragement.
I was able to use this technique yesterday on two different Ash trees which had some pretty significant back lean. The guy I was cutting with was really impressed by how well it worked, and he’s a pretty experienced faller.
I really appreciate the thoughtful and educational content that you put out. Keep up the great work and be safe! - Jim in Minnesota
That's awesome to hear Jim. It is a really good technique but definitely takes practice. Thanks for your comment, it is encouraging to see others learning from the content. God bless brother and stay safe.
Brilliant work.
A well thought out approach and explanation of your approach.
Thank you for your time on this vid.
Thoroughly enjoyed it 👊
Thank you for an idea to trim wedges . I start doing tommorrow.
Thank You for the excellent video on how to fell a leaning tree safely and chainsaw management. I have a leaner to cut and with your instructions can do it right.
Nice work man! Great tips and advices. I'm not a tree worker but I do this kind of work for myself and neighbors enough that I'm always trying to learn new technics to make my life easier. So when I come across a good video like this I make sure to leave my comment. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us brother! Stay safe!
You’re videos are a gold mine of knowledge!
Lots of great tips, thanks.
Excellent work and video
Nice video, thanks. Good tip for cutting large stumps if you’ve forgotten your wedge is to use the top of the bar…..the chip goes into the cut and keeps the bar from being jammed 👍👌
Thanks for your time. It's an excellent video.
I was watching a video on another channel and saw them fell a tree with a back cut first technique. I had never heard of it before and was intrigued. I'm just your average homeowner type...with the very powerful MS 170 and MS 250 saws (lol) that I use to clean up dead or fallen trees around my 3 acre lot my home sits on. I carry a towel with my saw so I can dry behind my ears. 😉
So I decided to search for 'back cut first' and came across this video.
I like the way you explained what you were doing.
Cheers from New Brunswick, Canada...eh.
Thanks for the comment. It is another tool to have when dealing with leaners that could set back even harder once you put the face cut in. Just make sure to go slow and don't cut your hinge wood off.
Love those back cleaning hard cuts, so I can learn! Thanks!
Ive been using this cut to drop some of the trees around my place. I dont have alot of experience with it so it feels a bit awkward, but it has been working a treat!
Very good video, you explained a lot of your techniques.
Really nice!
Awesome video to show people some safety and time taking the load off your self.
Thank you for being so informative
Once the 2 faces of notch connect, the hinge blows apart & gravity takes over. More angle on notch will allow hinge to follow through longer which will direct an off camber tree away (longer) from the lean it wants to fall. If you could have a camera on drone & camera by cut & put both images side by side in sync, you'd see tree falling in one direction & then shift towards gravity/lean almost immediately after the faces of notch connect. That wider angle notch allows that shift to occur closer to the ground.
What do you mean by 'two faces'?
Professional at work. Great stuff.
Fantastic Video! 🇺🇸🪵🪓🪵🌳🪵🌲🪓🪵🪓
great demo on the cutting...enjoyed video...thumbs up !!
Love your channel brother. I'm starting my own solo tree biz. I love tree work.
Thank you for the knowledge.
No problem Steve. Thanks for taking a look at the channel.
nice dude
impressive bro … well done …
Nice saw I love my 372xp and 395xp what model is that! Guessing a 450 460 with a full wrap and extra wide clutch guard for noodling?
Your use of background music makes it hard for me to hear what you are saying.
Absolutely I agree. I can’t hear well anyway so it makes it twice as hard to hear
awesome advice . music is a distraction or is it me being an oldie :)
Great video👍🏻second time i see somebody uses ES bar on husqvarna saw(best bars ever)
very nicely done.
Really helpful video you are very skilled bro!!!
Have you ever used the tree pusher from Sweden? Thinking about getting one for my 5 acres of Alder and Fir 🌲Here in Oregon! Stay safe out there!
Do you find a need to sharpen every time you fill up with gas and oil?
Sizwell really didn't do a damned thing on the felling I saw
Why do my chains dull so quick even if I’m away from dirt and rocks?
Ive seen a couple people do videos of this cut and im wondering why do folks do this instead of bore cutting, pounding wedges in, cutting your trigger, then pounding them home? Is there a certain reason or is it just 2 different cuts that produce the same out come? Reallt enjoy your videos, well done.
Bore cutting is a really good technique for hard forward leaning trees so you can prevent barber chairing, but when it comes to a tree that is heavily back leaned, I would definitely go with the back cutting technique for these reasons:
When you bore cut a tree, leave a trigger in the back, and pound wedges before cutting the trigger, there is a potential you may have thinned your hinge too much, especially on a compromised tree that has rot. As soon as you cut that trigger, the tree can go backwards. In other words, you have no control over that tree once the trigger is cut, you just have to hope everything holds and you have the face and hinge dialed in for the exact direction you want that tree to go. Conversely, with the back cut first technique, you have complete control over the tree the whole time.
For example, if a tree is compromised, you can start wedging it with a thick hinge and leaning it into the lay before you thin it down to the final hinge which gives you control during the entire process. You can guide the tree once it starts to go by simply swiping your wedges out of the back cut and thinning the hinge further to direct it into the lay.
A bore cut on a back leaning tree is also more risky in that when you set wedges, it is not moving the tree forward while you are pounding them. It takes cutting the trigger before you can actually start to move the tree towards the lay, whereas the back cut first you are immediately moving the tree towards the lay with wedges in the back cut before you even put your face cut in. This adds to safety in that if you mess something up with the face cut, there is a potential you already have the tree stood up enough from wedging in the back cut that it will go towards the lay as you work on the face vs cutting the trigger and hoping everything goes as planned.
I hope this explanation helped. It would definitely make a good video to help clarify this technique.
Good job
Almost forgot…..nea sub here!
What type of fuel do you use?
👍💪👍💪👍💪👍
Reipal tree pusher
Nice job... buy a winch 🤪
Great video up until you grab the chain of a running chainsaw! How much time do you lose shutting it off to tighten the chain VS dealing with a mangled hand.
What's with the BLARING music? Adds nothing at all and is just distracting. I want to hear your advice, and the saw, and pounding of wedges.
Some Sawyers like their saws on the hungry side. Why run Stihl bars on the Husky?
What size is that stihl bar mate and has your 562xp been modded
I was running a 25" Stihl lightweight bar in the video. My saw has a light porting job on it from Madsen's saw shop. One of these days I will send a new saw down to Jack in Oregon and have him port it. His saws put out an incredible amount of power for their size.
Do u use square grind?
Really helpful vid very skilled 😎👌
How did you make your Husqvarna fit the steel bar did you have to file the adjuster pin down a little bit
Google cannon bar adapters, thats what i use. I think some ppl will make their own. Once you see the adapter you will see its not too complicated
@@levigranger5383 yeah I already have two 28-in still light bars I would like to use them I was told you can just file the adjuster pin down a little bit to fit into the sthill bar
Thanks for helping b r out Levi. It is hard for me to get to comments because we are so busy. Just as you said Levi, use your round file for your chains and file the whole in your bar that the adjuster pin sits in. Put the bar on, and if it doesn't fit, keep filing until out does. Those Stihl light weight bars are nice. I guess they were having delimitation problems with the Oregon lightweight bars so now Madsens (local saw shop) has went away from selling them.
@@SOLOTREESERVICE the problem I'm having is is the adjuster on the side case that goes in the bar hole it's too big I was told I could file that adjuster pin down so it would fit into the steel bar is that true do you know
You don't need to file the adjuster pin that is on the cover plate down. Just file the actual mounting hole the pin goes into on the bar. I can't remember if I filed up or down, but one of those directions will allow that pin to fit into the mounting hole and it will work just fine. Just make sure you file both holes on the bar, because you will need to flip the bar in between sharpens.
Hello Solo 😊
How is it going? Wish I could get to comments in a more timely manner, but it is hard with how busy I have been lately.
@@SOLOTREESERVICE That's ok Solo, is it possible to talk to you about a few things? Climbing ect
Stay safe brother 🙏
why did you cut more in the face after pounding the wedges in initially instead of more in the back cut to make you hinge thinner?
When doing a back cut first, most of the time you sink your wedges into the back cut to the point you can no longer get your bar in there. To thin the hinge any further, it is easier to make swipes from the face side, just make sure you are thinning an even amount from both sides of the hinge so you don't change the direction you intend the tree to fall.
@@SOLOTREESERVICE ok so its more about using that space for wedge travel. I guess its all tree dependent, a bigger tree you likely wouldnt bottom out your wedges. If you cut more in the face to thin your hinge it seems riskier because your effectivly moving your hinge backwards out of the tension wood but if youve moved the top of the tree enough at that point it probably doesnt matter. Great video man, im halfway through and its good info really well presented!
That's correct Whiskey. In really hard back leaned trees, you have to sink the wedges as far as you can before making any face cuts or the tree will set back even harder and may be incapable of being wedged. You can actually wedge so much that you can tare the hinge out if it is thinned too much and has too much lean on it, so you don't want to give the tree any ground by setting those wedges first and pushing it forward before thinning the hinge to its final point. Swiping from the front, basically creating a small dutchman, will not cause any issues such as barber chair if done properly. Dutchman's are only dangerous if the tree has a lot of momentum as the face closes into kerf of the dutchman. If the tree is moving slowly, as it does when wedging, it won't create enough pressure for the back of the tree to open up. Sorry for the long reply, tree falling is definitely a passion of mine and I enjoy teaching, so I hope this helped you. I have been really busy lately and haven't been able to put out new videos, but I hope to soon.
God bless, and have a good rest of your day!
@@SOLOTREESERVICE That all makes good sense. Yeah im with you on the tree falling passion, strictly amateur here but its fun and challenging, every situation is different. Hey do you have a go to recommendation for a good chain? I run an Echo 620 with a 24" bar.
@@whiskey4553 Nothing specific. For smaller Bars run a full comp chain not a skip. Always go with a full chisel round file chain. Don't waste you time with the safety style chains or the rounded profile chains that are supposed to be better for cutting dirty wood or have anti kickback features. I have found them to be a waste of time due to how slow they are in the cut. Practice hand sharpening without guides and you will get pretty fast, so fixing up those full chisel chains is easier. Square ground chain is more for professional loggers due to the complexity of sharpening, so I would avoid them until you have more experience.
This tweet thing is distrubing. Too many of the younger generation now a days just fold under any sort of pressure and completely give up.
555 Husqwarna?
562XP
@@PaleHorseOutdoors where you live and work?
@@user-jm1du8lp5m WA State
@@PaleHorseOutdoors I'm from Siberian
@@user-jm1du8lp5m nice to meet you.
8/23/22. Just saw this video 2day..2 Fir trees leaning over neighbors yard (big yellow container in center of view). Much enjoy your 'no-nonsense-talk' while performing & filming these videos (compared to some others)...Gotta ask why no 'tag' or pull rope & winch/(come-a-long) to guarantee (?+or-) the fall direction you want? Seems like (long) pull rope anchored a distance in line with fall direction + ratchet type Winch (Maasdam or other) would give protection from unwanted fall direction & useful to overcome upper 'limb entanglement' from (any) neighboring tree branches. Kinda seems worth time & mental comfort to set up Winch pull line rather than rely totally on hinge taper/thickness -nibbling on one side or the other-to (try) to control direction placement/landing.🤔🪚🌲🪓
-
That's a high stump you've left there, waist of wood
STOP with the STUPID music !!
I hate music videos.
I CANT believe you posted a video showing you using you hand on the chain while it was running and loosened the chain with it still running. I realize you a way experienced logman but most of your odyence are not and this is not the way to show safely using a chainsaw!!!!
Agreed. Frightened me to death😢
Cool. Not a fan of music during narration. Maybe during the more mundane moments with no narration.