Sciencemadness Discussion Board - most appropriate material to topple tree

most appropriate material to topple tree

THErAPIST - 5-2-2018 at 23:10

Heya folks. Little back story. I haven't experimented with anything energetic in the last ooooh 12 years or so past the odd reactive rifle target, so i'm looking for a few opinions I can trust. I'm older,Ii respect my life a little more, and I care about my limbs and I'd rather get all the info I need before I make any decisions

Anyway I've got a large oak tree with 2 extremely large dead pine trees lying ontop of it. There's zero way to safely cut the tree down without calling in professionals who will want something near 6 grand give or take to climb the trees. This is at a private golf course and its a danger to golfers (already had a couple close calls with falling branches)

So. I have keys to this place and can do what I need to do with nobody around. We're set well away from the public. While this tree needs to come down, I'd rather not use something with a low vod, which takes options like redneck exploding target tree demolition off the table. Id like to use something a little more brisant so i can hopefully avoid hurling huge chunks of tree all over and be a little more sure that it'll come down. I can put whatever I need to inside the tree to maximize effects. (I've already cut a block out of the center)

My real options are ETN, picric acid, or ammonium picrate. I have everything needed for ETN and its relative ease to make is attractive but in my overly cautious state I'm fairly nervous about its sensitivity. I'm no clumsy fool that's gonna throw it around but I keep reading conflicting reports about how sensitive it is, and I've read plenty of stories about some kid maiming himself. How sensitive is it exactly? Stable enough to make a couple hundred grams? stable enough to have loose in a ziplock without it getting unhappy about being shaken about? god I shudder at the thought but compared to the sensitivity of HMTD?

Also I have some commercial caps but they're on the weaker side and I was thinking about making a small booster charge of ETN anyway if i went for something like Ammonium picrate.

I get that ETN would likely benefit from being recrystalized and stabilized with urea but how much does that help to stabilize? I'm not really looking to keep the stuff around and I'm not really looking to melt cast it because that seems kinda sketchy but I could manage if need be

ooooor does anyone have a better option for something I could shatter the base of the tree with that doesnt require a full lab setup? I've got a hot plate, a buchner funnel, tripple beam scale, and some lab glassware but that's about it these days since I gave up on chemistry.

clearly_not_atara - 5-2-2018 at 23:24

Put ropes on the tree, securely anchored, then cut the base. It can't fall down until you release the ropes.

violet sin - 5-2-2018 at 23:40

Chainsaw, judiciously applied is an outstanding answer. I like the ropes, but add a truck in there for good measure. One is inclined to think explosives are uncalled for = your basically creating excuses to play.

[Edited on 6-2-2018 by violet sin]

j_sum1 - 6-2-2018 at 00:29

Predictability is what you want in a scenario like this. That's what people pay the pros big bucks for. The scenario you don't want is one where the tree is not felled but visibly weakened such that it is dangerous to approach. Th that end you want to avoid explosives. Leave those for removing the stump.

One good solution can be to affix a long sturdy rope as high in the tree as possible. Then attach the other end to a truck/dozer/tractor or some other heavy vehicle - at a sufficient distance that the tree cannot fall on it. Then drive forward to put some tension on the rope. Cut with a saw alternating with applying more tension. This way there is no one near the stump when the tree goes over. Again, the kick-back at the stump during felling is also unpredictable to a non-pro. That's the location where trees kill people.

This method minimises the risk and enables reasonably precise felling. I have done some quite large trees with a car and hand saw this way.

Vomaturge - 6-2-2018 at 01:32

I think that we could figure out even safer, better solutions with more information. For instance:
Approximately How tall/wide is the tree? If it's 10 m high, 50 cm at base, that's way easier for DIY removal than 50 m high and 2 m wide.
We know you have access to the golf course, but do you have specific permission to remove the tree at a given time?
Assuming that the tree needs to be taken away after you have felled it, what equipment/vehicles do you have or need? They might also come in handy for the actual felling, as well. Again, this part depends on the tree's size and weight.
What kind of tools (rigging, chainsaws, etc) do you have? Do you know how to use them safely and effectively?
These are just questions to help us understand the situation, and give appropriate advice. Nothing personal, at all.
Now, for my own preliminary advice. I've never cut down a tree thicker than 7-10 cm diameter, and the only high explosive I've set off were "pop-it" fireworks, so I don't really know WTF I'm talking about, and you probably shouldn't take my advice to seriously.
I think the ideas of cutting the tree while directing its fall with ropes are sound, although it's hard to tell since I'm inexperienced in this and don't know all the details of your situation.
Always be aware of where the tree could fall, where pieces could shift once it falls, etc.
Try not to cut in places where the cut will squeeze shut and pinch your sawblade. This will make it hard to cut, and might also break the saw or even injure you.
I know that practical applications of explosives are not really supposed to be discussed here, but I will give some thoughts on what I've read and watched. I tend to agree with everyone else-I don't think you should blow it up.
Just because you use an explosive with a high detonation velocity does not guarantee that there will be no big pieces of flying debris. Don't count on anything within at least a few hundred meters being safe.
Depending on how big the tree is, the explosion might not fell it completely. Now you have a dangerous situation where it could fall any minute. Also something to keep in mind when you have to estimate the charge.
If it's on a golf course, lots of people will know exactly how you got rid of the tree. If you use an explosion, some will also just know that you made a bomb and blew up something or another in the golf course. DON'T EVEN THINK Of blowing it up unless you're 100% SURE it's legal, and everyone will be cool with it.
In general, as cool as it would be, an explosive demolition is probably not the kind you need here.
However you plan on getting rid of this tree, only do it yourself if you have the mindset, skill set, and tool set to do it safely. Your life and health are worth more than $6000.
Good luck!

[Edited on 6-2-2018 by Vomaturge]

[Edited on 6-2-2018 by Vomaturge]

aga - 6-2-2018 at 02:54

If it's Golf Course, $6,000 is peanuts, especially if the trees endanger the paying customers.

Let the pros do what they do so well.

i.e. Survive the event and dispose of the huge mass of wood that would definitely get in the way of those little white balls.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FRKU4RmeD0

joseph6355 - 6-2-2018 at 07:49

You don't have to blow it up. Its a tree.
If the only problem is falling branches, just cut the tree a bit below them.

Blowing it up with brisant explosives isn't a good idea at all. There would be wood fragments flying at all directions and very fast. It would certainly pose a danger to anyone close to it.

Cut the tree. It isn't hard or unsafe to do, unless it is a huge one.

Fulmen - 6-2-2018 at 09:16

If you read the first post more closely you'll see he's talking about an oak with two fallen pines on top. That's a big and dangerous mess to handle with a chain saw. Now I don't know how big this oak is, and I certainly won't address the legality of such an adventure, but explosives could be the simplest and safest approach. Around here they routinely use explosives to clear fallen trees from power lines, fallen trees can be extremely dangerous to work with.

I do agree that non-explosive methods should be thoroughly explored first though. If explosives are the only way, there are basically 4 routes I can think of:
1. External charges. These will require high brisance explosives, and a lot of it.
2. Internal charges. More effective and is far more forgiving when it comes to the explosives used.
3. Shaped charges. Hard to make and produces very high velocity metal fragments.
4. Stump blasting. Requires only low VOD explosives.

Bert - 6-2-2018 at 09:32

1: If it's a business with PAYING CUSTOMERS WHO CAN AFFORD GOLF EXPENSES AND HAVE LAWYERS ON RETAINER- The ONLY sane course is to hire an insured professional with enough experience and good references. Seriously.

2: If you wanted any kind of useful advice, you would need to at least post good photos from several sides with something to show scale in all.

Sorry, choosing an explosive as your first question is putting the cart a couple of 1000 meters per second in front of the horse battery staple.

THErAPIST - 6-2-2018 at 11:35

Sorry i should have been more specific. It was late. Its NOT possible to cut it down safely unless I rent a crane. Im well versed in cutting down trees. Due to monetary constraints hiring a tree service will NEVER happen. After multiple floods and hurricanes we're pretty broke. I'm in no rush to do anything about it to be honest, this is all really more theoretical conversation than anything. To be clear, if in the off chance it was destroyed with explosives there wouldn't be a soul around with the exception of myself and 2 other people who would be an extremely safe distance away behind cover. This issue exists miles away from people in a swamp thats inaccessible except from one direction which is gated before and after a certain time.

It's an oak thats more than 2 feet wide at the bottom. The top splits off 2 directions. There are 2 pines that are even larger that have fallen in a V with the tops intertwined. Theyre both lying on the same side of the split about 4/5ths the way up their trunks and theyre dead and brittle. The root balls are still connected to the pines. Cutting the oak would result in being caught by either the oak tree or the pine. Its all far too large to anchor and then release after any felling cuts have been made. There aren't any other trees close enough, and I dont have chain or rope anywhere thick enough or long enough. The pines cant be tied off to because theyre too brittle so climbing would be complicated even for experienced folk. Local tree services are shit anyway.

I would only need the pines off the top. Once they're down it can all be cut up. The way I'd like to do it is cut the pines at the base to release root ball tension and weaken the oak branch that the pines are on so that the pines and oak branch fall down. The pines are big enough that if the branch theyre on goes down, theyll fall relatively straight down and strip other branches out of the way in the process.

Now im now exactly sold on explosives or even large charges if theyre used. I realize now that im more awake that in addition to ETN, picric acid, and ammonium picrate, I also have the ability to use use ANNM, nitrocellulose (used to be my favorite synth), double base smokeless, and probably a couple other more simple things. Again I'm looking for theoretical solutions. If I really wanted I'm entirely capable of jacking this thing with 10 lbs of annm with aluminum added and blowing it into the ether. Or rednecking it with 20 lbs of reactive target mix and plugging it from 400 yards with a rifle. Not exactly what im getting at here though heh. I can of course take pics.

Im not above drilling a couple holes into the top branch, loading, and then electrically igniting (hundreds of feet of wire around there) to make the top branch fall and drop the pines.

Also I'd like to point out that the average golfer these days isn't exactly rich and neither are the courses. You can get out and play for $30 to $50 in most places around me in the off season. Doesnt exactly bring a lot of money in when you consider the power bill alone for a single course is 9k a month.

I do appreciate everybody's attention to safety though. Thats exactly why I posted this here instead of somewhere else.

I thought about linear shaped charges from cardboard or plastic, but from demo stuff ive read before 2 holes drilled at 90° that meet will take the 90° section out of a tree and will make it fall that direction but I haven't tested that theory on a large enough tree. The trees ive tested it on were 6 inches or so and the whole thing splintered

[Edited on 6-2-2018 by THErAPIST]

unionised - 6-2-2018 at 13:39

Quote: Originally posted by THErAPIST

S After multiple floods and hurricanes we're pretty broke. I'm in no rush to do anything about it

[Edited on 6-2-2018 by THErAPIST]

You seem to have answered your own problem.
Incidentally, setting a big enough fire at the bottom of a tree, lighting it, and walking away will solve the problem.
The issue is how to define "big enough".

happyfooddance - 6-2-2018 at 13:46

Good job, unionised... I was gonna say, wouldn't a well-played controlled-burn, do the same job? Less risk except for a big scorch, which I doubt you would avoid going the energetic route.

j_sum1 - 6-2-2018 at 13:57

Do you just want the pines gone while saving the oak? Or is the plan to rid all three?

And how brittle is brittle?

unionised - 6-2-2018 at 13:57

I'm not sure if it's easier to clean up a scorch mark or a mass of splintered timber.
Fire is cheap.

JJay - 6-2-2018 at 14:07

Dead standing pines burn like they are soaked in gasoline.

Bert - 6-2-2018 at 14:12

If you have NM, double based propellant powder and can get microbaloons, this combination has the brissance and small enough critical diameter for augering 1.25 or 1.5" holes mostly through the tree and placing 2 charges of the NM blasting jelly analogue disclosed here by Laborarory of Liptakov at 90 degrees to each other at the point you want to cut the wood. For insurance, you can do a pair of small charges above and below your snapping point on opposite sides to "scissor cut" at the same rime as you "cut on the dotted line". The scissor charges can be just about anything fhat detonates, amonal would be adequate. Det cord makes this kind of project work easier and with smaller but more numerous charges , so less annoyance to the neighborhood, broken windows & etc.

Look at one of the online versions of US Army demolition manuals for tree and timber cutting scenarios and rules of thumb for choosing charge weights.

US Army FM 5-25 Explosives & Demolitions 1967

https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=33...

Quote: Originally posted by Laboratory of Liptakov

Nitromethane gelatin: NM 81% + NC2 15% (cont.12,4%N) + 3% Al (use silver flakes for color, no dark german, no spheric) + 1% microballoons. It is better to use not NC2, but gunpowder containing nitroglycerin. In this case gelatin is extremely dense, like jelly. All components, their representation can vary widely. For example, Aluminium 3-20%, NC 6-18, microballons 0,5- 3%. Initiation No.8-10. Attention, gelatin is rapidly losing nitromethane content. Within a few hours. The charge must be gas tight. Hermetically sealed... :cool:

...LL

Don't work alone. Think about fire supression BEFORE the shot.

[Edited on 6-2-2018 by Bert]

Sulaiman - 6-2-2018 at 14:39

Starting at the end;
you will probably want to remove or at least kill and rot the roots and stump,
earth conducts heat away from roots well enough to prevent them burning,
so you will need to accelerate the rotting, or dig them up.

Maybe with a digger machine you could dig down to the roots on the 'safe' side,
before you start collecting wood for your 4th July celebration, or halloween if you are as proactive as me

In the meantime you could drill long thin holes into the trunk(s)
to allow a daily dose of sodium chlorate solution to infuse the trunk

Allof the above is based on very little experience (3 trees) so please treat it more as inspiration than solid advice.

OR

use a rocket tethered wire to bring lightning from a passing storm down on the evil tree(s) :cool:

OR

start a rumour that there is an Al-Quaida secret base beneath the trees and hope for an air strike.

[Edited on 6-2-2018 by Sulaiman]

THErAPIST - 6-2-2018 at 18:15

I synthed about 25g ETN to run my own tests on. Its not that i dont trust what i read but... Well yeah that's actually kinda it. Ill do my own hammer, drop, and friction tests. My materials differ from other folk's stuff.

@sulaiman you win with the comments lol

Its all gonna go eventually. The oak is dead because of the trees ontop of it

When I say brittle I mean to say that the wood is very fragile, very dry, and incapable of holding a load. Likely all the sap has settled into the lower trunks. Btw does everyone know what fat wood/ fatlighter is? Also realize that turpentine comes from pines. How flammable is turpentine? japanese planes ran off of it in wwII hence why i havent yet caught this mess on fire. I did mention it though! The idea made the superintendent nervousness

I'm not so worried about fires. Im surrounded by swamp and Ive got an irrigation system run by almost $75k worth of pumps (that 9k power bill make sense now?). I'm also notmworried about stumps as those are easy to get rid of. I like the responses. You guys are the shit. I'll def look up micro balloons. You'd be surprised what our chemical licenses allow us to buy btw so throw anything out there. This is all theoretical after all! Anything could be possible!

I have pics but dont know how to post them. I guess I could go start another photobucket acct. I dont remember board code anymore and my pics are probably trash anyway

Correction! its ONE pine lying on top of a long slender water oak that are on top of the upright oak, not 2 pines. But that it really matters but I'm trying to keep the situation accurate

[Edited on 7-2-2018 by THErAPIST]

j_sum1 - 6-2-2018 at 18:28

Posting pics is easy. Simply preview post. This will bring up a screen that allows uploading of files. Hitting preview post again will enable you to position the pictures within your text as you wish.

Ok, maybe it is a bit convoluted but it works fine.

Sounds like you have a few options an the tree.

violet sin - 6-2-2018 at 18:57

Block and tackle + truck + decent standing tree = yard down the fellers one by one
https://youtu.be/_Wb8XuxUaW4

This one is putting a cedar tree back up to standing. Pretty cool. Not really a practical fix for the problem here at all. But you could drag them some' bitches sideways like a boss. Mechanical advantage is fire friendly

SWIM - 6-2-2018 at 20:28

Sounds like the thing might be in a position to topple with enough of a huge shove:

What if you just took a post-hole digger extended with some pipes, bored a hole, and put a good sized charge well under one of the stumps?

If you could heave that thing just a bit up out of the ground, smash a few big roots, maybe the whole mess would tumble down?

I known nothing about the actual application of explosives and this is just a thought.

I just like the Idea of a few tons of dirt tamping the blast.
But what do I know, maybe you'd just get a rock-shower all over the county doing it that way.

Vomaturge - 6-2-2018 at 23:51

Quote: Originally posted by THErAPIST

Btw does everyone know what fat wood/ fatlighter is? Also realize that turpentine comes from pines. How flammable is turpentine? japanese planes ran off of it in wwII hence why i havent yet caught this mess on fire. I did mention it though! The idea made the superintendent nervousness

[Edited on 7-2-2018 by THErAPIST]

I have seen someone burn a small but very dry pine. It was the heat of summer, and it was their Christmas tree. It still had most of the needles, but they were red and crumbly.I've also burnt similar material as fallen pine branches. It'll start slow (as in flame spreading a few cm/sec) but will accelerate rapidly after that.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zEuVGKXKVyc
The tree will burn violently, but not until you've had time to get away. So all you have to do is stuff an old newspaper in the lower branches of the pine (to get a big enough flame to jump between the first few branches), light it, and let our nifty oxidizing atmosphere do the rest

As long as there's nothing flammable nearby, this just might be your best bet. Once the pine is mostly burning (probably less than 1 minute) you can turn on the sprinklers to protect the grass from radiant heat. As Bert and Happyfooddance aptly pointed out, an explosive might set the whole mess on fire anyhow
And, to SWIM, yes, that might very well work, and yes, it could be a rock shower.
Especially with a 20 kg charge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6PGKcVr-8s&app=desktop

roXefeller - 7-2-2018 at 03:10

By Dr Liptakov's description, that NM gel will probably need a booster beyond the low power caps that the original poster owns.

THErAPIST - 7-2-2018 at 09:31

The pictures dont do the size any justice but you can see the tangle

The extendable chainsaw will get a lot of the smaller stuf and will reduce the chance for sideways kicks. It's the trunks on top that am scary, they're certainly nestled

Admittedly its been a couple weeks since i looked at it last. It we as far harder to see things as clearly then as there were too many leaves. All the storms and ice weve had lately stripped all the leaves and some.of the amaller branches. Very much not as difficult as it first seemed. Thanks for all the replies though

[Edited on 7-2-2018 by THErAPIST]

NEMO-Chemistry - 7-2-2018 at 09:35

Sorry but thats a chainsaw job, extremely easy at that angle.

The distance of the pines poses zero risk felling them first, the first pine is safe because the second will pin the oak.

The second is safe because the first will pressure the Oak away from you.

We got a small commercial woodland, I live in timber country and the UK's largest forest, timber is the main industry where I am. Seriously that is not difficult to fell. Here its roughly £350 a tree at most, and they will be robbing you at that.

The other point I would make, thin that lot out or take the bigger trees at the front out. The groundsman should be shot for letting it get like that.

[Edited on 7-2-2018 by NEMO-Chemistry]

[Edited on 7-2-2018 by NEMO-Chemistry]

happyfooddance - 7-2-2018 at 10:14

Lol, when he said "oak" I thought it was like 10' circumference.

A weedwhacker might do the job!

Bert - 7-2-2018 at 10:44

I could do the job with a chainsaw, some log chains and the 200' cable/30 ton winch on our 6X6 M35-A2, especially as you seem to want to remove all 3 trees, not save the oak.

But explosives WOULD be more fun.

aga - 7-2-2018 at 11:22

Quote: Originally posted by Bert

... M35-A2 ...

WHAT !?!

You have a 2.5 ton military cargo truck ?

Is it still Green ?

Bert - 7-2-2018 at 11:51

Nope. Basic black...

aga - 7-2-2018 at 11:55

Awesome !

That's a great photo of it towing a building.

I hope that white stuff on the front is just for decoration and not what i think it is ...

NEMO-Chemistry - 7-2-2018 at 13:54

Quote: Originally posted by aga

Awesome !

That's a great photo of it towing a building.

I hope that white stuff on the front is just for decoration and not what i think it is ...

No it is what you think it is...potassium Nitrate

aga - 7-2-2018 at 14:10

Could be KNO₃ yet it looks very much like HHO in the solid phase.

No, on reflection you're right - must be KNO₃.

No habitable place on earth should be able to sustain solid HHO at ambient temperatures.

SpaceX's rocket launched today. Perhaps it's Elon's car ?

Bert - 7-2-2018 at 16:55

Quote: Originally posted by aga

That's a great photo of it towing a building.

I hope that white stuff on the front is just for decoration and not what i think it is ...

Oh, the building is just the part attached to the hitch, it is actually pulling the whole 75 acre property attached to the building too...

As far as the identity of the crystaline white substance, it is sugar. I like a lot in my coffee, spilled some after the last grocery run.

j_sum1 - 7-2-2018 at 17:00

Quote: Originally posted by Bert

As far as the identity of the crystaline white substance, it is sugar. I like a lot in my coffee, spilled some after the last grocery run.

I thought it was coffee creamer. My bad.

Bert - 7-2-2018 at 17:04

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

I thought it was coffee creamer. My bad.

Nah, that all burned up.

happyfooddance - 7-2-2018 at 17:29

Quote: Originally posted by Bert

Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1

I thought it was coffee creamer. My bad.

Nah, that all burned up.

The funny thing is, that stuff is quite flammable, really.

Bert - 7-2-2018 at 18:11

Um.

I have got eight 50 lb. bags of the floor sweepings from a factory that makes the non dairy creamer sitting in our warehouse right now. Cheap because they need to get rid of it, once it hits the ground, they can't sell it for human consumption.

Guess what we do with it?

happyfooddance - 7-2-2018 at 18:15

Quote: Originally posted by Bert

Um.

I have got eight 50 lb. bags of the floor sweepings from a factory that makes the non dairy creamer sitting in our warehouse right now. Cheap because they need to get rid of it, once it hits the ground, they can't sell it for human consumption.

Guess what we do with it?

Um, woelen or polverone, can I get access to refs and whimsy?

Bert - 7-2-2018 at 18:33

Sorry!

Forgot where that was posted, here it is:

Quote: Originally posted by Bert

One of the most interesting semi pyrotechnic effects I have seen was done with a huge piece of white, woven fiberglass cloth (which supposedly doesn't burn- Well, under normal circumstances, it doesn't)

The cloth, which was about 40' tall and 150' wide had a very large design and words painted on it with clear nitrocellulose lacquer, on ths side AWAY from the audience. This was not visible, the whole thing was stretched out tight like a curtain, directly in front of audience and maybe 200' away. It filled a lot of your field of view

Behind it and parallel to it about 20' was a "front" made up of number of "cremora" effects.

In case you've not been exposed to solid fuel fire balls: A 5 gallon plastic paint bucket with about 6oz. of coarse grained black powder, "cannon powder" or 2FA and an electric match to light it. Then a single thickness piece of newspaper (to keep the powdered coffee creamer from filling the air spaces between powder grains), then about a 10" deep fill of cheap powdered coffee creamer, as deep as the bucket is wide.

The cremora fireball front fired, a wall of fire wider and taller than the huge screen.

THE DESIGN PAINTED ON THE SCREEN BBURNED THROUGH INSTANTLY, AND WHILE THE FIREBALL WAS STILL FULLY DEVELOPED.

Letters of fire hung in mid air just long enough to read, then the whole thing was gone except for a couple of shreds hanging off the guy wires.

Are you a size XXL?

SWIM - 7-2-2018 at 21:40

Quote: Originally posted by aga

Awesome !

That's a great photo of it towing a building.

I hope that white stuff on the front is just for decoration and not what i think it is ...

Did you notice that power cord coming out of the sump?

That's so the crankcase oil doesn't turn to jelly when you leave it parked. Cold is Serious Business in the northern US.

edit, or maybe just the radiator? didn't notice it was in front of the diff.

[Edited on 8-2-2018 by SWIM]

joseph6355 - 8-2-2018 at 07:27

Quote: Originally posted by THErAPIST

The pictures dont do the size any justice but you can see the tangle

The extendable chainsaw will get a lot of the smaller stuf and will reduce the chance for sideways kicks. It's the trunks on top that am scary, they're certainly nestled

Admittedly its been a couple weeks since i looked at it last. It we as far harder to see things as clearly then as there were too many leaves. All the storms and ice weve had lately stripped all the leaves and some.of the amaller branches. Very much not as difficult as it first seemed. Thanks for all the replies though

[Edited on 7-2-2018 by THErAPIST]

Cut it in the middle with a chainsaw. After that, tie one of the pieces to a semi truck and tow it off of the other tree, and then the other one, one at a time. Then, cut them into smaller pieces and load it all on the back of the truck, drive it somewhere and dump it at the proper location.

[Edited on 8/2/18 by joseph6355]

JJay - 8-2-2018 at 08:28

I would be a little reluctant to burn those in that location with all other trees around. It's hard to tell how big they are.

Probably the safest way to remove them would be to use a crane, chains, and braces to prop up the two pines, remove the other tree, saw off the other two trees at the base, remove supports and chains, and lower the crane. You can probably rent a crane, but they aren't cheap (probably several hundred dollars/day for a small crane), and you really don't want to try anything crazy with a forklift, scissor lift, or bucket truck.

THErAPIST - 8-2-2018 at 18:27

Holy giant truck. I'm jealous.

Ive got options for the trees, especially now that that i can see it better. I cant quite get in the pictures the exact reasons i dont want to just go ham with a chainsaw. Regrettably my pole saw doesnt reach 30 feet up. Still, explosives does indeed sound like fun if nothing else.

I could always rent out the labor of a local drunk. hand him a keyhole saw and a handle of fireball. This really isnt the most dangerous tree around either. The real scary one is the tree that's super leafy and green, but only because its 100% covered with a very thick tangle of poison ivy. I feel like I'm gonna die just looking at that thing

MineMan - 9-2-2018 at 20:55

Well according to your screen name, why not just rape the tree till it falls over.....

Like come on man, posting in a EM forum with that screename. What if the tree decides to rape you back

?

Anyways, you do seem like a serious dude, so... uh, enjoy golf...and trees and safe legal EM

Oh oh, and take off the poison ivy before you engage in non consensual relations with the tree.... truly, your friend

[Edited on 10-2-2018 by MineMan]

Vomaturge - 9-2-2018 at 23:34

Remember this, everyone, next time you read the word therapist. Just a single space away from being something not therapeutic at all

Anyway, I know I'm a 100% n00b but would it be possible to pull the pine and tall oak off to the sides? Once they're on the ground, you can saw the standing oak. You could maybe use a chain and come-along attatched to the base of one of the tree's in the background. I know you probably don't have that equipment, but it would cost a lot less than $6k

Just a suggestion, and probably an awful one since I still don't know WTF I'm talking about.
BTW, it looks like the tree has been attacked by a bangpecker. they make neat little holes in trees and rocks and then... Kaboom!

[Edited on 10-2-2018 by Vomaturge]

joseph6355 - 10-2-2018 at 13:00

Check out this thread: https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/viewthread.php?tid=79...
Laptakov has the answer. He invented this thing.

THErAPIST - 10-2-2018 at 14:27

haha I actually looked to see if I could change my username before I ever posted. It's the handle I posted with on roguesci and harkens back to the days when I played team fortress and counterstrike.

Thats an interesting thread. I remember seeing something similar way back when with video but i cant remwmber where I saw it.

Ive been watching some of liptakov on youtube. Good stuff

original picture

Laboratory of Liptakov - 24-2-2018 at 06:11

Here is the original image without any modifications. But why is connecting main charge directly on differential ? Detonator is I estimate inserted to some fluffy AN - mixture.