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Backhoes and chainsaws

JL Sargent

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2018
Messages
842
Location
Alabama
A match made in heaven I'd say. Often times I use these machines together. We have a long driveway, and after a storm it's not uncommon to find trees have fallen across it. Also, if felling a tree close to a house or barn I use the backhoe as a little insurance if you will as to the falling direction. After cutting the tree into firewood, I'll use the backhoe to transport the wood to the wood rack. Who else uses their backhoe with a chainsaw?
 

JL Sargent

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2018
Messages
842
Location
Alabama
sounds like a plywood saw holder on the hood would be a good addition.
That's a real good idea. My backhoe has a metal hood too, so it could be magnetic and easily removable. I just sawed a dead hickory tree and used the backhoe to help. I put the saw on cardboard next to the drivers seat which works, but your idea better.
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
I like to make them out of plywood because the chain is hard on everything and everything is hard on the chain at the same time lol.
 

Finca SDR

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
246
Location
Costa Rica
Yup. I work for Costa Rican lumberjacks a lot also, that's almost a sector of my clientele. That is, when I'm not the lumberjack.

Pulling saw logs out of the woods and loading the truck. And then all the basic trees on the farm stuff too in my personal life.
 

Bootheal

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Messages
322
Location
Jackson, MO
49A00E39-4048-4466-A185-842BC34A7D99.jpeg A4544755-BE5F-4D17-A0AA-D9EAE593F167.jpeg They make a good working couple. Tie off to the hoe. Cut, then fish out of the water. As with everything, be cautious. They do try and get revenge. There’s battle scars to prove that.
 

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stinky64

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2017
Messages
860
Location
java center ny
Occupation
big truck wrench/fixer of things
A lot of my property is hemlock rainforest and not backhoe friendly, too soft for the big machine, but once the wood gets skidded out and processed the hoe is my main firewood transport because it also has the biggest bucket and when running a large portable sawmill the 580C has no problem moving 24 inch saw logs up to 24 feet long which is the limit of the mill..We don't cut stuff that big very often but we had to see what both machines were capable of...
 

aighead

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,541
Location
Dayton, OH
I've used mine for a fair amount of lumberjacking as well. Makes a lot of the work much easier. I have a couple pretty big trees that need to come down, likely this summer, and I'm also hoping to use the hoe to help direct the fall, either by pushing a bit or tying a rope off to and pulling a bit from a distance. From what I've done my best help has been to drag entire trees to a pile where I store them or let them rot away.
 

kshansen

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
Messages
11,129
Location
Central New York, USA
Occupation
Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
Well I have some chainsaws but no back-hoe! Closest thing to a back-hoe is a 1947 Farmall BN. As most of the trees I have access to for firewood are on the smaller size my main saws are a couple Homelite Super 2's with 14 inch bars also have a 16inc Poulan.

Kind of sucks right now as I have a torn rotator cuff in right shoulder and will probably not be in shape to do much work with any of these till late summer/early fall. Lucky have enough firewood cut, split and stacked for at least one more winter!

OH! and yes welcome to the forum to Hppyglmr!
 

Coytee

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
205
Location
Knoxville, TN
Backhoes and chainsaws.....are for sissies.













.....and I.....am a sissy!

Wife's cousin (who lives next door) had a tree that was within striking distance of his house.... wanted to take it out. It's behind the house....what to do? I went over, looked at situation, made a suggestion and down it came.

I have a 'home' for my 24" chainsaw. Front left corner of the cab (who's glass is missing) so I put the blade out the 'window' so it's out of the way of everything. I have not yet figured out a way to easily carry around my extending Stihl pole saw. I might rig some form of hooks on the passenger side of machine so I can hang it there when using it and carrying it around. I'm very nervous on putting it into the bucket...... at least once in my life I had something in the bucket that I was carrying and ended up dumping it when something caught my eye that I wanted to move and I forgot it was in there.
 

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skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
guilty here, one time I quickly grabbed some bedding, with a stihl pipe saw in the bucket ( DOH emoji) I luckily did not hurt it.
 

Coytee

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
205
Location
Knoxville, TN
I had my Stihl 044 out in the field, (had some trees piled up to burn) Was working with backhoe.... put chainsaw "over there" so it's out of the way. Yep....forgot about it, as I was backing up, the machine felt like it went over a... well, felt like it went over a Stihl 044 chainsaw that some dumbazz left in the field.

Picked up saw... bar was bent about 90 degrees. Handle smashed, pull handle assembly smashed. Ordered new parts and it's back like new.

NOW, I'm pretty OCD about "setting it down" BACK INTO the cab of the backhoe so I can't crush it again.
 

aighead

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,541
Location
Dayton, OH
@Coytee that is the first time I've seen that tree tipping method in a picture and for whatever reason I didn't quite understand it previously. Now I do. Pretty slick! Thanks!
 

Coytee

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
205
Location
Knoxville, TN
You're welcome. When I down a tree I'd prefer to pull the stump out. I can cut the tree then dig and dig and dig on the stump. Or, dig on three sides letting the 4th side act as an anchor to help hold the tree. Fortunately for this tree, the tree appeared to have its weight on the "away from the house" side which dovetailed nicely with the hinge to help it fall away rather than towards.

I am however, always on pins/needles when dropping any tree.

Even right now.... There is a tree that has essentially fallen but is hung up that needs dropped. I'm trying to get the weights back on my hoe to wrap my grade 100 chain around the tree to see if I can wiggle/wrestle it down. It's going to domino at least one pine (which is falling in the away direction)

It's on TVA land and I've called them. His "panic over the phone" voice doesn't match them actually getting out here to see it.... since it's going to fall over our right of way to get in/out, I'll let them do it BUT, if I get my weights back on my hoe first, then I'll do it. You can sort of see the pine tree that's bending because of this one being hung up on it.

Not getting anywhere near it with my chainsaw!!!

Tree.jpg
 

ianjoub

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2018
Messages
1,437
Location
Homosassa, FL USA
my main saws are a couple Homelite Super 2's with 14 inch bars also have a 16inc Poulan.
I am a Husqvarna guy. I have a T435 top handle with 12" bar and a 576XP Autotune with a 20" and 36" bar.

https://www.husqvarna.com/us/products/chainsaws/t435/966997203/

61yqktlK7+L._AC_.jpg



https://www.peninsulapowersports.co...dotna-AK-c4fcf4ef-26ae-499c-b2e3-a9dd00527995

2000000001.jpg
 

aighead

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,541
Location
Dayton, OH
I am however, always on pins/needles when dropping any tree.

Yeah, looking at that method, and thinking about a couple trees I'd like to use that method on makes me feel the same way.

I feel like while it's probably pretty effective I'd hate to see a tree come back in the direction of my hole, or not being able to get to the roots enough for it to fall when I push. Or rain down limbs when I go to push...

The biggest tree I have right now to take down is a dead ash and while it's not going to ruin anything too badly regardless of which way it falls it does have a twist or two below the half-height point that makes me nervous because I'd like for it to fall one way. I've also recently read some horror stories of experienced fellers having issues with ash trees and that makes me a bit more nervous. I've knocked over or cut down quite a few of them without major issues but every tree is a new kind of scary.
 

Coytee

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
205
Location
Knoxville, TN
Side comment....I'm originally from Ohio (Hamilton) My mom was from Piqua and my dad, Findlay. (That and .35 cents will still not get you a cup of coffee)
 

skyking1

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
7,465
Location
washington
@Coytee that is a widowmaker for sure. My neighbor had a dead one leaning on another dead one, both aiming out to a lawn that he mowed. It made me crazy with worry. One day after a job I brought home the 120 excavator, unloaded it and sneaked it in there and laid them both down in minutes. It took far longer to chain and unchain it.
That shop in the picture thread I was protecting? I knocked down a few trees with the "cut the near roots and send it" method with the 120, preparing for that build. there was a tree right by the corner of the house to go, and a really narrow path to hit with it. A faller I am not, but it went where I directed it with the 120. There were a couple of rockery beds to thread it between, and 'nailed it'.
We are all pumped with the results, and this squirrel pops out of the wreckage and gives us hell for knocking down the nest. Oops!
 
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