Tree Removal via Jack

[ricky racer]

My wife had a tree in one of her flower garden that died. She wanted the tree removed. The tree was about 4"-5" in diameter at the base. I was sure that my Cub wouldn't pull it out and my John Deere B would probably leave a couple of divots in the yard from slippage. Anyway, I got thinking. Back in the old days before earth moving equipment was around, they used to set up tri-pods over stumps that they were clearing for fields and used a block and tackle to pull the stump straight up. If it worked then, why wouldn't it work now?
I took my Hi-Lift jack out to the tree and laid a board under it so it was less likely to sink into the rain softened ground. I wrapped a chain around the trunk as low as I could and looped the other end around the "hook" on the jack and jacked away. It ended up not working too bad and popped it right out of the ground!! I hooked my Cub to it and drug it back to the woods for disposal. Anyway, I thought I'd mention it in case it might help someone else out.

[Urbish]

I like it, Rick. Sometimes the old tried and true methods are the best!

I built a screwed and glued wood A-frame about three feet tall with a notch at the top to hold a chain. I hooked the chain to the absolute bottom of an apple tree I wanted to remove, and leaned the A-frame up against the trunk at a 45º angle with the chain running straight up the trunk and through the notch. I then connected the other end of the chain to the tractor. I was able to easily pop six apple trees out of the ground with minimal abuse on the tractor. The harder you pull, the more the A-frame tries to stand vertically, increasing it's mechanical advantage as you go.