While renovating my daughters pond and putting a new addition on the side my operator, while watching the scraper behind because it was kind of tippy coming off the dam, forgot he had made a 3' deep cut I had ask him to put in the middle of the pond.
Fortunately no one hurt (except the operators pride) and no damage done. One easy tug on the rope from the dozer no good (rope too long so dozer heading up the dam face). A little hand digging from in front of the tracks and another slightly harder tug on the rope and out she comes.
Comes out fast out the top but then you have to roll the scraper back over so that slows things down. LOL Have not rolled this one yet but have a smaller one we used to have.
Yes, the tree was about 4' in diameter, hollow, burnt out, and had about a foot diameter multiple widowmakers in the top of it. I did not know how I was "safely" going to get it down. Chain saw dangerous as one bad shake or shudder and my wife would have wished I had more life insurance. So big was not sure how much it would take from the dozer after digging around and making a ramp up and did not relish the idea of food diameter limbs raining down even a protective enclosure. My mechanic would have frowned at the idea of an engine cowl a foot lower than it used to be and the glass broke out. Was not sure what I was going to do so just dug about 4' deep all the way around it and was going to contemplate on the situation. Left the job at dark that night and when I got back the next morning was not until I was fueling up that I noticed it had fallen in a little wind that had blown up overnight. Lucky me. Did not have to deal with it (and it did not fall over while I was digging around it!).
That was what the slot was for that the scraper operator run off into, a place to push the tree over the top so fish could swim under the log. Log was so hollow in broke up a lot but we got-er-done.
Now that tree is in the bottom of the pond with a little dirt over it in places (so it will not float) and is fish structure. Luckily finished up the bottom portion of the pond that day and here two days later we have a severe winter weather storm.
I'm heading for warmer climate and the finish work will wait till about April or May. The pond can fill in the mean time.
A fun way to eliminate hollow trees is to knock a small hole in the base, and build a fire in the bottom. Stand back and in a few hours if there is an escape hole at the top, it will burn off. As kids, a friend and I loved findin hollow trees like that. We were little pyros, but besides the trees, never did any serious damage.
The first one was in his parent's back yard during a dry summer. He tossed a match down a knot hole and forgot about it. An hour or so later he gave me a call, so I came over to see a tree spewing flame throwers out of knot holes up high, and the tree roaring like an angry animal. It was fascinating and scary at the same time. Running a hose into it has no effect other than some steam. Eventually the tree collapsed and we got it out, but he sure got in trouble when his parents got home! Kind of hard to hide a missing tree in the back.
A fun way to eliminate hollow trees is to knock a small hole in the base, and build a fire in the bottom.
I'll keep that in mind for "next time". Would have worked pretty well in this situation. A group tried to take it down with ammo and given enough time along with the addition of an illegal automatic weapon they probably would have got the job done, but I think finances were depleted before results were obtained. They had some fun though.
Fire would have definitely reduced the amount of fish structure left.
Yes the Iron Wolf scraper has been a good purchase. A couple cylinder leaks and a minor problem with one pin and the company took care of it pronto, No complaints.
I see by your location you must be near where they are built.
