Snatch blocks vs tree stumps - the power of pulleys /// E57
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- A pulley system with snatch blocks works great for removing tree stumps if you set it up correctly. In this episode we make multiple attempts removing tree stumps using basic physics and we finally understand how to configure the pulley system to multiply your force. Multiple techniques are shown with diagrams showing rope configuration to maximize your pulling power with only a few snatch blocks.
Chapters:
0:00 - Overview of pulleys
1:42 - Failed attempts with other methods
6:15 - Achieve mechanical advantage
8:38 - 3 to 1 mechanical advantage
10:36 - 4 to 1 mechanical advantage
13:20 - Update on the driveway
18:18 - Peek at the house site
20:13 - Outtakes
Video referenced by Smarter Every Day: • Why Snatch Blocks are ...
Seen in this video:
Snatch blocks: www.harborfreight.com/snatch-...
Winch cable (3/8 inch): www.harborfreight.com/38-in-x...
Tractor: RK24 by Rural King (made by TYM)
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For future reference: Since you are pulling the stumps, and the blocks are set up to pull the stump away from the tractor, you can just pull the whole tree down and then saw it up. Plus, you can grab higher up on the tree, adding additional leverage. With a stump, you are grabbing 4 feet off the ground. With the whole tree, you can grab 8 feet up, which doubles your leverage, and puts less loading on everything, including the anchor tree.
You're talking to somebody that tucks their jeans inside their boots... I applaud your efforts though.
@@ShainAndrews ahh, yes, I see, LOL. At my place, the chiggers are so bad that we don't just tuck the jeans in, we then use duct tape to seal it. Same for the shirt. And long sleeves, even in summer.
@@ShainAndrews and enough deep woods off or cutters to kill most of Memphis.
this is 100% accurate
But they aren’t pulling the stump away from the tractor. In their setup, the last line is always going to the tractor.
I would like to give you Guys a huge thumbs up for your Snatch Block video. Walk into any Home Depot or Lowes and ask for a Snatch Block and they look at you like you're from another planet. The first question the sales associate asks is: A what?
I'm an old Timber Faller from the Oregon Coast where the trees are big and the country is steep and wet. If it isn't raining it's because it just stopped, or it's getting ready to rain. The Timber is often 18 feet in circumference with a 6 foot diameter. I used a 50" bar attached to a large, powerful Stihl powerhead. I used a skip tooth chisel bit chain which I hand sharpened 3 times a day or so. I fell big Doug Fir for a fire wood business. The trick when falling these big dead trees was 1. Don't break or shatter them when falling and 2. Don't allow them to roll down the hill. You see the only access in that country is gravel, single lane, narrow logging roads that are all on the spine of a ridge as all the logging done was "Hi Lead Logging" thus yarding all the logs to the top. It was tricky business and I used multiple snatch blocks daily. Used them to anchor tree so it didn't roll down hill. At times all I had to anchor to was my old one ton chevy p/u. I had a spool of 1/2" steel cable on a winch on the front of the rig bolted to the frame. On one occasion a big tree fell right on the road but started rolling over the edge and dragging my old truck with it. Thank god the tree hit a stump and stopped or I would have been in big trouble.
My point is that these trees were so big that without several snatch blocks I couldn't move them to a landing to buck them into rounds to split up for fire wood to sell. I managed two chords a day, split and delivered, by myself. No hydraulic splitter in those days. Just me and a nine pound maul. Seldom used wedges, the Doug Fir was so straight and limb free that the maul worked well.
Just a big thumbs up for showing the world what a Snatch Block is and how to properly use it. Lastly people, try not to use rope. It stretches and if it breaks heavy hard metal will fly thru the air at deadly speed often causing serious damage and/or injury. Steel cable is the way and as you learned and shared, buy the best equipment you can. Cheap stuff is dangerous! Well done Guys and thank you.
Thanks for the nice words and perspective from someone who's actually in the industry using these things. I learned a big lesson about not cheaping out on materials, and you're definitely right about the safety risk when you use inadequate tools, or undersized tools, for the job. I can tell you we would get along, Mark. I prefer to split the wood by hand too. I just enjoy doing it that way. There's nothing like splitting some nice oak with a heavy maul. My next thing to learn would be hooking up a compound pulley setup, but I need some more winch cable and a few more snatch blocks for that. I really enjoyed your stories. Thank you for sharing 💪👍👊
My cousin is a feller out of Gold Beach, and my brother and I have felled lots of Red and White Firs (piss firs) and Yellow Pine. Biggest Red Fir we dropped recently was killed in the Creek Fire and was about 55" at the butt. He used his 650 Homelite with a 36" bar and skip chain. He bought that saw in 1975. He retired as a County Engineer, so this felling is more "recreational." It was around the summer cabins and his home at mid mountain.
On cable vs rope, there are better ropes now you don't want dynamic that's like for mountain climbing so if you fall it has a lot of stretch to it or for launching aircraft gliders and towing semis or you know for off-road recovery.
You can hook up in the towing vehicle can get a running start at it and then the rope start stretching and it starts pulling and it stores the energy in the room and then the vehicle getting pulled will start to accelerate and they can have their tires going and whatnot anyway so that's what the idea of a dynamic rope is but what you want here for this kind of thing you don't want to stretch your rope you don't want something storing energy in it like a rubber band and then all of a sudden snapping cuz you can load up too much on a stump can pull out real fast and shoot through the air what you want is a static rope and there are really good ones there's dyneema there are far stronger than steel they're much lighter to work with and you're not going to have edges to break off and poke you through your glove and whatnot the only drawback is that they're synthetic fiber so they're going to melt so you don't want to put them in knots and you don't want to you know get them wet or hot burn them melt them so friction is a bid no no.
This is serious equipment here I mean a half inch when they say if you look up to an axle and you want to use it they said do not get a running start and try to yank to get something pulled out, okay it'll break all the bolts on your axle the rope will not break but every bolt will break and your axle WILL be pulled up from under the vehicle so don't get it running head start on it it's not a dynamic rope I think half inch if I'm not mistaken if I remember correctly and I could be wrong but I think I half inch diameter is about 30,000 lb brake test. I deliberately bought the but I think it's 1/4" maybe 3/8"
- looks like paracord it's 6,000 lb test.
I mean I could tow a car with it. It is eight times lighter and it floats!!! They said about the game strength maybe.
Here is just one link: zips.com/parts-detail/amsteel-blue-synthetic-winch-lines-w-se-sr-winch-line-hk-sm?size=5-16----12-300-lb-mbs-&length=100-&color=red&ppc_keyword=&gclid=CjwKCAiA866PBhAYEiwANkIneAXioug716mFVIWueOURkqAKDy7Q7AVbQvyWs9PjHQ8jpQccptL2QBoCH9UQAvD_BwE
@@WalnutsandWineberries Another guy on TH-cam that did a I think he had an engineers dream set up rigged to pull a stump.
It was 30 to 1 maybe 40 to 1!!
he had enough pulleys and snatch blocks that he had a 40 to 1 pool ratio engineer typing now did it just for the fun of it but it worked!!!
I okay looking by what you guys are doing you couldn't have too many snatch blocks you can have four or five 10 or more at work on some of those rigs or take a hell of a lot of rope and I say again I said them together comment that you might look at Dynamo rope there's still rope made for this kind of work it's rope it's light not going to get me pieces of cable stuck through your glove just don't want to melt it but 38,000 lb test it's much stronger than your steel cable that you're working with. How strong is it?
It is what they use to tow ships on the ocean so it's much lighter than steel and much much stronger!!
@@grantdavis5992
Wow, homelite from when Saws were saws!!!
Buckin Billy Ray with his old Macs would feel right at home with one. I think he used one a while back.
When hooking to the tractor, hook to your hitch, don’t hook to your backhoe bucket, when you pull that pressure is put on your curl cylinder and backfeeds your tractors hydraulic system, the pressure spikes can damage your pump and also damage your curl cylinder.
Right. any shock to the hydraulic lines like letting the bucket slam down or sensing being a relief suddenly like your rope brakes and it retracts your Pistons really fast you can damage your valves or seals and blow your lines out so good point be careful with that.
and since they have the little backhoe, they could help themselves out and dig around the stumps, when possible, to ease pulling.
Good to know!
@@howtogetoutofbabylon8978 Did not know that about Hydraulics, Cheers
Thanks for the tip. Cheers
It’s funny people are afraid to admit failure, but it is so relatable to everyone trying something for their first time. So viewers have more buy in. Don’t forget that.
You're so lucky to have a lady that'll get out there and work with you.. You guys deserve whatever you're building keep up the good work. do it together
You guys did great learning all you did in a week. Keep in mind that you have a mechanical/directional loss when your anchor and tow points are not in line. In a 4:1 pull, this loss ranges from 0-25% going from 0-180 degrees. Not necessarily a big deal unless you are fighting a tough root at an odd angle. Moving your anchor point or double snatching from your tow point can help fight those stubborn root angles. You may want to find a way to fix your tow point to the frame of the tractor instead of the back hoe. You are losing your inertial advantage to the hydraulic flex and straining the hydraulics.
To combat the directional loss... they may want to strongly consider placing the chain around a low point of the desired stump then incorporating the chain over the top of a tire rim to add an upward thrust of leverage.
BEST use of pulleys I have ever seen. Basic sensible explanation.
Great video. Most people that make mistakes never post them. I've dug out and pulled out literally hundreds of stumps. As others say here, use leverage, attach the snatch blocks high on the tree or stump. BUT, while I don't know how long a road you are trying to build, since you mention hundreds of stumps, I'd suggest that there is a much easier way. Hire someone with a dozer. It IS nice to do things yourself, but you are going to spend weeks getting all the stumps out if you are talking about hundreds of them. And you will also have to level that area into a road. If you are talking about 1/4 mile or more, even a smaller dozer, like a D4 could make a road like that (doesn't look like the ground is that rocky) in a day. I have a couple tractors, and a decent sized Excavator. I can dig out a 3 foot diameter stump in an hour or two, but, for what you are talking about, I get my neighbors dozer. I suspect if someone nearby is a dozer operator and has one, they might well do the job for $100 or so an hour, (plus a traveling fee). You would be surprised at how quickly it can be done. And a good operator will not make too much of a mess. You can tell them how much of a cut you want, etc. It will be a lot less wear on your compact tractor too. You don't want to overwork it.
Yep and for the price of the stuff they bought they probably spent half a days dozer hire cost..... pull stumps with an A frame pulling stumps up is always easier than sideways to shear.... try it on a weed pull it level to the ground will take much more force than pulling straight up ....an A frame pulls up and multiplies force
Yes, we were told years ago by a dozer operator to leave at least a 5' tall stump so that he had more leverage and could push the stumps over that much easier.
Dozer!! Absolutely the best investment we made!
I hate it when people use Dozers to clear roads, leaving Windrows of stumps trees and dirt! Especially for a Home. Logging Access Roads are a different story, as a good operator will bury the debris in ditches, depressions etc.
I really like this video!, it shows the trials it took to get to your ultimate goal. Not only did it show the use of pulleys and the mistakes you made but your persistence and research to get what you needed done and accomplish your goal!....no BS but actual persistence!....I give you guys an A!
What I love the most about this YT is the love and teamwork yous are sharing with each other.
This is by far the best video anywhere on the practical use of snatch blocks. You sharing your mistakes makes the whole thing clear. Most people would be absolutely amazed at what even an old pickup truck can do with the right snatch box arrangement.
Great video! understanding leverage is an absolute for homesteading. many times you can't get into places with equipment and you have to start away from the area and work alone. absolutely necessary to understand!
Great job. What a wonderful thing two people working together and achieving what you guys have. I wish I had someone in my life that would enjoy working with me and achieve what you folks have.
You don't find those kind of women at the bars and clubs. Farm and ranch girls......
Thank you for this great explanation on how to correctly use snatch blocks. I especially like the part on how NOT to use snatch blocks. Very helpful. I have just started using snatch blocks in my woods on stumps and yes there have been a few times I was using them incorrectly. But now I know the correct way thanks to you and this video. Good job.
Used to have this processed memorized after helping a friend on a few acres a few years ago, then tried to remember for my own property now, and y'all have helped me to not have the same issues!!!
Thanks for the great video! Instant subscriber!!!
I removed seven large tree stumps from my property back in 2021. I first dug around each stump and then cut all of roots around each stump.. I then used my 25 HP skidsteer's blade to push each stump over. It was very hard work even with my slidsteer. I like your method much better and I want to thank you for your very detailed explanation and great drawings too.
This is the video I first saw of Walnuts and Wineberries. That’s when I decided to start from episode 1. I haven’t been in the least bit disappointed. Love your channel. I figure in a couple of days I will be current and waiting on the newest video. Love your family. John yo7 are surrounded by some amazing women. Thanks for sharing this adventure with all of us here in TH-cam land.
Remember you can use 2 anchor trees so those trees are not damaged. Also having it low on the anchor trees and high on the stump added leverage benefit.
Very, very helpful! I have learned so much from Jeff Jepson's "To Fell a Tree," but, having skipped physics in school, I was a little lost trying to apply mechanical advantaged from reading and illustrations. I so appreciate your openness about fails and the really effective video demonstrations.
i love the honesty and teachability in the video. the best way to learn is from your mistakes. best of luck for your house!
Trial and error always makes the best teacher. You learn and progress which will stay with you forever. Great job.
"Trial and error always makes the best teacher" as a qualified and experienced teacher i can safely say: you are a FOOL. make an error with highly-tensioned lines and snatch-blocks and they'll take your face off................
You two are a great inspiration and great teachers. You learned a lot about pulling stumps and nicely shared your efforts in a great video. Keep up the great work.
You guys are so likeable with humility show the process of learning how make and use block and tackle type pulley systems . Thank you for showing the mistakes you made on the way to success; so others don't have to. You have a new skill set that is ground into your psyches and taught this valuable skill to others, at your own expense . I can see NOTHING WRONG in all you have given !
I love the way you guys show everything. The mistakes and the triumphs. Always helpful. We all use trial and error if we're willing to admit it. Thanks!
Unfiltered! Appreciate you.
What a great video! As a senior citizen, it's wonderful to see young people LEARNING on their own. Keep going, keep working your dreams are at the end of the road. I have Subscribed after seeing this challenge won.😁
Thank you so much for doing the diagrams on the paper that helped me understand so much about pulleys! Keep doing what you guys are doing there's no doubt in my mind you guys are going to have tons of subscribers eventually. It may take some time but it will happen!
Best DYI instructional video I've seen that offers a reasonable solution. Brilliant!!!! Thank you!!!!!
Thank you for the "what we were doing wrong" parts as well as the clear diagram of how to do it right.
I have been trying to set up a simple pulley system to help me get heavy things into and out of my basement. The steps are steep and I've been afraid of falling while carrying things up or down them that requires both hands and most of my strength (40 pound bag of cat litter for example). Yours is the first video that explained what I was doing wrong such that I understood how to correct it.
We used snatch blocks in the military when winching extremely heavy loads onto the airplane. The more snatch blocks used, the heavier the load you could move. The physics is amazing.
You might want to throw something over those wire rope lines to stop the risk of flying back at you if the wire rope breaks. The people that go offroad and get stuck and have to use their winch with snatch blocks usually have something to arrest the line in case of a wire break. Great video and stay safe.
I cringed when I saw that.
he did.
Yes, I had an uncle lose an eye with just such a cable failure.
I wondered that myself. A tow rope becomes a Mach 2 bungy whip at that level of stress, and I first thought I’d use chain for that reason. It doesn’t really stretch and if it brakes it just drops but with the pulley force multiplier making steel cable the best option for the price, how much will steel cables stretch and maintain the potential energy a broken rope makes so dangerous. Also with the force being spread out using snatch blocks does that spread on the weight as many moderate priced steel cable are less the 1000 lbs rated and some being less than half that. Example. 4 lines used through multiple pullies give a factor of 4 in force so if I’m not mistaken 4000 pounds of force is applied with 1000 lbs of pull from the tractor so it leads me to believe the strength factor of the cable only needs to be rated a 1000 lbs, right?
The 12:00 minute mark is scary AF.
After initial viewing of this wonderful production, I had to come back and totally absorb, this time, your journey for independence and you will have these productions for your future documented memories.
WOW…!
Excellent progress and great info on the Snatch Blocks! Love watching you transform your property, so keep up the good work.
Thank you, Carla! Definitely great to know how to properly use those simple, effective pulleys. So many uses, especially with the lifestyle we now have.
Well done. Explained very well. More power to you two. Thank you for sharing
Great video! If you haven’t picked up this tip yet, place the “stump” end of the line as high as you can in the tree. This gives you more leverage for free, and is the reason wind usually knocks down tall trees before shorter ones.
I’ve been pulling “weed trees” up to about 3” diameter with an electric winch & battery, and have had a lot of success. I started with a cheap come along, but it took so much longer to adjust the length as I pulled that the winch was money well spent.
Very well done! Great the way you told the story how you had a problem and solved the problem. Loved the diagrams!
I really enjoyed this video because I felt like I was part of the crew learning as we went through the Job. Thank you so much for sharing.
Nice tractor and a good team! I use a Greifzug/Tirfor to pull out stumps. On your first attempt you tied the chain very near to the ground. The higher the better leverage. The chain is very good to attach to the stump, but for the anchor points lifting straps are more tree-friendly.
The power of what a few pulleys and physics can do. amazing to see it all in action!
Will that work just as easy in heavy clay ground?
Always Enjoy seeing someone Willing to Work Hard for Everything they Want. You fully Appreciate it more and can see your Accomplishment. Stay Safe and Thanks! 👍🙏
Great teamwork, you two pulling the same direction together. As it should be. Thanks so much, I'm sure I'll have to come back when I finally find the rocks and trees I've been looking for...
Nice video! Great work guys!
First of all, congratulations to to two on the house endeavor! And great job on the video! Keep it up and be safe!!
Love the perseverance y’all! Most would just give up. Wish I coulda been there to learn about blocks with y’all. Good ole fashioned WORK and DETERMINATION!! Y’all some bad asses!!
Interesting learning how the snatch block snatches. Don't have any stumps to pull but this is good info for other huge and heavy objects I might have to tackle. Thanks for the lesson guys.
Tree guy here! As well as Off-roader, explorer, soon to be homesteader etc. _ yes. great work on figuring it out. I do up to 9-1's on some of these trees locally. have also done similar recovering vehicles for friends
This is the video that I stumbled upon, after watching Smarter Everydayy’’s pulley video, and once I saw this video of you guys, I’ve been hooked. I’ve been bing watching you guys. The wife and I love your videos. I’m about 30 videos ahead of her. Can’t wait to see the rest
Great job with the video, drawings, and explanations. So often I see people claim they are using a block and tackle when all they've done is set up the configuration like you did in your first attempt. My grandfather (RIP) taught me 50 years ago how a B-n-T works so to you I would say.. "by jove... I think you've got it!" Keep up the good work.
Who would've thought that Ricky a 24 HP tractor could've pulled a load like that. Good Meg did her home work and found this method thats been around since the Horse and Buggy days. My dear ole dad told me about huge logs they had pulled with a team if horses that seemed unbelievable. Dad was borned in 1913 and snatch blocks were around way before then. I enjoyed todays video. So glad you are making much progress. Keeep on keeping on. Looking forward to you building your new home.
So cool, Dean! I did give the pull rope a tug by hand, but the stump laughed at me. Then I hitched Ricky to it and all was right in the world. Haha! We have a very old sugar maple close to our camper on the property. It's one of the biggest trees on our land. I noticed one day there is the remains of an old hunting stand way up in the tree with a snatch block or block and tackle still hanging off a branch. I'm tempted to find a way to get my hands on it. It's waaay up there though.
@@WalnutsandWineberries that is very interesting John. I love discovering old stuff.
Actually with enough snatch blocks and rigging you could tech move the earth
So satisfying to learn a new trick to conquer huge problems! two suggestions I would ad are 1. Find a better pulling point on your tractor, you're stressing that poor backhoe arm by pulling on the bucket and you're lifting your front wheels off the ground by being attached so far above the back axle. 2. Cut some notches in the stump for your chain or get a real cable choker so it won't slide off when it tips toward the tractor.
I second this. Blowing out the boom of your loader is very costly.
I agree with you plus take a ladder and climb on the tree and attached your choker at 20 feet from the ground ( dont cut the tree before pulling it but after to maximize the lever effect) than hook the pulley on the choker. Remove the ground and cut the roots at the back of the tree to weaken that side. This way, my little Suzuki Vitara pulled down some 14 inches X 70 feet high spruce trees. good luck
Yes a chocker
very informative and fun to watch. my takeaway: get the right equipment and use the right set-up. thank you for putting this out! good luck and god bless!
Most instructive video I've seen so far on the use of Snatch Blocks
You guys are awesome thanks for explaining how to do this. I highly recommend reading your tractors operators manual and owners manual it will have tons of useful information that will keep you and the tractor safe. Kubota will email you PDFs of any literature you could be missing that came with the machine for free.
Good stuff. The physics of snatch blocks always amazed me. The only thing I might add would be about the orientation of the shackle. The rule of thumb with shackles is: “The pin of the shackle always goes in the hook (or towards the hook).” That obviously refers to a ‘crane hook’. I know, you weren’t using a crane but the logic is, put the pin of the shackle in the position of least movement. In the horizontal pull you were doing at 9:40, it practically doesn’t matter which direction the shackle was oriented because it was just used for a connection but if you have a situation where you’re not sure which way it should go, just remember to orient the pin to the position of least movement, so there’s no chance that the pin unscrews. Another thing with shackles is to, screw the pin in all the way, then loosen it by a 1/4 to 1/2 turn. This just helps it not to get tightened too much and get stuck, when the load is applied.
Good stuff, especially the shackle knowledge 👍
Ok Iron Worker.
And when the pin is set at 1/4 turn back loose, it can be wired in position if concerned about it
over tightening.
Work Smarter, Not Harder!
Thanks for the tutorial...
Lessons Learned, Results Earned!
Gold 🥇
Bless you both, keep working together, be awesome, always.
Do it the way our ancestors taught us, climb the tree cut off the branches and attach your cables etc to the highest strong point of the tree, then you have the leverage of the tree itself to help pull out the roots.. Multi pulley blocks will increase your purchase even further they can be obtained from crane hire firms cheaply after they have been condemned for crane use, they do tend to be very heavy. but will give you enormous purchase.
I agree about the height. Where I come from we always started at the top, stripped the branches and then used the trunk as lever for its own roots. I cannot understand why here in the US it seems to be normal to cut a tree down about a foot or two from the ground and then leave the stump for others to deal with later.
Pulling from higher up the tree will have a tendency to lift the rear of the tractor, which in this case is not a big heavy unit. You would need a pulley at ground level to avoid this.
@@whatscoldoing5627 yep you are correct thats why I said two pulleys.
Right. You had the whole way to the tree and The leverage of that tree like a gigantic 6-ft breaker bar on steroids when you're trying to break lug nuts on a wheel hub.
@@howtogetoutofbabylon8978 Just so
Good video, thanks for posting. I would add a couple of things. In case there is a failure in your setup, there should be something to weight the wire rope to keep it from flailing and causing injury. If you want to avoid girdling the trees you are using as anchor points, use a tree saver strap.
Good job! I have dug out thousands of stumps using an excavator. I never thought of doing it your way, and besides, I had so much fun running the excavator.
Ok, I guess I shoulda made mention on how good a video it is BEFORE barking my opinion about 'how to' anything. Great learning process and better yet sharing illustrations- thank you and great work!
Force x Distance is always an advantage for removing stumps. As others have shared, keep you stump trunk taller, tie off higher therefore you have more torque at the base (roots) of the tree. Example, if you tie off 1 foot off the ground and your tractor having snatch blocks have a mechanical advantage of inducing a force of 1000 pounds (example), it would calculate out to 1000 pounds * 1 foot = 1000 lbf (pounds of force or also call foot-pounds). If you tie off at 3 foot then it would equate to 1000 pounds * 3 foot = 3000 lbf. Obviously using snatch blocks and other pulley systems can/will change your "mechanical advantage" so engineering is a fun thing!
I accomplished cutting in a driveway very similar to yours with my L2850 Kubota. Some things I found that requires less effort on the part of the tractor AND allows you tackle bigger trees than you might expect:
- Cut the stump as high as you can - you get better leverage on roots.
- Use your backhoe to snap as many roots around the tree as you can. Also helps to minimize the root ball.
- If your cable is long enough, try pulling down an entire tree. Use a step ladder to attach the chain around the tree as high as practical, maybe 8-10 ft above the ground.
- A long cable is best, although a PITA to deal with. You want the distance between the back end of the tractor and the tree to be at least the height of the tree, or carefully plan the rigging so the tractor is shielded from the falling tree. I would sometime hide the tractor behind a tree that would be staying, as long as the terrain allowed it.
You'll find that leaving a good 'stem' on the root ball makes 'em easier to move around and out of the way.
FWIW, my driveway was about 1,530 ft. I did about half that with my Kubota, then hired out the final cut thru a hill because of the volume of soil to move.
Most important: BE SAFE out there. Shit happens unexpectedly out there. Quit when you're tired and start stumbling around making the hook-up.
Very refreshing to hear someone that built their road with their own tractor. There are countless suggestions here to "get a dozer" or "a bigger machine". You know, people who just watch Gold Rush on the Discovery channel. Yes, I can do that. I just don't want to. I'm having fun in the woods, in nature, and having a wonderful adventure with my wife and kids. I can't wait to walk the 2000 feet of completed road one day soon and have that sense of, "I did this." That's what it's all about and you're one of the very small percentage of people watching that probably relates to what I'm talking about. Thanks for the tips BTW.
@@WalnutsandWineberries
Right. One of my first comments right off the bat was to get a bigger tractor a bigger Hammer you know so I apologize. but please do take the advice about safety to heart because I've seen his time and time again you know people get tired or they have one beer don't drink I mean guy had one beer and he fell off a porch about killed himself not because of lack of balance not cuz he was drunk just cuz beer makes you stupid.
wheat affects the mind in weird ways.
I agree that it will be awesome to say I did this myself so that being said it wouldn't hurt to get a bigger tractor :-)
I agree with you also I noticed the comment about splitting wood I'm 65 67 years old have a heart attack at a stroke and yet if somebody told me that at the age of 65 after a heart attack and a stroke I'd be addicted to splitting firewood with a big splitting Mall ever told me they were Looney but my 8 lb Fisher splitting on my weapon of choice I love it and I enjoy doing it a lot!!!
is therapeutic and it's addictive one guy said it was cathartic I had to look that word up emotional release. I guess you could say that.
Actually, do not cut the tree off. Get a ladder and hook the pulleys up high. I had to take down six large oaks (3 ft diameter trunks) in my yard. I have a big backhoe, 20,000 lb John Deere 510. I dug around each one, yes, big hole, and put the bucket 12 ft up the trunk and shoved them over. It would have been too dangerous to try and saw them off first, they were close to my home and power lines. That way I could control where each one fell . Florida, no rocks.
If at first you don't succeed...persevere. Congrats. You did it !! Thank you so much for your diagrams. Simple makes easy. Good luck and best wishes toward you new road and new house. ~ your neighbor.
Good to see you two figured out the physics of the job. I'm old school, we had great physics classes years ago...later refined with Navy training.
Great work kids!!! Awesome sauce! A couple of big straps on your anchor tree will a big strap and come-a-long to anchor several large trees together is good so you don’t pull the big one over. A long drill and dynamite unfortunately might be required for the rock area… like blasting a query! But have everything shot over 40-50 hits might leave you with a massive amount of gravel??? You really need to do a geologic survey to see what you are really setting on. Looks like you are having a ton of fun getting your property project together though!!! Just keep on fighting forward!!!
Great work!! Luv it when the old skills are kept alive. Caution: you can damage the anchor trees using chain. Look into straps, the wider the better to protect the tree's cambium.
Love the way you guys work together. Also loved where Mich 'sic?' was standing at 10:00. Far out of the bight. At 12:00 it appears the camera is on a tripod and Mich is nearby. Imagine a break at the anchor tree. The results could have been deadly. More important than learning how pulleys work, is understanding the trajectory of shrapnel in a failure. You guys did great, the entire planet applauds your marriage dynamic, your ingenuity, and your determination. Let's keep you both alive for years to come.
My thoughts exactly. As much strain as that cable had on it, if it had snapped it would have chopped anything -- or anyone -- in its path right in half. Anticipating stuff like that is a good way to keep body and soul together.
Still a great video! I learned a lot, as others have said. I really like the comment here about using the tree's leverage to get the stump out, although I have no idea just how one would go about doing that.
You guys did great! Remember all these folks with their vast knowledge in the comments went through trial/error also, well done APPRECIATE!
One thing that has worked for me with large rocks is to dig a larger hole next to the rock and roll it into that lower hole. As long as it is below the level of the driveway it is fine and a great base.
It is easier than lifting or dragging a large rock out of the ground. I depends on having a space with dirt and smaller rocks in an adjacent space though.
you can move large rocks by using folcroms fighting one side against the other. another way is to make them round you can do this by adding some of the trees you have cut down. i had a lot of fun moving a shipping container (40 hc 8,800lb) about 300ft uneven ground, lots of turns,over a bridge and that was on my 50 birthday. another good leverage is when you have a rope very tight you can pick up the middle (back hoe ) something will give for the first few inches then tighten. i real like the way you two work together. you will have a lifetime of projects and fun.
That 4:1 stump pull popping sounded like the dentist removing a molar yesterday. Great video. Very clear and concise help. Thanks.
Terrific explanation of how to use snatch blocks! Thanks for the heads up!
Great video, thank you for explaining the use of snatch blocks and wire rope so well. I have 3 stumps to pull out. I have a JD 3025 E, 25 hp. I live in north Florida so we have lots of sand so it should be lots easier for me. Thank you!
You're very welcome, Ralph! I hope our struggles over this past week help you and others save time and frustration. Be safe 💪
How do u like your 3025E? I have a 1025r and I figured out quickly that I should have gone larger! I lack speed and lift power 😵💫😑 but was wondering what the power ratio is like when it has the same engine as what I already have
@@wraith3951 Watch the videos by "Tractor Time with Tim". He has both sizes of tractor I believe.
It's the same size engine, but for peak horse power and torque you run the 3025E slower. I think max rpm on a 1023E and 1025R is around 3400 and the 3025E is around 2400. All I know is I've never taken it over idle and in high range and it's done everything I wanted. I have a Westendorf, Brush Crusher grapple, it's mechanical and it works great and there no hydraulic to run. I hope this helped
Great video, thanks for sharing the learning process!
Just a thought: on your final 4:1 pull, you chose a strong tree as your anchor, which worked out well for you. That tree was seeing a lot of force, and if it wasn't so stout, you may have encountered the same issue you did at first with the cedar. One thing you could have done was use a third tree as your anchor (providing that it was reasonably in line with the other tree). That would have distributed the load so as to lessen the effect on the other trees.
Best explanation I’ve seen on TH-cam. Thanks
Always wondered what Snatch Blocks do, now I know. Thanks a lot guys from the UK.
Good Physics lesson. Do not struggle - not worth it. Get it done by a dozer guy or bobcat. This will take them a day or so. Put your energy into building the house etc. Have right tools for the job. Good luck.
An advice on building your road. Uprooting trees not only removes the stump with all attached ground, but also the biological life that has was associated with the roots of the trees. Because of removing the roots, the soil where the trees are uprooted becomes less stable and if you have heavy rains, especially on a sloped property, you may experience heavy erosion. Flushing the stump with the ground (paining it on the top with Cu2So4) and leaving the roots of the trees undisturbed as much as possible in the ground will still keep the ground stable and with time that stored food ( the wood roots ) will become biologically available for the other living soil organisms around. Remember it is not only building what you want but also, building it in a such a way, as to disturb as little as possible the natural habitat that has evolved though hundreds and some times thousands of years.
Great example of how to use pulleys.. I love the way you two work together, a perfect couple. As well as the pulley example I was super impressed with the adventure of making your road to your new home site. I see the latest video is about the block and preparing for the slab. What an exciting time in your life to be in what appears a wilderness and making a new home. Fantastic video and cheers to you for your down to earth explanation. :)
I stumbled on your video and I am glad I did. I won’t divulge my age but just let me say that you are never to old to learn something new. You see I live along a brook that beavers have dammed off and have littered the upper portion with fallen trees that I have to pull out for fire wood and now I know how to pull out the larger ones. I have all the equipment, blocks, rope ,cable and chains but struggled with getting them up the bank. I do believe my problem is solved, I will let you know this spring when I attack them again, thank you so much.
When using snatch blocks, keeping All your lines as parallel as possible, will give you the most pull. Did you notice that big stump moved toward the pulling, not the tractor?
Any of your rock ledge or deep rocks that are above ground, I have found that a Stihl cutter with a concrete wheel will do the job. Cut down into the rock every 3 to 5 inches apart to the ground or a little below and bust off the cut peices with a sledgehammer. Wear long pants and wear eye protection.
Hope this will help.
Yes, keeping all the lines parallel as possible is the way to gain the most mechanical advantage. Case in point was the first pull you made with the 4 to 1 configuration. The line going to the tractor was not parallel with the others so you really only had maybe 3.5 or so to 1 mechanical advantage. You have to grasp that because the last run of wire rope going to the tractor was not exerting effort in the same direction as the others it was basically only acting as "change of direction pulley" not a true mechanical force multiplier snatch block. Another way of understanding this is to imagine that the tractor had been pulling in the opposite direction from your anchor tree. Even though you had the wire rope running THROUGH the pulley, it would not have added any power at all and would basically just have been a 3 to 1 configuration.
Good job guys. One more point on the pulleys. It takes a certain amount of force at the base of the stump to pull it out of the ground. The pulley system multiplies force exerted by the tractor. A similar mechanical advantage may be achieved by moving the stump attachment point higher. Like adding a pipe on the end of your wrench. Leave more tree trunk or even try pulling it out of the ground before cutting the tree. I think you may be surprised much this helps. Blessings.
Good tip, Randy. More leverage ✅
I also found loosening the soil around the stump and ripping the roots with the backhoe takes about half the fight out of the battle. Getting the chains to keep hold exactly where you want is tricky. I'm on the lookout for some tree attachment points that I can hook the winch cable or chain to.
@@WalnutsandWineberries By the same token the anchor strap or chain should be as low as possible on the anchor tree. Straps give less damage to the bark of the tree.
Excellent point, put it as high as possible without breaking the trunk from force of pull.
When I worked with the Boilermakers doing extreme lifts of up to 32 Part Lines, McKissic was a popular Brand, especially with they're smaller 400 Series Blocks when we were using Tuggers and just Single Blocks to change direction. Crosby, we're the Brand choice for Shackles or Clevis's. I just Googled it because I stopped working in 2004. You're a great help to Lay people to avoid the dangers of snapping chains, rope and cable. I wish you great success in your Homestead Project!
Smarter Everyday is fantastic, that’s how I found your channel
This is a good technique to use for pulling large logs up steep hills with a compact tractor
Hi Jon and Meg; Good work starting from zero and learning about ropes, pulleys, stumps and trees. I myself have gone through roughly the same process over the last few years though I did manage to avoid some of the pitfalls you discovered. Like just about everybody else here I have a few comments that I hope will help you perfect your technique. I've read though many of the comments and agree with pretty much all of them, especially the ones about connecting as low as possible to your anchor point and as high as possible to the stump you are pulling. Better still (I think) is to actually tip the whole tree over with the tractor and pulleys without "felling" it first. This gives a few advantages:
1/ I (You) can be somewhere far away when the tree falls over - unlike when felling it with a chainsaw. SAFER!
2/ The tree will always fall pretty much on the line you are pulling it on so less chance of it falling on something you don't want it to fall on.
3/ You can connect your pulling point quite high on the tree to get better leverage. Also your pulling gear can't slip off the top of the stump once the tree is (near) horizontal. To connect to the tree I use 6 foot long 4 inch wide straps with a loop at each end choked around the tree. I use one strap per pulley. When you pull, the strap tightens on the tree and holds really well.
4/ One the tree starts to tip over the weight of the upper part of the tree helps with the process. The power of the tractor just starts the process.
Of course, make SURE the length of rope/cable you are using is long enough that you and your tractor are farther away than the height of the tree when it starts to fall (unless you are pulling in the direction opposite to which the tree is falling.. I use 150 feet of 1/4" wire rope and 9 or 10 pulleys so I get about 10 or 11 to 1 mechanical advantage. To pull over an 18" diameter tree I leave the tractor engine on idle and just ease tension onto the line and slowly tip the tree over. Once it is flat on the ground pull it a few more feet to rip the roots on the lower side out of the ground. One thing to note: I very much agree with the comments that say you should not pull from your backhoe bucket. Pull from somewhere on the tractor frame or axle. Attach your pull to the FRONT of the tractor (hopefully there will be a tie-down hook welded onto the frame) and do your pulling in REVERSE. You can see better what is happening to the tree/stump and you can't "wheelie" the tractor and wind up with it on top of you. (This also applies to putting the tractor onto a trailer. ALWAYS back the tractor onto the trailer.)
As for the rocks... Get yourself a portable generator, an SDS Max hammer drill (eg: Makita HR4011C or similar) with a 1" carbide rock bit and some 1" feathers and irons (also known as wedges and shims). It will cost you a bit but believe me, it will be worth it! Drill a row of holes in the rock along the line where you want it to split, insert the feathers and irons, and tap the irons with a sledge hammer. My jaw hit the ground the first time I did this and converted a 1 ton boulder into two half ton boulders. Repeat as necessary until you can get the pieces into your tractor bucket to take them to where they will be useful. Eventually you will learn to "read the rock" so you can encourage it to split where it wants to which is easier, or you you can get it to split where you want it to to make the pieces more useful.
Also, get a pair of grab hooks welded onto the top of your loader bucket (with appropriate reinforcing to spread the load on the top edge of the bucket!) and a 15-20 foot length of chain (usually 5/16" or 3/8") to suit the hooks. Then to get a rock into your bucket you drive the tractor up to the rock with the lower surface of the bucket hooked under the rock. Lock one end of the chain into a grab hook, loop it tightly around the side of the rock opposite the bucket down fairly low, then lock the other end of the chain into the second grab hook. Lift the bucket slightly and curl it. The chain will grab the rock and when you curl it will dump the rock into the bucket for you. Takes a bit of practice but works well once you get the hang of it.
I hope these comments provide some food for thought and prove useful.
Vince
Thank you so much! I have stumps to pull at my cabin and knew I could do it with snatch blocks, but couldn't figure out how to set it up. Your diagrams and explanation made it very clear how to rig it up. I almost made the mistake of getting cheap equipment.
Just a suggestion - At most home improvement stores there is material that you can drill 1" holes and fill and allow to set overnight in concrete or rocks. It expands and will crack concrete / rocks - I did it to my front steps years ago and it worked great. I did it in the late fall in MN and had to put an electric blanket on it (wife wasn't happy) but it worked GREAT and I could handle it myself. Fun to watch and how wonderful it is to see a couple work together. Well done, both of you.
Always pull from South to the North because the strongest root will be on the North side of the stump. That way you peel the easy roots out first and peel the strong North root back against itself.
Almost 600k views and this is the most interesting comment we have gotten! 🙌🙌
CAUTION: If you are planning on doing something similar to this, use safety precautions that we should have (luckily, we did not get hurt) Use weights over your lines to take the line down in the event of failure. A weighted blanket or similar has been recommended to us many times in the comments.
If anyone is interested in expanding this system into a stronger one, we added 2 compound pulleys after our 4 to 1 setup in this video - creating a 16 to 1 mechanical advantage. We explain the whole process and show it in action in Episode 64 here: th-cam.com/video/Sc4NUKMuzaU/w-d-xo.html
Nice job on use of the snatch blocks I bought a bunch myself have yet to use them in this way this was great footage to see them in action with a compact tractor. A word of caution though it is never wise to Pull from your backhoe you should be attaching your load to a draw bar Or rear transaxel hitch. This gives your equipment better leverage it also puts less strain on the rear transaxel. Pulling the load with your tractor from such a high point like the teeth on your back hoe bucket is also causing your front wheels to come off the ground when this is happening Your rear transaction becomes the fulcrum or the tipping point and the entire load of the tractor is put on the rear transaction. You will get more pulling power and save your equipment such as your hydraulic ram on your backhoe and put less strain on your rear transaxle by placing it on the drawbar or receiver hitch on the rear. The way you have the bucket in the fully curled position exposes the hydraulic ram. The ram is at its most vulnerable position In the configuration you are pulling. There is a much higher likelihood you will break the ram in that position. In its current position the ram is the least supported by the hydraulic cylinder. If that ram bends fails and you have to replace the whole cylinder and ram, it would most likely be a very large repair bill.
Just want to be informative, prevent a large repair bill and downtime of your tractor.
Just my 2 cents otherwise great video.
Thumbs up
I like what Jon Brown was saying. Never exceed the strength of any piece of your kit. It's easy to do with compound pulley systems.
I would recommend looking into synthetic winch rope. At least a half inch line (30,000 lbs strength), it's easy to cut to length and do your own eye splices. Synthetic winch rope is stronger than steel but stores less energy and is less likely to cut you in half if it breaks. Then get yourself some soft shackles and recovery rings ($30 on Amazon rated to over 40,000 lbs). Then get yourself some tree saver straps because you're probably killing every tree you put that chain around.
The fastest way to gain mechanical advantage is to simply double the previous advantage, * 2 * 4 * 8 * 16.
It sounds like you've already figured out the Spanish Burton, even if you're not sure what it was called. Watch some Australian 4x4 winch videos to figure that out. I would set up a Spanish burden using half inch synthetic winch rope with the soft shackles and recovery rings giving you a quick and very strong 4:1 advantage. Then pull that with your 3:1 that you already have. You'll have a relatively simple and very strong 12:1.
The easiest and most simple thing you could do to gain advantage is simply stop cutting your trees so close to the ground. If you can wrap your tree 4 ft high instead of two feet high, you basically double your leverage right there. I really love what you guys are doing. And I think it's awesome that you're doing it together. Good luck and God bless.
Jon Brown's point about not overloading your gear is critical to your safety but I think the way he stated it might give the wrong impression. He mentioned the 6000lb load of the wire. I'll assume that's the safe working load (SWL) and not the breaking strength. There's a lot to know about that, good idea to look it up. What I want to point out is in that 16:1 system the only parts that should be seeing the high loads are the anchor points where there is a mechanical advantage.. The wire rope in a well rigged system should see only the initial pulling load. In a two part system with the pulley mounted on the stump, and anchor point on another tree and moving end attached to the tractor all the wire will see is the amount the tractor is pulling. Lets say the tractor can pull 1000lbs. That's all the wire will see, the anchor tree will also only see 1000lbs. The stump and the anchor points on the stump will see 2000lbs as it's a 2:1 system. That means the snatch block at the tree needs to be rated for at least max pull of 2000lbs which is 1000lbs on each leg of the wire. Also the shackle, chain, chain hook and any other gear on the non moving part at the stump needs to be at least 2000lbs. All that gear needs to at least match the ratio of mechanical advantage. So for a 16:1 system with 1000lbs pull that gear needs to be rated for at least 16,000lbs. The SWL rating has a safety factor built in. That extra strength does not belong to the guy on the job site, lt belongs to God. Don't steal from God or you may meet him long before you planned. Stay within the SWL limits and buy a bit extra. Another thing to consider is that you really don't know what you pulling with the tractor regardless what the owners manual says it can pull. Consider putting a slack snubbing line that will catch the snatch block if the anchor points on the stump fail, you don't want the snatch block in you lap.
Beep beep beepbeep beep , Good work , both of You . , have seen the snatch block video ( smarter every day ;) ... )
what jon left out, is there are 16 lines sharing the load in a 16:1 system so it's not overloaded at 375lb
also using multiple anchors to share the load will avoid ripping your anchor out.
your 4:1 placed a 3:1 load on your anchor
One thing to add your excellent learning path to success is basic physics.
If you add leverage to this setup it will be way easier, and require less horsepower, to pull that root ball out of the ground. Cut the tree much higher up, then cinch your anchor-point on the stump as high as you can. The higher you go, the more leverage you create. For stubborn huge stumps you might even want to use a ladder to get even higher. Great video, and showing the failures is a great teaching method. Kudos to you, great work.
Great lesson about snatch blocks and pulleys, thanks for sharing!
That was great! I have some of those pulleys but I have been intimidated by using those. Thanks Meg or explaining. I was going to use some of those for pulling logs down some steep areas but not pull towards me. The pulleys will help. Once I get into that fully, I'll know which episode to look up and keep in my notes! What steel cable did you get?
Now that you have a sawmill, it's difficult leaving a log on the ground, isn't it Bryce? I fought and fought and fought with a leaning oak on a steep section of our land here and now I'm confident we can pull it down safely with ease with the snatch blocks and the tractor. All mountain men (and women) need to learn the art and physics of pulleys. Don't cheap out on the hardware, Bryce. I found some nice shackles at Rural King. They have a good assortment of chain and other hardware too. The cable came from good ol' Harbor Freight. It's a 65 ft. winch cable. I'm probably going to get a 2nd so I can hook up a compound pulley system, making the force even stronger. That's explained really well in the video we reference. Here's the link to the cable. I was wrong, it's actually rated for 12,000 lbs:
www.harborfreight.com/38-in-x-65-ft-replacement-winch-cable-with-hook-61667.html
Good info, but the best part is watching two people learn together, work together, and succeed together. Good on ya.
Rather than dealing with stumps many have found that digging the tree roots out on one side and the other then letting the tree fall while it pulls it's own root system out. I first heard of this technique on tractorbynet but have tried it myself and it often works better. The one downside I experienced is now you have a giant root ball to try and move around after you cut it away from the fallen tree.
Yep, good technique. It's tricky for my small tractor to get the majority of the material out from the roots. It's just not that strong which is why I opted for the pulley method. I have done a few the way you describe, but they are smaller trees - maybe 6 to 8 inches.
That smarter every day is a great video!
SNATCH BLOCKS...
I was also thinking that if you leave more shaft on your stump, by using some simple arborist tree climbing gear, you would get mechanical advantage by using the shaft as a lever...
It is impressive to see your team work. I did the same thing, but only me doing the work, so I rented a Takeuchi TL12V2 for a week and removed all trees, stumps and rocks. Using a fork attachment made everything go so much faster. I moved the fork tines together and used it like a giant shovel. Was shocked to see how fast it cut through roots. It was fast sliding under rocks too. In fact, I was so impressed by the forks attachment that now I use a fork to get ice cream out of ice cream containers.
The firstr time I seen the word snatch block I was laying on my back in the cargo bay on a C-130 and saw the works on the bulkhead of the plane ball and the anatch block laying on the floor. your video is the first time I seen one used. Thanks for the lesson on removintg stumps. Out standing video. (Mississppi Gulf Coast, USA).
Physics at work. For the pulley system, you just count the number of ropes attached. When you used the four to get a 4:1 advantage you also were having a 3:1 on your anchor tree. So if you pulled with 1000 lbs of force, the stump was being pulled with 4000 lbs, but the anchor tree was also being pulled with 3000 lbs of force!
So could they said that much force on the anchor tree by changing the direction of the pulls?
FOR MAX PULL ALWAYS HOOK ONTO THE STUMP AS HIGH UP AS YOU CAN AND AS LOW DOWN ON YOUR ANCHOR THINK OF IT THIS WAY IF YOU DRIVE A STICK INTO THY GROUND IF YOU PUSH ON THE TOP YOU CAN PUSH IT OVER THE FUTHER DOWN THE STICK YOU GO THE HARDER IT IS TO PUSH IT OVER
Yeah, but shhh stop yelling.
The chain might slip off if it is too close to the end. I’d give up that extra leverage to avoid that, because that can be a very dangerous situation.
Wow, the power of the snatch! Nice job with the video.
Thank you for sharing your lessons learned, as it's not always easy to understand mechanics or even remember how technical setup things work.