Garroting a tree.would it be possible?

[Bill D]

I remember a scifi story about a infinite thin and strong wire. The inventor keep it on a thing like a tape measure to carry around and demonstrate. After losing a finger tip or two he coated the first 2-3 feet with something so it did not do that anymore. Plan was to tie a space station to one end and anchor the other on earth. Slowly adding more weight as the string got carried higher by centrifugal force.
Maybe Asomov?
Bill D

 

[3t3d]

Saw a Huge version of this, used at the Hungry Horse reservoir in MT

SO effective that (rumor?) that it was outlawed for future land clearings.

Land clearing: Olive Vale, Queensland, 2014. - YouTube

 

[DDoug]

Saw a Huge version of this, used at the Hungry Horse reservoir in MT

SO effective that (rumor?) that it was outlawed for future land clearings.

Land clearing: Olive Vale, Queensland, 2014. - YouTube

Some of the older members over at Heavy Equipment Forums from Oz describe how they did it that way, and a few others as well.
Tree pushers. | Heavy Equipment Forums
Scrub Pulling | Heavy Equipment Forums

 

[FredC]

Saw a Huge version of this, used at the Hungry Horse reservoir in MT

SO effective that (rumor?) that it was outlawed for future land clearings.

Land clearing: Olive Vale, Queensland, 2014. - YouTube

Not sure why it would be outlawed in South Texas. This brush is an invasive species. This was all tall grass prairie before it was over grazed and this stuff invaded. I have seen some 1 inch cable around the place that was used 50 to a hundred years ago. Mesquite is a little too irregular to use a cable like that on it. Root plowing has become the gold standard. A friend that saw my 6030 for the first time was thinking about getting 2 of them and putting them in tandem in front of a root plow. Government subsidies would have made it a profitable business.

 

[mark costello]

Sinclair molecular chain by Larry Niven might be it.

 

[GregSY]

That method in Queensland is interesting but I have to note all the trees are small diameter in trunk size. I'll bet a larger tree would not give up so easily.

I also wonder why the chain doesn't slide up the tree trunk...what keeps it at ground level? Just it's own weight?

 

[FredC]

Some of the older members over at Heavy Equipment Forums from Oz describe how they did it that way, and a few others as well.
Tree pushers. | Heavy Equipment Forums
Scrub Pulling | Heavy Equipment Forums

Went to the scrub pulling and did not see any pictures, maybe because I am not a member. Here is the brush puller I use. I am not sure Remlinger makes them anymore the last time I was on their website i could not find it. I broke the 2 inch shaft the grippers pivot but it was my fault pulling out a 6 inch trunk tree and forgot to take the draft control off. Tried to lift to fast and broke the draft sensor on the lower link when the lower link jumped up to the frame the impact broke the 2 inch Stress Proof shaft. Now use it only on the 100 HP tractor. The grapple does not catch trees with less than a 2 inch caliper trunk very well is the reason I girdle smaller ones with a single trunk.

 

[3t3d]

That method in Queensland is interesting but I have to note all the trees are small diameter in trunk size. I'll bet a larger tree would not give up so easily.

I also wonder why the chain doesn't slide up the tree trunk...what keeps it at ground level? Just it's own weight?

In Montana they were mowing off OLD growth pines. Huge trees.
They had a solid steel ball the size of a garage in the middle of the chains. The ball is still on display.
Biggest cats they could get.

 

[fusker]

I remember a scifi story about a infinite thin and strong wire. The inventor keep it on a thing like a tape measure to carry around and demonstrate. After losing a finger tip or two he coated the first 2-3 feet with something so it did not do that anymore. Plan was to tie a space station to one end and anchor the other on earth. Slowly adding more weight as the string got carried higher by centrifugal force.
Maybe Asomov?
Bill D

I believe it's Arthur C. Clarke.
The trick only works on the equator. Similar to synchronous satellites wich was his invention as well (or so he said!)
fusker

 

[Superbowl]

If you could make some piano wire out of the highest tensile strength material,could you wrap it around a tree to slice it down? Edwin Dirnbeck

You guys are thinking horizontally, you have to think vertically. Start at the top of the tree and pull down splitting the wood along the grain in 1/8" thick pieces that you can break off with your hand. Eventually the entire tree is down.

 

[edwin dirnbeck]

Went to the scrub pulling and did not see any pictures, maybe because I am not a member. Here is the brush puller I use. I am not sure Remlinger makes them anymore the last time I was on their website i could not find it. I broke the 2 inch shaft the grippers pivot but it was my fault pulling out a 6 inch trunk tree and forgot to take the draft control off. Tried to lift to fast and broke the draft sensor on the lower link when the lower link jumped up to the frame the impact broke the 2 inch Stress Proof shaft. Now use it only on the 100 HP tractor. The grapple does not catch trees with less than a 2 inch caliper trunk very well is the reason I girdle smaller ones with a single trunk.
View attachment 330888View attachment 330889

What is draft control? Edwin Dirnbeck

 

[FredC]

Draft control controls the depth of plows and other implements. It senses the amount of pull on the 3 point and lifts it when extra strain is detected. I was plowing with the tractor earlier and forgot to set it back when pulling trees. To help free the larger trees I push and pull on them before lifting. It tried to snatch the "plow" out with the extreme pull. It was over in a heart beat. The break on that 2 inch shaft was clean.

 

[dalmatiangirl61]

Huisatch is fairy easy. Very little came back with ax removal. Now mesquite is a different story. Commercial root plows cut about 2 feet below the surface. Pulling one takes serious horsepower. I could probably do it with my JD 6030, but it is hard on the equipment even a dozer.

My attachment catches the roots about a foot down, once you feel resistance curl, then start lifting and they pop right out. There were a few larger ones that required a bit more effort, in that case I would lift until the rear wheels were off the ground, then give it a down bump and let the weight of machine do the work. Easy work for a loader, might be harder on a tractor. I did snap the V plate off on one tree, it was cast, I made a new V plate out of 1" plate.

 

[mhajicek]

It is not all science fiction eh..

Microtome - Wikipedia

Microtomes are extremely sharp, with near atomic perfection of the cutting edge, but they are also extremely fragile. Try to cut something too hard, or move the work perpendicular to the blade during a cut, and that blade is toast.

 

[johnoder]

Id imagine the tensile strength needed to garrote a tree would require some pretty thick wire. the thicker the wire, the harder for it to "slice" thru. it would end up either being too thick to wrap around a tree or the wire would have too much surface area to cut thru the tree and would squeeze the tree until the tree wont compress anymore and break the wire.

To illustrate

Say the tree was 20" dia and its allowable load across grain was 500 psi

Lets assume that allowable was one fifth of actual - so at least 2500 psi to cut the stuff by pushing on it

Lets vote for .050" wire with a tensile capability of 400K psi

Say the .050 times the 62 inch circcummference is but a bit more than 3 square inches - or 7500 lbs required to cut it

The trouble with the whole idea is that is at least 7500 tensile load on the wire - which reaches it's 400K psi at ten times less than 7500

 

[neilho]

Easy to kill a tree by girdling, but it does take a couple years. A double girdle, 2" apart, at least an inch deep in the wood will do it. Here in Vermont, works well for low value trees - takes 5 minutes and doesn't harm adjacent trees the way felling would.

Obviously not the desert southwest....