How to Use a Felling Lever in Tree Work ! How to Fell a Leaning Tree.

[@leighparsons]

Very slick and totally professional. I loved the way you predicted the hinge would not break. Quick question - why a lever and not use wedges? I would have palmed a wedge in after the bar went far enough to stop the tree falling back and given it a few taps if necessary. I will add that I’m strictly amateur although I am fairly experienced. Never too old to learn though!

[@JamesTheForester]

Hi Leigh. Thank you for the comment 😊👍 the reason was because the tree was not of a large enough diameter so the wedge would have hit the saw. But you are quite correct, on a larger diameter tree the Felling wedge would be the way to go. I also wanted to show how to use the felling lever 🙂

[@chaswarren7239]

Really clear and helpful explanation, thank you. I have a long & short lever, but mostly use them for hung up trees. Most trees I cut are deciduous, so relatively easy to get a line up there which I often do for just in case of this. I wonder if a lever is used more for conifers ?

[@JamesTheForester]

Hi, thanks for the kind words. Yes - I mainly use the felling lever for toppling conifers, although they can be useful for freeing a trapped saw in a hardwood, or making space to start off a wedge insert, and the cant hook is useful for rolling hardwood sections on the ground too.

[@Mylifelovingit]

What are the black fittings for on the felling lever?

[@JamesTheForester]

It's a cant hook. It is on a hinge and is used to roll or turn logs. Handy for twisting felled logs of the stump hinge.

[@Mylifelovingit]

@@JamesTheForester i would never have guessed, thanks

[@chaswarren7239]

@@Mylifelovingit If the tree had hung up, then the lever & cant hook can be used to rotate the tree and roll it out of the holding branches. You need to decide which way to go & then cut most of the hinge away to allow it to rotate in that direction