Removing Tall Dead Palms After the Historic Texas Freeze 2021

[Collectorpalms]

Hello! For a lot of Texans in Central Texas we have lost our tallest Palms from the Coldest week in 125 years. 
I have approximately 2 dozen palms that may need removed. All of my Washingtonians over 15FT are not showing any signs of life, that includes all Robustas. All hybrids of Robusta and filifera, and some filifera that have very thick trunks. I also have a very tall Date Palm. Several will become a hazard as they are close to the house, and street.
To pay a professional, I can only imagine this costing a small fortune. 

Since I am not a professional tree cutter, and I am not in my 20s when I planted them 20 years ago I will need help.

I thought about hiring a professional to bring them to the ground, ( preventing them from falling wrong direction and hitting house or me) and then me do the rest of the cutting and hauling.

My concerns are, what do I need to cut through fat trunked palms that are over 2Ft in diameter? 

Also, isn’t the fiber in palms horrible to chain saws if the palm had dried up?

Any suggestions are welcome!

Edited March 19, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[Laaz]

Start a tiki pole business...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpQdbwLSzkA&t=1s

[Steve Mac]

Mate, I see your problem.... That is horrible what happened to you and Texas. Also the expense/danger ratio for you personally to fix your problem, where do you draw the line?  Obviously that is your decision,

But to be more helpful, this is how I have decided to remove big palms , I bought the biggest/longest chainsaw that I could hold out for a minute with one hand and then I decided how high up a ladder was that I was prepared to go (actually it is higher than I would have thought), once you are passed a certain danger point the rest does not matter,  it is irrelevant.  

I have saved myself thousands of dollars slowly doing stuff myself.  Leaves off, then six inches down at a time, with the chainsaw.

But your problems are bigger/higher than mine were.  "isn’t the fiber in palms horrible to chain saws " , No, I have not noticed that, actually it is a lot easier than a lot of other plants that I have cut down. Sharp chain, take it easy/slowly, no problem. Borrow/hire a very long ladder go as high as you are game/able to, Slowly nip down the palms that you are able to.  Then you have to pay for the rest that are too big.

I hope that this has helped to put your problem into perspective for you.  Borrow/buy the equipment, ladder chainsaw, that's it. Do what you can and pay someone else to do what you can't do.  

 

[Johnny Palmseed]

I just had these removed by a tree company and they used what I would consider a small chain saw. They used a lift and a Stihl with a 16” bar and did not have any trouble. It takes slightly longer to cut through as the fibers will have a tendency to bog it down, but not much more than anything else. It cost $650 for both and they ground the stumps too. The biggest problem I think for you will be the weight of the debris. These guys had a skid steer that grabbed the logs that probably weighed about 500 lbs each.

IMG_0217.MOVFetching info... IMG_0218.MOVFetching info... Edited March 19, 2021 by Johnny Palmseed

[DavidLee]

  On 3/19/2021 at 12:01 PM, Johnny Palmseed said:

I just had these removed by a tree company and they used what I would consider a small chain saw. They used a lift and a Stihl with a 16” bar and did not have any trouble. It takes slightly longer to cut through as the fibers will have a tendency to bog it down, but not much more than anything else. It cost $650 for both and they ground the stumps too. The biggest problem I think for you will be the weight of the debris. These guys had a skid steer that grabbed the logs that probably weighed about 500 lbs each.

 

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Wow those are too nice to cut down.  

 

  On 3/19/2021 at 12:01 PM, Johnny Palmseed said:

I just had these removed by a tree company and they used what I would consider a small chain saw. They used a lift and a Stihl with a 16” bar and did not have any trouble. It takes slightly longer to cut through as the fibers will have a tendency to bog it down, but not much more than anything else. It cost $650 for both and they ground the stumps too. The biggest problem I think for you will be the weight of the debris. These guys had a skid steer that grabbed the logs that probably weighed about 500 lbs each.

 

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Wow those are

 

  On 3/19/2021 at 12:01 PM, Johnny Palmseed said:

I just had these removed by a tree company and they used what I would consider a small chain saw. They used a lift and a Stihl with a 16” bar and did not have any trouble. It takes slightly longer to cut through as the fibers will have a tendency to bog it down, but not much more than anything else. It cost $650 for both and they ground the stumps too. The biggest problem I think for you will be the weight of the debris. These guys had a skid steer that grabbed the logs that probably weighed about 500 lbs each.

 

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Wow those are too nice to cut down.  

[Collectorpalms]

I have a 25FT ladder and I cannot reach the tops of most of them. I am also afraid of heights, but the adrenaline helps. Chainsaws are super heavy. Stihl brand I was thinking is best.

Would a battery or electric chainsaw cut through a normal telephone size trunk at that height. Or too dangerous? I asked cause they are a let loss dead weight. 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[Collectorpalms]

How does one ground a palm trunk that is 2-3 feet in diameter at base. I’d hate to have a palm graveyard of tombstones. Can this equipment be rented?

Edited March 19, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[awkonradi]

  On 3/19/2021 at 9:34 PM, Collectorpalms said:

I have a 25FT ladder and I cannot reach the tops of most of them. I am also afraid of heights, but the adrenaline helps. Chainsaws are super heavy. Stihl brand I was thinking is best.

Would a battery or electric chainsaw cut through a normal telephone size trunk at that height. Or too dangerous? I asked cause they are a let loss dead weight. 

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If a corded electric chainsaw is lighter, then I propose that you could rope the extension cord to the palm trunk below the cut, to take off the weight and tension from the cord.

[awkonradi]

For some of your palms, could you tie two ropes high on the trunk, and then tension these, "in a triangle", to pull the palm to fall in the right direction, and then take down the palm with a cut at the base?  Tie a lasso around the palm, and then pull the loop up using your ladder, and have an assistant snug it from a distance.   So, no climbing with a chainsaw.

Edited March 19, 2021 by awkonradi

[Johnny Palmseed]

  On 3/19/2021 at 9:47 PM, awkonradi said:

For some of your palms, could you tie two ropes high on the trunk, and then tension these, "in a triangle", to pull the palm to fall in the right direction, and then take down the palm with a cut at the base?  Tie a lasso around the palm, and then pull the loop up using your ladder, and have an assistant snug it from a distance.   So, no climbing with a chainsaw.

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This is what you should consider if you do it yourself. Do not even think about climbing the palm you are about to cut down to remove the crown. If you can even manage to wrestle the saw up there and cut the crown, it will likely fall on you and kill you. This is part of the reason why I had the royals removed. I had been climbing a ladder to cut the seed pods with a telescoping saw. Even when I thought I was in a safe position, sometimes they would fall weirdly and almost knock me off the ladder. Not good while being 20’ up! I have removed large queens by climbing a ladder and attaching a rope to the crown. I then had someone pull to make it fall where I needed it while I cut at the base. I have also done this while digging out the rootball which eliminates the need for a stump grinder. And yes, you probably can rent a stump grinder but it might be easier to get someone to grind all your stumps for one price.

[96720]

Patience is the word I had a lot of queens that looked like they were dead from our extremely hot summer I didn’t have time to cut them down and now I’m seeing a little bit of life out the top so don’t get too chain saw happy too quickly give them a few months and then climb up and see if there is any life

[Collectorpalms]

  On 3/20/2021 at 1:57 AM, 96720 said:

Patience is the word I had a lot of queens that looked like they were dead from our extremely hot summer I didn’t have time to cut them down and now I’m seeing a little bit of life out the top so don’t get too chain saw happy too quickly give them a few months and then climb up and see if there is any life

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You can smell the rot if you climb the latter.

suggestion have been helpful so far!

[96720]

I never climbed up because I was sure they were dead 

[tropicbreeze]

You only die once, the money you save by not calling in professionals should go some way to providing you a good funeral. Using a chainsaw on a ladder isn't recommended. Balancing/holding on with one hand leaves you a bit short of the two hands you need to operate a chainsaw safely. You only need to make one mistake, no matter how many times you're careful.

I lost 6 tall coconuts to a lightning strike. The fronds took a while to fall by themselves but then the trunks were easier to deal with at ground level. They were more fibrous than other palms I've cut up, which was annoying but manageable. Other live palms I've taken down were felled in a direction to produce least collateral damage. For anyone wanting to drop a Roystonea, the wood is very hard and they carry a lot of weight. They come down very heavily.

The only times using chainsaws above ground level was from a roof, also from standing in a tractor bucket. The main thing, still alive to tell the tale.

[Allen]

Too dangerous to go up ladder and cut it.  It can kick back and knock you off.   You can make it fall the way you want from the ground by cutting it properly.  But your palms are all in tight spots.  I think you need pro help.  You could try a few of the easy smaller ones to get the hang of it.  The pros made a large tree I had here look easy.  They Cut it then cut off large 30ft sections and just used a winch to drag it across the yard into their chipper.  They never lifted a finger.   

I Picture you like this LOL

 

[Tyrone]

I don’t mean to be a pain but never use a chainsaw on a ladder. I’ve done it before and its the worst thing you can imagine. It’s possible that the chainsaw can kick and knock you off the ladder, or worse cut you or go thru your neck. Extremely dangerous. Professionals either climb the trunk and cut it down in stages or they fell it at the ground. An elevated work platform or cherry picker is the other alternative provided when things fall they don’t knock the apparatus over when they come down. 

[PricklyPearSATC]

The Daily Mail has pictures....
The Fresno Bee said the man was safe, but the droning chain saw had me nervous!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8797815/Man-trying-trim-100-foot-palm-tree-flung-sky-chops-leaves.html

[Collectorpalms]

I already determined I can only barely hold a pruner on a ladder. 
I had planned to do the cutting on the ground. Thank you.

a cherry picker and “1 limb” is $600 

Palms are dangerous. If those skirts fall on you, it could kill too. I heard about that too. 

Edited March 20, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[mnorell]

I agree with all those above, including that you might want to consider waiting a bit longer if you feel there's no immediate danger involved. Just because you smell rot doesn't mean the palm is dead. You will smell that with any part of the palm that died. I had a mule in the 13F that hit Natchez in 2018...the other two I had in the ground were toast and this one I just had a feeling about, as it was close to the house, and I carefully cut into it until I got to the bud, debrided the meristem area completely and treated with peroxide, and it came back just fine. But the smell!

But very importantly, tall palms (and any other trees) are best left for professional arborists, for all the reasons outlined above by others. Make sure you get someone bonded/insured, as you don't want to shoulder the cost of someone's injury. One good thing is that, once the pros have felled the trunks and drained your bank account, you can spare the cost of hauling by asking them to cut the trunk sections up and use them for some unconventional use...after Hurricane Irma hit our house in the Keys, I had our arborist leave me with a good amount of coconut trunk in pieces...I used these "stumps" to line the driveway and put lanterns on top. It was a nice effect. Eventually they just disintegrated in the rain and became a fibrous mush...and good compost for the garden. So try to be a little patient...and also think a little outside the box to make the proverbial lemonade out of the lemons. I feel so badly for you as I know it's a painful experience and I have been there, Irma cost us a bundle just for cutting and hauling across the road for pickup. But if you can bring yourself around to thinking of it as an instructive lesson in planning the larger elements of your landscape...think about how effective a grove of some sort of Sabal could be in your landscape. (I wonder if S. causiarum would make it long term in your climate?)

[dalmatiansoap]

Safety belt is a must on ladder. For almost all works. 

[Tyrone]

  On 3/20/2021 at 5:54 AM, mnorell said:

I agree with all those above, including that you might want to consider waiting a bit longer if you feel there's no immediate danger involved. Just because you smell rot doesn't mean the palm is dead. You will smell that with any part of the palm that died. I had a mule in the 13F that hit Natchez in 2018...the other two I had in the ground were toast and this one I just had a feeling about, as it was close to the house, and I carefully cut into it until I got to the bud, debrided the meristem area completely and treated with peroxide, and it came back just fine. But the smell!

But very importantly, tall palms (and any other trees) are best left for professional arborists, for all the reasons outlined above by others. Make sure you get someone bonded/insured, as you don't want to shoulder the cost of someone's injury. One good thing is that, once the pros have felled the trunks and drained your bank account, you can spare the cost of hauling by asking them to cut the trunk sections up and use them for some unconventional use...after Hurricane Irma hit our house in the Keys, I had our arborist leave me with a good amount of coconut trunk in pieces...I used these "stumps" to line the driveway and put lanterns on top. It was a nice effect. Eventually they just disintegrated in the rain and became a fibrous mush...and good compost for the garden. So try to be a little patient...and also think a little outside the box to make the proverbial lemonade out of the lemons. I feel so badly for you as I know it's a painful experience and I have been there, Irma cost us a bundle just for cutting and hauling across the road for pickup. But if you can bring yourself around to thinking of it as an instructive lesson in planning the larger elements of your landscape...think about how effective a grove of some sort of Sabal could be in your landscape. (I wonder if S. causiarum would make it long term in your climate?)

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Palm trunk pieces and even normal softwood tree trunks can make great places to plant bromeliads into. Broms love elevated trunk environments.

[palmfriend]

Hi there,

I love snow but this is heart breaking! 

I am happy that you are professionally looking beyond the currently sad situation and asking for 

some serious advice - I am really wishing you all the best and a quick recover of your garden. 

I would love to chime in but since my garden is still young I am lacking removal advice.

However, since we get hit ususally twice or thrice a year by typhoons with sometimes desastrous

effects, I really share your feelings and value all the pieces of information provided by our more

experienced members in this thread!

No hijacking intended!

best regards from Okinawa -

Lars

 

 

 

[UK_Palms]

  On 3/20/2021 at 4:19 AM, Tyrone said:

I don’t mean to be a pain but never use a chainsaw on a ladder. I’ve done it before and its the worst thing you can imagine. It’s possible that the chainsaw can kick and knock you off the ladder, or worse cut you or go thru your neck. Extremely dangerous. Professionals either climb the trunk and cut it down in stages or they fell it at the ground. An elevated work platform or cherry picker is the other alternative provided when things fall they don’t knock the apparatus over when they come down. 

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I'm guilty of doing this a few years ago, back when I was about 24-25 years old. I was just so careless and naive, looking back now.

I must have been about 10-15 foot up a ladder and using a chainsaw to cut several big branches off an old tree that was blocking out sunlight to my palms in the garden. I remember the biggest branch came crashing down, ripping the chainsaw straight out of my hands and sending it flying to the ground. I was absolutely fine, so I simply picked the chainsaw up again and went back up the ladder to carry on. No goggles. No safety harnesses. Nobody else was watching me, in case of an accident. I think I may have even had earphones in and music playing at the time too.

I also remember the ladder being situated on uneven terrain, and then me having to jump down from about 5 foot up (chainsaw still in hand) after I lost my balance, or the ladder toppled over, or was knocked over by a falling branch. I remember landing on my feet and still holding onto the chainsaw somehow. On another day that would have been a serious, life threatening injury. But all I was thinking about at that time was getting those branches cut down, as quickly as possible, so I could get back inside and have some dinner and watch the game.

I'm pretty sure I had been drinking and smoking the night before as well. Looking back now, I do think "what the hell were you doing!?" This was a few years ago though. I honestly think I would be a bit scared to even pick up a chainsaw again now, since a few years have passed since I last used one. I'm not as naive, or careless, as I was a few years back. Not to mention, I have also since seen a UK air ambulance programme where they pick up a guy who had cut his pelvis in half with a chainsaw and severed his femoral artery. And he did that at ground level! Which goes to show...

[aegean]

From my own experiences I can tell you the same as mnorell. Just because there is rot you can smell, that doesn't necessarily mean the palm tree is already dead. 

I would give them more time. I have seen palms coming back that were almost cut to the ground. Of course it would be much, much better to cut off all the rotting parts and disinfect it, bit also if you can't do that there is still a chance that the rotting part will grow out.

I also wouldn't recommend working with a chainsaw on a ladder, unless you are used to do this. Near the crown you can use a good pruning hand saw. The tissue there is very soft.

[TomJ]

Didn't know where in Texas you are, but pricing is similar. Local yards here are less than $100 a day.

This is just random google search using a Houston zip.

 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

  On 3/19/2021 at 5:06 AM, Collectorpalms said:

Hello! For a lot of Texans in Central Texas we have lost our tallest Palms from the Coldest week in 125 years. 
I have approximately 2 dozen palms that may need removed. All of my Washingtonians over 15FT are not showing any signs of life, that includes all Robustas. All hybrids of Robusta and filifera, and some filifera that have very thick trunks. I also have a very tall Date Palm. Several will become a hazard as they are close to the house, and street.
To pay a professional, I can only imagine this costing a small fortune. 

Since I am not a professional tree cutter, and I am not in my 20s when I planted them 20 years ago I will need help.

I thought about hiring a professional to bring them to the ground, ( preventing them from falling wrong direction and hitting house or me) and then me do the rest of the cutting and hauling.

My concerns are, what do I need to cut through fat trunked palms that are over 2Ft in diameter? 

Also, isn’t the fiber in palms horrible to chain saws if the palm had dried up?

Any suggestions are welcome!

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Send us some shots of what they look like now, maybe some have a chance of recovery

[UK_Palms]

I'm interested in seeing how that big Dactylifera is looking now...? I'm pretty sure Dacty's have survived 0F before in NM and in southern France. I doubt that was with snow though, unlike during the Texas freeze. That's a lot of wet-cold for those palms to deal with. Far worse than anything I have ever seen here at 51N. The coldest I have ever seen out here in the rural countryside (no UHI influence at all) is about 13F in Feb 2018, but I was only below freezing for 36-48 hours. That goes to show how bad the Texas freeze was this winter just gone. 

Was the ultimate low 3F with 7 consecutive days/nights below freezing (32F)...? If so, you would think the bigger Filifera's would maybe come back from that. The Robusta's, no chance, but there must be some hope for the Filifera's, at least you would think...? The CIDP is probably toast, but I believe they have also come back from 0F before as well. Probably in NM, where it is obviously drier. I think CIDP's in southern France were defoliated from about 0F a few decades back, but some pushed new growth again a few weeks/months later. It's all going to come down to individual hardiness. Some specimens are just hardier than others. Is there any movement/growth on the CIDP or Dacty?

[Collectorpalms]

That really tall phoenix is Sylvestris. I have no way getting to the top of it. I am about the try and get to the tops of my canaries. My other dates, no luck so far. My coldest day was a high of only 20 and low of 4. in town. There are some CIDP that are alive that have been pruned back to nothing now showing growth.  About 4 of 8 Filifera have some green but not the tall ones. No movement in almost anything except sabal species. Luckily I have two really tall ones that look good!

Edited March 23, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[Collectorpalms]

  On 3/21/2021 at 4:36 PM, TomJ said:

Didn't know where in Texas you are, but pricing is similar. Local yards here are less than $100 a day.

This is just random google search using a Houston zip.

 

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Thank you we do have one of these!

[Collectorpalms]

I probably should have seen some hints of growth by now, but I'll hope for miracles through end of May. Then the plan was to take out 1 a week.

What is the best chain saw to get ( for cutting them on ground).

Chainsaws at Ace Hardware

Edited March 23, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[Collectorpalms]

  On 3/23/2021 at 8:17 AM, Collectorpalms said:

Thank you we do have one of these!

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I would need a 34ft+ boom lift at a cost of a $1450 with drop and pick up.

[UK_Palms]

  On 3/23/2021 at 8:02 AM, Collectorpalms said:

That really tall phoenix is Sylvestris. I have no way getting to the top of it. I am about the try and get to the tops of my canaries. My other dates, no luck so far. My coldest day was a high of only 20 and low of 4. in town. There are some CIDP that are alive that have been pruned back to nothing now showing growth.  About 4 of 8 Filifera have some green but not the tall ones. No movement in almost anything except sabal species. Luckily I have two really tall ones that look good!

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Hopefully the Sylvestris pulls though as that is one hell of a specimen. You would think at that size it would, given that the smaller CIDP’s in your area are pushing new growth again, despite being defoliated. 

How are the Med fans looking? Hopefully the trunks don’t collapse away from rot in the coming weeks, although Chamaerops will regrow from the stump again. It’ll be set back a good decade though, potentially. Individual hardiness will probably be a big factor with each specimen, including the Filifera’s. 

[PricklyPearSATC]

  On 3/23/2021 at 12:31 PM, UK_Palms said:

Hopefully the Sylvestris pulls though as that is one hell of a specimen. You would think at that size it would, given that the smaller CIDP’s in your area are pushing new growth again, despite being defoliated. 

How are the Med fans looking? Hopefully the trunks don’t collapse away from rot in the coming weeks, although Chamaerops will regrow from the stump again. It’ll be set back a good decade though, potentially. Individual hardiness will probably be a big factor with each specimen, including the Filifera’s. 

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I think mine are gonna survive.  Mine were in horrible shape before the freeze.  (Long story there!) I know SA was a bit warmer than College Station, but my Med Fan Palms were in just horrible shape...Scrawny plants that were poorly planted that should have been removed and replaced.  I left one for dead.  It seemed so dead that it's spear didn't pull for 3 weeks.  The small crown is a  dusty, powdery mess! Finally the spear pulled and I see another white spear growing.  They are survivors....

[Collectorpalms]

  On 3/23/2021 at 5:36 PM, PricklyPearSATC said:

I think mine are gonna survive.  Mine were in horrible shape before the freeze.  (Long story there!) I know SA was a bit warmer than College Station, but my Med Fan Palms were in just horrible shape...Scrawny plants that were poorly planted that should have been removed and replaced.  I left one for dead.  It seemed so dead that it's spear didn't pull for 3 weeks.  The small crown is a  dusty, powdery mess! Finally the spear pulled and I see another white spear growing.  They are survivors....

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I am going to trunk cut mine, no movement and its been 5 weeks, I have tried hydrogen peroxide method, but they just do not look hopeful compared to the ones that already have 6-8 inches of growth in the area. If I replant one , I want one with many trunks that is available from the RGV.

[amh]

  On 3/23/2021 at 8:23 AM, Collectorpalms said:

I probably should have seen some hints of growth by now, but I'll hope for miracles through end of May. Then the plan was to take out 1 a week.

What is the best chain saw to get ( for cutting them on ground).

Chainsaws at Ace Hardware

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The advice is worth what you paid, but go electric, you'll never regret the decision. Its also a good excuse to buy a generator.

[Merlyn]

I've been using chainsaws for 40+ years.  I was thoroughly impressed with the $99 special Homelite plug in electric.  I abused the heck out of it, and cut up about 20 big water oak logs, up to 3 feet in diameter.  The only issue I had was the tensioner, which tended to slip too often.  But that's common on all saws under $300...  The nice part about electric is that they produce maximum torque at low speed, so bogging down is not an issue.  Gas saws you have to rev up and keep the revs up, or it bogs down and gets stuck. 

My parents have a Stihl battery powered electric for small work, and it is amazing for pruning.  It wouldn't be suitable for cutting up big palm trunks, with only a 10" blade.

As far as cutting palm trunks, you could consider a reciprocating saw with a 6-12" 3TPI carbide pruning blade.  I don't think that would work for a 3' diameter trunk, but it works great on smaller palms.  The chainsaw tends to shred them a bit, which can be a hassle.  Reciprocating saws cut cleaner, but are limited in size.

[Collectorpalms]

Purchased an electric saw. So far I am happy with it. ( 1day) but you know when you leave a review the next day it won’t work. But I do detest all the issues with gas engines. I think it will work for everything except my thicker washingtonia ( and probably a very tall Phoenix sylvestris) which I will likely have to have an expert do.

But yes, as expected there is a ton of hair ( fibers) that get into the blade, but at least it’s not so hot that I can’t just pull it out and continue. 

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Homelite-16-in-12-Amp-Electric-Chainsaw-UT43123/203677567

Edited April 1, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[awkonradi]

Stay safe and keep us posted.

[ShadeLover]

Two of my three thirty-foot fan palms (probably Sabal mexicana) near Houston are barely showing signs of life. A third one is not – yet. Since I notice green shoots on various kinds of palms nearby, I have patience. I hope my neighborhood association will have, too. 

Last year they were dressed (dead fronds removed using a very tall ladder) for $250. This year I offered $260 for the same, which was accepted but not yet performed. Could the rental ladders be in high demand and hard to book? 

Some providers use climbing irons, but I don't want the trunks wounded. They have a hard enough time healing when healthy, so yellows is especially likely to take hold when the hearts are barely alive (Meerow, A.W. 2005 Betrock's cold hardy palms 1st Ed Betrock Information System Hollywood, FL). 

[MBD]

  On 3/19/2021 at 12:01 PM, Johnny Palmseed said:

I just had these removed by a tree company and they used what I would consider a small chain saw. They used a lift and a Stihl with a 16” bar and did not have any trouble. It takes slightly longer to cut through as the fibers will have a tendency to bog it down, but not much more than anything else. It cost $650 for both and they ground the stumps too. The biggest problem I think for you will be the weight of the debris. These guys had a skid steer that grabbed the logs that probably weighed about 500 lbs each.

 

IMG_0217.MOV 9.17 MB · 16 downloads IMG_0218.MOV 9.33 MB · 11 downloads

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What tree company did you use? We have three that have to come down, ranging from 12-24’ tall.