Tractor-Mounted Tree Feller

Tractor-Mounted Tree Feller WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Miscellaneous 30-6-27 Cutting Christmas trees is almost effortless for Wolfgang Rechlin of Lebanon, Conn., thanks to the tractor-mounted chainsaw he rigged up. "It works great on trees that are a maximum of 8 to 10 ft. tall," he says. "A chain saw mounts on a steel plate at the rear of the tractor. He didn't modify the chain saw at all. Once the chain saw is running, he uses a cable to control the throttle from the tractor seat. He fashioned a hand-operated lever to swivel the chainsaw and the plate against tree trunks. "When the tree is cut, you want to be able to direct the way it falls, so there's a fixed arm that pushes it away from the tractor," he explains. "The system works best with a chainsaw with at least a 16 to 18-in. bar. Mine has an 18-in. bar." Rechlin is building a hydraulic tree feller that will use a double acting hydraulic cylinder to swing the saw in either direction, and cut trunks from either the left or right side of the tree. "I spent less than $100 on material costs on this hand-operated unit. I expect the hydraulic one will cost about $200 to make," he says. "I'm retired, but I grow a few Christmas trees, and I like to play around with machinery." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wolfgang Rechlin, 753 Waterman Rd., Lebanon, Conn. 06249 (ph 860 887-6507).

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