Having trees on your property that are placed in bad spots could lead to injury to people and property. Sometimes, you might need to remove trees from your yard for safety reasons, but you might not want to pay professionals to come out and do the job.
Cutting down a tree on your property is something that you’d normally use a chainsaw for. If you don’t have one, it’s going to make things a bit tougher than normal.
How can you cut down a small tree without a chainsaw? Well, you have a few different options that you can try out.
Below, you’ll get information about how to cut down a small tree when you don’t have a chainsaw. Once you’ve read all of the information, you can choose which option appeals to you the most.
Use an Axe
Using an axe is likely the most common option when you want to cut a tree down without using a chainsaw. Depending on how small the tree is, this will either be practical or difficult.
It’s important to make sure that you can cut the tree down safely. If the tree is tall and heavy, you’ll have to guide it down carefully to avoid hurting yourself or others.
If you don’t plan ahead, your small tree could come crashing down on your house or your car. This would be unfortunate, but it can be avoided by understanding how to guide the tree down properly.
Felling a tree with an axe involves cutting notches into the tree. You cut notches in such a way to create a pivot point that will ensure that the tree falls in the right direction.
The basic idea is to aim to cut the notches into the tree between knee and waist-high height. You should wind up with triangular cuts that have a flat bottom and slope up at 45 degrees.
To start, you’ll be cutting one-third of the way through the trunk. To finally bring the tree down, you go to your original notch and deepen it.
Listen so that you can hear cracking sounds. You’ll need to step out of the way when the tree starts to fall.
Admittedly, this can be a bit dangerous. If the tree is small, it’ll be less dangerous than felling a large tree that could kill you if it lands on you.
No matter what, keep your wits about you so that you don’t get injured or worse. If you’re concerned about being able to do this safely with just an axe, it might be better not to attempt it yourself.
Use a Winch
Another option is to use a winch to pull the tree down. If you have access to a winch, this could be a reliable way to get the small tree to come down.
This is going to be safer than using an axe to fell the tree. Many people choose to use winches to pull down dead trees.
A winch is handy because it can help you to direct the tree as it’s falling down, too. Of course, you’ll need to use a winch that is of the appropriate size based on the tree that you’re taking down.
If you wish to use the winch to pull down the tree without doing any cutting, it’s going to be important to use thick cables. Some people will cut the tree a bit using an axe, and then use the winch to pull the tree down.
Before doing anything, you can go scout the area and plan where you want the tree to fall. Essentially, you’re going to use the winch to pull the tree in a safe direction, so it doesn’t hurt anyone or destroy anything.
You’ll need to stretch the cable to twice the length of the tree that you want to knock down to be safe. Tighten the winch, and you’ll be able to pull the tree down in the right direction.
Many people attach winches to tractors or trucks to do such jobs. Just be sure to put enough distance between you and the tree so that the tree doesn’t fall on the vehicle or you.
Can You Borrow or Rent a Chainsaw?
You could simply borrow a chainsaw from a friend to get the job done. This doesn’t make the job easy or safe, but it will be faster than trying to cut the tree down with a felling axe.
If you know someone who owns a chainsaw, you can ask them politely if they’re willing to let you borrow it. Should this individual have experience cutting down trees, they might even help you by giving you advice.
It’s also possible to rent chainsaws from different stores. This is handy when you have wood that you need to cut up but aren’t willing to pay the cash to buy a brand new chainsaw.
Renting a chainsaw should be a fairly affordable prospect. This could be a good option that will help you out.
However, it’s important to understand the dangers of using chainsaws. Making mistakes could cause you to hurt yourself.
You need to wear protective gear when using chainsaws. If you don’t own the right gear, it likely isn’t the best idea to use a chainsaw to cut down a tree.
Keep all of this in mind before moving forward. If you’re at all nervous about using a chainsaw, it might be wise to think of another option.
Call Professionals
What most people do when they need trees felled is call professionals. Professionals can come out to your home and remove the trees from your property.
These experts have the necessary equipment and expertise to fell trees that are big or small. They can chop them down fast and guide them down carefully to avoid damaging your home or other nearby things.
If you want to have the easiest time removing a tree from your yard, this is the way to go. It’s much faster and safer to let someone that knows how to take trees down safely do the job.
It’s also very convenient to have professionals dispose of the tree for you. They will cut it up and haul it off for a price.
Of course, you might not like the idea of paying someone to cut the tree down. Professional tree removal can cost a fair bit of cash, after all.
Removing one small tree likely won’t cost a ton of money, but it would still be less costly to remove the tree yourself. It simply comes down to how comfortable you are with doing the job yourself.
Final Thoughts
You know about the options that you have for cutting the tree down now. It’s likely going to be easy enough to cut a small tree down using a simple axe.
However, you will need to be careful to ensure that you don’t damage anything. Cut notches into the tree and guide it down safely to avoid smashing your property or hurting yourself.
Using a winch to pull the tree down is another idea that could work. You could pull the tree down with the winch from a safe distance.
It’s also possible to simply call professionals to take care of everything. They can come out to your home and take the tree down in a timely fashion.
Choose what you want to do based on your budget. The most expensive option is to call experts to do the job, but it’s also the safest option when you have no experience felling trees.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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