Smitty Two wrote:

Based on Archimedes' bold lever concept and some drinking, I've come up
with a plan to pull down a dead tree with my Toyota Avalon and a few
lengths of stout towing chain. The tree is a birch, about 8-10" diameter
and maybe 30' tall. Those are rough estimates as I'm not currently on
site.

Depends a lot on the root system and your traction. If it grows in
a wetland and you can pull from some blacktop- you stand a chance
as-is.


I'd like to pull it down rather than cutting it down, so that I can get
most of the roots and leave a nice hole for a replacement tree. The plan
would involve chaining the tree about 15' above ground, and hooking the
other end to some stout part of the car. There is plenty of clearance
around the tree, and it's right next to the driveway.

I would cut a trench with an adze about a foot deep 2-3 feet away from
the far side of the tree. That *might* do it. Birches aren't real
brittle, so you might just get away with it.

Read Frost's "Birches" so it can be rolling in your head if things go
wrong.
http://www.bartleby.com/104/66.html

Now that I'm sober, I'm ready to suffer the slings and arrows of your
feedback. Is this concept even remotely feasible? What if I rented a 4
wheel drive truck with manual transmission? Or, if I could get even more
chain and a come-along, use the base of a bigger tree across the street?

Give the Tacoma a go-- But by all means have the video camera running.
stuff like this might just be boring, but hey- it could be worth
$10K.g

Jim