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.

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.

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?

The tree will snap off halfway up, and land on top of your car. The
remaining half and roots will remain firmly in the ground until you go
kick it at which point it will snap off at ground level and fall on top
of you leaving only the roots and a 6" high stump.

Think chain saw and stump grinder.