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Tree Eraser
Robot slowly eats difficult to remove tree from the top down. | |
Most trees can be removed from near homes and other structures with a few well placed cuts with a chain saw. But in few cases when the tree grew up and over the structure, Or the structure built around the tree, there is no easy way to remove it.
The particular tree that triggers this idea has
grown over a mobile home. Then lost the outside half to termites. All the tree above the roof line sits over an aluminum roofed trailer. And the termite clock is ticking.
Could move the home then cut the tree, except for a second tree and slope blocking it in. (Cost to move a mobile home $3 to 5 k)
Normally you would just chainsaw off two foot sections, and that is what we will do with rented forklift to hold up sections to avoid damage.
However, if a robot capable of climbing the tree, and biting off branches and bark, and fist size bits of trunk was available, we would use that. Battery or extension cord powered. Transponder to beacon on the ground so robot knows what side is up and not to saw off the limb it is resting on.
(??) Could you use one of these?
http://timberpro.co...chers/tl735b-8-.jpg
[scad mientist, Jul 29 2014]
You mean like this?
https://www.youtube...watch?v=LYKg0gbRFns
[ytk, Jul 30 2014]
[link]
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//(Cost to move a mobile home $3 to 5 k) |
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Surely it doesn't take that much dynamite to move a house? |
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Have you considered trained chimps with chainsaws? |
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You might be able to put chains around that big branch, and also around an upper portion of the trunk, to support the branch while being cut. |
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So, essentially... you'd like to be able to program the termites. |
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They make machines that can grab the whole tree,
cut it off, then lay it down where you they want.
See link. It looks like you ought to be able to take it
off in several pieces if you want. Obviously it won't
be cheap to bring in, but it seems like it ought to be
less than $3k. |
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Bind the limbs and trunk of the tree with
close-wound detonating cord. Attach a
detonator on a length of bickford and stand
well back (NB that bit is IMPORTANT). |
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All that comes down is harmless little flakes
and sawdust. Job done. |
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This works amazingly well even for
surprisingly large trees (21 metre high
mature Ash tree). |
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If you have neighbours that might complain,
simply don't tell them and make sure they're
home when you light the fuse. They won't
complain afterwards. |
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You could always pressure-inject lignase and
cellulase near the base of the tree. Assuming it's
still alive enough to do vascular transport, the
enzymes should gradually soften the entire tree to
the point where it sags flaccidly onto the house and
can be dragged off like a giant...well, like a giant
very floppy tree. You could even roll it up to avoid
any dragth on the roof. |
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/ Mobile homes are so-called because they are towable, are they not? Why's it so expensive to move one / |
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This particular one is up on blocks, skirted, with wheels and tow bar removed. The axles and wheels need to be reattached. A tow bar welded back on. the skirting removed and the various plumbing for gas water electric and sewer severed. The blocks pulled. |
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A special crew works a couple days to get the thing so it can move. Most mobile homes are " we can move from the factory to your lot, but it will never move again". |
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RV trailers are much easier to move. |
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/ They make machines that can grab the whole tree, cut it off, then lay it down where you they want. See link. / |
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I doubt that particular machine would work in this case. It is just too big. The road in front is almost two cars wide. |
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If you could just purchase that large vise and weld/bolt it on off the back of a large pick up truck. You could then back up to the tree, clamp on, and chain saw the trunk below the vise. Then drive the whole tree to a vacant parking lot for a carefree disassembly. |
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// carefree disassembly // |
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There's a piece of equipment that's designed to
pretty much erase
a tree (link). It's essentially a giant mulcher
attached to an excavator. It's actually sort of
disturbing to see the efficiency with which it makes trees
suddenly just not be there anymore. |
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Wow, I'm trying to imagine the horsepower required
to keep that shredder turning as it grinds an entire
tree in a few seconds... |
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Seems like a waste of good wood, but I guess with
current regulations, it's probably cheaper to just
shred it than attempt to get the permits that would
be required to sell the wood. |
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/biting off branches and bark/
I know what could do this, and it is cheap. It is fire. If the tree were lit on fire at the crown, it would convert to CO2 and harmless ash little by little. Small spindly stuff would burn first which is what you want. Larger bits would take longer and by the time they did burn they would no longer be supporting anything. |
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Bonus: if you did it on a stormy day you could blame lightning, sidestepping tiresome laws and permits. I am leery of actually inviting lightning to do the work for you although you would need to if you were morally troubled by lying. WcW has recently on this site emphasized the extreme sloth and scurrilousness of lightning bolts. |
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sloth and lightning bolts [+] |
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Hmmm. Inject the tree with Sterno under
high pressure ? |
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<wanders away to get chemical
dampproofing injection kit, eyes up likely
trees> |
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If the tree were exposed to a mixture of
concentrated nitric and sulphuric acids, it
would be converted to nitrocellulose … oooh,
pretty … |
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That is quite a machine in the link. James Bond would need to use one of his nine lives to survive that. |
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A pickup mounted unit 1 /10 the size might be just the thing to solve the tree dying next to/on top of a house problem. or Chainsaw on a long stick ? |
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//permits that would be required to sell the wood// |
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How can you need a permit to sell wood? |
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