Husqvarna 55 Rancher Operator's Manual page 24

Felling direction
The aim is to fell the tree in a position where you can limb and
cross-cut the log as easily as possible. You want it to fall in a
location where you can stand and move about safely.
Once you have decided which way you want the tree to fall
you must judge which way the tree would fall naturally.
Several factors affect this:
• Lean of the tree
• Bend
• Wind direction
• Arrangement of branches
• Weight of snow
• Obstacles within the reach of the tree: for example, other
trees, power lines, roads and buildings.
• Look for signs of damage and rot in the stem, this makes
it more probably that the tree will break and start to fall
before you expect it to.
You may find you are forced to let the tree fall in its natural
direction because it is impossible or dangerous to try to make
it fall in the direction you first intended.
Another very important factor, which does not affect the felling
direction but does affect your safety, is to make sure the tree
has no damaged or dead branches that might break off and
hit you during felling.
The main point to avoid is letting the tree fall onto another
tree. It is very dangerous to remove a trapped tree and there
is high accident risk. See instructions under the heading
Freeing a tree that has fallen badly.
IMPORTANT! During critical felling operations, hearing
protectors should be lifted immediately when sawing is
completed so that sounds and warning signals can be
heard.
24 –
English
WORKING TECHNIQUES
Clearing the trunk and preparing your retreat
Delimb the stem up to shoulder height. It is safer to work from
the top down and to have the tree between you and the saw.
Remove any undergrowth from the base of the tree and check
the area for obstacles (stones, branches, holes, etc.) so that
you have a clear path of retreat when the tree starts to fall.
Your path of retreat should be roughly 135 degrees away from
the intended felling direction.
Retreat path
Felling
WARNING! Unless you have special training
!
we advise you not to fell trees with a
diameter larger than the bar length of your
saw!
Felling is done using three cuts. First you make the directional
cuts, which consist of the top cut and the bottom cut, then you
finish with the felling cut. By placing these cuts correctly you
can control the felling direction very accurately.
Directional cuts
To make the directional cuts you begin with the top cut. Stand
to the right of the tree and cut on the pull stroke.
Next make the bottom cut so that it finishes exactly at the end
of the top cut.