1997 - Volume #21, Issue #5, Page #10
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Manually-Operated "Tripod" Tree Digger
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Wright used 1-in. dia. galvanized steel pipe to make the 8-ft. high tripod and mounted a hand-operated winch on one of the legs. The legs slip into short lengths of larger diameter pipe welded onto a 1/2-in. thick square steel plate. The plate also sup-ports a pulley. The winch is used to lower an 8-sided steel frame down over the top of the tree.
Wright sets the frame up over a tree, then uses a mall to drive 8 tapered steel "spades" down through slots along each side. The spades angle inward to make a point at the bottom. After raising the tree he places a round 3/4-in. thick sheet of plywood over the hole, then sets an 8-sided wooden basket on top of it. He lays burlap in the basket, lowers the tree into it, and pulls out the spades.
"It requires more work than hydraulic-operated commercial tree diggers but it's also far less expensive. I spent a total of only about $20," says Wright. "I got the idea because I had planted 400 trees only 6 ft. apart and there wasn't enough room for a tractor or skid steer loader to maneuver between them."
He used 1/8-in. thick flat steel to make the spades, which are 7 1/2 in. wide on top and 2-in. wide at the bottom.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Harry Wright, HC 50, Box 5565, Red Lodge, Mont. 59068 (ph 406 446-2832).
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