I consider myself a fairly experienced tree guy and just have to comment on the safety aspect. In looking at the pictures, I'm not sure why you needed to winch to such a small tree to fell it on level ground (30 ft is a small tree).
Baseshakers wrote: one was huge, i had almost all the line spooled out and the tip of the tree ended up 5' from the hood. i was pretty proud of the jeep, the winch pulled one tree down all the way to the root ball, no cutting required! however, one pull was so hard the engine turned over. (jeep was off, i was standing outside) all in all a fun and productive day, made a whole lot easier by the jeep!
You didn't have any weights on your winch line. With that angle and the softness of the pine, if it ever broke or cut through, the line would snap back and possibly kill you. You're also lucky the tree didn't crush you. It would have turned your fun and productive day into a funeral.
If your dad needs help, it's worth the money to call a pro. If you want to save money and feel comfortable, then cut the damn thing down the right way. People don't realize the forces involved with tree felling. A good friend of mine who owned and operated a tree felling business was killed 5 years ago this month when an 80' tall / 3 feet diameter white pine bounced off another tree and struck him. 30+ years experience and he died on the way to the hospital.
Sorry if I sound like the mother hen and thread killer. During the tornado cleanup effort, a couple of guys and myself managed about 80 folks with all sorts of equipment, over a long weekend, cleaning up several acres of multiple species of trees. We didn't have one injury. Just want you to be safe .
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