Jeep to the rescue once again... On Friday evening I got a call from my wife... who rarely gets riled up... and in the very short yet severe storm at about 6pm we lost 6 trees near the house. We live beside a creek and as that water got flowing, plus the wind, plus the shallow roots of the tulip poplar and the oaks... bam, six of them down. Any one of these trees was big enough to do real damage to the house, but fortunately, none hit the house.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for her 2002 Subaru Forester
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Happily, there was only body damage. We had a full day cutting "Booger" (the Subaru's name), and after a close inspection, we had no damage other than body damage. Doors still open, no glass cracked, suspension was bottomed out but held up to the strain.
The jeep came into play by getting me home, through the woods, around the trees that were down and blocking the main road. Thankfully the vehicle was capable of getting past the obstacles without having to clear them first. Then by utilizing the winch to drag logs and also to put one of the stumps back in place. No tree cracked, they all fell over intact, with root ball attached. Here are some pics to give you an idea of the size we are dealing with. Smallest tree down is about 18" in diameter.
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On one tree that was down across a section of our road, I cut about a 15 foot piece and dragged it out of the road with my superwinch. Good stuff.
I have 3 trees left to go. The biggest oak is probably 25-30 across and is being held up precariously by another tulip poplar, which is bent over under tremendous pressure. I have a fair amount of experience taking down trees and recognize the danger of all that pent up energy, so am trying to formulate the safest plan I can. Since no structures were damaged homeowners insurance is not helping, but I will figure it out.
All in all, we faired well. Booger is still drivable, although dented in the roof and front and rear quarter panel. We heat with wood so lets just say we will be warm for a few winters. Finally the clean up, so far, was a true family affair with myself, Ann, Jonah and little Joe all pitching in. Sore today, but alas... family together working hard equals good times in my book.
John
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