Nellie Stevens Holly’s Ball and Burlap Trees (B&B) are moving with great success. We want to cover; the best way to unload the truck, equipment selection, the advantages of pre-digging holes and how to exactly position and straighten trees without damaging the connection between the root ball and the trunk, and the best use of your planting equipment.
Treat the trucker well!
Nellie Stevens Burlap trees and holly balls will arrive in a flatbed truck. Standard trucking practice will allow a two-hour window for unloading, after which the customer will pay the trucker $100 per hour for the additional time needed. This is paid in cash directly to the trucker. Usually the trucker will cut the string holding the tarp in place, but it will help when it’s time to remove the tarp from the trees and help pull it back onto the trailer after unloading, especially if it’s wet. .
Pulling the trees out of the truck
I have a short 7′ piece of 3/8 chain that I made and attached a hook to each end. Put that chain across about five teeth on the bobcat bucket so there is about 2 feet hanging on either side of those teeth. Gently lower the bucket down so the hooks are hanging just above the root balls you want to hook to. Have a helper stay on the truck to connect the chains to the top thread of the wire baskets. If you are unloading 22″ or 28″ root ball trees, you can take two at a time by hooking the chains to the wire basket of two different trees. Hook the upper thread of both wire slippers. If unloading 36″ root ball trees, connect both chains to the same root ball, hook it to the top string at two points at least 16 to 24 inches apart. You can also hook one of the hooks to a bottom string of the wire basket and the other to the top strand. Remember the goal now is to just unload the truck, so at this point the trees don’t have to be hooked in any special way. It’s good if the trees travel at about a 45% angle to If you have a lot of trees, have a helper stay in the truck to hook up the chains, and one helper stay on the ground. trees are out of reach of the truck, then gently lower the bucket so the trees are less than three feet off the ground.You should travel with the trees hanging low to the ground this way in case break a wire basket, Nellie Stevens’s holly won’t fall far enough to damage Have your helper on the ground walk holding the tips of the trees as you travel, so he doesn’t swing backwards and end up under the risers of bobcat rolling. The goal now is to line them up somehow so you can move them into the holes after the trucker has paid and left. Using forks for unloading requires the man (or men) on the trailer to stand each tree vertically on its pointed root ball so that the bobcat operator slides the forks around the tip of the root ball. I previously downloaded using this approach; don’t do it. Someone could get hurt with all that lifting the truck.
Best Download Team
I usually use a T190 bobcat and a 10′ tree bucket on a 28″ root ball. One point about using rental equipment, as I do: make sure they deliver the equipment to you the night before they arrive your trees. Let the rental company know it has to be delivered the night before. Personally, I prefer to go to the job site that night and get the key out so no teenagers go for a ride. I usually order a Bobcat equivalent to T190.
Using a dingo to plant trees.
If you are planting smaller trees, 22 inch root ball in 7′, you can use a Dingo and may have to if you have a 3′ wide door to go through with the trees. One point about using a Dingo – it may be rated to lift 500lbs, which means you can use it to handle the 28 inch root ball trees, but it won’t lift high enough to allow unloading as described above using chains from above the root -balls. You’ll need to get bobby pins with your dingo, then just lift it up to the truck bed or a bit higher if the Thuja Green Giant trees are stacked two at a time. The man in the truck will have to lift more etc as the trees need to be upright to slide the forks under the root ball. If you stop too quickly with a 500lb tree in the forks of a Dingo, your machine could tip forward. If I had a tractor trailer that brought only a half load of 28″ root ball trees, say 45 instead of a full load of 80-90 trees, I could use a Goofy with forks and only have a layer of Nellie Stevens Holly trees wouldn’t be difficult.One problem with using a Dingo, assuming you’re also going to dig the holes with the same machine, it’s easy to blow up the hydraulic seals on the head of the Dingo auger due to digging in rocky soil. your place with the most powerful hydraulics if possible.For example, your Bobcat with delivery and auger attachment might be $650 vs. Goofy’s $450, but remember if the auger head started pouring fluid your job was will stop until you rent the equipment the company sends out a repairman, and only if they have a second auger head are they willing to bring it in. They will realize your rocky ground has ruined an auger head and if they have another one ready to bring They probably won’t let work hurt for a second. I remember the last Dingo re My ntal turned out exactly like this, I had half my holes dug when liquid started coming out, the repair didn’t come all day, finally a neighbor came with a backhoe and headlights and saved the day by digging my holes. Always rent a machine with a higher load capacity than your trees will weigh. Trees with a 22-inch root ball weigh 250 pounds, trees with a 28-inch root ball weigh 500 pounds, trees with a 36-inch root ball weigh 1,000 pounds, and trees with a 44-inch root ball weigh 1,500 pounds if Leyland Cypress, Thuja Green Giant , Nellie Stevens Varieties Holly or Cryptomeria Yoshino. The same size root balls on trees like Zelkova etc. they will be lighter.
Tree weight based on root ball size
Handling larger Cryptomeria Yoshino trees (44-inch root ball and up) can be difficult as they weigh 1,500 pounds or more. Trees over 36 inches from our nursery will have seat belt material woven through the wire basket. When connecting the hooks to the seat belt material, always connect them where they cross so that you distribute the load on both straps.
Security First
As long as the bucket chains are connected to one or more trees you plan to lower from the truck, you can knock down a neighboring tree from the truck. There is a risk to anyone standing on the ground near where the trees fall from the truck. Your man on the ground can walk holding the spikes in your drop zone, but don’t let him be there near the truck where the trees first fell off. One thing to keep in mind that causes an extra tree to be pulled off the truck is that twine wrapped around a tree’s branches can catch on a loose piece of wire in a tree root ball you are lifting. Also, renting a skid steer loader and doing cleaning jobs, etc. It is a good way to learn to handle a bobcat. Don’t learn to drive a bobcat by renting one to unload a tractor trailer full of trees! Your bucket movements should be smooth and easy when working so close to your helpers to be safe. While you’re learning, you’ll occasionally move a controller in the wrong direction and also won’t get fluent with the controls until you’ve run it for eight hours. Always rent a skid steer with a load capacity greater than your trees will weigh.