Hard Body Spiked Felling Wedge

A hard body spiked felling wedge is a plastic felling wedge with spikes or barbs on its faces that grip the wood so it is less likely to back out of the cut. The hard body takes heavy blows from an axe or sledge without mushrooming as fast as softer wedges.

Why spikes help

Smooth plastic wedges can spit back out of a wet or frozen kerf, especially when you drive them hard or the tree settles. Spikes on the faces give the wedge some bite, so it stays where you set it while you drive it home or step around the stump.

Set the wedge in the back cut as soon as there is room, then drive it to keep the kerf open and lift the tree toward the face. Use plastic or composite wedges near a running chain, never steel. More options are in felling wedges.

Hard body wedges cost little, so it pays to carry several in different sizes. A thin wedge starts the lift in a narrow kerf, and a thicker one takes over once there is room. The spiked faces matter most on the first wedge in, when the kerf is tight and the wedge is most likely to pop out under the first few blows.

Wedge sense

Stack wedges or use two side by side for more lift, and keep a few sizes on the belt. A wedge is not a substitute for a good face, proper hinge and correct back cut. Felling should follow ANSI Z133 and be done by trained sawyers with proper PPE.

Retire wedges with cracked bodies, deep cuts from the chain, or heads so mushroomed that they glance off when struck. A broken wedge in a loaded back cut is the last thing you want.