The mechanism operates by employing a sequence of air-filled pneumatic bladders positioned beneath a sturdy lifting platform, exerting minimal pressure on the ground. After the tree is extracted, this device enables smooth movement of the tree across various surfaces, ranging from grass to solid concrete. Capable of handling trees with root balls measuring over 36 feet (11 meters) in diameter and trees weighing up to one million pounds (453,592 kilograms), this system facilitates efficient tree removal.

What are some machines that can move trees without harming them?

So, without further ado, here are some examples of mighty machines that can uproot and move trees without permanently harming them. This list is far from exhaustive and is in no particular order.

1. Check out this enormous hydraulic tree spade

One company has managed to design, patent, and build one of the world’s largest tree spades in existence. This monster is completely hydraulic and is able to excavate, lift, and move an entire tree without doing it any harm.

Called “Arborlift”, the machine has helped revolutionize the world of giant, and smaller, tree transplanting. This machine eliminates the need for hiring hydraulic cranes and heavy-duty trailers and transporters as part of the tree relocation process.

The system works by utilizing a series of inflatable pneumatic bladders with near-zero ground bearing pressure beneath a rigid lifting platform. Once the tree is extracted, this machine allows the tree to be rolled over many surfaces from turf to concrete.

This system is able to remove trees with root balls in excess of 36 feet (11 meters) in diameter and trees not exceeding one million pounds (453,592 kgs) in weight.

2. Meet “Big John” the Tree Spade

This is another example of a specialized machine that is able to dig up and move an entire tree safely. These specialized Tree Spade machines are able to extract trees up to around 100 cm in girth.

“Big John” is a 1.6 m 4 x 4 truck-mounted Tree Spade. According to the company that operates this machine, it was imported into Europe from the USA where such machines are more commonplace for large development sites.

The machine works by effectively plunging its enormous jaws into the soil underneath a tree to extract it and most of its roots out of the ground in one go. Its mounting vehicle has a set of extra-wide floatation tires that minimize ground compaction as much as possible.

This machine is around 2.5 meters wide, 3.9 meters tall and weighs somewhere in the region of 10,000 kg without a tree. It can handle trees with trunk diameters of between 100 and 160 mm with rootballs up to 1.6 meters in diameter, and up to a maximum of 2,500 kg in weight.

3. The Optimal 1100 is a pretty awesome tree moving machine

The Optimal 1100 is yet another amazing tree moving machine that doesn’t harm the target tree during the process. This machine is usually mounted on the back of another vehicle, like a Kramer 520 compact loader, and can move most species of deciduous and coniferous trees up to 110 mm in stem diameter.

This kind of setup is able to navigate and move tress in tree nurseries and orchards. Like other tree spades, it sinks its claws into the ground and extracts the tree, with its roots, from the ground in one piece.