# Come-a-long smackdown, dyno don't lie



## AT sawyer (Oct 10, 2010)

I see this topic over and over, so I thought I'd put it to the test, since I have the gear. I put three come-a-longs (standard ratchet and bail come-a-long, Maasdam Rope puller, and a TU-17 Griphoist) on a Dillon dynamometer and tensioned them to the max. 

The standard wire come-a-long was the cheapest at about 20.00 and the weakest of the bunch. It would still pull 1000lbs tension on the wire, though at that point the 16.5" long wishbone arm, mic'd at .115", was about to fail. It's undersized hooks wouldn't fit the usual 7/8" screw pin shackles I use. 

The Maasdam rope puller, about 60.00, tensioned its rope to 1150lbs and still had some room to go. I tried to get a pic of the dyno on full Maasdam tension, but the rope's stretch backed down the dial by the time I got the camera ready. The 18.5" wishbone arm mic'd at .125", a bit stouter than the standard come-a-long and an overall better-made product. It's hooks fit the 7/8" shackles.

The TU-17 Griphoist, 300.00 used on Ebay, passed 1000lbs easily and ran the dyno to 2000lbs tension without full effort. Though rated at 2000lbs, its 30" lever put 2500lbs tension on the dyno without hitting the shear load of it's safety pins. It's hooks also fit the 7/8" shackles.

For my dollar, the TU-17 Griphoist took this somewhat unfair contest without a second thought, as I expected it would. The Maasdam rope puller was impressive with its quality and unlimited rope length, though rope stretch is a factor when using it for controlled felling. The standard come-a-long was (maybe) worth what I paid for it, and is a light-duty tool of dodgy quality.

*Three come-a-longs*





*Mic on the Maasdam*




*Standard come-a-long struggling with 1000lbs*




*Maasdam pulling beyond 1000lbs*
http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=153650&stc=1&d=1286748758
*TU-17 Griphoist pulling past 2000lbs tension*
http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=153649&d=1286748232


----------



## dingeryote (Oct 10, 2010)

THIS is good stuff to know!

Thanks for taking the time and effort, to put this stuff together and post it here!


Stay safe!
Dingeryote


----------



## Industry (Oct 10, 2010)

Repped! thanks for the info.


----------



## flushcut (Oct 10, 2010)

Good stuff! Those Massdam pullers have really paid for themselves.


----------



## 2dogs (Oct 10, 2010)

Great post. I have a MorePower and a larger Tirfor (Grip Hoist). Both have their place and time.


----------



## wvlogger (Oct 17, 2010)

Good test but you should have tested the more power puller or red deviles i got a set and i can rip cars apart with em


http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=17435&catID=12168


----------



## AT sawyer (Oct 17, 2010)

That's a beasty looking tool. If I'd had one, I would've tested it. Since getting my Griphoist though, I haven't needed any more power beyond adding a snatch block or two to the existing setup.


----------



## wvlogger (Oct 18, 2010)

AT sawyer said:


> That's a beasty looking tool. If I'd had one, I would've tested it. Since getting my Griphoist though, I haven't needed any more power beyond adding a snatch block or two to the existing setup.



i got one that thing just does not know when to stop we got 54" slate bars for handles man talk about power


----------



## treemandan (Oct 18, 2010)

Good post, thanks for taking the time


----------



## AT sawyer (Oct 18, 2010)

A 54" bar is some kind of leverage. Your puller must not have a shear pin or overload device. My TU-17 Griphoist shears pins at 3000lb, making it impossible to overload its WLL. But once those pins are sheared, I'm done for the day.


----------



## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 19, 2010)

TreeCo said:


> . The gets the rope puller operator out of the direction of the falling tree.




Where's the fun in *that*?






Excellent post, AT! 



Now how about a stretch comparison between Amsteel Blue and wire rope?


----------



## John Ellison (Oct 19, 2010)

TreeCo said:


> The Maasdam rope puller for the type of tree work I do is far more useful than a come-along. For felling trees I typically rig mine for a 2/1 mechanical advantage using 5/8 rope in the tree to a redirect pulley on the ground ending with a pulley that takes the 1/2 inch three strand the rope puller requires. The gets the rope puller operator out of the direction of the falling tree.



Yep, if the line is set in the top quarter of the tree, you have enough leverage to pull over about anything but the heavy lean/large dia. trees. Smaller trees are easy against the lean even without the 2/1.


----------



## AT sawyer (Oct 19, 2010)

I've used the MAASDAM with multiple pulleys for both greater pulling power and redirection. Just adds to the versatility of the device. I can do the same with the Griphoist, but all the associated gear gets heavy to haul around.


----------



## wvlogger (Oct 20, 2010)

AT sawyer said:


> A 54" bar is some kind of leverage. Your puller must not have a shear pin or overload device. My TU-17 Griphoist shears pins at 3000lb, making it impossible to overload its WLL. But once those pins are sheared, I'm done for the day.



she sure dont the factory hadle is the saftey but they are so short you can not get a good pull


----------



## lone wolf (Nov 30, 2011)

wvlogger said:


> Good test but you should have tested the more power puller or red deviles i got a set and i can rip cars apart with em
> 
> 
> http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=17435&catID=12168



Hey that looks pretty good.I use an old school 3 ton chain come a long heavy and slow but it will pull a 17000 pound truck out of the mud.


----------



## Greenstar (Aug 19, 2012)

Guys, have any of you ever had the rope start slipping in the Maasdan Rope Puller when under heavy load?
I used it for the first time trying to pull a very heavy log up onto a trailer, and the True Blue line we were using kept slipping through. We had to abort the mission. And it was a newer clean rope too.

Now I worry about this puller's reliability if I were to ever trust it to pull a tree with a bad lean.

Any thoughts!??


----------



## AT sawyer (Aug 19, 2012)

True Blue is 12 strand. The Maasdam puller is designed to work with three-strand and will slip on braided. Bailey's says it works with True Blue, but I've had it slip on braided ropes and will not use them in my Maasdam Puller. The bail of the Maasdam tool has ridges that conform to a three strand rope and lock it down when under tension. Smoother ropes can slip.

When I need absolute positive control of a tree, I use a Griphoist.


----------



## flushcut (Aug 19, 2012)

Yep use 3 strand.


----------

