# Need some rigging gear



## Lil Red (Oct 17, 2012)

Ok so I have borrowed rigging gear long enough and its time to pull the trigger on some of my own. Looking for some good suggestions, not looking to break the bank but I do like quality equipment, just not overly expensive if you know what I mean. 

Any advice on the sherrill tree lowering rigging kit Includes:

- Large Stainless Steel Portawrap
- Whoopie Sling (3/4" Tenex, adjusts 4'-12')
- Steel CMI Block
- 16' Eye Sling
- Loopie Sling (5/8" Tenex, adjusts 2'-6')
- 150 ft. 5/8" StableBraid

Buy this Lowering Kit and save $53!!! That's a $572.70 value for $519.95!


----------



## deevo (Oct 18, 2012)

Lil Red said:


> Ok so I have borrowed rigging gear long enough and its time to pull the trigger on some of my own. Looking for some good suggestions, not looking to break the bank but I do like quality equipment, just not overly expensive if you know what I mean.
> 
> Any advice on the sherrill tree lowering rigging kit Includes:
> 
> ...



Consider it an investment that you will have for a long time (rope needs replacement when needed) i have all sizes of ropes, I use my 9/16 dynasorb the most. 5/8 and 3/4 comes out only on the bigger trees. Go for it


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 18, 2012)

deevo said:


> Consider it an investment that you will have for a long time (rope needs replacement when needed) i have all sizes of ropes, I use my 9/16 dynasorb the most. 5/8 and 3/4 comes out only on the bigger trees. Go for it



This being my first rigging rope I am thinking 5/8 and 200ft with the idea that it will be a little more versatile until I accumulate more gear to use appropriately for each job. I'm on the right track? Or would 9/16 and 150ft suffice as all around set up for now? I like the first idea that way at least in most situations I would have more than enough for now, hopefully.


----------



## deevo (Oct 18, 2012)

Lil Red said:


> This being my first rigging rope I am thinking 5/8 and 200ft with the idea that it will be a little more versatile until I accumulate more gear to use appropriately for each job. I'm on the right track? Or would 9/16 and 150ft suffice as all around set up for now? I like the first idea that way at least in most situations I would have more than enough for now, hopefully.



Always better to have a bigger rope then smaller!:msp_thumbup:


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 19, 2012)

So would it be smart to spend the extra cash and get the 5/8 200ft or 5/8 and 150ft or something different


----------



## 2treeornot2tree (Oct 19, 2012)

If you can only have one rope, i would go with the 3/4" 200' stable braid. You have to use a block if you get stable braid. If you natural crotch it, it milks the cover.


----------



## Dannicus (Oct 19, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> If you can only have one rope, i would go with the 3/4" 200' stable braid. You have to use a block if you get stable braid. If you natural crotch it, it milks the cover.



Agreed. still think you'd be alright with 5/8, but thats just me.


----------



## imagineero (Oct 19, 2012)

You'll be fine with 5/8. You could even go 9/16 as your first line. Just go a little smaller on the pieces. 

If it were me, I'd be skipping the kit and just getting some bits and bobs. Normal size non stainless porty is fine. 200' of 5/8, or 150' of 9/16. Stable braid is a good cheap rope, but as noted don't go natural crothching with it. Better quality ropes like double esterlon handle nicer, but stable braid is just fine for a first rope. I'd skip the expensive slings suppied and instead go with a single 1T rigging sling (about $5). Get a 1m one, and a 2m one maybe. For rigging the porty, just get 30' of rope and timber hitch it. I'd spend a bit more money on a heavier duty block. You'll be wanting another block soon. 

Shaun


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 19, 2012)

So this is what I have come up with so far, how does this list look?

Rigging gear list:
* Rope
- Yale dynasorb 5/8 200' $238
*blocks and Slings
- 2.2 ton ss flame block by isc 5/8 $140 with 6-ft tanex loopie sling $44
or
- 3/4 16ft w/2 ton steel bock $148
or
- aluminum spring-lock block & 5/8 tanex sling, 2.4 ton $205 (I like this idea the best)
* Lowering Device
- large stainless steel portawrap & 16' eye sling $150 (It's on a deal right now but I might wait to get it and just make a couple wraps around the tree, what do you think?)

I might go to Vermeer today  :msp_biggrin:


----------



## Zale (Oct 19, 2012)

Set a budget for yourself and stick to that amount. As you go along, some things work and others don't. You can spend a ton of money for "the latest and greatest" but I find the simpler the better. Be careful, you can turn into a gear head junkie before you know it.


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 19, 2012)

Ya I hear ya, I have to many hobbies so I've learned to manage it. I'm looking for quality and efficiency, not looking to pay for something just because its the new thing.


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 19, 2012)

The price difference between the 200' and 150' is about $60 is that 50' extra worth $60?


----------



## beastmaster (Oct 20, 2012)

Lil Red said:


> The price difference between the 200' and 150' is about $60 is that 50' extra worth $60?



It is if you need it. 

9/16 Dynasorb is strong rated rope with a WLL of 1500lbs. A good rope for catching tops and the first 30 ft. of a tall tree(not all at once). A 100 ft tree, taking an 8 foot top will only leave you with a short tail after running it though the lowing device. A 150 ft rope leaves you short. It's well worth having two ropes, The 9/16 or even 1/2 in , 200 ft. and then a more costly bull rope, 5/8 in or 3/4 in, 150 ft. 
Husky rope's bull lines are reasonably(cheaper) price and are pretty good lines. 
I use 1/2 in three strand rope for lowing branches through crotches. 200ft. of that is 55.00. Cheap, tough, and a good beater rope to preserve and prolong the life your expensive ropes.
If I could only have one. I would have 5/8 in stable braid, 200 ft. But if you didn't do a lot of big wood the 9/16 Daynasorb would be a good choice also.


----------



## imagineero (Oct 20, 2012)

Bear in mind, too, that the working load limit of a rope refers to the load, not the weight of the piece you're roping down. When using that WLL, a good safety factor for tops/branches is 5:1 (ie; for a 1500lb WLL, don't take pieces bigger than 300lbs) and for negative rigging blocks down 10:1 is more realistic (ie for a 1500lb WLL, blocks no heavier than 150lb). Sounds like a lot, but you'd be surprised at the forces blocks can generate. Branches are generally rigged from above, so they don't create as much of a shock load, and they also often create a lot of 'sail effect' with their foliage which slows their descent and consequently the way the rope takes up the load.

You can go heavier than this, but doing so will reduce the life of your rope significantly and increase the chances of destroying the rope. I've got a good chart somewhere that shows a graph of cycles to failure for ropes based on shock loads as a percentage of breaking strain. Bear in mind here, that the shock load is, again, the total force felt by the rope, not the weight of the piece. When the 'shock' is under 20% of the breaking strain, cycles to failure are very high - many thousands of cycles. As the percentage goes up, the CTF go down dramatically. Off the top of my head, once you're getting close to 90%, I think you only get a handful of cycles before the rope fails. 

Using the above safety factors will help keep your shock loads within the 20% of breaking strain. That means safety, and a long rope life. If you use pulleys instead of natural crotching, there's no reason you can't get years out of a rope, and applying a lesser load on a rope reduces glazing/melting too. Just keep your saws away from the line and you'll be smiling all the way to the bank.

Shaun


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 20, 2012)

Nice, thanks for the feedback guys. Now I feel a little educated about a decision, and of course ST's website has to take a crap on me, wait till Monday now


----------



## sgreanbeans (Oct 20, 2012)

Shop around bud, there are many other sites above. Could find a deal or a package at one of the others that ST isnt running at the time


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 20, 2012)

Or what about getting a 9/16 200' now, be conscience of weight im rigging with a 3/4 block. And worry about worry about a 3/4 line later? This way I will have one of each extreme and I can spread out expenses. Later I would also get another 3/4 block later too.


----------



## 2treeornot2tree (Oct 20, 2012)

Just get some already. Everyone likes different stuff. Get some, use it and see how you like it. If it doesn't work like you want it to then try something else.


----------



## Lil Red (Oct 23, 2012)

Alright guys thanks for all the help, finally pulled the trigger the other day and got a helmet to so I can :bang: on all my mistakes. lol


----------



## bull2five (Nov 1, 2012)

_


imagineero said:



Bear in mind, too, that the working load limit of a rope refers to the load, not the weight of the piece you're roping down. When using that WLL, a good safety factor for tops/branches is 5:1 (ie; for a 1500lb WLL, don't take pieces bigger than 300lbs) and for negative rigging blocks down 10:1 is more realistic (ie for a 1500lb WLL, blocks no heavier than 150lb). Sounds like a lot, but you'd be surprised at the forces blocks can generate. Branches are generally rigged from above, so they don't create as much of a shock load, and they also often create a lot of 'sail effect' with their foliage which slows their descent and consequently the way the rope takes up the load.

Click to expand...

_


imagineero said:


> Great informative post.
> Does this 5:1 also apply to blocks? If it does, I'm confused as to why the blocks for the same size of rope (example 3/4") have a much higher WLL than the rope to be used in that block.
> Samson Nystron 3/4” Hanks has 23,000 lb. average breaking strength = 2,300 WLL
> CMI 3/4” Stainless Steel Arborist Block MBS: 40,000 lb, 5:1 WLL: =8,000 lb WLL
> ...


----------



## ApexTreeService (Nov 24, 2012)

bull2five said:


> _
> 
> 
> imagineero said:
> ...


----------



## B Harrison (Nov 25, 2012)

I was going to say you might go with 200' since it will be your only rope, but you got there first.

You should buy it anyway as you need to spend some of the money you have been making this year for tax purposes, just remember you getting a huge discount on everything you buy business wise when you don't have to pay taxes on that dollar at the end of the year.


----------



## Carburetorless (Nov 25, 2012)

bull2five said:


> _
> 
> 
> imagineero said:
> ...


----------



## 2treeornot2tree (Nov 25, 2012)

Carburetorless said:


> When selecting rigging rope length you want to think about how far you'll have to lower the highest piece.
> 
> If that first piece is 60 ft up, you'll need...
> 
> ...



WTF are you rambling about. I rig pieces out all the time that are 60' up and I use a 150' long piece of rope and have plenty left over.

You need twice the height of the rigging point, plus a little extra for a tail when you are almost fully lowered. Ex: 60' rig height x 2 120' rope plus 30' tail


----------



## Carburetorless (Nov 25, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> WTF are you rambling about. I rig pieces out all the time that are 60' up and I use a 150' long piece of rope and have plenty left over.
> 
> You need twice the height of the rigging point, plus a little extra for a tail when you are almost fully lowered. Ex: 60' rig height x 2 120' rope plus 30' tail



If you're rigging it straight down to the ground you're right. 

If you have to use a zip line to clear an obstacle or just get it closer to the chipper without handling it twice, then you'll need that extra 60 feet.

Then you end up lugging all that extra rope around even if you're only lowering pieces from 40 feet, so like everyone knows, you're better off with a long rigging line AND a shorter one, but the OP is trying to go the least expensive route, but maybe somewhere in our debate he'll find something useful that he can use later. So it's all good.


----------

