# Homemade bits and pieces ?



## tree.bro.NZ (Aug 31, 2011)

With the price of gear at the moment theres bound to be a few bits and pieces you've knocked together your self or even found cheaper alternatives (eg. throwballs, bags, DIY vehicle mods etc....)

Im always keen to save a bit of $$$ and im sure you guys are to, a few ideas and pictures should help us all put a few coins in the holiday fund !

Tj


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## mikewhite85 (Aug 31, 2011)

24 Quart Collapsible Party Cooler

This works great for holding your throwline. You can even put your throw bags in the cup holders! Props to Beastmaster to introducing me to this. Way better than spending 30-40 bucks on a throwcube.


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## BlackOakTreeServ (Aug 31, 2011)

mikewhite85 said:


> 24 Quart Collapsible Party Cooler
> 
> This works great for holding your throwline. You can even put your throw bags in the cup holders! Props to Beastmaster to introducing me to this. Way better than spending 30-40 bucks on a throwcube.



That looks like a weaver rope bag but black with cup holders, and a lot cheaper...


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## ozzy42 (Aug 31, 2011)

I use bras swivels instead or pullies on my climbline and lanyard.Not only because they're cheaper they are less bulky and I just prefer them over the pullies.

I had an old saddle that I cut down with a razor knife so it was just a flat strap with D rings on each end.Used it with a steel crab for attaching a portawrap to my trailer, or a pull line in general.
Worked great ,as the trailer has blunt edges prohibiting a safe rope attachment.Lost it somewhere last year.


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## chad556 (Sep 1, 2011)

I have made a couple things and found a couple low cost solutions. 






Here are a couple whoopie slings I made myself with about $16 worth of tenex (1/2") for my block and portawrap. 
Splicing tenex is quite easy and can be done with any smooth long object and some electrical tape. I used a piece of a plastic coat hanger as my 'fid' for the task. http://www.samsonrope.com/site_files/12S_TenexTec_Whoopie.pdf






Here is another storage solution that works good for me. Its just a 5 gallon bucket with a little bucket organizer on it that you can get at the home depot for 6.99 i believe. Bucket Jockey-80753-1N09 at The Home Depot I can fit my 150' hank of arborplex, 2 whoopie slings, block, portawrap, pruning saw, wedges, felco pruners, scrench, knife, slings, flash light, T27 torx tool, scissors, vice grips, screw drivers, gloves, carabiners, and deadblow hammer all where I need them in an easy to carry system. Even if you have to buy the 5 gallon bucket its still half the cost of the closest comparable rope bag and has way more pockets.






If you know how to use a needle and thread and you can get your hands on some strong heavy duty thread (i use heavy duty upholstry thread, strong stuff) you can make all sorts of custom length slings and splices and gear (homemade throwbags anyone?:msp_thumbup Above you can see my first attempt at playing around with sewn splice techniques. They may not be pretty but I have failed to break them yet (havent used it to climb, that one is just a test to see if my stitching can hold up) I have also used my sewing skills to make all of my slings, which have held up well to all kinds of abuse, and even the bridge of my saddle.






The double floating bridge setup you see here is very similar to the new tribe Nikosi saddle except that it only cost around $190 to build instead of $360.

The great part about making things yourself, aside from the savings $$$, is that you can customize it to meet your specific needs and you also know exactly how much (or how little:hmm3grin2orange you can trust your life with it.

My next project that I will be working on is an improved bigshot for under $50. We will see how well that one works out...thankfully im rather adept at the cradle toss method but it would be nice to have a higher degree of accuracy.


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## Ghillie (Sep 1, 2011)

chad556 said:


> If you know how to use a needle and thread and you can get your hands on some strong heavy duty thread (i use heavy duty upholstry thread, strong stuff) you can make all sorts of custom length slings and splices and gear (homemade throwbags anyone?:msp_thumbup Above you can see my first attempt at playing around with sewn splice techniques. They may not be pretty but I have failed to break them yet (havent used it to climb, that one is just a test to see if my stitching can hold up) I have also used my sewing skills to make all of my slings, which have held up well to all kinds of abuse, and even the bridge of my saddle.



That scares the hell out of me. There is no way I would ever climb on that.


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## chad556 (Sep 2, 2011)

Ghillie said:


> That scares the hell out of me. There is no way I would ever climb on that.


 
It scares me too a little, honestly. The first time I saw that in a catalog I though no way I would trust that in a life support capacity. I am going to see what kind of force it takes to break this one that I've made first and depending on the results I may put one into production for actual use. It will, however, include much more careful stitching than the prototype as well as heat shrink wrap around it to prevent abrasion. They say that this method preserves the maximum amount of rope strength. I've got plenty of thread and bee line to practice on and abuse. I guess we shall see...


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## tree.bro.NZ (Sep 2, 2011)

chad556 said:


> It scares me too a little, honestly. The first time I saw that in a catalog I though no way I would trust that in a life support capacity. I am going to see what kind of force it takes to break this one that I've made first and depending on the results I may put one into production for actual use. It will, however, include much more careful stitching than the prototype as well as heat shrink wrap around it to prevent abrasion. They say that this method preserves the maximum amount of rope strength. I've got plenty of thread and bee line to practice on and abuse. I guess we shall see...


 
Thumbs up for you bucket mate !! i'll be whiping one of those babys up this weekend brilliant idea. Id say your sling will be fine for rigging etc.. and if you can rig a couple of tonne of it, id be making a few more for climbing. 

kia ora bro, tj


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## ozzy42 (Sep 2, 2011)

ozzy42 said:


>


 
Made this chip blade for the lil 252.
Can't see the expanded metal too good in the small pic but it acts as an extra see thru guard while in the upright position.
I made one for a friend also, and another for my cuz in Ark.


I made my own portawrap as well.
Took me a few trys to get it right though.


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## outofmytree (Sep 2, 2011)

Ghillie said:


> That scares the hell out of me. There is no way I would ever climb on that.


 
Amen to that. I love homemade stuff but the moment you put a critical load on it you better be certain it will equal or better the store bought version or someone is going to pay a heavy price. Me I would be taking a splicing course, get trained to do it exactly right and then "experiment".

Ok off my soapbox now.

Had my loaders grapple modified with 2 100mm diameter pipes and cross bars so instead of the portawrap being on the tree it's on the loader. Where the PW used to be on the base of the tree we now use a pulley and the rest of the rigging as per normal. You can drive in, have the climber tip tie the limb, tie up then reverse out and lift up smooth as silk. Once the limb is cut free, lower as per a PW. The best part is that you already have the loader in the right place to drag the limb out to the chipper and by the time you get back the climber is set to go again. My boys LOVE not having to drag if they don't have to!


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## ozzy42 (Sep 2, 2011)

chad556 said:


> I have made a couple things and found a couple low cost solutions.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Love the sling and the bucket.

Not so sure about the i2i though.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Sep 27, 2011)

I played around with sewing my own 1" tubular webbing slings. Me and a friend tested them by backing our trucks up to each other and laying the sling over the ball hitch. we could drag each other around in 4 wheel drive without breaking them. The only way we broke them was to slack them about 6" and punch the gas. The webbing always seemed to brake at the edge of the stiching. So we concluded that the stiching actually weekins the webbing. It was fun to play around with but other then making some non life holding things, I didnt persue it any further. All it takes is one to many or not enough stitches and your dead. Not worth it.


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## chad556 (Sep 28, 2011)

Its true stitching does weaken the fibers in webbing. I would imagine on a near microscopic level all those threads passing through the material cause all kinds of binding and twisting forces when put under a heavy load. Thing is that professionally made webbing slings break right on the stitching, homemade sewn slings break right on the stitching, webbing tied in a water knot breaks right on the water knot. Its a fact that when you bend or twist a rope or webbing into a knot or slide a needle and thread between its fibers it will not retain 100% breaking strength that it had when new and untouched. If you have a piece of webbing that breaks at 4000#s there is nothing you can do that doesn't involve adding reinforcement to it that will make it good up to 4100#s. I believe this is why 1" tubular webbing slings that they sell at climbing stores are rated at 6000lbs instead of 8000lbs (4000lb break strength, doubled over = 8000 lbs * 75% retained strength from webbing union = 6000lbs)

The point is that unless you have a completely automated process for making slings and a reliable test machine you will never know the exact breaking strength of what you create. There are many unknown variables in climbing that you just have to use common sense and good judgement for. For example, to the nearest pound what was the breaking strength of the last crotch you tied into? 1300lbs? 12000lbs? maybe only 450lbs and you would never know unless your groundie hang on your line and pulled the whole thing down. It would be interesting to pull test a tree and see just how strong the branch unions we all hang our lives on actually are. I know many of my TIPS would probably pop right off the tree long before my climbing system buckled under the force. That said all you can do is use good judgement and constant gear inspections to keep yourself safe. All gear degrades over time, the only time the break strength of your climb line is actually at 100% of the 5600lbs is before you take it out of the packaging. Same with slings and stitching and splices and all that. I trust the things I make and hang my life on them using what I deem to be appropriate judgement and good sense. I use backup protection as much as I can and where appropriate and I never hang my life on something I don't trust weather I bought it new from sherrill tree or made it myself. That bee line hitch cord you see in my first post is a prime example of something I would not be willing to hang my life off of, it was made for practice and testing purposes. I'm not trying to advocate throwing things together haphazardly for life support. I do however believe that if you apply the right amount of common sense and caution you can construct customized gear that will hold up just as well and keep you just as safe as the store bought stuff. If you don't trust it then by all means don't use it. Those are words I live by.


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## arborpros (Sep 28, 2011)

I will be going to Home Depot this weekend for a bucket to organize my shtuff. I just pile it in a milk crate right now. Great idea.


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## fdoberman (Sep 28, 2011)

When stitching webbing you need to consider the load carrying ability isn't in the thread itself, but rather in the grip created between the faces of the two straps being held together tightly.

The reason straps break at or near the sewn splice is well described in the science of shock dynamics, and way too involved for these arthritic fingers to type out.

Disclaimer: I own 2 industrial sewing machines and haven't let a car go to the scrapper with the seatbelts left in it for over 20 years.


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## troythetreeman (Sep 28, 2011)

not as spiffy as some of the things im seeing here but i keep my chains, chain saw tools (i hate the word "scrench") and my files in a 50cal ammo box
duck tape a couple incense envelopes and soak the inside with bar oil makes for good file holders, keeps them from rattling around or rusting, both of which ruin files
most of us can tell at a glance which chains are sharp and which are dull


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## Jeffsaw (Oct 1, 2011)

A fireman friend of mine gave me several feet of two different sizes of old fire hose. It has been great for protecting my pole saw blades and axes. I've used and old chainsaw glove to protect pruner blades. Rubbermaid containers, the 68 liter size are nice for carrying equipment as they are waterproof and durable and cheap.


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## treemandan (Oct 1, 2011)

fdoberman said:


> When stitching webbing you need to consider the load carrying ability isn't in the thread itself, but rather in the grip created between the faces of the two straps being held together tightly.
> 
> The reason straps break at or near the sewn splice is well described in the science of shock dynamics, and way too involved for these arthritic fingers to type out.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own 2 industrial sewing machines and haven't let a car go to the scrapper with the seatbelts left in it for over 20 years.


 
Oh yeah! I made harnesses for a dune buggy from scrap seatbelts.


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## TreeAce (Oct 1, 2011)

I made some gaff covers outa some old garden hose. Just cut a piece off about 3 inch and stick it on the gaff. I was planning on fastening a piece of wire or string so I could tie em in place but the slightly smaller than normal diameter garden hose I found fits snug so I didnt need to.


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## beastmaster (Dec 18, 2011)

These were on sale for $8.00 at harbor freight store. Best rope bag Iv'e ever had.
Round Canvas Bag easily holds 200 ft of 1/2 in line


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## sgreanbeans (Dec 18, 2011)

beastmaster said:


> These were on sale for $8.00 at harbor freight store. Best rope bag Iv'e ever had.
> Round Canvas Bag easily holds 200 ft of 1/2 in line



I like that, going to get a couple. Looks like that would be a good thing to hang off the bucket. See them bouncing around on the back of the power company trucks all the time.

The buckets, I have used them for some time, didn't like the bucket buddy, always getting caught on stuff. I do like the 7-gal buckets tho, have 2 in my rope box for all the rigging garb


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## Bowhunter01 (Dec 18, 2011)

outofmytree said:


> Amen to that. I love homemade stuff but the moment you put a critical load on it you better be certain it will equal or better the store bought version or someone is going to pay a heavy price. Me I would be taking a splicing course, get trained to do it exactly right and then "experiment".
> 
> Ok off my soapbox now.
> 
> Had my loaders grapple modified with 2 100mm diameter pipes and cross bars so instead of the portawrap being on the tree it's on the loader. Where the PW used to be on the base of the tree we now use a pulley and the rest of the rigging as per normal. You can drive in, have the climber tip tie the limb, tie up then reverse out and lift up smooth as silk. Once the limb is cut free, lower as per a PW. The best part is that you already have the loader in the right place to drag the limb out to the chipper and by the time you get back the climber is set to go again. My boys LOVE not having to drag if they don't have to!



Can you post a picture? Sounds like a good idea.


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## Grace Tree (Dec 18, 2011)

outofmytree said:


> Amen to that. I love homemade stuff but the moment you put a critical load on it you better be certain it will equal or better the store bought version or someone is going to pay a heavy price. Me I would be taking a splicing course, get trained to do it exactly right and then "experiment".
> 
> Ok off my soapbox now.
> 
> Had my loaders grapple modified with 2 100mm diameter pipes and cross bars so instead of the portawrap being on the tree it's on the loader. Where the PW used to be on the base of the tree we now use a pulley and the rest of the rigging as per normal. You can drive in, have the climber tip tie the limb, tie up then reverse out and lift up smooth as silk. Once the limb is cut free, lower as per a PW. The best part is that you already have the loader in the right place to drag the limb out to the chipper and by the time you get back the climber is set to go again. My boys LOVE not having to drag if they don't have to!


We use the bollard on the Branch Manager grapple on almost every job. 'Haven't dragged the GRCS out of the truck in months.
Phil


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## wahlturfcare (Dec 29, 2011)

*equipment carrier*

i decided to make this as it was getting old to have a extra truck tow a trailer for the small stumpgrinder around.
i decided to attach it to the plow mount as it would be alot stronger. So far i've been able to load up small walkbehinds and a couple big logs on to it with no problem.

I've also added a saw basket to chipper for storage, etc.. I make a law mower attachments more than anything and metal furniture in my free time.


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## DDM (Dec 29, 2011)

Just a few things I've put together over the years. Portawrap is close to 9 yrs old no cracks in it as of yet. The hitch on the bobcat I built to move chippers and stump grinders around the yard. The Buncher I built to remove smaller trees between fences.


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## the Aerialist (Dec 29, 2011)

ozzy42 said:


> I use *bras* [sic] swivels instead or pullies on my climbline and lanyard.Not only because they're cheaper they are less bulky and I just prefer them over the pullies...



Assuming you mean brass swivels and not bra swivels the idea scares me more than those skanky hand sewn eyes.

Brass is brittle and can fail: 










The images are of the brass quick clips on my saddle. One of them broke when using it as a saw lanyard so I sure wouldn't trust my life to any cast brass swivel.


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## jefflovstrom (Dec 29, 2011)

Bowhunter01 said:


> Can you post a picture? Sounds like a good idea.



He has gone dark, maybe a lurker, 
He is a OK guy but he has not been around for quite a while.
Jeff


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## beastmaster (Dec 29, 2011)

With all the high tech stuff out there, lets not forget people use to make lots of their equipment back in the days, and it was every bit as safe as the expensive stuff they have now.
So when I needed a 18 ft long lanyard to climb a big pine with, I made my own like we use to do back in the days. View attachment 214137

I used new 5/8 in. three strand rope. I put an 1/4 in. aircraft cable through the middle of it. I braided the rope and ran the cable through the clip. Running a cable through three strand rope is easy but hard to explane. If any one really cared I could do a photo shot. My braiding of three strand rope is a little rusty these days but even missing a strand or two it's pretty strong.
I used the suicide knot(becket bend)on the lanyard through the D ring on my belt. The method I learned on. 
The whole thing cost me less then 20 dollars and worked like charm. I couldn't see buying an 18 footer that I may never use again.


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## beastmaster (Dec 29, 2011)

Jeffsaw said:


> A fireman friend of mine gave me several feet of two different sizes of old fire hose. It has been great for protecting my pole saw blades and axes. I've used and old chainsaw glove to protect pruner blades. Rubbermaid containers, the 68 liter size are nice for carrying equipment as they are waterproof and durable and cheap.


fire hose makes excellent bar covers on chainsaws too. Allowing you to safely carry your saw on your shoulder.


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## ozzy42 (Dec 30, 2011)

the Aerialist said:


> Assuming you mean brass swivels and not bra swivels



Yes,I did mean BRASS lol. My typeing skills leave a lot of room for improvement.



> the idea scares me more than those skanky hand sewn eyes.
> 
> Brass is brittle and can fail:
> 
> ...


There is no life support part of the system on the swivels. They are only used to advance the friction hitch. I'm crazy but not stupid,,or vise versa depending on the day of the week,but never both at the same time.

I also use them on my hip for hanging the saw,but it is on a lanyard as well.
I've never had one break like the one shown.They usually get retired after the spring on the gate fails.


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## bootboy (Jan 24, 2012)

I have access to a metal lathe and I'm currently drawing up my own template for a 3/4 block. The side plates will be 3/16 4130 CrMo plate and I will turn my own sheave out of a 7/8" x 5" puck of 6061. I plan to use an HD bronze bushing and a grade 8 (stronger than stainless) 1/2" shank bolt. I'm modeling it closely after the SS 3/4 from CMI but using burlier material. It will cost me less than 40$ to make and will be every bit as strong if not more than the CMI. Then a custom powder coat. Badass


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## beastmaster (Feb 2, 2012)

*My ultimate pole saw.*

I use a pole saw a lot, even on removals I have been known to shorten or clear something by using my pole saw. The down side is they don't make a decent polesaw unit that climbing friendly.
I bought a home depot pole pruner one time. Junk doesn't even come close to describing it. Worthless as a pole pruner But dismantle it and put a nice corona 13in. blade and with a few modifications, you have the perfect telescoping polesaw with that nice hook to hang it from, Home depot pole saw 35.00 bucks, dismantle, add blade, the ultimate polesaw. Mine is several years old and I still use it almost ever work day. You have to do a little grinding on the blade so you can use the hook. I do it on a bench grinder in a few min.
It's light, and the telescoping works perfect.View attachment 221276
View attachment 221277


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## Customcuts (Aug 6, 2012)

*Custom Lowering Device*

When I started looking into getting a heavy duty lowering device I wanted one that I could run 2 lines thru for those big limbs that would be best rigged with dual lines. The only one I could find was the Stein RC3002. At the time it wasn't available for purchase in the states and me having been a metal fabricator for the past 8 years I couldn't see spending that much for something that I was totally capable of making...so I put the pen to paper and started brainstorming.... I wanted to come up with my own design rather than just copy someone else's design which would have been the easy way out in my opinion. I have helped build ultra4 offroad desert racecars from the ground up so I am very familiar with thinking outside the box...anyways here it is. 

Big Wood chucked installed! - YouTube

I have used it a lot and it works great. The only thing I would change is the powder coat on the barrel where the rope wraps around. I also have a smaller device I made for light duty single line duties..

Redirect setup on pecan tree - YouTube

Let me know what u guys think .....


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## Customcuts (Aug 6, 2012)

*Rigging plate*



bootboy said:


> I have access to a metal lathe and I'm currently drawing up my own template for a 3/4 block. The side plates will be 3/16 4130 CrMo plate and I will turn my own sheave out of a 7/8" x 5" puck of 6061. I plan to use an HD bronze bushing and a grade 8 (stronger than stainless) 1/2" shank bolt. I'm modeling it closely after the SS 3/4 from CMI but using burlier material. It will cost me less than 40$ to make and will be every bit as strong if not more than the CMI. Then a custom powder coat. Badass




That sounds bad ass, post some pics when done. I been thinking about making a rigging block too, as well as a couple of rigging plates. We have a torchmate @ the shop I work at sometimes and its what I used to make my lowering devices. I could cut a bunch of different ones out for cheep. I'll probablymake them out of 1/4 inch plate then have them Zink or nickel plated to keep them from rusting and it would probablyhold up better than powder coat... I'll post pics when done.


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## tree MDS (Aug 6, 2012)

Customcuts said:


> When I started looking into getting a heavy duty lowering device I wanted one that I could run 2 lines thru for those big limbs that would be best rigged with dual lines. The only one I could find was the Stein RC3002. At the time it wasn't available for purchase in the states and me having been a metal fabricator for the past 8 years I couldn't see spending that much for something that I was totally capable of making...so I put the pen to paper and started brainstorming.... I wanted to come up with my own design rather than just copy someone else's design which would have been the easy way out in my opinion. I have helped build ultra4 offroad desert racecars from the ground up so I am very familiar with thinking outside the box...anyways here it is.
> 
> Big Wood chucked installed! - YouTube
> 
> ...



The big one looks awesome! The only potential inconvienience I can see, is it looks like you might need two guys (one on each side of device) in order to run two lines. Seems like one of the lines would cross itself if only one guy tried to run two lines from the side, no?


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## Customcuts (Aug 6, 2012)

tree MDS said:


> The big one looks awesome! The only potential inconvienience I can see, is it looks like you might need two guys (one on each side of device) in order to run two lines. Seems like one of the lines would cross itself if only one guy tried to run two lines from the side, no?



Not as long as u run the lines around the uprights on either end of the barrels... These are there so you can tie off the lines as needed too... We have been able to pull it off so far, but it works best if kept between 45degrees on either side.


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## Customcuts (Oct 17, 2012)

*My latest creation*













View attachment 257848
View attachment 257849
View attachment 257850
View attachment 257851


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## Customcuts (Oct 18, 2012)

*Finished product*


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## jefflovstrom (Oct 18, 2012)

Not to be a buzz kill, but that is like having a butler in a mobile home.


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## RDAA (Oct 18, 2012)

Made this one weekend in my garage with some cylinders from tractor supplyView attachment 257970


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## beastmaster (Oct 18, 2012)

Customcuts said:


> Not as long as u run the lines around the uprights on either end of the barrels... These are there so you can tie off the lines as needed too... We have been able to pull it off so far, but it works best if kept between 45degrees on either side.



Did you prefab the barrels them selfs or were they made from pipe? What's the actual thickness of the metal the barrels are made out of? You did a nice job. Maybe not all the bells and whistles of ones costing 2000.00 bucks, but functional and simple. I've seen a few homemade lowing devices, yours is one of the better ones.


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## Customcuts (Oct 19, 2012)

jefflovstrom said:


> Not to be a buzz kill, but that is like having a butler in a mobile home.



You can't kill the buzz I have Jeff, so hate away...:big_smile:


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## Customcuts (Oct 19, 2012)

beastmaster said:


> Did you prefab the barrels them selfs or were they made from pipe? What's the actual thickness of the metal the barrels are made out of? You did a nice job. Maybe not all the bells and whistles of ones costing 2000.00 bucks, but functional and simple. I've seen a few homemade lowing devices, yours is one of the better ones.



Barrel is made out of 4.5" 1/4 wall. Everything is made of 1/4" and the pins are 1/2" fairlead bars are 5/8 ths...should be able to handle anything.


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## czar800 (Oct 19, 2012)

This is just some of the stuff that I have made. If i posted any more i my get some heat about safety. (NO HOMEMADE LIFE SPPORT FOR ME) 



.


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## Customcuts (Oct 27, 2012)

*Dual fairleads and Rigging plate*







View attachment 259439
View attachment 259440
made these today, still got some finishing touches to do and paint. I might have the rigging plates jzink plated.?


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## 2treeornot2tree (Oct 27, 2012)

Customcuts said:


> View attachment 259439
> View attachment 259440
> made these today, still got some finishing touches to do and paint. I might have the rigging plates jzink plated.?



Those rigging plates look a little thin around the oustide of the holes. Some things just arent worth risking safety by making in house.


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## 2treeornot2tree (Oct 27, 2012)

RDAA said:


> Made this one weekend in my garage with some cylinders from tractor supply



Nice job. You might findout that the grapples are gonna bend without some kind of brace on the sides of them. looks like you could have gotten more movement range out of the cylinders.


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## Customcuts (Oct 27, 2012)

2treeornot2tree said:


> Those rigging plates look a little thin around the oustide of the holes. Some things just arent worth risking safety by making in house.



They are made from 1/4" plate steel. Have u seen how thin the aluminum ones are?. I will be testing these before I use them. I have seen what 1/4" is capable of handling, and I'm sure they will hold up to whatever I throw at em.


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## beastmaster (Oct 27, 2012)

Customcuts said:


>



CC, what are you using for tighting up the webbing around the tree to hold it on? Store bought ones have a metal gear where you can put in a metal bar and really torque it down. you think a commeral ratchet tie down with 3in webbing would be strong enough?
I am going to try my hand at making one I think. Thanks.


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## Customcuts (Oct 27, 2012)

*Giant strap!*









beastmaster said:


> CC, what are you using for tighting up the webbing around the tree to hold it on? Store bought ones have a metal gear where you can put in a metal bar and really torque it down. you think a commeral ratchet tie down with 3in webbing would be strong enough?
> I am going to try my hand at making one I think. Thanks.


View attachment 259576
View attachment 259577


4" ratchet strap, 20,000 mbs 6,500wll definately strong! The one in the pic is a custom one I built for a guy in Ohio, he wanted a fairlead on both sides so I did it for him. Stihl got some clean up and paint to do to it. But yeah 4 inch ratchet strap is hardcore and willhhandle anything. It makes the device part of the tree and is stout as chit!


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## beastmaster (Nov 11, 2012)

*Not homemade but improved?*

While shopping in my favorite store,"Harbor freight", I saw a 1 and a half ton pulley for $12.00. As to be expected I wouldn't trust it with any amount of weight. But at $13.00 dollars I bought two. I took em home and dismantled them. I doubled up the sides and replaced the nut and bolts with some grade 8 ones. For thirty dollars I have a decent pulley. Would I use it to catch chunks or a top, no I wouldn't. Will it be used to lower limbs and what not, don't see why not. View attachment 261889
View attachment 261890


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## Customcuts (Nov 12, 2012)

beastmaster said:


> While shopping in my favorite store,"Harbor freight", I saw a 1 and a half ton pulley for $12.00. As to be expected I wouldn't trust it with any amount of weight. But at $13.00 dollars I bought two. I took em home and dismantled them. I doubled up the sides and replaced the nut and bolts with some grade 8 ones. For thirty dollars I have a decent pulley. Would I use it to catch chunks or a top, no I wouldn't. Will it be used to lower limbs and what not, don't see why not. View attachment 261889
> View attachment 261890



I have the same one, I didn't double it up like u did but I use it as a re-direct for pulling jobs. I have used it to catch a few heavy loads as well with no issues.. when I did use it to catch wood it was only when I was using double rigging lines to swing a couple 30' limbs out from over a roof. I had the limb tip tied and butt tied with 2 different rigging points. (no shockloading)Well worth the money. I like how u doubled it all up too. Great thinking. We can never have too many redirect pulleys right....


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## Customcuts (Nov 12, 2012)

RDAA said:


> Made this one weekend in my garage with some cylinders from tractor supplyView attachment 257970



Got any pics of it in the open position? Curious to see how much it opens up with those cylinders mounted there... Awesome job man, I love welding on heavy steel. What thickness is the claws made out of ? 3/8ths or 1/2"??? Either way it looks strong.


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## RDAA (Nov 13, 2012)

My grapple doesnt look like it but it actually opens to 36". I wasn't quite done with it and I have it really braced up. I works good but I have to make hard lines on some areas to eliminate some of the hose if possible. Anyone know of a good way other than using black threaded pipe to make these out of? I am really happy with it otherwise Its about the equivalent of the bobcat one that I got the measurments. I am really happy that I have about $850-900 into it and it took me about a weekend to build.


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## TimberMcPherson (Nov 14, 2012)

Customcuts said:


> They are made from 1/4" plate steel. Have u seen how thin the aluminum ones are?. I will be testing these before I use them. I have seen what 1/4" is capable of handling, and I'm sure they will hold up to whatever I throw at em.



Grappels bend, its just the nature of the abuse/work thats thrown at them, they just dont easily bend back!

Yours looks very cool, well done!


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