Advise on rigging set ups

[VA-Sawyer]

What Del said.

I have gone to a 30' spliced eye, double braid sling so I can use the cow hitch on pretty much anything. I prefer it over a timber hitch. I also have a 10' tennex sling that I use on smaller stuff as well. A plain Jane heavy duty CMI arborist block and a porty will allow you to do just about anything you want. You can throw a pulley or two into the equation to get some significant lift and pull with that setup.

tree md,

I respect what you know and want to pick your brain on this post. I would think 30 foot of sling was overkill, but you are hauling it up in trees, so there must be a reason. Tell me more about the spliced eye, size and kind of material. A cow hitch still has a single line between the knot and the block, so isn't that the 'weak' point no matter how many wraps on the tree ? You said you use the 10' tennex on the smaller stuff, about what size wood moves you to the bigger sling ? Maybe I misunderstood something and you only use the 30 footer for blocking on 4' diameter boles. Just trying to learn here.


lone wolf,
Was you asking about my climbing biners or what kind of saw lanyard I used ?

For climbing biners I use Petzel tri acts and also the Gecko.
For the lanyard, It is the strap with loop on one end and dog snap on the other, with a ring attached closer to the loop end. Sherrill sells it.
Rick

 

[tree md]

tree md,

I respect what you know and want to pick your brain on this post. I would think 30 foot of sling was overkill, but you are hauling it up in trees, so there must be a reason. Tell me more about the spliced eye, size and kind of material. A cow hitch still has a single line between the knot and the block, so isn't that the 'weak' point no matter how many wraps on the tree ? You said you use the 10' tennex on the smaller stuff, about what size wood moves you to the bigger sling ? Maybe I misunderstood something and you only use the 30 footer for blocking on 4' diameter boles. Just trying to learn here.

When I bought that sling it was shortly after I had that timber hitch roll out. I actually bought it for a particularly large tree I was doing. I had 2 really big ones to do back then come to think of it. I bought it for a couple of reasons. Number one, my tennex sling was not big enough to go around the base of the tree nor was it big enough to go around up top where I had to negative block some really big chunks. I had two trees within a couple of weeks of each other that were 6' DBH and one of them was 4' in diameter 65 feet up. I had to cut humbolt notches, wedge it and get my guys to help tip the chunks to get them to come off. I initially was going to try to drop 4 foot long chunks but thought better of it and decided to drop chunks between 2 and 3 feet long. Lot's of rigging and tying to make sure they did not slip out of my knots when they came over. It was a ##### I'll tell ya.

Anyway, I bought the large sling for large trees. Ever try to block 4-6' chunks? You need a 20 foot lanyard just to get around 4' wood. Cow hitching was an impossibility on wood that big with that sling. I could barely get enough wraps for a timber hitch, which is what I ended up using. Del had advised me at that time that I could use a whole 3/4 inch bull line to get around the tree with a cow hitch and secure my block but I needed my bull line for lowering. The long sling was a more economical option at that time. I have since bought two more bull lines, one being a 200' 5/8. I use that long sling for securing the porty on large trees now and rarely use it in the tree unless I have something really big. Most times I use the tennex sling with a timber hitch like most folks here probably do. The slings are just your basic eye spliced slings that you get from Sherrill or Wesspur.

 

[VA-Sawyer]

Thank you. That makes sense. I never get to block 3' or bigger stuff as a climber. I have a couple of outside climbers I use on trees that big, because I don't have a groundie except myself that I trust on large wood. I could climb and let them groundie for me, but they are so much faster than me in the tree, it would be like hitching a race horse to a plow. It also give me a chance to do more training with the groundie.
Rick

 

[tree md]

Thank you. That makes sense. I never get to block 3' or bigger stuff as a climber. I have a couple of outside climbers I use on trees that big, because I don't have a groundie except myself that I trust on large wood. I could climb and let them groundie for me, but they are so much faster than me in the tree, it would be like hitching a race horse to a plow. It also give me a chance to do more training with the groundie.
Rick

To tell the truth, I'll not block another one down that big. I'll call in a crane. Even if I have to get a 100 ton and pick it from the street. I was doing both of those trees in really tight drop zones. I was called in on the bigger one by another service who contracted me to climb it. Thankfully I did not have to deal with getting 6' rounds over a small wood deck and through a 36" gate... I just had to put it on the ground. I think that service learned a lesson on that one. They bid it too cheap without a crane and I believe they got their lunch ate on that one. To tell the truth, I think I was the only one who made out on that deal. No way I would bid one that large to do without a crane if it was my job. The crane just makes so much more sense when you are dealing with wood that big and the time and effort it takes to rig it and deal with it on the ground. Plus, working with wood that big is really hard on your gear.

 

[MackenzieTree]

Advise

Gonna set my self up with lg portawrap couple lengths of eye slings 3/4, 3 ton cmi block and 150' or 200' of 3/4 stable braid Thanks

 

[lone wolf]

Gonna set my self up with lg portawrap couple lengths of eye slings 3/4, 3 ton cmi block and 150' or 200' of 3/4 stable braid Thanks

Sounds good do you need the 200 footer?

 

[VA-Sawyer]

I agree. I do most of my rigging with 4" pulley on Tuflex slings and 1/2" Stable Braid. Larger stuff gets the block and 5/8" SB. The 5/8" - 200' bag is heavy enough to drag to the tree. Pat had a 3/4" - 200' SB that we used a few times, but I don't want to haul it to the tree site.

 

[tree md]

Sounds good do you need the 200 footer?

A 200 footer is nice to have but I got by for years with 150' ropes. I did have a 200' 3/4 at one time when I worked in Del's area where I was dealing with a lot of Pines that were over 100'. I bought my new 200 footer in Alabama over the Summer doing storm work because, again, I was in an area where I was dealing with a lot of Pines over 100' tall. At first I was using my old 3/4 line that had probably been trimmed down to 120' or something like that. My groundy was having to tie a tag line on it with a bend so he could be within reach while lowering stuff. It only took one day of that BS for me to go buy a 200' 5/8. The only time I need that much line here in this state is if I need to get a long pull from the street or something like that, or if I need to run it through a block for a redirect to get a pull. It's nice to have but it's a luxury I could live without here if I had to.

I like having my 3/4 bull line because sometimes I do some pretty heavy rigging and sometimes lower whole trees. But again, I primarily use the 5/8 bull line here because it is lighter and easier to deal with in the tree.

 

[MackenzieTree]

yea makes sense prob 150' of 9/16 or 5/8 would be practical and i wouldnt hate myself everytime i brought out the 200' of 3/4!

 

[Blakesmaster]

yea makes sense prob 150' of 9/16 or 5/8 would be practical and i wouldnt hate myself everytime i brought out the 200' of 3/4!

I switched my main ropes from 5/8ths db to 9/16ths db this year after using them in CT with mds. Was really impressed with the amount of weight he was willing to huck onto those 9/16ths lines and how well they took it. I bought a 600' reel and cut it into 3 200 footers, also bought a 150' hank of 3/4 db for the big stuff.

 

[sgreanbeans]

I use the whoopie sling for the PW, as said before, its easy for the guys to move. I use the loopie slings in the tree for pulleys and the mini PW. When I get to the bigger stuff, I like the Tuflex slings on my blocks, they have many different lengths and I have them all. On big stuff I use 3/4 DB, 200ft and CMI Stainless blocks.

Carb- seriously, you really need to do some reading. Some of the stuff that you say is scaring me, to think that you are out there, doing this, with little or misguided knowledge, makes my stomach sink. I am not poking at you. I am genuinely concerned for your safety. If you do not have a complete and total understanding of what you are dealing with, you shouldn't touch this stuff. One little mistake can kill very fast. As I have told you before, the book "The Art and Science of Practical Rigging" BY Arbor Master would do you worlds of good. I am not sure who trained you, if anybody, its strange, its obvious that you have some knowledge, but it is all "slightly"off, and that is worse than not knowing at all.
Advanced rigging is not something that you learn on the fly, it is very serous business and you should make sure that you understand that before you set something up.
As far as u giving advice, please stop. You need to swallow the pride and listen, don't argue with someone who is trying to help you, this is the place to get the scoop, not dish out poop. If some one gives you bad info, no worries, these guys will set them straight.

 

[Carburetorless]

Carb- seriously, you really need to do some reading. Some of the stuff that you say is scaring me, to think that you are out there, doing this, with little or misguided knowledge, makes my stomach sink.

Don't worry, I'm not rigging any 4' diameter x 8' oak chunks, or anything near it; Although I would like to learn how.

I am not poking at you. I am genuinely concerned for your safety. If you do not have a complete and total understanding of what you are dealing with, you shouldn't touch this stuff.

Seriously, I get it. I never try anything I've never done before without first developing a thorough understanding of what I'm doing. Even then I proceed with a great deal of caution.

One little mistake can kill very fast. As I have told you before, the book "The Art and Science of Practical Rigging" BY Arbor Master would do you worlds of good. I am not sure who trained you, if anybody, its strange, its obvious that you have some knowledge, but it is all "slightly"off, and that is worse than not knowing at all.

Most of my rigging experience I owe to the engineering school at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and to the 82nd Airborne. They do things a bit more expedient than most. Although they do stress safety in thick, monotonous layers. Then they tell you to do things that no normal human-being would even consider.

Advanced rigging is not something that you learn on the fly, it is very serous business and you should make sure that you understand that before you set something up.

I agree.

As far as u giving advice, please stop. You need to swallow the pride and listen, don't argue with someone who is trying to help you, this is the place to get the scoop, not dish out poop. If some one gives you bad info, no worries, these guys will set them straight.

I don't recall giving any advice on rigging, matter of fact all I remember is asking the difference between a pulley and a block.

I thought we had reached an understanding of that already. Why do you insist on barking at me after the issue has been resolved?

 

[lone wolf]

Don't worry, I'm not rigging any 4' diameter x 8' oak chunks, or anything near it; Although I would like to learn how.



Seriously, I get it. I never try anything I've never done before without first developing a thorough understanding of what I'm doing. Even then I proceed with a great deal of caution.



Most of my rigging experience I owe to the engineering school at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and to the 82nd Airborne. They do things a bit more expedient than most. Although they do stress safety in thick, monotonous layers. Then they tell you to do things that no normal human-being would even consider.



I agree.



I don't recall giving any advice on rigging, matter of fact all I remember is asking the difference between a pulley and a block.

I thought we had reached an understanding of that already. Why do you insist on barking at me after the issue has been resolved?

If you have a specific task to do ask me I will tell you .

 

[Carburetorless]

If you have a specific task to do ask me I will tell you .

O.K.; How do I get sgreanbeans off my arss? :msp_tongue: Lol, sorry I couldn't resist that one.

Seriously though; I'll do that, but I hope you don't mind if I get a second opinion or two.

 

[tree md]

Most of my rigging experience I owe to the engineering school at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and to the 82nd Airborne. They do things a bit more expedient than most. Although they do stress safety in thick, monotonous layers. Then they tell you to do things that no normal human-being would even consider.

My brother was a combat engineer who did bridge building and did his training in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO.

 

[lone wolf]

O.K.; How do I get sgreanbeans off my arss? :msp_tongue: Lol, sorry I couldn't resist that one.

Seriously though; I'll do that, but I hope you don't mind if I get a second opinion or two.

You are the only one to have a problem with him I have ever heard!

 

[Carburetorless]

Of course you don't remember giving bad advice.

That's because you don't believe or have admitted it was bad advice.

The fact is you have and have been called on it more than once and have sucked up people's time in the process.

I've never given any rigging advice on here at all.

How's the fishing out your way?

I don't know, I'm not a professional fisherman. I wouldn't want to give anyone bad advice.

 

[lone wolf]

I've never given any rigging advice on here at all.



I don't know, I'm not a professional fisherman. I wouldn't want to give anyone bad advice.

Call him on it , lets see the post where you give out bad advice.

 

[Carburetorless]

Most of my rigging experience I owe to the engineering school at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO, and to the 82nd Airborne. They do things a bit more expedient than most. Although they do stress safety in thick, monotonous layers. Then they tell you to do things that no normal human-being would even consider.

My brother was a combat engineer who did bridge building and did his training in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO.

I was a Combat Engineer for 15 years. I built a few bridges at Leonard Wood too, and blew up a few as well, not at Leonard Wood though.

WETSU Can Do

Trained to fight, trained to kill, if you can't do it I damn sure will.

HUAH!

 

[lone wolf]

You don't think getting the facts wrong on rope strength relates to rigging?


I'm still waiting for a post from you that shows you are here for more than wasting people's time.

Well since you have taken the time to dog him lets see the post.