Black Widow

[MasterBlaster]

Carl recently sent me a piece of that puny 'lil 1/2" bullrope, and I gotta say it looks like it has some potential.

I can't believe it has the same TS as my climbing line, but according to the specs it does. Cool.

For casual rigging, I think it just might be the Monkey's Uncle!




I wonder who's gonna climb on it?

Not me! I'll be skeered!!!

 

[NickfromWI]

Me like black widow

I LOVE the idea of using smaller diameter lines for rigging. Rocky, if you put the friction somewhere else, your hands don't need so much power. Use whatever you'd normally use, portawrap or wraps around a tree. I think it's great working with the stuff, but like all new things, it's a change and will be uncomortable at first.

And just because it's thin, doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to lightweight loads. Take into account the strength of the materials you're working with, the stretch, and all the other factors you'd take into account when choosing if you need the 9/16ths or 5/8ths lowering line...and just go from there.

 

[Lumberjack]

I love mine, and it can hurt your hands, but it normally is awsome, and doesn't bother my hands which are rather hard. My groundies like to tie a loop in it when they pull on it (sometimes they put a stick in there, and get a great handle).

On lighter loads I still like it because it is so light. When I am limbing a tree, I will climb with the bag, make the undercut, take a coupla wraps around the stub and tie it off. Then I make my cut and the groundy lowers it, I take the loop off the stob clip it to my side, flush the cut, and keep goin.

I am thinking of getting some more for repeling out of the tree, or whenever I would like it for personal support.

*People in Buckets: I think that it would be awsome to have as a saftey backup. If something messes up, you have all the stuff you need in the floor of the bucket (with the bag i you can get with it, you could easily put an 8 in there). That way all you would have to do is tie off the black widow, thread the 8, clip in an down you go. And it wouldn't get in your way.

I love my black widow!!


Carl

 

[Ax-man]

Originally posted by Lumberjack


*People in Buckets: I think that it would be awsome to have as a saftey backup. If something messes up, you have all the stuff you need in the floor of the bucket (with the bag i you can get with it, you could easily put an 8 in there). That way all you would have to do is tie off the black widow, thread the 8, clip in an down you go. And it wouldn't get in your wa

Carl

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LJ

I don't know about how any one else feels about this, but I feel any thing in the bottom of the bucket down by your feet is a safety concern.

We have a two man basket, any thing like having an extra saw or rope is just something you have to step over or could get your feet caught up in . Enough things find their way into buckets when your working on trees , we don't need to add to it. There are other ways of doing what you are suggesting.

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by Ax-man
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LJ

I don't know about how any one else feels about this, but I feel any thing in the bottom of the bucket down by your feet is a safety concern.

We have a two man basket, any thing like having an extra saw or rope is just something you have to step over or could get your feet caught up in . Enough things find their way into buckets when your working on trees , we don't need to add to it. There are other ways of doing what you are suggesting.

You could hang it outside the bucket by the boom, I was just saying that it was small, compact, and could help, but I don't work out of a bucket, so it is your world, I am just livin in it!


Carl

 

[Ax-man]

Now you are on the right track.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I know a couple of guys with self rescue kits. Just clip it on the back of your harness or whatever.

I used that rope down in VA working with Dave Bryant, It was great for rigging out stuff from way on high. The climber can take the whole bag and barely notice 200ft of rope on the saddle.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Originally posted by John Paul Sanborn
I It was great for rigging out stuff from way on high. The climber can take the whole bag and barely notice 200ft of rope on the saddle.

Thats what I'm a'thinking!

But I might cut it back to 120'.

 

[Lumberjack]

So are you gonna order it Butch?

I love the fact that when I am climbing, I clip it in to the back of my saddle, and don't notice it until I feel it hit my legs everyonce in a while.

Ax man: If you wanted it to be ready and out of your way, you could tie the end of the rope to the TIP for your lanyard, and clip the bag to the ring with a mini biner. When you needed it, it would be all set for you to bail out.


Carl

 

[NickfromWI]

I had a self-bail kit when I worked for a guy who had some shoddy machinery. It was 75' of thin 5mm double braid with a vectran core. It had an eye splice with a small quick-link attached, and then I had one petzl ball lock carabiner. If the bucket decided to stop working (which it did a couple times) I would screw on the quick link to the eye bolt on the bucket, toss the bag out, then put a munter hitch onto the carabiner (it required an extra wrap along the major axis of the carabiner to hold my body weight).

Oh, this thread was about the Black Widow line, though.

love
nick

 

[Ax-man]

Good idea LJ,, I must admit I have never seen this Blk. Widow mini rope. It must be a very compact rope to fit in a neat little package like what you are describing.

The closest thing I have seen to compare to BW is some 3/8 's Stable Braid. It cost about half what the BW does, the tensile is no where near what BW is rated. But it is comparable to do light rigging and limb removal. I got the same reaction from my guys that Rocky posted about,, just to small to handle to be of much use. I haven't given up on the idea of a light, mini lowering line just yet,, though.

 

[Stumper]

No offense to anybody but , like Brian, I use larger ropes for most of these applications. For high carrys and an emergency bail out line I would be more inclined to use 5/16ths Sta-set. No, it isn't rated as high in tensile strength but it has sufficient strength for light rigging (which is all that I would want to do on small diameter cordage regardless of strength) and 4000 lbs tensile is plenty to support me despite my rotundity I know it doesn't meet the standard for climbing line but I'm not planning on climbing on it regularly-we are talking about an emergency descent from a bucket I don't even have. And it is MUCH CHEAPER. :angel:

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by Ax-man
Good idea LJ,, I must admit I have never seen this Blk. Widow mini rope. It must be a very compact rope to fit in a neat little package like what you are describing.

The closest thing I have seen to compare to BW is some 3/8 's Stable Braid. It cost about half what the BW does, the tensile is no where near what BW is rated. But it is comparable to do light rigging and limb removal. I got the same reaction from my guys that Rocky posted about,, just to small to handle to be of much use. I haven't given up on the idea of a light, mini lowering line just yet,, though.

Here is 180 foot of it. It weights a little under 3 pounds according to the postage scale.


Carl

 

[Ax-man]

Nice compact package for 180 ft. of rope. How big is that bag??

From the pic it looks some where between a standard rope bag and one those utility type gear bags you clip onto your saddle.

 

[Lumberjack]

My hand is 8" from thumb to pinky. It is about 8 by 8", but it could be smaller, this is the bag sherrill recommended.


Carl

 

[Lumberjack]

Plus you can set it with your big shot and a heavy bag, at least 12 pounds, but if you did it often, I would get a 14 or even the monster 16oz-er. Could save a good bit of time. This kinda sounds like one of my earlier threads from "back in the day".

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11014&highlight=Black+Widow

Oh and Ax: think about this, if you don't like natural crotches, a micro pulley (rated to 7k) is the correct size (1:4 ratio rope to pulley). Add an eight for friction, or whatever you want, and you have a small system rated for 700 pounds working strength. Albiet you would have to avoid slam dunkin, but this stuff is awsome.

Carl