new tool!

[SRT-Tech]

made myself a custom mini three prong grapplehook, (NOT FOR LIFE SUPPORT!) for treework....to pull branches in closer, retrieve dropped gloves or handsaw, to pull the tail end of a rope in closer, to lower down to the ground to pick up the water canteen etc etc etc etc etc.

basically all i did was go to Mountain Equipment COOP here in Vancouver, and buy one of these:

Black Diamond TALON hook, made of forged steel, (used for rock climbing as a "piton" or clifftop crack piece)

I then added a eyebolt (3/8" ) and put on a few nuts first for weight, then a split washer, then the Talon, then a NYlock self locking nut on the very end. Add 4 mm static cord, and PRESTO, you have a mini grapple. The hook points face towards the eye of the eyebolt. weighs less than 1/2 a LB, easy to toss , retrieve, lower and it does'nt snag or wrap around limbs . Works incredibly well ! (again, i did NOT make this for life supoort, purely as a third hand tool)


cost me a whopping $14 CDN to make.


PICS:

 

[pbtree]

Dude - that looks like one heck of a neat idea you came up with there!

 

[SRT-Tech]

thanks! i'M making another two tommorow...one with a stainless steel threaded stud, to attach to a lightweight aluminum pole, and future ones will all have stainless steel eyebolts instead of galvanized.

 

[Tree Machine]

i'M making another two tommorow...

How many of these tools do you think you'll need?

to pull branches in closer, retrieve dropped gloves or handsaw, to pull the tail end of a rope in closer, to lower down to the ground to pick up the water canteen etc etc etc etc etc.

A pole pruner does that sort of thing. If you're working alone, I'm having a hard time seeing it picking up a handsaw or a glove or a dropped biner, etc, etc. If you have ground help, what utility does the grapple bring, what can it do that can't be done with a caribiner on the end of a rope? Would you trust it to bring up a chainsaw from the ground?

On a lightweight aluminum pole.... would you be reaching out to grab something, a rope, a hanger, actually I should rephrase as it clearly doesn't have the ability to grab, only to 'hook'. What will it do that isn't already done with the common tools an Arborist already carries? For a new tool to be incorporated it needs to be able to 'pay it's rent'. This isn't just me, trust me, it's any tree professional.

I'm not deterring you. I'm all about new tools that add versatility, increase efficiency and allow us to get the job done in less time. The stage is yours.

 

[Blinky]

It looks like a smart idea to me. Time will tell whether it plays out as being worth its weight or not or not.
It might be downright handy for getting a good angle on tangled hangers (sorry, couldn't think of another way to write that).

I'm using a pole saw and it usually works fine... pole saw is rough on my elbow though, sometimes I'd rather just climb and use a handsaw even though it takes longer.

I'm thinking a light grapple might be a valuable tool once the methods start to distill... Things like generally accepted practice, tree-friendly technique and, umm... retrieving stuck grapples... yadayadayada. I can see the ethics of appropriate grapple usage being hammered out right here. :deadhorse:

I wonder if it could be softened (to the tree) somehow and double as a throwline for recrotching, like with 40' or so of heavyweight Zing-It instead of the 7-8mm cord. Think of the nifty new slickline/grapple tricks that would get developed!

 

[woodchux]

Nice hook you got there srt-tech.
I've got a little grappel hook tool that i use sometimes too.
I got the hook part from walmart in the bowhunting section.
Then i got a retractable clothesline reel from the camping section.
I put two and two together and....

 

[1I'dJak]

I LOVE GRAPPLE HOOKS!
Out working in the woods they are a must have...instead of climbing each tree that we windfirm, we tie off and then chuck a claw (grapple) with aother line on it....once its hooked on the destination tree, i attach the grapple line onto and ascender thats clipped onto my dees...tighten up on the claw line...then rappel off your climbing line and get sucked into the destination tree with your tightened claw line...saves alot of time and effort... especially if the tree i'm going to windfirm is huge, or a real ????ty marmed out cedar....here's some pix of my claw...hopefully i can find some 'claw shots' in action

 

[1I'dJak]

here's some pix of a claw shot in action:
1- there's my grapple line thrown into the tree...you can see my blue ascender hooke onto it

2- in between the trees...ready to 'swing' over to the destination tree

3-There! you can see my climbing line attached to the tree i just came from...

 

[SRT-Tech]

How many of these tools do you think you'll need?A pole pruner does that sort of thing. If you're working alone, I'm having a hard time seeing it picking up a handsaw or a glove or a dropped biner, etc, etc. If you have ground help, what utility does the grapple bring, what can it do that can't be done with a caribiner on the end of a rope? Would you trust it to bring up a chainsaw from the ground?
---------------
On a lightweight aluminum pole.... would you be reaching out to grab something, a rope, a hanger, actually I should rephrase as it clearly doesn't have the ability to grab, only to 'hook'. What will it do that isn't already done with the common tools an Arborist already carries? For a new tool to be incorporated it needs to be able to 'pay it's rent'. This isn't just me, trust me, it's any tree professional.

I'm not deterring you. I'm all about new tools that add versatility, increase efficiency and allow us to get the job done in less time. The stage is yours.

---------------------
Answer: how many do i need? one. I'm just improving the bolt materials, switched to a 50kn breaking strength stainless steel eyebolt and nut. I'm making more because people have asked for them, notably a police dive tech who wants one for body/gear recovery.

Picking stuff up?

its easy, you lower it down and pick stuff up, takes seconds, and its incredibly effective after a few minutes practice. My gloves have loops on the back, as does my Nalgene water bottle, as does my snackbag, as does my ropebag. I can pick a biner up off the ground easily. Would i trust it to bring up a chainsaw? yes, not what i made it for but why not. The Talon itself has a very high breaking strength, somewhere in the neighbourhood of 18KN. The rope i'm using (now switched to a 8mm static line) has a 2500lb breaking strength rating. The NEW eyebolt (now switched to the one above) is use for lifeline anchors on highrises. Not an issue. (i also dont have ground help, i climb solo). One use i found for it was retrieving fallen branches stuck on other branches down below).

I use it to reach out and grab a rope or a branch or to pick up my toolpouch from the ground, because it works incredibly well, and does'nt fray or endanger my rope like reaching out with a polesaw does (something i dont carry anyways, because i DON'T use one). Its less cumbersome than a big long polesaw, and fits into a small accessory pouch off the belt. Weight alone is 3oz, with the medium Mallione and rope about 8oz.

pay the rent....? TM it cost me $14 bucks CDN. the rent has been paid me thinks.


JAK, me thinks you got the wrong pics in the last post, all I see are root balls????

 

[1I'dJak]

oops...those are boring school pix....here's the fun ones i hope..
the claw is an invaluable tool for the work i do...like srt i've used it to hook onto my climb line i've left at the base of a tree...its good to get hangers out.... recently i pruned out a big maple tree...i was able to get from one of the stems to another, much higher up into it than if i kicked over...besides who, apart from ninjas can say they have a grapple hook in their aresenal of tools...

 

[SRT-Tech]

cool! who makes that grapple? have you seen the BaleIndustries (Capewell Retractable Grappling Hook) military grapple? they have one with a 1800lb SWL, 6 man rated, 9000lb breaking strength, designed for live human support (6 man+gear max) in tactical situations. I can see it being used for arborist work like yours.

 

[begleytree]

Cool!
and just think, If you ever come across a castle wall you need to get over.....

what's in your wallet!!
-Ralph

 

[1I'dJak]

I guess you gotta find a fabricator and give him the specs to make them... this one was made by a guy from campbell river bc (i think) who made a bunch for the climbing crew....this one is steel... i had one made from aluminum, but i found it too light...cuz you want to throw your line over a limb and then let the claw drop down and hook on a branch below...just in case the branch should break it'll hopefull hook onto one above it...i've got to get a ring welded onto the top of the head, so i can clip it onto my belt and have the tines fold down....

 

[SRT-Tech]

UPDATE: been using the Grapple for a while since i made it, mostly for pulling down hangers safely from a distance. Works excellent for this.

made another one for a fishing friend, for snagging abandoned / lost / broken nets during the shoreline and river cleanups.

 

[Tree Machine]

What will it do that isn't already done with the common tools an Arborist already carries? For a new tool to be incorporated it needs to be able to 'pay it's rent'.

What was meant by that was, is it useful enough to warrant schlepping it around it, Does it displace or get in the way of other useful tools, esp. your saws.

Like, for instance, a quality handsaw, that saw can pay for itself five to 10 times over in a day! Now THAT's paying rent. It can also function in other useful ways. A grapple is a bit larger and really only functions as a grapple.

I like the idea of having a grapple, but I would probably keep it in the garage until I had a job where I might find it useful, I don't know, who knows? Maybe. I just can not think of where I can't already do (we're in the canopy of trees ) anything a grapple can do using what I'm already carrying up there.

I'd like to buy one from you, though. A set of three. A grapple is sort of like a cross between a horseshoe and a Jart. We could break them out at family functions.

 

[Tree Machine]

who, apart from ninjas can say they have a grapple hook in their arsenal of tools...

Heh, heh. That's beautifully said.

 

[juststumps]

thanks! i'M making another two tommorow...one with a stainless steel threaded stud, to attach to a lightweight aluminum pole, and future ones will all have stainless steel eyebolts instead of galvanized.

you worried about the galvie rusting out sitting in the corner of the garage?? LOL

 

[Tree Machine]

you worried about the galvie rusting out sitting in the corner of the garage?? LOL

Heh, heh. That's beautifully said.



The stainless adds that umph! to an already handsome tool. SRT-tech, you've pushed the envelope on this tool and the quality is appreciated.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The Newtribe grapple may be a bit pricey at $23, but it has a nice powder coat on it.

I wish I knew where both of mine were.....

 

[juststumps]

(public service )

IT'S TEN O'CLOCK

DO YOU KNOW WERE YOUR GRAPPLE IS ????

ROTFLMAO