Rigging Whole Trees with the GRCS - Presented by TreeStuff.com

[imagineero]

It's a useful technique for sure, it doesnt get used all that often, and unless you've got some pulleys for rigging mechanical advantage you really need to have a GRCS or a friction drum. The issue of the mechanical disadvantage created by setting a floating pulley from the ground has already been covered, so I won't go over that again. Realistically, on most smaller trees I find it's not really worth the time to use this technique anyhow. By the time you set the drum and rigging, you could have just spiked the smaller tree and blocked it down. It comes in handy for me occasionally more as a technique of convenience if the drum is already rigged, and happens to be available... maybe I was doing some weight reduction or other trimming on the larger tree. And on the way down, I can top rig the smaller tree then take it out from the ground, or I can top rig it and a ground guy can cut it.

The other time I often use this technique is with trees that have multiple leaders, and no room to block down. You can spike to the top, set rigging, top tie in one of the leaders and someone on the ground can cut it. You can take all of the leaders except 1 out this way, with no ground impact. That means you save a lot of time rigging. When using that technique, I usually rig a 2:1 if the leaders are big, using this method;

http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/204030.htm

It doubles the holding/lifting capacity of both your drum, and your rope.

Shaun

 

[ropensaddle]

It's a useful technique for sure, it doesnt get used all that often, and unless you've got some pulleys for rigging mechanical advantage you really need to have a GRCS or a friction drum. The issue of the mechanical disadvantage created by setting a floating pulley from the ground has already been covered, so I won't go over that again. Realistically, on most smaller trees I find it's not really worth the time to use this technique anyhow. By the time you set the drum and rigging, you could have just spiked the smaller tree and blocked it down. It comes in handy for me occasionally more as a technique of convenience if the drum is already rigged, and happens to be available... maybe I was doing some weight reduction or other trimming on the larger tree. And on the way down, I can top rig the smaller tree then take it out from the ground, or I can top rig it and a ground guy can cut it.

The other time I often use this technique is with trees that have multiple leaders, and no room to block down. You can spike to the top, set rigging, top tie in one of the leaders and someone on the ground can cut it. You can take all of the leaders except 1 out this way, with no ground impact. That means you save a lot of time rigging. When using that technique, I usually rig a 2:1 if the leaders are big, using this method;

http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/204030.htm

It doubles the holding/lifting capacity of both your drum, and your rope.

Shaun

Poor sling Anyway I most of the time feel taking it out smaller makes everything more manageable of course I'm a two man show so the groundie at times lowers and steers! I sometimes set my porty in high and lower to him or natural rig which I find very fast no setting up just cut a stub wrap and rig. With my wraptor it's simple to just go to top and bomb out chipper sized then work my way down.

 

[ropensaddle]

Not teaching because the information might be misused is a bad reason to not teach or share. It was a perfectly good technique for the tree being hung in this video. If somebody approached a tree like nick did where everything was within working loads its a good option to know. Can you make a video that demonstrates another technique? There are many good options I'm sure. I would love to learn other methods. Next time I am hanging a tree I will try to film how I solve the problem that particular day.

What I'm saying is the actual weight of green trees whole can easily be over working load especially at tip. To use this indiscriminately can set the stage for tip failure or rope failure putting the ground help in danger. It is a great trick I have used off and on since the 80s but it's not or is it ever going to be a staple in my day to day operations. In this situation I bet money it would of been faster to climb and bomb than to set all that bs up for two easy trees. Like I said it has its time and place and for me its hung snags or dead hazard trees.