Some pics from yesterday's pine

[Slvrmple72]

KEEP YOUR LINES OUT OF AND ABOVE THE RIGGING!!!!

If you cannot tie in at a suitable point adjacent to the limb/spare you are working on, say another part of the tree then you need to tie in above your block and rigging line. If the rigging line fails it can snag your line and pull you out of the tree. If your block anchor fails it can snag your line and pull you out of the tree. The friction of the rigging line with a lot of weight on it can cut through your line ( just one more reason for that secondary attachment! )and send you plummeting out of the tree. I have seen the climbing line sucked into the rigging, jammened into the pulley/block with a big chunk hanging and swinging ( climber swinging and swearing! ) I can hear some of you whining now: " What about my anchor coming off the top of the cut spar when its bouncing me around!?" Wrap your anchor, lean back and lock in, hell you can even cut a notch to set your line into if you cannot set up at a suitable part of the tree( branch union, swell, etc )

AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVALUATED THE SPAR FOR DEFECTS/WEAK POINTS BEFORE YOU START DROPPING THE TOP!!! Nothing worse than letting the top rip just to have it fail the spar at a point below you!!!

 

[Col2y]

KEEP YOUR LINES OUT OF AND ABOVE THE RIGGING!!!!

If you cannot tie in at a suitable point adjacent to the limb/spare you are working on, say another part of the tree then you need to tie in above your block and rigging line. If the rigging line fails it can snag your line and pull you out of the tree. If your block anchor fails it can snag your line and pull you out of the tree. The friction of the rigging line with a lot of weight on it can cut through your line ( just one more reason for that secondary attachment! )and send you plummeting out of the tree. I have seen the climbing line sucked into the rigging, jammened into the pulley/block with a big chunk hanging and swinging ( climber swinging and swearing! ) I can hear some of you whining now: " What about my anchor coming off the top of the cut spar when its bouncing me around!?" Wrap your anchor, lean back and lock in, hell you can even cut a notch to set your line into if you cannot set up at a suitable part of the tree( branch union, swell, etc )

AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVALUATED THE SPAR FOR DEFECTS/WEAK POINTS BEFORE YOU START DROPPING THE TOP!!! Nothing worse than letting the top rip just to have it fail the spar at a point below you!!!

in order for it to get sucked in there would have to be slack in the loop somewhere and if theres slack in it underneith then there could be slack when you lanyards on top of the block as well and as i staited before if thers slack in your loop, taking a wrap around the top of the spare isnt going to do anything, keep your rop and your blocks apart and they wont fight each other

and just to clarify in all these situations im using double tie in points most of the time with a friction saver to choke off my climbing line,

 

[squad143]

Boy have we derailed the title of this thread, but I feel this is (where to out your rigging/lanyards) is important. -This argument has been going on for ages, here's my extra 2 cents:

For you guys that like to tie in under the rigging, do you ever worry about your sling slipping off the top? -Of course not, it's wrapped tightly around the spar and there is a load on it. If you do the same with your climbing line and you won't have a problem.

I tie in just above my sling. My lanyard just above the sling (double wrapped if I'm really concerned) and my climbing line above my lanyard. About 2" above my climbing line is my cut.

Tie your climbing line with a bowline on a bight (use a Yosemite tie off on the bowline) and then attach your climbing line via a prussik/swabish hitch to the centre ring on your harness. Lean back, cinching up the bowline on a bight and your good to go.

The advantage to the above system is that after your cut is complete and the block is on the ground, you can leave the bowline in place, lower yourself down to the next cut level (on your climbing line). You now have a high tie in point, making it easier to move around the spar, making your notch, tying your sling, etc. This is especially useful on large dia. trees.

Now before you tie your rigging line and make your cut, lower your bowline on a bight to a couple of inches below your next cut. (Lowering is made a lot easier if you left 3 to 4 feet of tail on the bowline to release the bowline from below). Tie your rigging line and make your next cut. (Hint: Run the extra length of tail from the bowline through a carabiner on your saddle which will keep it out of the way).



BTW, here is a pic. (not mine) of a Yosemite tie off:

 

[SWAMPY036]

What does on a piece this size I should have put a split tail and sliding knot mean? Is the 1500 + lb piece pic#5

 

[woodchux]

What does on a piece this size I should have put a split tail and sliding knot mean? Is the 1500 + lb piece pic#5

He's probably talking about a spiderleg to balance the piece.

 

[TreeTopKid]

He's probably talking about a spiderleg to balance the piece.

I always have a piece of extra line attached to my rigging line. It is invaluable.

 

[treemandan]

Fishercat, you should wear a helmet. If not for yourself do it for the people who love you. It only takes a little bit to do big damage to your brain.
Treemandan, I'm of the opinion that placing climbing lines or lanyard below the rigging block is a VERY bad idea. A running rope with 500lbs on the end is going to destroy your climbing lines. Or worse the block could cut the line in two.

You place the ropes between the block and the hitch wrapped around the tree.

The orange strap would be your lifeline.

 

[treemandan]

ok i see what your saying about the block pinching like in the first example but if you have your line below the block like the second example it wont touch your lines, and it will hold the bull line out enough that it wont burn through your life lines. i personaly think it is the best of the three options i use it all the time, keeping in mind im not a new climber, i can honestly say that ive never harmed either a buckstrap or a climbing line

well if you want to take advice from cartoon man go ahead, the picture does not show all of the places to set your rope.

 

[treemandan]

I also tend to stay away from pulleys with thin side plates

 

[woodchux]

What happens if the pulley and sling get pulled down the spar?

 

[treemandan]

What happens if the pulley and sling get pulled down the spar?

What happens? I guess what would happen is that I would suddenly realize I didn't set the pulley up properly. Its not going to slide down the trunk.

 

[pdqdl]

Two things:

Hearing damage is progressive and unreversable. It will be nice to hear the oohs and aahs of your grandchildren when they see these photos. Do yourself a favour and muff-up or plug-up and develop a system of hand signals with your groundies.

Undercut: Start using one. That peel looks like it came too close, and while there are situations where a pro will use a peel, I don't see that here. That could have gone bad.

Ok, three things: Hard to tell why, but in a lot of shots you look too close to the tree, like you're hugging it. Lean back, this job is all about body control. I see a couple of photos where an overhead TIP would make your life much easier.

RedlineIt

:agree2:

I was thinking the same thing (hugging the tree), but I was waiting for someone else to see it too.

As far as the comments on hearing, that is EXACTLY what I tell my guys when they tell me they don't need hearing protection.