Kottonwood
ArboristSite Operative
Your eyes were keener than mine, or maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see. I thought that tip tie on the second leader was a block but I was wrong. Not to say that was a bad appraoch, only the climber sees what is safe and what isn't, and especially in rot prone trees like poplars you'll just never know until you're up there. I've been up poplars on spurs and had the whole spike punch right through the tree. Scary stuff for sure.
For those who are attempting this sort of thing (since this in the the HO helper forum) sharing the load is a good thing to do. The load that a single pulley will see can be as much as 5 times the weight of the branch it's taking in a dynamic situation, or even more. Even in a static load scenario, the load the pulley sees is going to be at least double the weight of the branch. Adding a second pulley on a second stem does more than simply share the load between the two pulleys - it redirects the load so that it's pulled down more in line with the branches loading them in compression rather than simply pulling them downwards.
The first thing I do when up in a removal is set 2 pulleys. It gives you two lowering points, but it also distributes the load and redirects the forces in line with the branches. A great practice for sure.
Shaun
I am a big fan of sharing the load.
Tree Removal, Denver and Boulder Colorado Arborist, Patriot Tree Company - YouTube This video is corny as hell but shows how well sharing the load works. I would not have been able to take pieces that big without setting the rigging point back like that. Though if I were to do that tree again today I would bring another rope through the block under the cut and tie it off to the piece separately and slowly swing the piece to the other side to be lowered. I was pretty green when that video was made.
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