Throwbag redemption

[Bermie]

You may remember my other thread, 'throwbag nightmare'...well several months on I have progress to report:

Working on my neighbour's tree, poison ivy all around the base to which I am quite allergic, a huge pile of logs and branches and **** at the base...one NICE union to aim for, BUT it was a good 40' up.

Out came the throwbag, the line, the skeptical neighbour...the Bermster tee'd it up side arm...no go, loop sidearm, oh so close...cradle throw two handed, 1, 2, 3, 4, BAMMMMMM....over it went!

For me, I was really chuffed, throwbag is one part of my skill set where I am just getting out of kindergarten...

Only the pictures can prove it...

 

[treeseer]

If at first you don't succeed...

Get a big slingshot! I was in preschool with flinging, but now get it waaaay high, and right, in comparison.

Way to persevere, "Bermster"!

 

[sgreanbeans]

:agree2:
Big shot fur sure! I can usually do a 1 shot 1 kill, saves on the arm and more importantly my sanity! A little practice in the back yard or park and you'll be very accurate. Protect it though, laying anything sharp around it and u risk a nick, and on a full pull nicks go bad real fast!

 

[Job Corps Tree]

We all have had to do it , 0ne day you can hit 6 crotchs dead on at 60' and than the next day you can't hit the Bucket Truck from 20" out. I also love the Big Shot, one at home and one at work. Keep them in a bucket with a lid

 

[NCTREE]

Glad to see i'm not the only one who gets frustrated with the throwbag. I did a poison ivy tree the other day in a golf course. It took me like 7 tries to to hit my crotch. It was a black locust and the line kept getting caught on the thorns. I eventually got up into the tree to take it down. I spent a half hour hand sawing the poison ivy vines so I wouldn't get it as bad but here I sit covered in it from head to tow. O-well it comes with the job i'm just glad I don't get it as bad as my helper. I feel sorry for the guy he's in a world of pain right now or should I say itch.

 

[tree md]

Nice shot Bermie!!!

I have to admit, I have become a bigshot addict myself. I find myself pulling it out for even the easiest shots now where I would used to just make a throw. I have found it less time consuming to just break out the bigshot and get it in there the first time as to try to make a throw that might take two or three tries (if I'm lucky).

X2 on watching out for sharp stuff when stowing and transporting it. Mine has a nick in it now from not being careful.

 

[Bermie]

I hear you on the big shot gang...unfortunately shipping one out here is $$$, funny size package, then add on 22% duty...

I might have to break out the bow and arrow...it has 4lb test on an old spinning reel on the front, so puts an extra event in the mix, fishing line to throw line to climb line...

I'm just real happy my throwing is improving...and that I managed to avoid the poison ivy...HATE that stuff and it hates me!

 

[pdqdl]

Bermie: Glad to see you are getting somewhere with that two handed sling method. It's the only way I can hit anything with a toss. Would you be interested in seeing my "little shot" setup? I now have a Big Shot, and a "Little Shot" for smaller stuff. It's lethally accurate to about 30' up with a 6oz weight.

...It was a black locust and the line kept getting caught on the thorns. ...

I can sympathize!

I recently climbed a big honey locust, just to take out the deadwood. Oddly, the customer did not want me to trim the tangle of thorns off the main trunk, so getting near that part of the tree was out of the question. My Zing-it throw line kept getting hung up on the upper thorns, and the weight wouldn't come back down to me. On top of that, there was no central leader. So...I declared war!

We took out as much deadwood from the ground as we could with the pole saw, and I had to get the higher stuff. With a cry of "it's poking me, so I'm poking it back", up the tree I went on my spurs.

Yes! I spiked a trim!

I think it poked me many more times than I poked it, though. The customer was very happy when I left, and I went up the ladder past the worst of the the thorns and lower trunk.

BTW: poison ivy doesn't bother me at all. I can weed-eat the stuff wearing shorts and not get any problems.

 

[Bermie]

Sure, let's see your 'little shot'! opcorn:

 

[tree md]

opcorn:

 

[sgreanbeans]

I too seem to have a immunity to all three, I have ivy and sumac in my woods behind my house, could run naked thru it and not get anything, dont ask me, must be all the shots they gave me in the Marines!
Yes put the Big shot in a bucket, I do it too.

 

[treevet]

Sure, let's see your 'little shot'! opcorn:

:hmm3grin2orange:

 

[outofmytree]

Congrats on serious "channelling of your inner shrew" Bermie. Bigshot and throw bag have there place IMO. Bigshot has a nasty tendency to overshoot and those 16 oz bags make a nice hole in roof mounted solar panels! (We got a lotta sun down here dontcha know)

 

[treemandan]

Looks like you needed a top rope set just to scale the mound of debris so you could get to tree! If you would have fell down there and had nothing to hold on to we would have never seen you again.


One thing I have noticed about those slingshots ( and I see you threw bare handed on this one Bermster) is that they don't seem to last to long.
I was on a job the other week, I knew the thing was about to let loose and it did. It ripped out ( AGAIN) by the pouch. I used some whipping string to rig it back up so I could shoot my lines. It seems to be holding and even with the shorter sling it still seems Ok.
Anybody got any good tips on how to repair these things? I am getting tired of buying them and I would really hate to carry on without one.

 

[treemandan]

Bermie: Glad to see you are getting somewhere with that two handed sling method. It's the only way I can hit anything with a toss. Would you be interested in seeing my "little shot" setup? I now have a Big Shot, and a "Little Shot" for smaller stuff. It's lethally accurate to about 30' up with a 6oz weight.



I can sympathize!

I recently climbed a big honey locust, just to take out the deadwood. Oddly, the customer did not want me to trim the tangle of thorns off the main trunk, so getting near that part of the tree was out of the question. My Zing-it throw line kept getting hung up on the upper thorns, and the weight wouldn't come back down to me. On top of that, there was no central leader. So...I declared war!

We took out as much deadwood from the ground as we could with the pole saw, and I had to get the higher stuff. With a cry of "it's poking me, so I'm poking it back", up the tree I went on my spurs.

Yes! I spiked a trim!

I think it poked me many more times than I poked it, though. The customer was very happy when I left, and I went up the ladder past the worst of the the thorns and lower trunk.

BTW: poison ivy doesn't bother me at all. I can weed-eat the stuff wearing shorts and not get any problems.

That is still not reason enough and I am dissapointed with you.

 

[pdqdl]

Sure, let's see your 'little shot'! opcorn:

Sure thing. Here it is with a 6oz throwball, shown for scale on the pocket. (the 12oz throwball is propping it up for the camera). The handle folds up and makes the whole thing about 1/3rd as long. Sadly, the newer design pictured in the links below does not look like it folds up.

I got the idea for this in another thread here at AS; the slingshot is marketed as a tennis ball launcher for dogs. Ho! Ho! Ho! You need to be pretty strong to shoot a tennis ball further than a reasonably healthy person can throw a tennis ball. On the other hand, if you have an injured shoulder and can't throw worth a hoot, this is a nice option. If you need accuracy, this is a good way to get it.

It is excellent for 30'-40' (max) shots with a 6oz throwing weight straight up under a dense canopy. Right where you need it most, when the big shot is big overkill and the angle is all wrong for throwing. 20' shots are just a turkey shoot.

Here is a good link for where to get it: http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=0c6a9044-3319-46d6-9977-33fae7c90cf2
Only $25, with free freight included! The picture in the link looks like they have re-designed it so that there is better leverage on the "Y" part of the slingshot. Notice that the ball holder on my unit is above the handgrip, whereas the link shows it below the I'll bet the new version is even better. The rubbers on the newer design look different, too. Mine are black/opaque (like a big shot), and the new ones are yellow/clear.

I bought mine here: http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=0&pf_id=0028632 $26.90 with shipping.

I store the 6oz & the 12oz bags inside the cube I got from Sherrill. This is SO much better than anything else I tried before. If you already have a cube, this will help you get a good idea about the size of the slingshot.

That is still not reason enough and I am dissapointed with you.

Sorry man. I just can't bring myself to hug a thorny honey locust. I don't like trees that much.

 

[tree md]

Sure thing. Here it is with a 6oz throwball, shown for scale on the pocket. (the 12oz throwball is propping it up for the camera). The handle folds up and makes the whole thing aabout 1/3rd as long. I got the idea for this in another thread here at AS; the slingshot is marketed as a tennis ball launcher for dogs. Ho! Ho! Ho! You need to be pretty strong to shoot a tennis ball further than a reasonably healthy person can throw a tennis ball. On the other hand, if you have an injured shoulder and can't throw worth a hoot, this is a nice option. If you need accuracy, this is a good way to get it.

It is excellent for 30'-40' (max) shots with a 6oz throwing weight straight up under a dense canopy. Right where you need it most, when the big shot is big overkill and the angle is all wrong for throwing. 20' shots are just a turkey shoot.

Here is a good link for where to get it: http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=0c6a9044-3319-46d6-9977-33fae7c90cf2
Only $25, with free freight included!

I store the 6oz & the 12oz bags inside the cube I got from Sherrill. This is SO much better than anything else I tried before. If you already have a cube, this will help you get a good idea about the size of the slingshot.

Sorry man. I just can't bring myself to hug a thorny honey locust. I don't like trees that much.

Very cool buddy! Kudos for being a good sport.

 

[treemandan]

Yeah, I saw one of those at a store, was going to get it but i put it down and forgot about it while I was chasing my kid.
I would think you would have serious problems trying to get 6 oz ball to come back down.

 

[pdqdl]

Well...it has never been a problem until I tried it in the locust!

Generally the 6oz works pretty well for shorter trees. Since you aren't going to get it 60' up in a tree, it doesn't hang up much coming back down. The sling shot will toss a 12oz, but not much more than 25', if that.

 

[jimmynz]

I reckon climbing comp throwline should be like this.