tieing in when blocking down

[Adkpk]

How does one tie in when blocking down a spar? I assume you just give your life line a wrap around the spar and set your lanyard above it?

 

[Tree Pig]

That or two lanyards, My wire core flip and a buck strap with a choke around the tree.

 

[md_tree_dood]

You go it, always keep your lanyard above your climbing line when you are making a cut. I like to gauge how big of pieces I'm going to be lowering or bombing and leave a stub every now and then to put my climbing line over, which makes descent alot easier. If you are really uncomfortable doing this you can choke the tree with your lanyard or your rope, this is a pain after you make a cut and need to descend though. It's also not particularly safe as you'll have to undo the choke in order to descend which could be problematic if you are injured during the process.

 

[TDunk]

I prefer to "choke" the tree with my climbing line then have a second lanyard around the tree. That way (as md-tree pointed out) if something happens to you up there, you just have to un-hook your lanyard and your ready to descend out of the tree. There are a lot of different ways that this procedure can be done.

 

[tree MDS]

Lanyard on top, climbing line below here.

The hitchclimber I have now doesnt work as well for this as my old saddle and system, with that I just tied into the d dings with two overhands and could run a real short tail to the good old taughtline, getting some tention on the butt strap, so all was more comfy. I miss that...

 

[TDunk]

Sounds like what I do. I choke the tree with my climbing line using a running bowline tied about ten feet from the end of my climbing line. I use this ten feet of tail to aid in pulling my running bowline down after using my climbing line to descend to the position of my next cut. My Vt remains on the single line and a figure eight is about a foot below it clipped into a delta on my left leg strap. Descending takes two hands...one on the Vt...and one brake hand below the figure eight. The Vt locks up good on the single line but is not good for descending without having the figure eight take most of the load.

That a pretty good idea, sounds like it would be a little quicker then what i'm doing.

 

[lego1970]

Same here, I put my climbing line well below my lanyard. Never really have tried choking the line except on about 2 or 3 occasion and one time on a slick Sycamore, however most trees I do are not that big and a little stub or buldge is seldom more then 5 to 10 below. I always figured if I accidently cut the lanyard I might take a heck of a ride, get a little bruised, and have to change my underwear, but otherwise live to finish the job. I'll have to look into that choking part. I'm probably not doing right. The couple occasions when I've choked the tree, I used a flat sling choked, then wrapped several times like a timber hitch.

 

[TDunk]

Same here, I put my climbing line well below my lanyard. Never really have tried choking the line except on about 2 or 3 occasion and one time on a slick Sycamore, however most trees I do are not that big and a little stub or buldge is seldom more then 5 to 10 below. I always figured if I accidently cut the lanyard I might take a heck of a ride, get a little bruised, and have to change my underwear, but otherwise live to finish the job. I'll have to look into that choking part. I'm probably not doing right. The couple occasions when I've choked the tree, I used a flat sling choked, then wrapped several times like a timber hitch.

I use to do that also, but found it quicker to just take an extra wrap around the tree with the climbing line, then use a carabiner to hook it back to the standing part of the line and have my friction hitch connected to my center D, that way i can get out of the tree asap if needed. It also works good for leaning trees to help keep you pulled to one side or the other.

 

[lego1970]

I use to do that also, but found it quicker to just take an extra wrap around the tree with the climbing line, then use a carabiner to hook it back to the standing part of the line and have my friction hitch connected to my center D, that way i can get out of the tree asap if needed. It also works good for leaning trees to help keep you pulled to one side or the other.

I'll have to play around with that next time I climb. Thanks!

 

[outofmytree]

One wrap then a dfl around the lifeline. It chokes even the smoothest trees like Cocos palms and if you need to bail in a hurry my VT works equally well srt as drt. I prefer a wire core lanyard above the choked line rather than a rope lanyard. Perhaps I am paranoid...

 

[IcePick]

...

I think the most important aspect of blocking down large wood is having a comfortable pair of sharp spikes. With that being said, I usually try to leave small stubs where I can to put my climbing line around in case I have to descend. I also put my lanyard above my climbing line. Lastly, one needs to have an attitude that nothing is going to go wrong, mind over matter, it has worked for me and I have had not even one close call of gaffing out or getting hurt in the ten or so years I've been a climber (knock on wood).

 

[Adkpk]

There are no stubs left. It's a 30' sweet gum spar. I broke the strap on my pole climbing spurs when I was starting out to remove the top. I took out the branches spurless (wasn't much left of it after a storm blew it out). Rather than buy a new strap I went for tree climbing spurs (longer gaff). Unfortunately Sherrill has them on backorder. I was going to do the td on Monday now...
I am sure I'll post when its done. Thanks for all the help.

 

[RacerX]

Some great information in this thread. Does anyone have any photo's of their blocking down setup?

 

[lego1970]

There are no stubs left. It's a 30' sweet gum spar. I broke the strap on my pole climbing spurs when I was starting out to remove the top. I took out the branches spurless (wasn't much left of it after a storm blew it out). Rather than buy a new strap I went for tree climbing spurs (longer gaff). Unfortunately Sherrill has them on backorder. I was going to do the td on Monday now...
I am sure I'll post when its done. Thanks for all the help.

If your in no hurry then I'd just wait for the new gaffs, but if you have to get it down pronto, I'm sure you could rig a strap on there or use a roll of duct tape to fasten the gaff on your boot just to finish the job.

 

[clearance]

Steelcore lanyard around the tree, thats all, completly allowed here. Every tree I have ever blocked down I did with one steelcore, sometimes tied into another tree, for certain reasons.

 

[Bearcreek]

There are no stubs left. It's a 30' sweet gum spar. I broke the strap on my pole climbing spurs when I was starting out to remove the top. I took out the branches spurless (wasn't much left of it after a storm blew it out). Rather than buy a new strap I went for tree climbing spurs (longer gaff). Unfortunately Sherrill has them on backorder. I was going to do the td on Monday now...
I am sure I'll post when its done. Thanks for all the help.

Have you used tree spikes before? The Buckingham one's that I used to use were way too long and unstable for my taste.

 

[SINGLE-JACK]

There are no stubs left. It's a 30' sweet gum spar. I broke the strap on my pole climbing spurs when I was starting out to remove the top. I took out the branches spurless (wasn't much left of it after a storm blew it out). Rather than buy a new strap I went for tree climbing spurs (longer gaff). Unfortunately Sherrill has them on backorder. I was going to do the td on Monday now...
I am sure I'll post when its done. Thanks for all the help.

If your in no hurry then I'd just wait for the new gaffs, but if you have to get it down pronto, I'm sure you could rig a strap on there or use a roll of duct tape (???) to fasten the gaff on your boot just to finish the job.

A big dog collar (maybe two buckled together) will work in a pinch - you can buy them everywhere, even the grocery store - they're tough as hell and gotta be safer than duct tape - but if you can, like lego said, waiting's better.

 

[lego1970]

Never, ever, underestimate the power of duct tape:greenchainsaw: just kidding.

It would be a last resort and look pretty silly in front of the customer, but I'm sure with several wraps it would hold the gaffs on for taking down a 35' trunk.

 

[Bearcreek]

I had a friend tell me about one time when he was younger and his dad wanted to take a limb down that was over their garage. The ladder they were using was too short. The solution, duct tape two ladders together, set up on the garage roof and lean against the limb. Believe it or not, he lived to tell the story.

 

[SINGLE-JACK]

Never, ever, underestimate the power of duct tape:greenchainsaw: just kidding.

It would be a last resort and look pretty silly in front of the customer, but I'm sure with several wraps it would hold the gaffs on for taking down a 35' trunk.

:agree2:
You're right, of course!!! - but, having duct taped nearly everything, getting that 'goo' off your boots would be a PITA.