Untying knots

[pdqdl]

I've been doing some research...

This is a summary of what I have found while comparing the manharness and alpine butterfly knots:

The Alpine is much more secure (and stronger), but binds up and is difficult to untie if loaded heavily (or at an angle) on the loop. Best suited for loading perpendicular to the line.

The manharness is poorly suited for heavy line pull on both standing ends of the line with no load on the loop, but has almost no tendency to bind up when heavily loaded on the loop against either (or both) standing ends of the line. Best suited for pulling the loop with heavy loads parallel to the line, if ease of untying is anticipated. Faster to tie, but requires dressing properly to hold well.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The manharness is poorly suited for heavy line pull on both standing ends of the line with no load on the loop, but has almost no tendency to bind up when heavily loaded on the loop against either (or both) standing ends of the line. Best suited for pulling the loop with heavy loads parallel to the line, if ease of untying is anticipated. Faster to tie, but requires dressing properly to hold well.

The reason for the hitch was for teams of men to pull caissons through overland, where mule trains would be impractical (remember the song about taking a trip with Andrew Jackson? They had to pull the guns through the backwaters of the Ol'Miss.) Slip it over one shoulder, and under the other armpit...

That wide turn on the backside makes for a great worrypoint.

As with any knot, it is built on a simpler one, this starts like a marlin spike and adds a twist

 

[Ghillie]

Ghillie, you got it!

Apparently, I need to read my Ashley's book of knots a little closer; the site you referenced says it is ABOK #1050.

I haven't any experience with the alpine butterfly, I have been using the Pioneer/manharness knot since before I owned a chainsaw. I'll have to experiment.

Yea, had a little OCD episode last night. I just hate not knowing something!

 

[farmboy53]

heavy load quick release

I have used a variance of the sheepshank with great success when pulling trees (cedar) heavy loads 1m pounds with rope. Very easy to reach into the tangle of limbs and untie. Also attach two ropes together. You have to get all the slack out before you set it down and start your load. A two loop prusik - cow hitch at the tree end and the sheepshank at the hitch end works even better. The cow hitch at the trailer hitch end gets tight due to the smaller diameter of the trailer hitch.
I have also played with using a sheet bend reversed, the working end on the top so that it is not under the knot but on top. When the pressure is released you just roll it out. Works well for fast connecting and release of two doubled ropes that you might want to use for extra strength. Take the bight end of one doubled rope and roll it into a cow hitch double or triple it. Then thread the other rope (single or doubled) through the loop making sure the working end is threaded, looped and threaded again into the loop of the second rope. The standing end must be on the top of the working end so the when the pressure is released you can unthread the working end. If the pressure was great enough the nylon rope may melt some but it will come undone by hand.
I have tried to find these variances of knots with no success. They may be dangerous if not used properly because they may release.

 

[capecodtree]

knots

as already stated, the only good not is one that holds and is easy to untie. I was shown a not years ago that maybe some of you know the name of. When pulling with a truck you put the rope through an open pintle hitch, loop back about four feet of rope, wrap the loop tightly around the rope leading back to the tree, leave enough room to put the resulting end of the loop over the pintle hitch, then close it. You can now pull to the cows come home, flip the pintle up and un-wrap. great knot, wrap?

 

[pdqdl]

...

Video of the swedish bowline. It's at the end.

Damn good work Gillie! How did you ever find that link?

By the way: my favorite midline knot is the man-harness knot. Lots of links on this website to it. Best thread, with testing analysis from Moray: http://www.arboristsite.com/commercial-tree-care-climbing/115527.htm