Nope, I use that as well, but again, for different purposes. The alpine butterfly can be loaded on the loop or either end of the rope. The "tom" knot can't without jamming. When it's tied and used the right way though it doesn't jam at all, at least it never has for me. I have jammed an AB to where I had to use a hammer and screwdriver to get it undone. Here's a couple pics of the "tom" knot next to an alpine butterfly. AB is on the left.
What knot???
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Nope, I use that as well, but again, for different purposes. The alpine butterfly can be loaded on the loop or either end of the rope. The "tom" knot can't without jamming. When it's tied and used the right way though it doesn't jam at all, at least it never has for me. I have jammed an AB to where I had to use a hammer and screwdriver to get it undone. Here's a couple pics of the "tom" knot next to an alpine butterfly. AB is on the left.
capecodtree
ArboristSite Operative
name less knot
If you have a pintle hitch this is the best knot going. First tie the rope to the tree to be felled. open the pintle hitch and run the rope through the bottom half, now take about 3-4' of the rope on the side not tied to the tree, pull snug. put your hand at the pintle hitch making a 3-4' loop out of the free end. now start wrapping the "loop" around the rope running back to the tree, starting at the pintle hitch, keep the wraps neat and snug. wrap until you have just enough "loop" to fit back over the open pintle. Close the pintle hitch and pull away. when you are done open the pintle and slide the rope off, the wraps then unravel easily. If anyone knows the name of this knot please let me know. thanks, jim
If you have a pintle hitch this is the best knot going. First tie the rope to the tree to be felled. open the pintle hitch and run the rope through the bottom half, now take about 3-4' of the rope on the side not tied to the tree, pull snug. put your hand at the pintle hitch making a 3-4' loop out of the free end. now start wrapping the "loop" around the rope running back to the tree, starting at the pintle hitch, keep the wraps neat and snug. wrap until you have just enough "loop" to fit back over the open pintle. Close the pintle hitch and pull away. when you are done open the pintle and slide the rope off, the wraps then unravel easily. If anyone knows the name of this knot please let me know. thanks, jim
Iustinian
ArboristSite Operative
that's what I was going to say
although I don't like tying the top of a tree to a truck to pull it over, not my thing at all; but if you were to do that I guess the alpine butterfly is the easiest knot to untie even after it is loaded, and its a midline knot, so u can tie it in at any point in the line.
although I don't like tying the top of a tree to a truck to pull it over, not my thing at all; but if you were to do that I guess the alpine butterfly is the easiest knot to untie even after it is loaded, and its a midline knot, so u can tie it in at any point in the line.
Ax-man
Addicted to ArboristSite
A six coil prussic will work as will a beefed up french prussic or VT with extra coils and crosses. You also have some ajustability using either one of these. The VT works the best compared to a prussic loop. A prussic loop has to much constriction force on a rope for my taste . A loop runner can also be used in the same way. These aren't knots so to speak made from the parent rope but are accessories to use with the parent rope. A Tennex coil spliced into an enless loop will work for either of these two knots.The VT reqquiring a bigger loop of course because of all the coils and crosses. For most average everyday tree work these two tools work good but fiber meltdown can occur under very extreme load.
Instead of all this knot tying a small porta wrap serves this purpose very nicely. No complicated knots to mess with and very easy to undo plus you can adjust with a porta wrap to take out any slack . Just figure out a way to attach to truck or a winch with some attachment hardware and your in business for pulling down a tree.
Instead of all this knot tying a small porta wrap serves this purpose very nicely. No complicated knots to mess with and very easy to undo plus you can adjust with a porta wrap to take out any slack . Just figure out a way to attach to truck or a winch with some attachment hardware and your in business for pulling down a tree.
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newsawtooth
ArboristSite Operative
Probably not supposed to... but if I don't use a bowline or some variation I'll just use a port-a wrap like Ax-Man. I use it a lot with an excavator, pretty fast and easily adjustable.
#1 Solution: ABOK lists a knot specifically for pulling with a vehicle. I don't have my book here, otherwise I would tell you the number. Essentially, you wrap your rope around the ball, axle, (or whatever), then pass that tail through a series of marls (1/2 hitches) in the line going to the load. It is very simple, reliable, and somewhat elegant. It will NEVER bind up or get too tight, although it puts almost all the stress on the first marl closest to the load.
#2 Solution: I think that #1 above is quite a bit too much stress on a rope, so I learned a different way from another climber: Same approach as the ABOK knot above, only pass the rope around the tow ball, install 1/2 hitch at least one foot away from the ball. Go down the line towards the load, putting in multiple 1/2 hitches with at least one foot between each one. 5 half-hitches will hold any truck. Tie the last with a full prussic or taut-line hitch to prevent sliding down the rope towards the ball.
If you allow the last 1/2 hitch to slide all the way down to the ball, you will end up needing to hammer and pull on the knot like crazy to get it to come loose.
If I am working in the middle of the line, I usually tie the 1/2 hitches "slipped", so that I can untie them easily without dragging all that long rope through the loops. The entire setup takes about one minute using big heavy bull rope, and it never binds down nor loads the rope too heavy at a single stress point. The 1/2 hitches distribute the pull over all the hitches that you install, so I consider it a much safer knot. So far, I have never broken a rope pulling with a vehicle, and I have never had to fight untying it either, except for the one time I allowed it to choke/slide down the rope to the ball.
#3: use the portawrap, secured to the back of the truck with a timber hitch. Fool proof, but it pretty much requires a groundie that can control the pulling force with a little experience, unless you just tie off the rope to the porty.
I have a 3/8" dyneema rope that requires the port-a-wrap for pulling a tree over with anything less than it's full length. Dyneema is too slick to tie knots in: they just choke down so tight you would never get them un-done, and it is too slick to hold reliably with my #1 or #2 methods above.
#2 Solution: I think that #1 above is quite a bit too much stress on a rope, so I learned a different way from another climber: Same approach as the ABOK knot above, only pass the rope around the tow ball, install 1/2 hitch at least one foot away from the ball. Go down the line towards the load, putting in multiple 1/2 hitches with at least one foot between each one. 5 half-hitches will hold any truck. Tie the last with a full prussic or taut-line hitch to prevent sliding down the rope towards the ball.
If you allow the last 1/2 hitch to slide all the way down to the ball, you will end up needing to hammer and pull on the knot like crazy to get it to come loose.
If I am working in the middle of the line, I usually tie the 1/2 hitches "slipped", so that I can untie them easily without dragging all that long rope through the loops. The entire setup takes about one minute using big heavy bull rope, and it never binds down nor loads the rope too heavy at a single stress point. The 1/2 hitches distribute the pull over all the hitches that you install, so I consider it a much safer knot. So far, I have never broken a rope pulling with a vehicle, and I have never had to fight untying it either, except for the one time I allowed it to choke/slide down the rope to the ball.
#3: use the portawrap, secured to the back of the truck with a timber hitch. Fool proof, but it pretty much requires a groundie that can control the pulling force with a little experience, unless you just tie off the rope to the porty.
I have a 3/8" dyneema rope that requires the port-a-wrap for pulling a tree over with anything less than it's full length. Dyneema is too slick to tie knots in: they just choke down so tight you would never get them un-done, and it is too slick to hold reliably with my #1 or #2 methods above.
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Saw Dust Smoken
ArboristSite Operative
Ancher knot mid line is easy to undo after the pull.
Treepedo
ArboristSite.com Sponsor
I change the ball for a tow hook so I don't fatigue the ball.
Most tow hooks are tapered to the point so it is easy to kick it off, if you use a cinching knot.
double bowline on a bite is my preferred knot for heavey loading.
porta wrap is the best IMO
Most tow hooks are tapered to the point so it is easy to kick it off, if you use a cinching knot.
double bowline on a bite is my preferred knot for heavey loading.
porta wrap is the best IMO
