when you judge its OK to break the rules

[TheTreeSpyder]

i've done like Daniel is saying with someone holding the line and a few wraps on ol'Porty as truck pulls forward. In this way, with the right amount of friction on Porty, it will slip before line breaks, acting like a 'mechanical fuse' i say, kinda blowing out as force overrides it, saving the system.

 

[murphy4trees]

I like the porty on the truck cause you can control slack and pull...
MM how did you attach the line to the van and wher did it fail...
Breaking lines with a truck will teach you a lot about the importace of strength loss form knots and sharp edges...

 

[Crofter]

Dont know if it is one of those "Urban Legends" but have heard of people setting off their air bags when jerking on things with vehicle. Wouldn't it be a picture of unexpected results!

Frank

 

[Lumberjack]

Originally posted by Crofter
Dont know if it is one of those "Urban Legends" but have heard of people setting off their air bags when jerking on things with vehicle. Wouldn't it be a picture of unexpected results!

Frank

Most arborist ropes are to stretchy to set off the airbags... it takes a pretty hard pull to set them off. Most dont activate until around 20 MPH, and the stretch wouldnt shock it enough.

Might have happened sometime tho, but it aint likely.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I keep a length of the esterlon rope that was my climbing rope 25 years ago as a towline in the trunk.

It hasn't failed me yet!

 

[Greg]

I think that when you saw a rope in the tree you should have stoped to find out who is doing what with the tree. You stole that guys work, I hope you made things right with him. As far as pulling out the top, I wouldn't do that unless I know that it would snatch out -as you must have. Nothing wrong with taking a shortcut that won't hurt people or property, and will save a few bucks.
Greg

 

[Dobber]

After setting you're line in the failed top, could you not have hitched it to the butt of the tree [securing it] then set a second pull rope up in the tree and fell both at the same time. This would have saved any pulling with the van.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i think that Daniel saw a bad situation, that he assumed someone got scared of and left half done, perhaps even worsenned by 'fooling around'. i think 'stole' implies intent; especially if you can neutralize handle in 5 minutes something, ya might not think someone else truly qualified for such a task had to get a crane, or even stopped 5 minutes short after not doing much.

Perhaps Daniel empathized somewhat, that he would have backed out 15 years ago, and rightfully so himself; and stepped up and took his place at this time, instead of leaving them hanging like the last guy.

Orrrrrrrrr something like that!
:alien:

 

[murphy4trees]

I spotted a dangerous tree, brought it to the customers attention.... gave her husband a price over the phone which was OK'd verbally by him and showed up the next working day to do the job..... so how is that stealing someone's work????
I took one look at those hanging ropes and knew what happenned... Somebody went up and got scared..
Turns out....
I went to high school with the other climber and never had much love for the guy... When he showed up, the two of us went to talk to the customer, whom used it as an opportunity to beat my price down a little... I suggested that she pony up $100 to the other climber since it was a miscommunication between her and her husband that caused us to both get contracted... He interupted and said no... I lent him a ladder to retrieve his ropes which were carefully coiled and hanging at about 20'... This was the end a 5 house cul de sac in a quiet little suburban setting...
I meant to refer a couple jobs to the guy as a makeup but never did... Talked to him about it later and he said it was OK cause he had gotten plenty of work out of her since then...
My truth is I just wanted to see if my way would work....
And it did... which was of course the fun part.... I used a big shot and a little creativity to put the tree on the ground.... I never saw the other guy climb, but he has a good reputaion... freelance climber charging $350/day... This was 4-5 years ago..
There was no way to take the tree in one piece... pulling into the woods it would have hung up... I was worried about the rest of the tree being hard to fall... but when the top came down, it pulled an interfering limb from another tree down too, which opened up a clear drop zone...
You'd think the customer would appreciate that I saw something that another company missed and then was able to save her a thousand or so dollars on the job.... But instead she's angry at me and will never hire me again...
That's OK she paid what she owed (kinda) and she doen't have to hire me again...

 

[Stumper]

Okay Mike, Big John and all you other rope breakers, when you pop a line where does it break? I ask because, while we are constantly advised that a Bowline reduces rope strength to about 65% I've never parted a rope at a bowline. The few lines I've manage to break were old/downgraded, I got them out because I was about to overload a line and wanted to use one that was already retired to tow-rope status. They always have broken at midline, not at my knots. Of course being old ropes they probably had a few nicks.

 

[SilverBlue]

Good question Stumper in fact deserves it’s own thread don’t ya think?

 

[Stumper]

Probably. Go for it Rob!

 

[BigJohn]

They have always broke at the knot or close to it. The ends of the rope always seem to get boogered up. I would think a midline break would be do to a rope that has been weakened do to being a little on the crispy side. You usually burn rope in the middle and not the ends. I guess it all depends on the rope and wear patterns of that particular rope. I will never take a huge piece on a half inch line just using a bowline. I will either put a half in there or just use a clove hitch.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i've broken a few lines at the knot, mostly dragging with truck, tractor etc. Because thatt might happen anytime it is best not to be in line with the line recoil upon slipping off of mount or breaking and cutting in 2 anything in it's wake. Also branches, a heavy tarp etc. can buffer that action down of the recoil if layed on top of a suspect line to be loaded.

i see lines break inches before the first loaded curve in the line at the hitch or knot. i have always imagined the nylon fibers as flexing loaded around that arc torquing things internally, and the back pressure down the line (from all that suddenly bent/torqued force) being so powerfull that the line breaks before the actual curve from the lacing of the knot/hitch. Kinda like at that level of loading the transluscent fibers are more glasslike, and take that bend less, are so stiff, that right before the knot, the increase in loading is felt and causes failure.



Orrrrrrrrrrr something like that!
:alien:

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I understand that most splice tests witll break at the taper...

I've had a few ropes break at wear points, Usually when we want to take as big a peice as will drop, but not too worried about if it will hit something {like a spireae}

 

[a_lopa]

i think you did the right thing 4 sure rope can be replaced a climber cant,safest