Thread: Need quick help about timber hitch

I need a quick, on point answer about how to attach a block to a horizontal branch.

Here's the deal: I just bought an eye sling and a block and a port-a-wrap. I was going to attach the block to the vertical branch with a timber hitch, then run a rope through the block to the piece to be lowered (the lowering wood was attached with a running bowline). But the "Tree Climber's Companion" said you shoud only use the timber hitch to lower vertical wood. In other words, the timber hitch should only be used when the bite of rope is 90 degrees to the tree. Another way to say it is that the timber hitch should only be used to block down a trunk (vertical wood) because otherwise it might slip.

So how should I tie the block to a horizontal branch for lowering wood?

What I did - as an experiment - was attach the block by making a half hitch around the block, then just wrapped the excess a few times around the vertical branch, and tucked the excess rope under the wraps.

In summary, how do you attach a block (girthed hitched to an eye sling) to a vertical branch to use for lowering heavy wood from the same vertical branch?

Steven

There is a new and extensive thread on this topic over at the other board, you know, the one that rimes with treefuzz...
It's called Clock hitch.
PM me if you can't find it.

Clock hitch is for the porty...
Tie block with a cow hitch, and a couple of half hitches... or better halfs if you can find them in a Sherrill Catalogue these days...

Sounds like I should use a cow hitch plus a half hitch or a "better half" for securing the block to the vertical limb.

Mike, Nick appears to say the clock hitch if for attaching the port-a-wrap. I use a whoopie sling on the porta a wrap.

So, unless I'm mistaken, cow hitch it is!

Thanks guys.

Yes, cow hitch it is!

That's what I've always used.

Here's a good knot.
Start with a spliced eye sling, leave enough slack for the size of the limb and tie a bowline to the eye:

Then lay it over the limb:

Now slap on your pulley:

why not use a round sling and attach to block with a large steel caribeener

A round sling, set up as a basket is great. The only problem is if the length isn't quite right.
Some folks get past this by making loopies, an adjustable loop, or a whoopie and adjustable eye and eye sling. Both these splicing methods reduce the load rating of the rope but work good.
I drew a picture of a hitch that uses a eye sling because the origanal poster asked about that.
The Cow hitch should not be used in critical situations when tied with only one better half, you must use two half hitches (a clove hitch) to get full strength from this hitch. You could also do other things like terminate it with a timber hitch type twisting or whatever you perfer, just know that a single better half will result in a hitch that can pull apart.