Thread: Rope storage

I'm always open to new idea's, at least for me, but how does stuffing a 7/8 250' bull rope in a bag help. I've always coiled the rope in about 3' lengths over my arm, removing the kinks as I go and tying the whole thing off.

Not saying the bag is a bad idea but how does it save time and ease of un-coiling when you get to a new job sight. You don't just stuff the rope in the bag do-you.

Can-Do-It

PP. You are forgetting that coiling is FUN. I flake my climbing lines and coil my rigging ropes then throw them in a plastic tub. "Why, pray tell," you may ask,"don't you just flake them into the tub?" Because I carry several in the same tub. I could flake into bags then throw bags into the tubs, but I would have to buy more bags and .....coiling is FUN.

P.S. I still use a couple of 3 strand ropes.

I like the bags like New Tribe makes, but i allso use kitty litter boxes. The yellow ones allso make for good road cone substitutes that don't walk off on a job.

Way to go Stumper. I like the tub idea. Wife has been using them all around the hose but I never thought of using them for rope and other gear storage. It go's to show how tunnel vision we get from time to time.

That's what I've liked about this forum from the beginning. Sharing of idea's. It's like the old saying 'One mans trash is another mans gold' something like that.

Can-Do-It

Originally Posted by Can-Do-It

I'm always open to new idea's, at least for me, but how does stuffing a 7/8 250' bull rope in a bag help. I've always coiled the rope in about 3' lengths over my arm, removing the kinks as I go and tying the whole thing off.

So you've got to work to put twist into it so it coils nicely, then you've got to untwist it as you take the coils off later.  Instead, just run it into a container hand-over-hand as quickly as you can and allow it to do its own thing.

Not saying the bag is a bad idea but how does it save time and ease of un-coiling when you get to a new job sight. You don't just stuff the rope in the bag do-you.

Yes, just stuff it.  When you get to the new site, just grab the end and pull.  If you attempt to coil it into the container you'll have to uncoil it out again.  Just pushing it in allows you to just pull it out.

Glen

Can-do -it, Flaking, as stuffing a rope into a container is called, really is superior. It is about as fast as coiling (for some it is faster but I'm a coil-master ) but the rope almost always pays out without any tangles. I just haven't switched on my rigging rope 'cause I'm old fashioned and cheap. Try flaking/stuffing-you will like it.

Originally Posted by Curtis James

THe rope looks daisy chained in that photo. Do you always do that? I only did that in the in the service with our rope bridge supplys.

yes its daisy chained 150'5/8 ,pull one end and it unravells.toooo easy

It's certainly put away neatly, but it's less easy to unravel than to just pull from a bag, and <i>definitely</i> less easy to get it ready to pull in the first place.&nbsp; A friend used to do that with his extension cords on the jobsite and I never understood it.

Working with microphone cables in my youth (sound reinforcement) we would grab them into about 5' loops formed horizontally "thumbs down" which would figure-8 them, then tie the loops on one end and hang them on the wall.&nbsp; Deploying a 100' balanced cable required nothing more than holding one end in one hand and heaving the looped cord with the other.&nbsp; That's what I do with my length of 3-strand for which I don't have a bag.

Glen

we just leave them in a big old bucket we used to use for waste oil, keeps em nice and slippy.

sometimes if we are feeling lazy we coild them, why, we just do, was taught to do it and still do it we are never in such a hurry that the extra couple of seconds makes such a difference.

jamie

For those of us that can remember 3 strand (hemp/manila) would coil easily after worked a few times. The new synthetics figure 8 as you try to coil them, they are by the lay of the rope designed to figure eight, until they are well worked they will want to figure 8. My experience is like others, flake it into the bag or bucket and it comes out just as easy as it went in. I do on occasion coil the synthetic to hang it to dry out when it gets wet. 150'-200' hank fits into a 5 gallon bucket or kitty litter bucket with snap on lid for easy storage. Longer ropes flake into plastic tub. It just makes storage easier. Just make sure your ropes are dry when you put them away otherwise they get to stinking. There are still uses for the three strand but they are now synthetic also and tend to figure 8 when you try to coil them. Once the ropes get a good workout(weeks or months) they will coil easier but how many of you change ropes end to end when you use your ropes so they get worked form one end to the other job to job? "Hey Mr. your chainsaw blade is on upside down" You'll hear that too. They think you're an idiot and don't know how to maintain a saw either, it just shows the depth of the customers knowledge or lack thereof. I dasiy chained lots of electric wires on the constrution site because it left less (took up less space on the floor) to trip over, it fed out easily, it works for ropes also.

The only ropes I coil anymore are the ones that company climbers turn in or worn out climbing lines that are stored for "junk ropes."

All of my ropes are bagged, flaked into square kitty litter buckets or into, you guessed it the famous pink suitcases for rigging lines...

Tom

the plastic tub idea is fine IF you have storage space,but i couldnt see myself carting a plastic tub to the next tree,daisy chain makes it easy to move around the job

I didn't even think of using those kitty litter tubs. I have a bunch of those. What a great idea.

One guy I work with keeps his ropes in 5 gallon buckets, with a hole in the lid. Kinda bulky, I think.

I use both bags and buckets...the low cost of buckets is one thing that makes them attractive, but another advantage out here in the PNWet is that they keep ropes dry(no hole in lid for me ) if/when you transport them in an open truck bed. They also keep cutting tools and contaminants at bay. They are bulky, but they always stay open as you flake into them. Bags are better for hauling ropes very far from the truck, especially ones with a shoulder strap. I reckon I'm at about 60%/40% bags to buckets, and no coiling at all.