Favorite lowering method

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Favorite way to lower?

  • Butt Hitch w/ natural crotch

    Votes: 3 11.5%
  • Butt hitch w/ false crotch

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • Swing

    Votes: 7 26.9%
  • Speed Line

    Votes: 2 7.7%
  • Other

    Votes: 9 34.6%

  • Total voters
    26

treeman82

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If you guys had tree that was over something, but where you had the option to butt hitch pieces, swing em, speed line, or whatever else other than bomb it. What would you choose? What is your favorite way to lower? My favorite way is to swing pieces; brush and wood alike so long as the crotch will support the weight.
 
Speed em, w/ lowering backup as needed. Easy to lift/swing low ones too, by making use of a bight in the speed line.

But every situation is different, we do whatever method makes the most sense, and is easiest and quickest.
 
We always swing if poss..away from u is better than close!
But every tree is different .



By the way,just joined forum and think you guys discuss some excellent subjects. Its great to read other peoples views.

Mark.:)
 
I'm with the preacher, picking up a big limbs is the way to go.

Love the GRCS, pays for it's self in time saved.

Once you start thinking of moving pices up in your daily work, your options increase exponentialy.

there are 2 major limiting factors in rigging

1. physics

2. imagination

The winch helps with number one, and lets you expand your number two.


the preceading has been an unpaid comercial for Good Rigging of Hartland, WI
 
It is really the situation that determines the method. It has to do with clearance of the limb/block to the house/structure etc. My favorite way is to place a crotch that will swing the limb/block out into a clear LZ and then have the groundie “let it run” so as not to shock load the crotch. If you do not have the clearance you can always go out further or use a pole pruner to set your rope and take half of the limb/block. A good groundie can have your lowering line placed in an ideal crotch or false crotch with a throw line by the time you have completed your gear check and put it on. On preservation work use a block if the rigging false crotch is not going to be strong enough. The lowering break (port-a-wrap)is faster to set up if you take smaller pieces. Less chance of something to go wrong with smaller pieces and also allows the ground crew to clear the LZ faster.

The well trained Groundie is a dieing breed so find a good one(s) and pay them well. The life you save may be your own.
 
Swing away to adjascent tree if possible. This eliminates a # of variables that can put climber at risk. Also I like the idea of tying load off near balance point. This makes for smooth and predictable movement, no fall factors on center of gravity pendulum movement. Less shock
And sometimes it is just faster to lower right off itself.
Whatever works.
God Bless All,
Daniel
 
i like not overloading the anchor, by using high friction, 0 shock, on a self tightenning rig; using the length between the hinge and hitch as a lever to self tighten the line drawing the limb around on the hinge until the hitchpoint is below the anchor point, then free the hinge. I use high friction because it provides less anchor/support load, and also isolates a shorter piece of line to pre-stretch as i hinge over; making that easier.

Then the lighter end becomes a ballast for the heavier end (green),and anything riding above the hitch is also 'free length' that doesn't effect the length from hitch to clearance of lower obstacles.

Nothing like ballet-ing out a long mass light as a butterfly in a self working machine you gradully allow to take the weight of the load, powering itself!
 
JPS, are you getting a cut on GRCS sales? You should be, you've almost sold me on one. I've seen it in action once, it is an awesome tool.
Greg
 
cool method

myself and a groundie took down a 150' Douglas fir in a back yard that was down hill behind a house. We chose to place a 3/4" bull rope between two similar sized trees approx 200' apart. One tree at the back of the lot and the other conveniently uphill and across the street. We used 2 blocks one for the traveller and one for the load line ran a 1/2" load line through a jumar with a 300' haul back line. The groundie removed the wood from the work line and slacked off the jumar and I pulled the haul back it worked sweet and saved a hell of a lot of packing!
 
Think of Deevo and sing it.

"When the trees gotta go, you must bomb it, bomb it, bomb it good."

If I cant bomb, I likey da blocks and letum run
 
Swinger

I am a real SWINGER at heart. We always look for a STRONG, close by tree if we can use one.

I like safety first, speed second, and when possible - BOMBS AWAY!:cool2:
 
Crane

Crane is great to have when the job pays for it.

I am a small outfit so we cannot afford the luxury of owning and insuring a crane. But we have used them from time to time and all I can say is 'SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET'.:clap:
 

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