Setting up a Speedline

[Nailsbeats]

I got a job to do this weekend where I want to set up a speedline to get all the limbs out to the chipper. I have plenty of rope, biners, straps and blocks. We will have 2 climbers in the tree.

What is the best way to set this up? I have never set up this type of rigging before.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

if you can.... line up the chipper with the tree and tie the bottum of your speedline to the axle of the chipper. this will put the brush right where you want it, and enable you to stop it before it hits anything. on the bigger wood i run a safety line down with it, use a figure 8 on mine. if the tree will allow tie your top end, well.... at the top.... and let her fly.

 

[DUSTYCEDAR]

i have seen it done a few ways and all seemed to work good

 

[kennertree]

Just be careful of how big of stuff you are taking. It's easy to overload a speedline so be sure to calculate the rigging forces carefully.

 

[oldirty]

make sure you got a clear path to the chipper.

(many ways to do this, this is just one.)


tie rign rope higher than you, then take your slings and girth hitch the limb and then biner to the rope you got above your head. hook as many as you feel safe.

have the groundman pull tight on the rope and hold. cut your limbs free and watch as they fly through the air. just as they get to the chipper the groundman lets the rope go dropping the limbs in front of the chipper.

this is for a conifer.

this is the "ghetto" version. ive done this a few times. few being the key word.

if you have a rigging plate and a pulley you can go big time but you'll need another rope to control the descent and also to pull the set up back to you.


its tough to describe (for me, lacking the verbage i need to fully explain what i mean) how to get it going just right.

maybe some of the west coast guys will be able to better explain what i am saying.

sorry nails. i thought i could do better. lol

 

[ClimbinArbor]

maybe i can help dirty

i think what hes trying to say is if you rig a pulley with a paw plate on it, run a line to it for retrieval. then all you have to do is secure your retrieval line. clip on as many carabiners with choked limbs as your paw will hold and cut. lower to groundies, pull rig back up and repeat.

hope that helped.

 

[Nailsbeats]

OK, I think I see the two different ways, it's just as I thought.

I wan't to run a speedline from tree to chipper. Then run a pulley with a tag line onto that. Sling the limbs with straps and biners to the pulley and send down, controlling descend with the tagline.

Here's my question, how do you get the limbs farther away from the speedline, if the straps don't reach to sling right to it?

Am I missing something here or do you just have to keep moving the speedline to your next area as you go?

Seems to me you could run a standard rigging handline up and tie off a limb as you normally would, let the rigging crotch take the shockload from the cut and then manuever the piece to the speedline and secure it, as to not shockload the speedline. The speedline when loaded, will definitely be putting some serious side G's on the tree.

 

[treemandan]

One thing to consider is that the force of the groundy pulling will pull the limb in the direction of a limb.
Like if you want to send the top out or move a limb from the other side of the tree. For tops just tie the speedline below the notch then strap it. While the groundies pull tight make the backcut and it will be pulled over.
I usually have a 2 pulley comealong to generate the pull, and a friction hitch to buffer the slam. just wrap a prussik or something with like ten wraps to act like a cushion so the pulley don't get smaashed.
I have sent HUGE weight down that line and the whole idea is great. You will have loads of fun. Its much more fun to let them run loose than to hold them back with a friction device.
Another thing that you need to consider is if the weight of the limb being put on the speedline will pull the tree over.
Make a bunch of diiferent size rope slings, a whole bunch.

 

[ClimbinArbor]

for the limbs way a little to far to strap and biner-

tie your tag line to your pulley and leave a lead long enough to reach the limb in question. tie onto it and then strap and biner some smaller nearby limbs to it, so you get moore for your buck.

this will also keep you from moving the line as much.

 

[Ax-man]

Do a search by typing in speedline, naturally. The answers you need are in the archives. You will probaly have to go back quite a few years and search through the threads. We have had this discussion many times about the uses of a speedline.

If by chance you happen to hit on a post made by Kneejerk Bombas he showed a clever use of using a pulley, cam adjuster and a short length of rope instead of using slings on the haul back line. The cam adjuster served as a tensioner to get just the right amount of tension on a limb.

I have this used technique myself and really works slick. I have a diagram of what I am talking about but would have to really do some hunting in my overflowing files.

Another good author on speedlines is rbtree. He does some heavy duty speedline work.

Good luck

Larry