the best way up big trees.

can anyone help me on the best way of getting up big trees? eg.best equipmet to use? is the petzl b2 foot ascender anygood?? i got very lazy useing ladders but now im working in with out them.thanks

I'd have to say the easiest would be a crane. The second easiest would be to footlock with a double handled Kong ascender single line or double line about the same to me.I would use a rope to ascend on like the blaze,km3 or fly. The foot ascender "pantin" will do just that have you panting. You are using one leg instead of two. It will wear you out in half the time.Learn the art of footlocking, it's alot easier than it looks. Even an ass like me can do it fast.

yep i think i need to relurn footlocking.thanks

i think that foot locking gives more power by 2 legs as stated; though you can stack free foot on top of Pantin; but still doesn't feel quite the same.

Besides more power/ less fatigue potential in the 2 leg type lift versus 1 leg; i think that 1 leg is leveraged against easier by body CG. With 2 legs lifting at once, the lift action is more ascertained to be balanced and inline with body CG; rather than off to the side (like using 1 can be).

The increase in leverage against you is most drastic per half degree change; in this almost vertical situation; so therefore the return on doing correctly is most intense.

marbar

M.P said:

can anyone help me on the best way of getting up big trees? eg.best equipmet to use? is the petzl b2 foot ascender anygood?? i got very lazy useing ladders but now im working in with out them.thanks

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marbar and throwbag/ bigshot maybe.. imo da best

I would advise you stay away from the marbar.

no way

BigJohn said:

I would advise you stay away from the marbar.

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marbar rocks ! whats the prob

I also like the MarBar, I'm anxious to learn what problems BigJohn has had with it.

But I did something kinda cute last week with a 3 part line and a Knut friction hitch that worked pretty slick. I used a CMI 3 part pulley (Sherrill catalog pg 44 "I") on an adjustable false crotch (TCC pg 50) and put a 2 part pulley (Sherrill pg 44 "J") on my saddle. Put the Knut on the running end and pulled myself streight up under the bottom of the leaning side of a big oak hand over hand 50 feet with just one short rest. Takes a lot of rope, but the 3 part line gave me a heck of a mechanical advantage. If I would have had a good stout groundie to add to the equation I think I could have just sat back and enjoyed a cup of tea on the way up.

While you all were talking, I just threw my 18' steelcore around it and walked up with my Buckingham spurs, Cheers MP.

With the mar bar you have a clunky handled ascender to push up and then on your feet you have a clunky ascender to drag up the rope. With footlocking your just picking up your feet, no resistance.

Having to use your hooks is just ignorance.

clearance said:

While you all were talking, I just threw my 18' steelcore around it and walked up with my Buckingham spurs, Cheers MP.

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Whether you're looking for a fight or not Clearance, I get a kick out of those those comments. Anyone on this thread ought to have seen that coming a mile away.

A former boss used to say, "If you can't hike it, spike it!" That little nugget would come out in front of people who didn't know we were joking, which only made it funnier...for us.

For the rest here...foot ascenders really aren't all that clunky or a waste of energy. I've heard about some old timers that have hip problems that they blame on years and years of footlocking.

-Andy

dakota said:

Whether you're looking for a fight or not Clearance, I get a kick out of those those comments. Anyone on this thread ought to have seen that coming a mile away.

A former boss used to say, "If you can't hike it, spike it!" That little nugget would come out in front of people who didn't know we were joking, which only made it funnier...for us.

For the rest here...foot ascenders really aren't all that clunky or a waste of energy. I've heard about some old timers that have hip problems that they blame on years and years of footlocking.

-Andy

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Thanks Andy, it was just too easy.

For long ascents into conifers or any tall tree, ascenders are the way to go, as you can go up single line. Same can be done with Marbars, or, preferably, Greg Liu's GLEasy bars, which only require 2 CMI ascenders, as opposed to MarBar's 4.

Or, there's many other single line methods, most of which are described in the Sherrill catalog.

disagree

BigJohn said:

With the mar bar you have a clunky handled ascender to push up and then on your feet you have a clunky ascender to drag up the rope. With footlocking your just picking up your feet, no resistance.

Having to use your hooks is just ignorance.[/QUOTE
clunky ? whats faster footlock or marbar? whats easier footlock or marbar clearance! holy gaffs? ya just dont get it we cannot gaff live trees down here spiking it and liking it is just not an option. big john try not sitting down in your saddle when marbaring when your feet get to the top stand quickly up and explode while pushing the handles. its simply the best system ergonomically speaking

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I've had luck using Rt and Lt petzel asenders. I use the lead of my right hand and the trail for the other. I have rigged duel foot loops using 1" tubular on the trail asender. I have had good success with this system. It is light weight and hardly notice them when I get to the top and place them on my saddle.

My setup for single line ascents is a Petzl handled ascender, pantin, and a friction hitch at my waist as a backup. I stack my feet when needed, but most of the time I can get a good bounce going, and it's a breeze with one leg.

If it was a tall tree and a long way up big shot the line up.

For entry why not the double line system with a redirect pulley at the bottom to a 4X4. would that be good?

anyone here just body thrust off the ladder

any one here still body thrust off the ladder?, i mean go grab the big shot set a 75ft crotch grab the 35ft ladder and just plain old pull your butt up the tree, it not that hard maybe set a cambium saver if you are feeling week that day or have someone back you up as you free climb the tree , but what do i know, there are 1001 ways to skin a cat.

I do that now without the bars on my feet to drag up. I do a pull up bring my feet up to my chest and explode pushing my ascender up and then a pull up lifting my feet biting and exploding. Works good. I will say the mar bar will stay consistent with height not ever getting any heavier. I guess around in these little trees where its only a 60 to 90 foot footlock it isn't much of a problem.

The best way up a tree is to notch it at the butt and walk up the trunk bumping knots.:jawdrop: