Aluminum biners in rigging

[Tree Critter]

I saw a video a while back of a guy doing a removal of a good sized pine. He obviously had just enough knowlege to be dangerous to himself, and everyone around him. The video starts with the guy makeing a topping cut, and as the camera pans down, you see that his friends on the ground don't have a friction device, they have the bull rope wrapped about 6-8 times (per the climbers instructions) around a nearby tree. The camera pans back up to see the top 10 feet or so of the tree break loose and slam into the side of the tree. I think I remember hearing a few choice words from the climber as the camera pans back to the guys on the ground who are trying to get the rope unbound so they can lower the top. The camera comes back on for the second cut, and as the second piece (also about 10 feet) comes off it slams the tree and barely slows down before you see it, and the rigging do a free fall into a storage building. Everyone is quiet for a few seconds, then you hear "????!!!". The camera comes back on and shows the remains of half of the ALUMINUM biner the guy was useing to attach the block to the sling. The biner had deep gouges in it where the steel plates of the block dug in on the first cut. It was found stuck in the ground where the ground crew was standing around without hard hats. Nobody was injured, but the climber just couldn't understand why that aluminum biner had failed. After seeing that, I don't have much use for aluminum biners anywhere it might get gouged, or become work hardened.

 

[DDM]

Just out of Idle curiosity? where did you get that video? Sounds comical.kinda like the 3 stooges take down a pine.

 

[Tree Critter]

Video library at ACRT while I was there for training. It was actually done by a student BEFORE he enrolled. I guess he decided he didn't know what he thought he did. I think I would have been too embarassed to admit to something like that.

 

[DDM]

I'm thinking it should have been put on americas funniest videos. I'll use an aluminum Biner if im rigging down small stuff like branches.Actually i was in a curious mood today and was out of the danger zone on a removal so i decided to test a old rope that i purchased from Northern tool to use as a guide rope a while back This Sweetgum
was right at 24" Dia i rigged in this rope to a
porta wrap a block and a sling I was actually suprised at what that rope held i started with a 2' piece and ended up with an 8' piece and the rope never broke! Of course i'd never use it in a critical situation but Man i couldnt believe what that 1/2 boat rope would hold!

 

[rbtree]

The guy's other mistake besides using the aluminum biner, was the use of a pulley, with thin stock for the cheek plates, instead of a good block with a threaded pin and sheave.

When rigging big wood, it is best to run the lowering line through the block and attach it to the log with a marl and bowline, no hardware. Even a steel biner can deform or break from side loads. An aluminum biner, while not as strong, can handle lots of shock due to being a bit more resilient, as long as the load is along the major axis, for which there can be no guarantee in rigging.

I too use aluminum biners for lots of light to medium rigging, speedlining branches, even lowering wood if the piece is real light, say 100 pounds and it can be let run.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

For light stuff i use the single action steel 'biners a lot.

I use my kong aluminum for climbing and a few steels for big rigging. I will not shock anything that I might climb on.

I agree with RB in that big wood should be tied off. though in some instances a clipped multiple wrap, on a half hitch, over a marl will work.

I always tie my biners on with a fishermans theses days.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

i go with aluminum for life support only. One reason is the Ball locks come in aluminum. The other reason is i take better care of my personal support equipment; and aluminum needs extra care; so we have a match! It also works to differentiate between rigging and life support gear. i would never put an aluminum biner in an impacting and 'knocking' position like that; or with such a load.

For repeated blocking out into rigging; i may use a steel biner as a reusable bowline (for the load) with 1-2 leading half hitches before the light end and block. Each turn on the load and 1/2 hitch set; will signifigantly reduce the amount of force that eventually is put on 'biner. i also make sure it is in a protected place; from direct concussion. Sometimes it gets its own marl pocket. If i cant protect it; i drop the hardware and stay with 'software' ie.-rope.

 

[DDM]

Okay how about opinions for a Tuflex Sling For rigging?

 

[treeclimber165]

I have used the slings extensively for rigging, mostly in crane removals. I usually used the yellow ones, 9K-10K rating if my memory is correct (HA-HA). They are much easier to handle when climbing than steel cables and hardware. I also used them for loading big logs with the boom truck, as they were easier to pull out from under the log after loading.
I also used skidding tongs for loading wood sometimes, but only with an experienced groundman who knew not to stand under or near the log being loaded. (Don't tell OSHA about this one!)

 

[DDM]

I use skidding tongs on my front end loader I just keep people out from under it. But even if i had lift tongs i still wouldnt let people wonder under it! Will the sling handle the shock load?

 

[treeclimber165]

I forgot the brand name, might be Tuflex, but the slings were available in many different load ratings. Some guys use the purple or green ones, but I'm uncomfortable using them for crane work. They handle shock loads great, if used with common sense and WITHIN THE LOAD RATING.
Actually, my crane jobs were usually virtually zero shock load. The crane operator tends to get a bit testy when you shock load his half-million dollar machine.

 

[DDM]

I havent found a customer yet that was willing to shell out for a crane maybe some day......

 

[treeclimber165]

A large number of my crane removals have been in the $1500 range. The job entailed 3 men, a 35 ton crane for the 3-4 hour minimum at about $70 per hour, one load of chips in the chip truck and one load of wood in the wood truck. If you have a removal in that price range and can fit it in one load without dump runs in the middle of the job, and access for a crane, it is usually as cheap or cheaper to use a crane.
One very important trick I learned early on when rigging for a crane is "Notch for the sky!". Tie the crane on towards the tip, come back and make your notch on top of the lead, start your back cut underneath and when it gets close pull out your saw and move to a safe place. THEN let the crane operator lift up the limb and it will break off when it gets near upright. No shock load, you are clear and the groundmen can guide the lead onto the ground easily at the other end. Safe AND easy!!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

And if you can set up 2-3 jobs for one day....
then buck the big wood on a rainy day.

So much less clean up too.

 

[greenguy]

It is better to use a regular arborist block and pulley with a sling.
The amount of force exerted on a caribiner from a 10ft log would over load it.

 

[greenguy]

crane jobs

The main reasons to use a crane are as follows. First is speed you can remove a 10,000 dollar tree in a day instead of several days. Another reason would be access some tree are in places that you can not get to with equipment. Safety is another major concern you can take pieces of a uprooted tree down easily. The key to crane use is figure time of employees and crane time plus 7-10% = job cost. That will give youo a good profit

 

[treeclimber165]

Hey greenguy! Welcome!

Dunno about doing a $10K job in one day. Unless you have several crews on hand. The largest job I ever did in ONE day was about $4500, and that was with 6 men and a verrrrrry long day.

I did a $6K job that took over 2 days, first day was dropping a bunch of stuff for clearance and hauling some of the debris so we could use the crane on the second day. Had to go back the 3rd day to get some logs that wouldn't fit on the previous load.

How many men and trucks did you have for your $10K job in one day??

 

[greenguy]

We had 2 chip trucks 2 chippers,2 bucket trucks used for holding chips, prentice loader 18ft bed knuckle loader 14 ft bed. six guys.
When you work for the biggest company in the industry big jobs are easy to do. If the need is their you call crews in from around the country. Don't get me wrong I used to have a small company of my own but when your only 18 it is real hard to deal with the hassels of running a company.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Asplundh

Did somebody sneeze?

 

[greenguy]

reply

I work for Davey R/C Div, Asplundh is the biggest tree butcher company. Not the biggest tree care company.