Friction Wrap/Lowering device

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JayD

ArboristSite Operative
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Hi All,
I have a friction wrap which has a diameter of 50 mm/2" OD, do you think a larger size pipe of say 100 mm/4" OD would work better? what do you think.
Thanks in Advance
JayD
 
I made mine with 4" pipe, works much better than that toy sized porty they sell.
Rope runs over more surface area, with a larger bend radius. Works great with the bull ropes too
-Ralph
 
currently fabricating a pro-type "monster Portawrap" using 1/4" thick stainless steel tubing that is 6" in diameter.
 
always wondered about this

Kicking myself for not thinking of building my own with a larger pipe. Our current portawrap locks on everything and I get the worst rides as a result. Did you guys simply copy the standard design?
 
similar....mine will be more like a big bollard, anchored with 3/8"s grade 70 transport chain and anchor shackles.... :laugh:
 
Thanx for taking time to answer my question,I suspected the larger pipe would be the go,my small wrap does the job but is'nt as smooth in operation as I would have liked..you have to help it some..after you make up your monster wrap post a picture of it,I would like to see it.down the road a bit I want to make up a friction drum,as soon as I do I will post a picture of it.
All The Best
JayD
 
Question about the port a wraps. When i have used them they tend to coil the rope when removed. MAkes for a big headache in between blocks and end of day clean up. Any tips or just the way it is? I love the thing it is a great invention. Maybe a bigger diameter would ease this a little.
 
Pictures of 4" Wrap

Hi All,
After reading the posts I decided to make a larger Friction Wrap and I thought you all might like to see it,the yellow one is my original and its a 2" one the larger is 4" it's been cut to size and all it needs is weld and a little bending and it's ready to go into service,if you have any doubt about your ability to weld! do not try and make this tool..me in another life I was a structural welder,if it breaks I fix it,If I can make it up I do,and it usually keeps me busy between quotes and bad weather which here in Sydney it has been bucketing down,high winds.Having work and not being able to do it because of the weather is nearly as bad as having none.
All The Best
JayD

frictionwraps006mu4.jpg
frictionwraps004ec8.jpg
 
This is the finished product, just took some pictures of it and here it is:


 
Threads like this do the industry a disservice. What motivation does a guy have to invent a tree tool, spend a bunch of money designing, testing, patenting, marketing it, only to have it copied by a bunch of do-it-yourselfers?
Why don't you change the design and come up with something better?
 
$222 here

http://www.arbor.com.au/index.php?cPath=123&osCsid=35f7c20ea9c124eabdc4991be9ec7b2b

But one thing JayD.

The rope has to run around those welds so polish them up.

Now looking at the design there's some things I dont like.

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link right.

What prevents that porty from flying up the tree is a weld. To me, that's not good. I've been thinking about this for a while.

Engineering of towbars on vehicles has changed a lot in the last 10 years and new standards brought out as the towbar used to be only as strong as it's welds.

Now with the porty I have an idea.

Where I have marked red in addition to a weld perhaps a pin could be drilled through, pressed in and welded.

The dia of that steel rod they use could be larger and heated then forged square to give more room for a pin.

Now a 6mm dia pin has what, around 4000kg shear and thats for mild steel, you have two though so it could be smaller.

attachment.php
 
Hi Ekka,
Your thoughts on the welds I have already spent a little time pondering about,as I realised that the only thing holding the pipe in place is the welds..me I compensated with more weld spreading the stresses over a wider area..ie:two layer three run fillet..which will be extremly strong..nice pick on the finnish of the welds..yes I do have to dress them a little,I will probably destroy this wrap under controlled conditions just to see how much it will take under load...I just watched your mod to your stumper nice.
All The Best
JayD
 
Mike Maas said:
Why don't you change the design and come up with something better?
That's an excellent suggestion. Be an innovator. Do something outside the beaten track. Mike will still give you a hard time over it, but it may lead to a benefit industry-wide.

'Add value' is the point here. Why make something that's already been made? There is no real challenge in that, it's just an exercise and it DOES promote to others that they, too, can replicate an existing device.

But then, shortly after Mike's expression, come ideas for improvement of the existing design. I'll be confident there could be more. Now we're going somewhere.

Nice, fat welds, JayD, nice, accurate bending of the rod stock. It is impressive, your talent.
attachment.php
 
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hence the advice don't attempt unless you know you can weld, a good weld is not a weak point, a bad weld is, my first welding teacher used to beat our welds with a sledgehammer after locking them down in a vice, if it breaks at the weld, its not a weld.
 
I built this one 4 yrs ago Still works great. I'm going to copy the grcs as soon as i find a suitable winch.
 
DDM said:
I built this one 4 yrs ago Still works great. I'm going to copy the grcs as soon as i find a suitable winch.

Just do what GRCS do themselves and put a Harken winch on it. Available from any good Sailing store. Still not cheap though!

Trev
 
we have good luck with a 3" diameter t bar welded to the rear bumper of our rear mount bucket. been using it for years.

Use a flex sanding bad to polish those welds down. We also have them powder coated to smooth it up even more.

In one of those pics (jd's I think) I see they used galvanized and by the color of the weld I can tell they didnt grind thru the galvanizing, this makes for a really weak weld. BE CAREFUL
 

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