Good Rigging Control System Complete- Lowering Device

[Jumper]

Used one of these for the first time yesterday...wow what a piece of kit!! Took a couple of trys to get the rigth number of turns on the spool, but once the friction was OK made short work of a nasty old Manitoba Maple that we were pruning. Anyone else out there use these routinely-hints??

 

[rbtree]

jumper, they're awesome for all kinds of tasks. And very easy to learn how to use, and determine wraps. Do a search here as well as at other forums, you'll find lots of good discussions and photos. Here's a low quality vid frame capture of us lowering out a hemlock whole, from a cedar, and pulling the butt uphill with the chipper winch.

Also, note, in the pic, the strategic use of the ?ock ring that really made the procedure complete and innovative..... :blob5:

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

We use GRCS on a regular basis.

Combined with pullies and redirects to nearly eliminate friction on the rope allows the rope-handler to hinge-pull medum sized limbs sideways over structures.

On Monday and Teusday I did this with Dave R. on a set of poplars and a Wilted redoak respectively.

I'll put on 1-2 wraps, take up all the slack, the climber makes the knotch and back cut, then I pull the line to move the branch.

It's bein a fixed rig point makes better then a port-a-wrap, the ratcheting bollard puts it above the fixed bollards on the market.

What makes it better then the Hobbs device is that I can then puth the rope in the self tailing winch if the load hangs up on a stub or crotch. The Hobbs needs one man to tend the rope and one man to run the crank. On top of that, the GRCS has 2 gear different gear ratios, where the Hobbs MA comes only from the handes length.

IMO this is as important a tool as my climbing saw and should be in every small companies truck.

 

[Bodean]

How's the sawdust in the gears. Does it Burn rope. How many wraps can it fit?
I saw a picture of it lifting a truck's rear end off the ground. Jerry Baernek Swore bout it at a trade show. But a hobbs is nice too, and cheaper.

 

[hobby climber]

GRCS vs Hobbs...

Have a look at this video that compares the two. www.palmtreeservices.com.au/video/grcsvshobbs.mpg

 

[Jumper]

How's the sawdust in the gears. Does it Burn rope. How many wraps can it fit?
I saw a picture of it lifting a truck's rear end off the ground. Jerry Baernek Swore bout it at a trade show. But a hobbs is nice too, and cheaper.

5 wraps of 1/2 climbing line,(I only needed two to drop very heavy pieces of Manitoba Maple), obviously less if you use up to the recommended max 3/4. can't comment on sawdust, but there appeared to be very little that would catch any. See JPS comment about Hobbs.

 

[rbtree]

How's the sawdust in the gears. Does it Burn rope. How many wraps can it fit?
I saw a picture of it lifting a truck's rear end off the ground. Jerry Baernek Swore bout it at a trade show. But a hobbs is nice too, and cheaper.

Impossible, it is all enclosed. The goods is a two speed 44-1 Harken self tailing highly advanced winch, same as is found on sailboats....I own a Hobbs also, there is no comparison. The Hobbs is as good for only one procedure, and that is lowering wood, and even that the GRCS is capable of being better at. The Hobbs does have a larger capstan,so can handle ropes of 3/4 inch or larger better and has room for more wraps.
The GRCS is self tailing, so one man can both lift and lower with it, a feat which is next to impossible with a Hobbs. The Hobbs is built a bit beefier as well.

See this thread for my posts, and click on te next page also for more. This job required all the mechanical advantage that the GRCS offers at 44-1, the Hobbs could not cut the mustard.....
http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=12381&page=25&pp=40

Also do a search for GRCS, you'll find lots of discussions and pics. ToddK, who posts at Tree Bu zz, has 3 of them!!!!

 

[Bodean]

I see the points of the GRCS. I see the good in it. I'm a real basic climber as in not a catalog climber though nothing wrong with it, with basic gear. Nothing fancy. I do like the hobbs though only because I havent used a GRCS.
Five Wraps! Crank it up!
Then the 395 Slices through that Big False Crotch.
I think it's my favorite. A big Redwood removal with like 25 false crotches over the house. Anyhoo it's a pleasure to listen to the posts.

 

[Jumper]

Used it again yesterday for two removals next to a house, and later piecing out a large branch of a large silver maple. That 44:1 reduction ratio is awesome.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Glad your with a quality company now Mitch!

 

[Bob Wright]

I just built one for my neighbor's tree company. He used it today and said it worked great and should of had it two years ago...Bob

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I just built one for my neighbor's tree company. He used it today and said it worked great and should of had it two years ago...Bob

If you built it, it's not a GRCS

Greg Good put several years of work into making the mounting bracket work right under load.

 

[Bob Wright]

You are right, its my neighbors design. I didn't even know what is was. I just built it...Bob

 

[Jumper]

Once again, this piece of kit is awesome. Used it this past week to pull over a 20 foot poplar stub, huge. And Thursday used it on a trim job of an old black maple. Let me state my rigging ability is rudimentary, but using this to full over trees, or to raise/lower HEAVY limbs is almost child's play. Sure beats taking wraps on a tree, and having your arms jerked out of their sockets when someone insists on lowering 2000 lb chunks at once.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Greg has come out with some new accessories. The best is a kerf plate called the "Visor".

It is for large removals to keep the rig stationary. Cut a horizontal kerf in the tree, attatch the "Visor" to the mount and it will keep the rig from sliding.

 

[hobby climber]

To add to what JPS already stated above, the visor is a great attachment because it allows the GRCS to be installed easily by one person. HC

 

[asplundhranger]

grcs

I was wondering if any used grcs devices ever come up for sale? I work for asplundh during the week and then do my own thing on the weekend and am wanting to find one. Or any ideas on a cheaper route? I have thought about a fiddle block but am not sure of the capabilities. Thanks

 

[newb]

I think a fiddle block should be in everyones bag of tricks. I have both and use them both. I think it says alot about the GRCS that there are never any used ones out there. Pete

 

[prentice110]

Probably the only way youll ever find a used one is if somebody is going under. I should probably start a new thread with this question, but Ill ask it here. Anybody ever run into problems with too much pull using a grcs? I have. Thats a good one for the close calls thread.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Probably the only way youll ever find a used one is if somebody is going under. I should probably start a new thread with this question, but Ill ask it here. Anybody ever run into problems with too much pull using a grcs? I have. Thats a good one for the close calls thread.

I ripped a branch off, thinking the bucket man called for me to crank. He just backed off and let me go at it, since it was a Siberian elm, it snapped where he had nicked the limb to start his cut.