Good Rigging control System. Who has one?

[ihatevines]

Destroyed my GRCS frame today. Luckly now one was hurt. The jolt bent and partialy torn the frame where the strap joint is. Lucky it held till the piece could be lowered. $550.00 for a new frame from Wesspur. Could have been worse

 

[PFirebird]

PWIII is the Port-a-wrap III. Several sponsers have it for sale. It's a 'must have tool' for every tree crew.

A port-a-wrap, of course! Have one for several years, they work well enough.

 

[tomtrees58]

 

[eljefe]

Re: GRCS

Hi,
I got one earlier this year. I only wish I hadn't waited so long. Very very useful. Many things can be done with a Port a Wrap, or with a PW and a fiddle block set, But many of those jobs can be done easier and faster and safer with a GRCS. If you are on the fence, so to speak, I would suggest getting the instructional video. This is the "instruction manual" which comes with each GRCS. The video is available free from Wesspur. In addition to how to mount it, how to clean it, etc, the video also shows many of the everyday uses for it. One of the things the GRCS can do that is difficult or not possible to do with other systems to to take up the slack in the line as the piece falls toward the rigging point - when the rigging point is set below the piece- chunking down a spar for example. You can take up the slack and then let the piece run. Very slick!
eljefe

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I have no problem setting up the GRCS on most trees by my self, and have seen smaller people do it too. Not much harder then a Stilson-hitch on a fat stem.

With the spool so easy to remove i do not find it a big problem unless I am pushing huge chunks off the spar. If so then i just tell the ground guys to pull it off.

If you break it out regularly when you first get it, then you will find ways to make it work for you.

I have had three of them set up on a few jobs that required a high degree of control.

 

[Grace Tree]

I have no problem setting up the GRCS on most trees by my self, and have seen smaller people do it too. Not much harder then a Stilson-hitch on a fat stem.

With the spool so easy to remove i do not find it a big problem unless I am pushing huge chunks off the spar. If so then i just tell the ground guys to pull it off.

If you break it out regularly when you first get it, then you will find ways to make it work for you.

I have had three of them set up on a few jobs that required a high degree of control.

If I'm by myself and it's a large or misshapen trunk I just throw a sling up and hang the GRCS from the top fair lead. I can put the strap right where I want it without much struggle.
Phil

 

[PFirebird]

Hey Small Wood, what's with the countdown clock?

 

[Grace Tree]

Hey Small Wood, what's with the countdown clock?

I have through the roof high blood pressure. If I take enough meds to get it in the high normal range I get extreme exhaustion. I got a new cardiologist who thought sitting around doing nothing with normal BP would the smart thing to do. I didn't. We got into a shouting match that ended with him giving me 7 years to live; maximum. I laughed and told him if I only have 7 years to live I'm not going to spend them sitting in a chair. He threw up his hands. I put the countdown on there so my friends (outside of Arboristsite) could check in from time to time to see how much time I have left. I'm a believing Christian who believes that God has my days numbered and I don't worry about living 7 years or 7 seconds.
Thanks for asking,
Phil

 

[tree md]

I have through the roof high blood pressure. If I take enough meds to get it in the high normal range I get extreme exhaustion. I got a new cardiologist who thought sitting around doing nothing with normal BP would the smart thing to do. I didn't. We got into a shouting match that ended with him giving me 7 years to live; maximum. I laughed and told him if I only have 7 years to live I'm not going to spend them sitting in a chair. He threw up his hands. I put the countdown on there so my friends (outside of Arboristsite) could check in from time to time to see how much time I have left. I'm a believing Christian who believes that God has my days numbered and I don't worry about living 7 years or 7 seconds.
Thanks for asking,
Phil

Here, here!

 

[Mikecutstrees]

We are taking down a 46" Silver Maple tomorrow. I bet a GRCS would be nice for that. Next year I think..... Mike

 

[tree md]

We are taking down a 46" Silver Maple tomorrow. I bet a GRCS would be nice for that. Next year I think..... Mike

I love doing the big Silver maples that have a nice central lead to lower everything from. It's like find a good lowering point, swing around and tip tie all the surrounding leaders and lower big honking limbs to the ground. Some of them come down really fast.

 

[Slvrmple72]

Silver Maples with a central lead? Do such trees exist? I call foul! :jester:

 

[tree md]

Silver Maples with a central lead? Do such trees exist? I call foul! :jester:

Well, as close to center as you can get...

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I like it when there is a strong off center rigging point that most of the tree will work off of, but with the GRCS you add pulleys and move the rope around so much that it does not really matter.

 

[newb]

It seems up here most of the Silvers I get have been topped 20 years ago.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It seems up here most of the Silvers I get have been topped 20 years ago.

Seems most trees period in your neck of the woods. Seems like there is a line around Horicon...

I did a few jobs in the area, the client said they called the local guy and he would not work on anything he could not pull his bucket up to.

 

[Mikecutstrees]

Well despite having just a two man crew we got the tree almost down. All of the brush is chipped and the logs are on the ground. Tomorrow I will be cutting and loading wood. Gotta take a few blocks off the top of the stick then drop that. All went well, got a little windy in the afternoon but I was very happy. 1.5 truck loads of chips in the fuso. Should be able to button it up tomorrow. Alot of rot and cavities. Displaced a few flying squirrels too.

Mike

 

[Lawnmowerboy48]

They might be a small crane themselves but you can always get a bigger crane. The labor cost of rigging everything labor wise VS. getting a larger crane. The answer is pretty clear in my opinion. I have yet to come into a situation where there is a lot of stuff over hanging a house, building, garage, etc. that I can not get a crane to. Nice toy to have though.