A solo negative rigging workflow

Really enjoyed that. Impressed with what you can do with that Morgan block/downrigger with no other friction.

Interesting references to the mountain athletes.
 
A while back I did the same basic double whip smaller scale with biner sling instead of xring sling, spar anchor tie and either natural stub friction or belay spool friction and because I never saw vids of this I felt like an oddball. Same, Xring/biner+sling(s) down then retrieved, careful rig rope pull back up without snags, One time on pull back the rope self tied a half hitch around a branch on the ground!

Good work and video:)
 
The Morgan block/down rigger in a dbr setup is so nice! I’ve not used it for solo work, but it has been crucial when I’ve only needed one or two more rigs and haven’t wanted to switch to a different setup.

Thanks for posting the video, it was insightful!
 
Wow. Just... wow. I had doubts before I watched, but that was pretty damn smooth. I won't likely be trying that, but it's good to know it can be done.
 
If I'm not mistaken the downrigger has multiple pathway options for the rope to route through the device for different friction amounts. I only had someone show it to me briefly after they fished it out of the back of their truck, but I was impressed with it's compact size and functionality. Great use of it here. I like inclusion of the prybar positioning benefit. That's a small nuance the might be overlooked if not explicitly stated.
 
Mick Dempsey said:
It’s an interesting exercise, OP is clearly a skilled tree man.

But just hire someone for a day to unhitch the rope and fill your saw etc.
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yea, I am always aiming to charge as little as possible, and have never heard of anyone who will come close, but I still always hire a helper unless I can just cut and drop everything. I like teaching the guy, and frankly, the effort he saves me is always worth the couple hundred bucks I pay him.

That said, I like seeing that there is a pretty straightforward way to do this if need be, and love the prybar idea. I know it's been mentioned around here before, but I will remember it this time. I should just keep one on me when doing any removal work.

I also work with a guy who sometimes keeps his one groundie thoroughly occupied, so being able to work my side/my tree solo could justify asking him to pay me a little more, so I may start practicing solo rigging on little trees at home.
 
@joshuarov - I also took note how you redirected the fall of the static rigging line that had the prusik on it. Assuming that was done to keep it free from clogging the drop zone. It looked like it had a bit of tension on it. Was there a weight on it at the bottom, or was it basal tied and then secured at the top of the tree? Wondering if you could elaborate on how you had that line configured.
 
Phil said:
@joshuarov - I also took note how you redirected the fall of the static rigging line that had the prusik on it. Assuming that was done to keep it free from clogging the drop zone. It looked like it had a bit of tension on it. Was there a weight on it at the bottom, or was it basal tied and then secured at the top of the tree? Wondering if you could elaborate on how you had that line configured.
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That was simply a tail redirect, there was no weight added, just the weight of the rope. In this case, I did that so that the tail was away from the trunk of the tree I was rigging from so that the wood pieces that I was going to negative rig, wouldn't end up coming to rest on the tail. That could necessitate coming down to untangle, depending on how things went.

In general though, tail redirects can be very useful for climber controlled or solo rigging. A rigged branch can easily find a way of wrapping around the tail otherwise, as the tail will not be pulled toward the base of the tree (to a lowering device). Imagine a simple case of doing some light end weight work where you are managing lowering as the climber. If you route the rope so that it's hanging straight down, the piece you rig will often get twisted in the tail. Whereas: if you route the tail through a crotch central in the canopy on its way to you at the tips, that can't happen.
 
joshuarov said:
That was simply a tail redirect, there was no weight added, just the weight of the rope. In this case, I did that so that the tail was away from the trunk of the tree I was rigging from so that the wood pieces that I was going to negative rig, wouldn't end up coming to rest on the tail. That could necessitate coming down to untangle, depending on how things went.

In general though, tail redirects can be very useful for climber controlled or solo rigging. A rigged branch can easily find a way of wrapping around the tail otherwise, as the tail will not be pulled toward the base of the tree (to a lowering device). Imagine a simple case of doing some light end weight work where you are managing lowering as the climber. If you route the rope so that it's hanging straight down, the piece you rig will often get twisted in the tail. Whereas: if you route the tail through a crotch central in the canopy on its way to you at the tips, that can't happen.
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Tangleing ropes is headache in solo rig :)
Sometimes I put rigging rope in bag in the canopy
 
Nice smooth system, that was sweet! Resulting from lack of available help in my region, I've spent the last decade solo rigging a fair amount. I do have a steady groundie now, but I definitely agree - nothing like the peace and acute focus of solo tree work.

I just recently added the downrigger to our systems and have enjoyed exploring different configurations with it. Just curious what your thoughts are about Rock Exotica listing the Downrigger as not applicable for negative rigging? I haven't seen anything specifically stating that the Morganblock is not suitable for negative rigging. Obviously with the pieces being double whipped, and the block only taking about half the load is a whole different scenario than single line work. Definitely interested in your thoughts. Even having a full time groundie these days, I'm still trying to improve climber controlled lowering systems to free them up to maneuver pieces onto the ground and increase overall efficiency.

We've primarily relied on the triple thimble for climber control on negative rigging, but have found it to be somewhat fickle and inconsistent. Had it lock off completely part way through lowering a spar chunk onto a high line. There was just enough rope against trunk friction as the thimble pressed into the spar as it came under load. Seemed like a good slowed down example of what might happen in during typical negative rig scenarios in the past when the thimble seemed jerky and resistant to run the piece. Not exactly and earth shattering realisation, others may have had similar observations.

Thank you for taking the time to share your work, very much appreciated.
 
I dont have morgan blocк but for solo rigging /smaller weights it will be Oк.For big wood rigging with top friction device I prefer safeblocк or resque8 /it has incredible big bend radius,all have + and "-"
 
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