Counterweight Climbing System Power Station

jomoco

jomoco

This new climbing system is specifically meant for fine pruning of large tall trees using pneumatic loppers and chainsaws.

The end goal is to replace the counterweight with a gas powered air compressor that powers the climbers pruning tools on the opposite end through a climbing line/airline combo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoX6iih5yJo

The system uses a large line for the 150 lb counterweight, and a second line just above the block to control both ascending and descending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDpCMSF6pS0

A GRCS or Hobbs can be used to hoist the Counterweight up into position before climber take off at a weight of only 25 lbs.

jomoco
 
Aw come on Roger, elevators can't power pneumatic pruning tools.

How much does a portable gas powered 20 CFM air compressor weigh?

jomoco
 
Probably have try this to see how well it works but how about putting some more pullies into the system. So rather than using a 3:1 to multiply force use it in reverse to multiply movement. Your counterweight would have to be that many times heavier than the climber but the counterweight would only need to be lifted 20' to achieve 60' of movement. This would keep the weight more out of the way.
 
Now you're thinkin Boreality!

Think About configuring the system to actually support a large leaning tree by guiding the counterweight along a rope 180 degrees off the lean to a fixed point on the ground.

Weighing only 35-40 lbs allows the climber to move upward and outward in the tree's structure by hand power alone. It's a very strange sensation compared to normal single or double rope climbing.

Using compound ropes and blocks on a shorter track would allow for an air compressor that weighs 4-500 lbs.

But I think I'll start with a simple compressed nitrogen bottle, regulator and reel to comprise my first powerstation counterweight.

The CW system would only be practical for pruning large and very large trees, with redirects in big decurrents.

jomoco
 
OK...I've watched both of the vids a couple of times and I still don't get what you're got going on.

I do understand an elevator and physics. What is to be gained if I have to haul the counterweight into the tree first? Where is the free lunch? I've been the beneficiary of a couple of elevators into big trees and given more than that many rides up after jugging up on my own power.

Maybe it would take a line drawing or mini setup to clear this up for me.
 
Well Tom you're right, there is no free lunch here. But compared to our current methods of pruning tall conifers gaffless, there is a rather substantial discount in terms of how much energy gets expended by the climber going up and down the tree to prune each quadrant of the tree vertically, to prune each quad he must ascend and descend once. So in order to achieve a fine class 1 prune, the climber must go up and down the tree 4 times.

With the new CW system, the climber or groundie must crank the 150 lb CW up to the pulley only once, using a hobbs or grcs. Beyond that point the climber never has to lift his true weight again in that tree. He weighs only a mere 30-40 lbs once he clips onto the CW line at the bottom of the tree on the ground. Believe it or not even a one armed climber could prune a tree using this system because he only needs one arm on the static line above the pulley/CW to pull 30-40 lbs up the tree.

I'll be videoing some very fine pruning with this CW system next that will clearly demonstrate the limbwalking advantages of this system. It eliminates the need for any slack tending completely.

I'm not recommending that anyone but very experienced climbers who fully understand the advantages and dangers of this CW climbing system to attempt this technique.

I am sure that it's the coolest climbing I've done in my whole dang career!

I think it should be called the Archimedes Climbing System because you need to know a little math to do it right.

Remember the CW/pulley line is dynamic relative to the tree, the line above it is static relative to the tree.

It's the static line the climber uses to ascend or descend with. And so far simply trapping that static line between my 2 lower D rings has been sufficient to keep it within easy reach at all times.

jomoco
 
Let me get this right...

The climbing line is rigged on a floating false crotch? That is quite the load amplifier with the climber and counterweight.

Or is it rigged through a static false crotch?

Then...is the climber on one end of the line with the counterweight on the other?

When I've used elevator ascending systems there is always a second line for backup with a traveling ascender attache to the the climber
 
This is a 2 line system as well Tom. The CW line runs through the pulley with the climber on one end, the CW at the other end, the pulley or block is in a fixed position at 90 feet in the tree. The second line is attached above the pulley in a SRT configuration, and used by the climber to ascend or descend.

With the climber's weight reduced to 30-40 lbs, I have found no need to use a taughtline hitch or mechanical device on the secondary line to control ascending or descending. Simply trapping that secondary line between my lower D rings to keep it close at hand has been sufficient so far, though attaching a figure 8 device to the CW line for the purpose of temporarily locking off the secondary line during cutting operations would be safer I'm sure.

The ability to have the counterweight itself as an air compressor or nitrgen bottle to power pneumatic pruning tools like these is icing on the cake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx-OgsJKTc4

jomoco
 
how would you manage the hoses and fittings, etc. ?
I built an elevator for my treehouse when I was a wee little lad.
It worked once. It was very difficult to get off the plywood seat I made while holding the load of bricks up in the air. When I released the line, the bricks fell and broke.
It did work once (going down)
I know a guy who made a stump grinder out of a motorcycle...it also worked once.
You have some crazy ideas Jo. Keep em comming.
 
[ QUOTE ]
how would you manage the hoses and fittings, etc. ?


[/ QUOTE ]

Back in 1995, New England Ropes custom manufactured a polyester jacketed airline for me. It was a rope on the outside with a 1/2 inch airline in the middle. It was 150 feet long with an OD of 3/4 inch.

I used the rope/airline in a DDRT configuration with a portable air compressor to prune medium sized trees using pneumatic tools, chainsaw and loppers.

Unfortunately that custom rope burned along with my garage in the 2003 Cedar fire.

However it's a relatively simple thing to mate 150 feet of airline along side 150 feet of climbing rope to form a single binary line by wraping them together to form the CW mainline. And this is what I'll do until N E Rope can make me another custom line.

Plumbing your saddle for air tool use is very simple, but you do need to also attach an inline oiler to the saddle as well to lube the air chainsaw.

Fine pruning a tree with pneumatic loppers is way cool, and beats the hell out of even the sharpest new handsaws.

jomoco
 
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