GRCS and Poor Lead

chris_girard

chris_girard

Branched out member
Location
Gilmanton, N.H.
OK here's a question that I've been wondering and it may have been addressed here before, but I can't find the thread.

Let's say that you have a large limb that is overhanging some wires that you want to remove it in one piece, but can't set the block high enough in the tree to get a good lead and lift it up straight overhead with a GRCS.

In effect, the line may be near horizontal after the limb is cut and the hinge either breaks or is tripped. What the best way to handle a situation like this?

I was thinking of setting a med. size Porty with a butt-tie to control the swing back to the climber that will happen. Then the climber can lower the butt end while the ground person controls the GRCS. I often use a med. size Porty to rig limbs while I work the tree.This allows me to help with the rigging since its usually just me and my ground worker.

What would you guys do?
 
I'm just thinking hypothetically. This isn't an actual job that I'm doing.

What if you're limited for clearance on the sides and can't rig it to swing either way? All you can do is lift it up slightly.
 
ahhh!! then a safer way would be maybe 2 peices butt tie it in the middle. Then take the second. Cuase the butt is almost always going to come back in your face. Plus as you try to lower it the butt will keep coming back at you till the tip rope balances to vert.

another trick is to tie in the middle, run that through pulley to grcs, have a tip rope run in same spot with a different pulley, plus a butt line, crank the mid point up to pulley as you make the cut, now as you lower you can then catch it from flipping cuase of the tip rope. Make sence?
 
I think I see what you mean, but its definitely a technique that would need to be practiced in a non-critical situation.

I'll have to try it out when I get the chance.

Thanks for the info.
 
Wouldn't a spider leg balancer work in this situation or am I mis understanding the question? Whenever I have a larger lead coming out that is over a house and I know that the tip tie is going to be impeded by other branches above I usually balance it or run a tip and butt line.
 
nah a spider leg would be useless in this. What he is saying is the branch is longer than the tree top is high. And he wants to take it all in one shot. There is no room for side movement, it would need to come back into tree and go straight down.
 
i was always told when your unsure don't do anything fancy cut it smaller. in the long run this is more efficient the riggers have less to set up groundes have an easier clean up making the job go faster all while raising profit margins do to less equipment wear and tear. it sounds like your bored i see no practical use for this technique. this is especially true in the tight area of your scenario. its just a little more limb-walking for the climber
 
Smaller is safer true to fact. But don't forget wires are under you so that would leave out false crotching right from the limb. And try to swing back into tree will most likly get caught in wires also. Do you plan to cut and hold and throw all the peices down with ONE HAND SAW USE. Please enlighten us on your way of doing it.
 
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i was always told when your unsure don't do anything fancy cut it smaller. in the long run this is more efficient the riggers have less to set up groundes have an easier clean up making the job go faster all while raising profit margins do to less equipment wear and tear. it sounds like your bored i see no practical use for this technique. this is especially true in the tight area of your scenario. its just a little more limb-walking for the climber

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Each practice has it's place, but I like to setup rigging whenever practical to make fewer cuts.

jp
grin.gif
 
handsaw the brush, skip off the blocks firewood size,1 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood and look out the power lines are only 10 to 15 ft. wide. no problems
 
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handsaw the brush, skip off the blocks firewood size,1 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood and look out the power lines are only 10 to 15 ft. wide. no problems

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And you really belive this is going to be faster than setting 3 ropes and making one cut? Handsawing and blocking wood, more like bouncing wood off the wires? I guess "look out" is a big phrase where you work?
 
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it sounds like your bored i see no practical use for this technique. this is especially true in the tight area of your scenario.

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Jeff, I'm never bored when it comes to tree work and safety especially. I was just wondering about different rigging techniques to use with the GRCS to make my work more efficient and safe.

I thought I'd post the question to see what others have done in similar situations so when the time comes, I'll be prepared.
 
[ QUOTE ]
OK here's a question that I've been wondering and it may have been addressed here before, but I can't find the thread.

Let's say that you have a large limb that is overhanging some wires that you want to remove it in one piece, but can't set the block high enough in the tree to get a good lead and lift it up straight overhead with a GRCS.

In effect, the line may be near horizontal after the limb is cut and the hinge either breaks or is tripped. What the best way to handle a situation like this?

I was thinking of setting a med. size Porty with a butt-tie to control the swing back to the climber that will happen. Then the climber can lower the butt end while the ground person controls the GRCS. I often use a med. size Porty to rig limbs while I work the tree.This allows me to help with the rigging since its usually just me and my ground worker.

What would you guys do?

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Chris, I think the way you describe this scenario would work just fine. The port-a-wrap in the tree should control the butt throughout the complex motions of this lowering scenario.

My caution here is that if you are dealing with a tree that has no significant tie in point high that a low to near horizontal tip is going to experience tremendous side vector forces. So it had better be up for the task. Be sure to take that into consideration prior to tripping the cut.

Dave
 
I've been in this scenario more than a few times. Both utility and private.

If I can get out far enough to properly rig and pull a limb with rigging, using a short purchase point,, then it's a given I can piece it out too. And if it's only one limb I'll piece it out rather than go through all the work it takes to setup everything and rig out a single limb.

And if it is tight quarters as Chris's scenario suggests then piecing it out would be the safer way to do it. IMO

Unless of course you just want to prove you can do it the other way. But the bottom line with Chris's scenario is tight quarters, a minimum purchase point. and a single limb. That's were a good old school climber proves their mettle and just gets it done.
 
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Unless of course you just want to prove you can do it the other way. But the bottom line with Chris's scenario is tight quarters, a minimum purchase point. and a single limb. That's were a good old school climber proves their mettle and just gets it done.

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I will agree also with Gerry on this. I have done it both ways myself. The bottom line, if I can quote my old boss, who was famous for being a "take it big" guy, always said "if you're not a 100% sure, take it in a smaller piece". That's a simple statement that we should all remember.

I realize this is a hypothetical situation that Chris is trying to work out. But it is easy to get caught in the rigging for rigging sake trap.

Dave
 
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