GRCS Winch

[islandarb]

I think I get what @Maplegeddon213 is going at.

Big wood = thicker rope = less wraps possible

The pig tails can accommodate a 1” or more pretty easily

If you pile on wraps the tension flattens the rope closes to the tree the most, spreading out the diameter of the rope. Couple this with the pigtail fairlead having some ‘slop’ and the rope can jump.

Now 3 wraps with 3/4” line can handle crazy wood and anything more would lock up pretty easy.

I’ve never found myself needing to winch with anything more than 3 wraps to then let it run. Just in a pretension situation.
For heavy winching I’ll max the drum - 1 wrap and if I need to lower I’ll carefully drop wraps until I get to the sweet spot. To lock off I’ll put the wraps back on, cut and repeat.
Such as when whole tree lowering

1" rope Patrick? Who da fook uses 1" rope. Even 3/4" is overkill. Unless you lowering a bus. 5/8th can handle some monster stuff if setup correctly.

 

[islandarb]

I have a solution to all this...buy a Hobbs H-2 Lowering Device and you'll never have to worry about wraps jumping and use a GRCS when you have a lot of lifting to do, which let's be honest, isn't really that much.

Perfectly said.

 

[flushcut]

which let's be honest, isn't really that much.

Oh yeah! Tell that to the PITA elm I just did over a roof. GRCS aka ‘Randy’ was clutch. The tree made it to the top 20 least enjoyable removals I’ve done list. Not a big tree but major suckage enjoyed by all involved. 3/4s of the tree was lifted by Randy.

 

[Serf Life]

I have a solution to all this...buy a Hobbs H-2 Lowering Device and you'll never have to worry about wraps jumping and use a GRCS when you have a lot of lifting to do, which let's be honest, isn't really that much.

We lift very regularly, most often with the mini, normal rigging I rarely care about mechanical pretension. We also do as little neg rigging as possible though.

 

[chris_girard]

I lift regularly too, just not as much as we lower, so like I said buy a Hobbs H2, the most overlooked lowering device out there, yet the very best and first invented in the 1970's. Everyone else's is just a copy in one form or another.

 

[27RMT0N]

I kind of want a Hobbs because it's a great tool, but... I almost never even use my GRCS. So then I'd just have two fancy lowering devices sitting in my shop most of the time. I just like collecting tools...

 

[southsoundtree]

When a storm hits, having tools in the arsenal is important.

 

[27RMT0N]

That's my excuse for already owning almost every tool in the Wesspur catalog

 

[flushcut]

Gear junkie! Lol

 

[27RMT0N]

Yah

 

[Matias]

Yah

It's ok buddy. It gets a lot of us.