Has any one used Buckingham's Mini POW?

Two pounds, good up to 1/2".

Some use 3/8" stable braid for light rigging.

Lots of ways to avoid needing a tool. Lots of ways to make using a tool the best overall plan.

Munter-mule knot with overhand tie-off is an easy way to make a releaseable-under-load friction device with just a biner and sling, but it will twist the rope. Not practical for heavier loads...mini-pow is 1000 swl, I think I saw.
 
therianclimber said:
Very much not a waste if used in the right situation. What are you looking to use it for? I have a mini and used it in the tree for controlling heavy speedline loads.
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I have the larger 601N which i use for heavy loads, I would essentially like to rid the larger one and just use this Mini version. I guess i didn't realize you could use that mini for heavy loads. considering i do use 1/2" this should be ideal. thanks for the info!
 
I use 1/2" stable braid until I need to setup up to 5/8". I have a mini porta wrap. It's really nice to use in the tree if there's only one ground guy because you can lower while they guide the piece down in a tight spot. I like it to for productivity as I can have our other groundie chipping while only one is helping me get stuff down instead of having both of them to do the same job. A lot of time we will have the groundie control the in tree portawrap but hand it off to me while I'm still in the tree after I have cut the piece loose. This works very well usually. We don't use it all the time but I feel I've gotten plenty of use out of it to justify having it. Sometimes we also use it in conjunction with our full sized portawrap if we need two to be able to float then tip stuff, etc. It's not for everything though as I still think you need to have the full sized one for rigging down spars, etc. If mine got stolen or torn up, I'd buy another mini.
 
Fivepoints said:
I use 1/2" stable braid until I need to setup up to 5/8". I have a mini porta wrap. It's really nice to use in the tree if there's only one ground guy because you can lower while they guide the piece down in a tight spot. I like it to for productivity as I can have our other groundie chipping while only one is helping me get stuff down instead of having both of them to do the same job. A lot of time we will have the groundie control the in tree portawrap but hand it off to me while I'm still in the tree after I have cut the piece loose. This works very well usually. We don't use it all the time but I feel I've gotten plenty of use out of it to justify having it. Sometimes we also use it in conjunction with our full sized portawrap if we need two to be able to float then tip stuff, etc. It's not for everything though as I still think you need to have the full sized one for rigging down spars, etc. If mine got stolen or torn up, I'd buy another mini.
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Thanks Fivepoints!
 
For in-tree friction the BMS Belay Spool is a better choice. The rigging rope is captured between cheek plates so there's no chance of loosing a turn of friction. Also, with the Belay Spool both ends of the rope can be used. This speeds up setups and alternating ends eliminates hockling. I've found that trying to tail the end of the rope back up with a POW is challenging...too much friction.
 
http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/olds-overhead-lowering.16809/

I'm all for safe self-lowering, typically using natural crotch rigging or a BMS belay-spool, sometimes.

So often, I can time the swing of the limb and/ or give the rope a little push to get things to land cleanly without help.

If I need to stop mid-landing of a limb that I can't land from the tree, and wait for the groundie to manipulate it, it's much more efficient than telling the groundie to stop working to wait and watch me cut stuff, lower it, then coordinate landing it.

Even more time involved if I have to communicate a catching-lowering plan to the groundie and check that it's understood, as my internal meetings are very quick, and miscommunication is eliminated.



With speedlining, I often can work up a tree, slinging and clipping many limbs, getting temporary re-directs, then anchor the rope up top. If I've had the bottom end of the speedline tied-off, I can tension and tie-off up top (go over a limb or through the mini-POW, use a foot ascender to tension, then wrap and tie-off). I'll zoom back down, limbing on the way back up, leaving all the cut limbs on the ground clipped to the line . As the slack develops up top from removal of limbs, slack is eaten up at the bottom by the weight of the limbs. Long conifer limbs stack up nicely to come in and grab with the mini and grapple.
When I have that round of slung branches cut, I get the groundie to loosen the lower end (last time it was just tied to logs, releaseable-under-load) or I can loosen the speedline up top (NC or friction device) and start moving upward, slinging the next round, while the groundie clears the line.

While I'm setting rigging and cutting, the groundie is freed-up to do other things, and I have less 'dead-time' in the tree, waiting.
 
I like the mini, but tend to go heavy on 1/2" rope. Good for ruining tag lines we then floating logs with a winch too
 
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