Well I have been wanting to craft a post for this thread since I heard that TreeStuff was trying out the waters of making rings/thimbles similar to David Driver’s X Rigging Rings. It turns out I had already summed up my point in November of 2013 in my first post of the thread.
Sherrill has tried predatory behavior toward inventors and innovators in the past and if I understand correctly has decided that that type of behavior has run its course for them. Again if I understand correctly, they have a new CEO that is all about people and relationships and getting money the old, (very old) fashioned way, earning it. I look forward to going back and doing some business with Sherrill. My prediction is that leadership with a people centered focus will take Sherrill to the top of its game again in pretty short order.
TreeStuff is trying this out now and seeing how it works for them. Fine. As some have pointed out there is no law against it. Fine, see how it works.
My focus for this post is those of us in the arborist community, and distilling it down to the bottom line for us. I would love to talk Ideals, I would love to talk morals, I would love to talk about integrity. Lets go to dinner and talk those things some time.
For this post my bottom line is what will get us in the arb community the most in the long run. Every inventor and Innovator is watching and listening. They will directly respond to what we do. Lets vote with our dollars and reward both emotionally and financially the person who brought us the innovation or the new invention.
David is a person that I count as a friend since I went back and spent a couple of weeks learning XRR uses and other things from him. (So yes I am biased just in case you wondered.) He has named off some of the $ figures spent to make XRR orders happen etc.. He has described in various places some the the crane time, and man hours spent in testing various specific aspects of XRR use. And he has put untold heart and soul into getting this info into our hands. I love rigging with XRR’s as opposed to blocks. It makes it fun again and I have made much more money as a result of that fun being there for me. David Driver is the only reason I know about that. I wont forget it.
If David were to share here the $$$ he has put into propagating this information, if he added up the crane time and man hours and we assigned a realistic $ value to it, the numbers would be staggering in my opinion. Now take that no. and gather your family around the table and tell them that you want to spend that much money on getting a product and a way of doing things out into the arborist community because you really believe in it and because your believe that one day it will pay off. This is what David has done day in and day out for years now.
One inventor I know of who brought a single product to market enumerated a host of different things he could have bought for his family (new car, swimming pool etc.) and places he could have taken them had he not produced a product. That coupled with the grief he has experienced sharing it in forums and I highly suspect we will never see the next idea he told me about.
Another inventor that had brought one product to market and gone through quite a bit of grief in his sharing confided to me upon bringing his second product out that he had talked his wife into it based on the future returns and he told me about the hefty loan he took out. He said if this doesn't work out I think it could cost my marriage. That guy got huge grief on at least one forum and I have not seen info from him since.
And for all who love the idea if something is legal or not. I wish the inventor of the auto feed we all love on our chippers would post up his story. If I can recount it in the ballpark of correct all the major manufacturers were purchasing from him. Then they found ways of having them made cheeper overseas with slight variations and cut him out of the loop. He told me how many employees he had to let go, the house he lost and etc.. Believe me most of us would be crying the blues. Took one of the big mfg co. to court or they took him and he won. They legally have to pay him. Has not seen a dime and they have so much money that it would take untold $ to force them to pay as I understand it. Bottom line there, if you know the story and how fallible and weak the standard auto feed controllers (and remote controls) are compared to his, when yours blows up you can buy one from him and experience a durable unit. Other wise you are out of luck. Think we will see any more big industry changing products from him???
Emotional return on a product is as important or more important than a financial return to an inventor or innovator in my opinion. Lets not rob both the dollars and the value out of an effort or enterprise that a person has put heart and soul into for us. They are our inventors and innovators. They are striving to produce for us. I will repeat what I said before, “I think it is important for us in the industry to expect and demand that the credit and the profit potential for any invention or innovation goes to the developer of same.”
Other than
'David is a person that I count as a friend since I went back and spent a couple of weeks learning XRR uses and other things from him. (So yes I am biased just in case you wondered.)'
I don't know and I've never met or worked with David, personally. I've pm'd him on the buzz and emailed him that is the extent of us knowing each other.
One thing that I really look for in a new toy, etc is information and education. I read and watch as much as I can about something I want before spending a dime.
David has went out of his way to inform, make aware and educate not only that 'xrrs are extreme' but all about friction through out a rigging system. That information alone would have been a conference session I would have paid to see but he did the work and gave us as much information as possible for free.
I think David has stood behind his product for me. I have changed the way and the tools I use because of the invaluable knowledge he has put out with his rings. I will continue to buy my rings and slings
from Xman. David has brought out the rings and now the tht I hope he continues with his line and ideas.
I've never done a product review before. Hopefully Oldfart doesn't mind me stealing his line saying I don't have any stakes in this or any profits from it.
XRR Review
I have had my rings for a couple years now. My first was a 3/4” tenex ring to ring friction saver, with one large ring and one beast ring. This sling almost took over the job of 3 or 4 other slings completely. You never complete rule out the others but 9 out of 10 times it’s great.
The light weight and strength of these slings make them inviting to climb with. Blocks are heavy to climb around with and tails are long enough to cow hitch while the shorter sling in a basket is stronger.
I use the remote removable feature as often as possible.
Second sling is a 10’ 3/4” tenex sling with a single beast ring. I personally use this sling less than the first sling, but it still has practically as many uses as a block and sling. Again lighter to climb with but I don’t use it for anything more than redirects or small loads as the single rings are not meant as a terminal rigging point, but still a very useful sling.
My 2 newest slings are double ring slings. One is a 12’ double beast ring sling. It’s used for terminal rigging super light and strong. Between this sling and my friction saver style sling it has replaced my block and sling almost completely. It has a huge bend radius but adds friction at the rigging point which makes loads easier to control for the ground person on the crew. There’s no remote install or removal of this sling but still a very good sling for bigger wood.
My go to sling however, for nothing to huge though, is a 1/2” tenex loopie with 2 large x rings. Used with a 1/2” rigging line it works great. This sling’s range of size yet short length means easily carrying one sling where I used to carry two or three 1” nylon loop slings of various sizes and whoops with blocks. This sling also does not have any remote install/ remove features, but is great for working through out the crown or as a terminal rigging point.
I easily use this sling more than the other 3 combined and wouldn’t hesitate to get another when this on gets tired.
I will soon be adding a 3/4” double beast whoopie and more to my arsenal. Thank you to David for his time and work to bring us these rings.
Personally as far as X rigging rings go my most used slings are:
- 1/2” loopie
- 3/4" ring to ring friction saver
- 3/4” double beast
- 3/4” single beast
This is my 2 cents for what it is worth.
I have a very short attention span.
