light or heavy rigging

KevinS

KevinS

Branched out member
Location
ontario
I've been looking and reading different articles on rigging tips, tricks and toys. So my question now is what is the line between light/ medium/ heavy duty rigging.

I know it's relative to your task but is there guide lines so when you read light rigging tasks you have an idea what not to exceed?
 
I don't know if you can say for sure that there are any rules or weights to go by. A 200 pound piece that is lifted and balanced then lowered with no shock to the system is far different from a 200 pound piece allowed to fall 10 feet and immediately stopped.

Comfort level of the climber in his abilities and his groundies abilities also factor in.
 
There are no guidelines. Everybody has a different opinion on this.
My thinking is:
500 lbs and under = lite rigging. This is static loading with a 1/2" rope. No shock load.
98 % of my lite rigging is with a pulley and rope friction device. Very rarely do I natural crotch rig. If I do, the loads are lighter.
All medium and heavy rigging has an arborist block and rope friction device.
500 - 800 lbs. = medium
800 - 1,500 = heavy
Cycles to failure is extremely important during rigging operations. Calculate the shock or dynamic load into every rigging scenario.
 
99% of our rigging is 1/2" stable braid even ginning whole trees with a porti. We do have a 5/8" stable braid but rarely break it out.

I rarely natural crotch but I'm not the only climber and the others frequently do.

Another question is if I favour 1" wide nylon loop slings with a biner super handy and strong, simple fit everywhere. Is the 1/2" thick biner good cause its smooth and clean or is the 3" branch with a great bend radius not so bad even with the dirt, grit etc?
 
Knotless rigging is very efficient.
I use it on all removals.
If your loading the 1/2" carabiner with 200 lbs., I wouldn't be concerned about the bend radius or loading.
If the 1" nylon webbing loop slings work for you, go for it.
Be aware of your loads. I broke a nylon loop sling in the past while rigging. Obviously overloaded it. It broke at the stitching.
I switched to 3/8" 3 strand loops. Had them break tested a long time ago (very early 1992). They broke in the 10,000 lb. range.
 
thanks Norm I like my nylon loop slings but also use 1/2 tenex loopie and 3/4 tenex whoopie and ring to ring double braid fs style slings as well.
 
I have used a steel biner attached to a rigging line with regular bowline to negative block heavy (>500 lb) pieces for many, many years without incident. The marl preceding the biner/bowline takes the brunt of the applied force. Without a marl (or two), it would be a definite no no.
 
As far as knotless rigging goes I like using a biner as you say but do you always use a sling for pieces to skinny or what do you do?
 
not to condone cross loading biners but I think a steel carabiner is going to be strong enough as the choke on small limbs. If you think about it shock loading a rope is bad just like cross loading a biner is bad. To much weight and both can break, just keep it in a safe margin or if you have the luxury push the limits to know where you are at.
 
I wasn't thinking weight I was thinking skinny branches(spruce or maple growing out of a deck) so small the biner hits the knot? Usually I use it on limbs equal or larger than the biner so it bights for sure
 
kevin ive used shackles before (someone else's rigging line) instead of biners and to be honest i kinda liked it. just seemed easier to set it right on any size, position or whatever. was fine for skinner long limbs. my buddy was smart tho and had two on there, because he knows accidents happens and pins fall....

its not always weights the dictate "light vs. heavy duty" rigging needs, as much as it is what are we doing with the load. catching loads? "craning" out wood or stems?
 
The Tree Angel is another option for knotless rigging.
whhx.jpg
 
The Rock Exotica UFO (universal focusing object) might be very useful in the trees, as it's the only truly 3-D rigging "plate".
UFO 1.webp
 
to me it is based on weight -500lbs light rigging, 500lbs-1000lbs medium, 1000-2000lbs heavy, +2000 radical
for me it only gets radical blocking big wood. I would like to work with someone as a groundie who gets radical with crown material just to see what that looks like. I have hung my share of trees but haven't hung many leads unless it was with a crane
 
Jeff_Cochran said:
and what is that 3d turd going to do in tree work?
Click to expand...

I've asked that before on other threads and the guy who had 1 said for trees it's no better or possibly less practical, because while it hangs everything straight down they're all so close to one another that it can be a inconvinence.
 
I just tell myself everything is heavy rigging just to play it safe. I would consider speedline as light duty, and blocking down wood heavy duty then anything in between medium unless your hanging whole trees or roping whole leaders down on one terminal rigging point
 
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