LITTLE STUB CATCHES BOWLINE

[theXman]

not the regular XTreeme video, just a little unedited helmet cam that caught this rare thing...

I'm suprized the helmet cam was actually recording..... most things like this get missed on film.

3 Drawings to help understand....

 

[theXman]

2

 

[theXman]

3

 

[theXman]

link to the youtube video: STUB CATCHES BOWLINE

 

[theXman]

also you'll likely notice, i had second thoughts about my lanyard.... experience kicked in here and I always listen.

The lowering rope was supposed to go to the right, but I thought, what if the groundman doesn't give it enough, or too much friction in the lowering.... it might go left.... so I removed my lanyard and finished it with hand saw.

sure enough, little too slow and the peice made the rope go left, which would have been right across the lanyard. (I had one like that in 2008, not fun).

 

[Bixler]

That limb was out to get you. Unedited video is always my favorite, thanks for sharing. I've always had the habit of throwing a half hitch or two before I lock it off with the bowline. Good reminder to clean up those dirty little stubs.

 

[theXman]

yes Bixler buddy, that would help it not to open up so fast. I put them in often too, but usually on heavier stuff. Looks like it would be better to do them more.

 

[TreeCo]

I'm curious as to why you cut the face cut and back cut pointing away from the lowering point. It's pretty predictable that a lot of slack in going to have let in the bull rope to get it to go over and that it is going to swing pretty wildly.

 

[theXman]

fair enough question, there was a narrow space between another tall tree(forget the specie) and a lower tree( a black gum), for the foliage top to fall between. this was the direction of the lean. if i wanted to hinge it 90 degrees to the side, it would have needed a tip tie and pulled that way. hinging it into the lean was fastest, it just should have been let run faster.

 

[islandarb]

Good showing X. Thanks.

 

[Northwind]

Any reason why your back cut was crossed up and came in under the face cut on the climbers side?

Northwind

 

[Fairfield]

have had this happen to me, but it was caught on long thick bark..... p*$$ed me off! never know what you will catch on video. Nice vid.

 

[theXman]

ahhh, because the saw was not held perfectly level when making the backcut.

 

[TLHamel]

Crazy! Thanks for sharing, X.

 

[ward]

Thanks for that X. I think that clinches your case from the thread on spurless removals. (at least for this kind of tree)

 

[Rickytree]

Nice post. Goes to show that there are soo many variables to a safe day. Another reason I don't come down with my prices anymore.

 

[Riggs]

not that I don't understand that, that was real bad luck ( not the worse though) . The problem really started when your lowering person had the line too tight and you couldn't get the limb to react on the notch. After that you had to almost cut throught the notch and the lowering person held the limb to a stand still , than let it down , where it got hung up because it ran down the trunk tight . The stub caught it , which was unfortunate ,but and a big but , if he would have let it fly , because it had alot of room to go , the limb would have cleared the trunk and never caught that stub . The problem sometimes with all this clean rigging is over tensioning limbs and than your nothches don't work and limbs pop off . Sure the stub screwed you but that was only after the limb came off like a dead dog. Just saying . Personnaly I don't leave stubs and I am always asking (telling) my lowering person to slack up on the device they are using . When I see a handsaw come out to finish a cut , I just wonder why the white flag isn't flying .No offence X , just what I saw , and why I thought it caught the stub .

 

[theXman]

I agree it looks like all that and I thought THAT while it was going on as well.

If you watch again, but turn up the volume, you'll hear my words when it's not hinging over....

"you'll have to give it some".... "start giving it..." and I reach up and pull on his line to make sure he isn't holding it tight. He wasn't.

Then I'll say something like, "It's a larger diameter with not much weight in it..." to explain why he had given it slack but it wasn't going.

I had taken out half of the weight on a previous cut, therefor the long hinge wasn't willing to move until paper thin even though the line had some slack in it. (I did not cut off the hinge-wood, if that was what someone else was talking about).

He's a very good groundperson when it comes to lowering and listening to what is needed with lowering. Me pulling on the line confirmed it wasn't held tight.

But I also saw how the butt pulled back, so maybe there was a bit too much friction in the system after all, once it got going.

Good observations...

 

[Daniel]

can't tell how clean the face was, but you can see that the back cut was a little low, lower than the notch, on the near side. This will make it a fight to trip the hinge. between that and the rigging set up, you had to wrestle it for a good minute.

Might not seem like much time.. the added minute it took, but it all adds up at the end of the day, especially when compounded by secondary mishaps like that hang up.. Those wasted minutes and seconds throughout the day make the difference between a good climber and a great climber.

Looks like there was plenty of room, with a deep notch and good back cut, some slack in the rigging line, or just setting the lowering line a bit lower, or even a lighter line with some more stretch..

Fortunately you were out of the way when the piece did go, but you saw it would have come right back at the climber otherwise.. Not a good rigging set up on the high side, and looks like there was half a wrap too many downstairs..

Nobody's perfect and it takes balls to show your mistakes. Appreciate your generosity so that everyone can glean a lil bit o knowledge here.

 

[theXman]

[ QUOTE ]
can't tell how clean the face was, but you can see that the back cut was a little low, lower than the notch, on the near side. This will make it a fight to trip the hinge. between that and the rigging set up, you had to wrestle it for a good minute.

Might not seem like much time.. the added minute it took, but it all adds up at the end of the day, especially when compounded by secondary mishaps like that hang up.. Those wasted minutes and seconds throughout the day make the difference between a good climber and a great climber.

Looks like there was plenty of room, with a deep notch and good back cut, some slack in the rigging line, or just setting the lowering line a bit lower, or even a lighter line with some more stretch..

Fortunately you were out of the way when the piece did go, but you saw it would have come right back at the climber otherwise.. Not a good rigging set up on the high side, and looks like there was half a wrap too many downstairs..

Nobody's perfect and it takes balls to show your mistakes. Appreciate your generosity so that everyone can glean a lil bit o knowledge here.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very good analysis and written well as not to piss someone off.

You know, this is making me think, I'll take the time to get a cut just right on what I think is challenging, but so many things that I don't think are challenging (like this peice), maybe I'm not putting much care into them anymore. I put this out to share with others, to help others, but I think you all have helped me as well. Thanks everyone.