Mystery Lowering Device/Winch?

Four really burly screws.. remember it’s rated for a 3k dead lift. Butt hanging a thing more than 1k seriously needs to be looked at closer. We have top tied some serious wood with the grcs winch 20+ ft saw logs... but ‘‘tis weighed out and generally done with a tail hold to limit dynamics
 
Like what was just mentioned I only have concern for dynamic loading ( saying the Harkin is attached in the same manner to the plate as it was when I used them in industrial climbing.) Otherwise, I loved this. We called it the SkyHook out there ( that was the retail name given for it) but I kept asking for the GRCS all the time.... Really started to rub some of the guys wrong that did not enmjoy tree climbers and their side of the industry. I would give it a go though, seeing how it was a trust worthy piece out on oil rigs in corrosive conditions, like guys and gal in shore areas may find.
 
evo said:
Four really burly screws.. remember it’s rated for a 3k dead lift. Butt hanging a thing more than 1k seriously needs to be looked at closer. We have top tied some serious wood with the grcs winch 20+ ft saw logs... but ‘‘tis weighed out and generally done with a tail hold to limit dynamics
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Are the newer ones beefed up or something? Mine is only rated at a working load of 2000 pounds. I have seen the GRCS used to stand up fairly large indoor Christmas trees normally weighing slightly over 1000 pounds. I certainly would not want to be running that winch to lift 2k.
 
flyingsquirrel25 said:
Are the newer ones beefed up or something? Mine is only rated at a working load of 2000 pounds. I have seen the GRCS used to stand up fairly large indoor Christmas trees normally weighing slightly over 1000 pounds. I certainly would not want to be running that winch to lift 2k.
Click to expand...

The wll is a 1:10 safety factor for dropping onto the grcs. The 3500lbs. is how much can be raised up using the winch. The 4 bolts breaking applies to the 1:10, I believe. Going over the 3500lbs while winching results in internal winch damage and a lack of mechanical advantage.
 
flyingsquirrel25 said:
Are the newer ones beefed up or something? Mine is only rated at a working load of 2000 pounds. I have seen the GRCS used to stand up fairly large indoor Christmas trees normally weighing slightly over 1000 pounds. I certainly would not want to be running that winch to lift 2k.
Click to expand...

Harkin beefed up the winch a little.. I think it’s called the 46 Arborist. Spool is a little longer for another wrap or two (guess it was a issue with larger ropes?). I have a hard time getting it to consistently lock on a 1/2 16 strand so my go to is 9/16ths. The literature that came with mine was a little confusing something like a lifting wll of 3k but a general wll of 2k?
Then the sticker says 2k.. sounds like the industrial guys use their skyhook (smaller harken) with battery holehawgs. Any one try this with a GRCS yet?
 
evo said:
Harkin beefed up the winch a little.. I think it’s called the 46 Arborist. Spool is a little longer for another wrap or two (guess it was a issue with larger ropes?). I have a hard time getting it to consistently lock on a 1/2 16 strand so my go to is 9/16ths. The literature that came with mine was a little confusing something like a lifting wll of 3k but a general wll of 2k?
Then the sticker says 2k.. sounds like the industrial guys use their skyhook (smaller harken) with battery holehawgs. Any one try this with a GRCS yet?
Click to expand...

@cerviarborist has used a battery superhawg (do *not* use the clutchless hole hawg) with favorable results. Probably less torque than the corded version, but I never bring my generator out to power the winch with my corded superhawg for lifting applications - Too much to haul. Also, with power tools in general, it's too easy to tangle the line on the winch bollard at high speeds, so I hand crank.
 
I guess the hole hawg would be okay for winching... but if you were doubling up to use it for bracing it'd be a no-go.
 
colb said:
The wll is a 1:10 safety factor for dropping onto the grcs. The 3500lbs. is how much can be raised up using the winch. The 4 bolts breaking applies to the 1:10, I believe. Going over the 3500lbs while winching results in internal winch damage and a lack of mechanical advantage.
Click to expand...

If going over 3500 pounds causes internal winch damage, there is no safety factor when lifting at that weight. And 2000 pounds being 10:1 is just a little scary. I personally prefer to stay well away from the rated limits of my rigging equipment, but I’m not sold on how it’s ratings are being expressed here. I am probably mid understanding what you are trying to say.
 
The damage at max 44:1 is shavings coming off the gears. They look like inch-long metal hairs. The winch still functions, so the nature of it is not catastrophic. I did not have an enforcer on the system, so it may have been over/under 3500lbs. I should be more exacting and apologize, it's just kind of embarrassing that I reached that point. It was on my first use of the grcs. I pulled a 20" diameter sweetgum off a house against heavy lean and with a fairly low tie. I opened the unit to inspect it and sent it back to Greg for rehab. I believe he cleaned it out, reassembled it, and sent it back.

The 2,000 lbs. 10:1 is, I believe, either from testing, or Greg's appeal to reasonability, putting the grcs in line with other devices like the portawrap. I think we all remember the station wagon video.

It's probably best to search Greg's posts for details.
 
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