One and only rigging rope

I cut a 20" sugar maple leader off a house. The butt had wedged itself in a crocth about 25' up when it tore out. I used another crotch higher up(the tree was to be removed anyways), to lift the butt out of said croth and lower to the ground.



oh yeah this was done with a 1 ton diesel pickup @ night. the line was thrown away to be honest. I didn't trust it one bit. the bowline tightened down so hard it wouldn't come undone and we had to cut off the hitch of the truck.


thanks for the props. we try hard to be leaders in the industry, and show people that things can be done safley, efficiently, and still earn a good living.
 
Like Hormel I like getting the oink out of the pig.

Until a rope is less than 6' there is some use for it. But, how much 'junk rope' can be kept.

This weekend I'm going to build some 2'x8' moving boxes using 2x8or 6 for sides. I'll use old ropes for handles on the ends.
 
Bull, I know all the history of the lines that I rig with and would never use one in an unsafe condition.

Being a small company owner, I have to get as much life out my gear as possible, without risking my life or the life of my workers.
 
it is so hard to throw away rope. I am accumulating piles of ropes not quite good enough for working a tree, but it is still great rope!. Compare it to what many people buy at home depot everyday for their rope purposes. Well made and strong, just not quite up to par with life and death situations.

I definitly agree with Boston Bull that it is wrong to classify gear into climbing and rigging with climbing gear holding the higher class status.

This is a dangerous precedent and i am absolutley positive there are many more injuries and deaths as a result of failed rigging equipment than failed climbing equipment.

Thus I have some problems with the absolute golden rule that is told over and over again in safety classes that one should "never ever use rigging gear in climbing." This mantra promotes the notion that rigging is less important and it is okay to use a retired climbing line for rigging.

My feeling is that the rule should be that if a rope or gear isn't trustworthy enough to climb on, it shouldn't be in a tree. For example, This discussion has been held on here before in regards to decending the tagline off a spar. my feeling is that if you feel the rope isnt safe enough to decend on, why the hell would you try to pull the tree over with it! The scenario could be equally as ugly and awful if the line were to break in either situation. Rigging gear should not be held to a different or lower standard than climbing gear.
 
I have both 1/2" and 5/8" SB as well, and keep some Arborplex around as well for natural crotch if need be and as a pull line. Retiring gear is tough to do, but think of the alternative.....either personal injury or death, or in the case of rigging, just simply risking injury/death/damage to someone else or their property.

Hell, the worst one for me was putting a new lanyard on my saddle, and within the first week taking down a Norway Spruce, finished off a cut too quick with the handsaw and cut through I think 4 or 5 stands of a 16 strand lanyard.......felt like an idiot and tossed it out anyways. $50 isnt worth losing my life for!
 
Im w Norm 1/2" 3 strand as a sort of everyday utility rigging line,natural croth etc.It is good line and also the cheepest to replace.Then I step into varying double braids as the application calls!
 
Double braids stay in the truck for the most part..

1/2" true blue, 200' in the tupperware... until the wood gets big. REALLY BIG.. this rope takes a whooping... need the stretch to reduce shock loads, and if you need to take the stretch out swet it in or use the GRCS, or Reg's little 3:1 MA rigging trick...
 
I could've sworn I already posted in this thread...

Anyway, I like double braids. If I had only one rope for residential work it would definitely be 9/16" Stable Braid but I don't like using it in natural crotches, it's perfect with a 1 ton block though.
I use 1/2 Super Braid (by NE Ropes through Sherrill) for natural crotches. The jacket is dry coated and super tight so it really tolerates the abuse... doesn't have a very soft hand but it holds a knot just fine.

Anything less than 200' is hard to get by with around here.
 
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