Single rope Balancer?

Phil

Phil

Carpal tunnel level member
Location
Oak Lawn, IL
We were cutting down two fairly good sized pines. The first had 60% of its limbs and all of its lean over a metal carport. The other was very near the first, leaned away from the carport and we used it to rig the limbs of the first away from the carport. This was just conventional rigging. But tie the pieces, let them hinge down and swing free to the drop zone. One branch was fairly long and kind close to the carport roof. I figured i would let it hinge down and the tip of the branch would brush the top of the roof. Which it did and swung free. No big deal. All the falling pine cones and shattering dead pieces made the carport sound like thunder but there was no damage. The guy I was working with suggested I use the rope to balance the limbs that might hit the roof. We have minimal equipment and are lucky to have a rig rope at all. I said, that balancing would require a short second rope, would take time, and the only branch that was close enough to touch the metal roof was already off. He said I could use only the one rigging rope we had to balance the limbs. I could not visualize how he was describing his method of tieing up a limb in a balance fashion with one end of a rigging rope. The only way i could think to do it would be highly time consuming, would require 3 knots and be aggravating to both install and untie on the ground. So now its time for the question: Do you know of an easy efficient way to balance a limb with the single end of the rigging line...You cannot use prussik cords or loopies or carabiners because we have none of those things. Just the rope and whatever knots you can put in it.
 
I've seen it somewhere, but it does sound time-consuming.

I've balanced with one rope by guessing the balance point and cutting slow.

Thinking about it now, I guess you could put a butterfly knot in the line below the block (or any other midline loop-creating knot), go to your first balance point and half-hitch it, then back through the b-knot and terminate it at the other balance point.

Could be worthwhile if it was a big bad limb that you couldn't cut and chuck - but I haven't tried this method, just visualized it.
 
You should really consider investing in a spider leg. You can install and leave it on until you need it. Or you could make a cheap one out of some cordage and a bowline.

But, I remember a co-worker balancing limbs with a single line. I think he tied one end of the branch with a clove hitch leaving a long tail. Then tied a alpine butterfly (or something similar) above, and tied another clove on the remaining end. ... hope that made some kinda sense..
 
Just thinking of a way off the top of my head would be to tie the butt end with a couple half hitches with a long tail, run the tail end down to the tip, or balance point, couple more half hitches there, then back up to the main line and tie off with a blakes hitch for adjustment?

Does that make any sense? Guessing how much tail to leave would be the hardest part. (insert laughs here!)
 
i envision it the same way you do, which if given the choice, would rig three smaller pieces than spending the time to tie up a single rope balancer
 
jmcscrap, I have done just that with success. It only makes sense when it is a single limb job and one would like to minimize the amount of gear that leaves the truck, other wise a spider leg is much more efficient. Case in point, did a job that required removing one limb that the homeowner made a heading cut on, thus killing it, and was in a fenced in yard. All the gear required was throw line, climb system, rigging line, small pulley, and a handsaw. The Japanese Walnut limb was 6" at the butt and 20' long with landscaping targets underneath. Minimal gear, 30 minutes, $200. I usually overestimate the tail and just daisy chain the excess behind the stopper knot of the blake's.
 
I learned that out of the EHAP training manual several years ago. There is a good diagram and picture in the manual instead of a blakes hitch i just tie a bowline back to the main line. I use it all the time and for the lone limb here and there it is a lot faster than calling for a spider leg.
 
Maybe tying an alpine butterfly with the loop for one leg, and the "tail" for the other leg. Maybe tie off the loop, and adjust the length with the "tail". Both would be easily adjustable, really, just tie them extra long.
 
A spider leg is an extra piece of rope with a large eye on one end, like an extra long footlock prussick, used to attach to the main rigging line out to another point on the branch to balance it for rigging.
 
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I have a few balancers but usually I just use an 18' piece of 1/2" XTC and tie a blakes to the rigging line.

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This is exactly how we do it. If you have an extra piece of climb line laying around take it, tie it to the piece you want to balance then tie a blake hitch around the work line. Then you can suck the blake up high as you can it will keep the climb line tight.
 
jmcscrap thats how ive done in , and it works fine , but PHIL is right if u r out there to tie one end of rope u could just as easily make 3 small picks


spider leg is easy to use stores out of the way , and can be used for tons of other thing , it can be tied around wrist and girthed onto a limb u r not sure if u can grip hard enough not to hold on to when u r just chuckin brush

plus with the new tech cordage the "maxim" in 5/16 is rated at 5000 that makes a small bundle , even at 25 ft long.

i dont think u cant splice an eye but u can tie a clove hitch on working end and then a blake"s to the rigging line

the spider leg has to be smaller diameter than rope to grab like a climbing prussic
 
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I have a few balancers but usually I just use an 18' piece of 1/2" XTC and tie a blakes to the rigging line.

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That's an obvious simple and effective solution... Any old retired climbing or rigging line will do...
 
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the spider leg has to be smaller diameter than rope to grab like a climbing prussic

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Not true.. its good, but not absolutely necessary.. You can add extra wraps with a thicker line if needed.. any old climbing line should work just fine!
 
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the spider leg has to be smaller diameter than rope to grab like a climbing prussic

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Not true.. its good, but not absolutely necessary.. You can add extra wraps with a thicker line if needed.. any old climbing line should work just fine!

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When rigging, try to find the oldest, most retired climbing line you can, and use that until it breaks. Then, use the smaller pieces to make yourself a belt.

SZ
 
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