I've been having trouble finding the chafe guard stuff, too, and usually just buy it from TreeStuff. No complaints about it, works good. Shrink tube I buy off of Amazon or eBay and I buy so much of it I've given up on trying to remember the brands... I always get the heavy walled, 3:1, adhesive lined stuff, though. I pretty much buy it from whoever has it for the cheapest. I prefer the polyolefin stuff.
I just measure down however long the tail is and then add an inch or two... pull it out there, taper it and milk it back in. I don't think it's critical, you just need to go a little further than the length of the tail you're burying so you don't end up with any of it still hanging outside.
Personally, I like using a 10:1 safety factor for rigging stuff, too, because when you're thinking, "Ok, I need to keep the load, including shock forces, to one ton!" then you almost have to do something really stupid to break any of the rigging, because realistically the gear will handle a 5:1 factor for awhile. But, it won't last long if you actually try to do that. If I accidentally misjudge the weight of a piece, I'm not likely to misjudge it by double. So, I don't break stuff. I'm absolutely not a "push it to the limit" guy. I don't do enough tree work that I can afford to constantly replace broken gear and worn out ropes, so I try to make it last as long as I can. Back in the day, I worked for a guy who broke so many things (both his and other people's) that I'm not sure he ever showed a profit. I put up with it for a couple of years until he tried to push brush into the chipper with a garden rake. That didn't end well. He paid me for the day and the last thing I ever heard him say was, "See you tomorrow." The last thing he ever heard me say was, "The fuck you will."
Haha.. you quit cuz he used a rake.. Lol.. that's too funny.. Or was it because he let it get sucked through like a clown.. That had to have been a last straw scenario or something, as everyone i know uses whatever's in their hand to push shit through.. especially the ppl scared of poison ivy..
You prefer the polyolefin.. ok .. I'll remember that. There's so many types now i literally get lost deciding.. I probably have some & don't even know it.. Latley I've been using "Vinyl Guard" by Insultherm.. it's pretty clear.. There's also this heat shrink fabric by techflex.. seems pretty cool, but expensive.. might be the same as the Marlow stuff, as techflex is worldwide, but I'm sure their not the only ones who make it. I'll tell you what though... If like to try the 4:1 or 5:1 & see if i can get it around some preterminated stuff.. I thought i had bought some but it was bunk..
Yes that’s precisely my point. The idea of professional rigging in any situation is to never exceed the maximum safe working load in any part of the equipment. In fact when rigging buildings for light shows and hanging trusses, they have specific rules that at first don’t seem to make sense but when you think about it it does. The anchor must exceed any load it can be expected to see by factor of 10. No device shall be attached to anchor that exceeds rated load limit, ie clevace, shackle etc. No ropes or cables shall exceed rated anchor or connector. So in theory they want to see a step down effect from anchor to load. And all the parts serve to protect overloading those below them.
I get what your saying.. i understand it too.. it's a double triple failsafe type of deal..
What i meant by "pushing the 2700 if i had to" was, pushing to it confidently, without second guessing... not beyond it as my choice of words may have alluded to. However, I'm pretty sure that 2700 is derated & whatever number they started with was as well.. just so ppl don't go nuts..
Also.. not for nothing but, this industry does spend allot of time on breaking strengths, loads, science of things, etc, and rightfully so!!! However, what about the guys using natural crotch methods or the union/spar were hanging these devices in.. there's no rating on them & they're are a ton of unknown variables, but usually everything goes just fine.. You would think that there would be a bigger emphasis or disclaimer engraved into or written into instructions as to what is acceptable to hang them from.. I mean not everyone is genius when it comes to rigging anchors & placement.. What i mean is, something like a "do not use on a pine lateral under "xyz" or do not exceed 2700lbs on a spar less than "xyz".. Not those words exactly but you get what i mean.. for all the testing & science put into then, you'd figure there would be at least something covering there asses from the guy who's gonna go out & use it in all sorts of ill fated scenarios.. It just seems kinda odd there isn't & it's just assumed the unknown is going to be ok. I just don't think it would take much to mention in product descriptions.. who knows.. maybe it's just a can of worms they don't want to get into seeing as how many different species of wood there is.. all having different strengths.
Seems like SWL is for longer service life. It will take a beating above the SWL, and the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
Remember, the ratings are for new gear with no physical or uv damage.
I'd like to see some old gear broken.
Yeah i would add well...
I know Mumford did some break testing on used & abused 16 strand.. i sent him some myself..
ropes are funny that way, damage happens collectively and one day the rope just lets go. I have snapped some big ropes seemingly easy, because they were old and put out of service and used as utility rope that got abused.
I concur.. i snapped a 3/4 to 1in double braid last year trying to pull a stuck peice of equipment.. Boss told me it was a bad idea, however sat there & allowed it.. I thought i knew better, as well as knowing what the truck had for torque, part if me knew the rope was old & to be honest i had been on him to buy a new one as i didn't think it was safe.. Anyhow.. under a slow pull (not a big dynamic jerk), the thing just snapped like nothing.. Part of me was suprised, part of me wasn't.. most of me was happy i didn't have to work with it any longer...
However point of the story is, i know if that thing wasn't all banged up & compromised, it wouldn't have snapped.
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