Throw line tricks and tips learned over the years

southsoundtree said:
I tie an overhand blocker on my climbing line
Click to expand...

Is a blocker the same as a stopper knot? If so, I usually use a double fishermans knot because the shape of the knot is more like a wheel and axle.

This setup was the first step in process that lead to the plastic bottles. Story time...

I was at some ITCC doing setup. My rope was snagged by a cluster of sprouts. I had tried several different whipping and rope jumping solutions...that didn't work. While I was struggling Beddas Strasser walks by and shows me the stopper knot addition. I pulled the rope end down, tied on an overhand, yarded it back up and on the first whip it bounced up and over the sprouts.Beddas andI got a hoot and high five.

THat started the process that lead to the double end plastic bottle solution.


There have been times where two of us 'saw' the bottle back and forth in a rhythm. Just as the bottle is going to hit a teenie bit of slack is given and the pulling side jerks. this causes the bottle to jump up for a moment. While its lofted both pullers jerk their throwline to move the bottle over the obstacle. I've jumped TLs up and over two foot tall scrub.
 
When you go to pull the line, you have the 3/4 of a pound of weight from the throw bag (usually, for me) plus a bit extra of stopper knot below the fork.

When you quickly accelerate the rope, the mass is moving upward. If the length/ 'throw' of the yank is right, the mass doesn't get drug over the fork. It hops up and over with room to spare.

I stuck 2 lines today in a veteran doug-fir, so didn't get a picture to supplement my sketch. Decided to start of a ladder and work my way up. So much big dead wood over the house to snag throwlines.
 
Throw bags that have the little loop on the other side can be used to clear nubs when you need to walk a line in.
Shoot and get the the bag to the ground. Take a second throw line or the tail of the primary and tie to the soft loop. Run the bag about 18” to the tip, hold both ends of the line with a little slack. Yoink the bag back and forth over the tip and you can get it to pop jumping the throwline. Works great in conifers where you are setting your line over a couple of limbs on the same whorl.

Ole timer I worked for, had a 8-10” solid steel 1-1.5” rod, both ends were ground to smooth flat tapers and had steel rings welded. We used this to isolate and bounce through crotches that would otherwise hang a throw line up. Used most the time on grand firs.
 
I'm starting to see why Washington's team is called the Wizards. I began my foray into keeping the bag on like how @southsoundtree was describing, and over a spot so rough, the bag almost wouldn't come down, it just popped over, clearing the rough spot by a couple of inches. Amazing.

I have seen a few guys leave the bag on and just clip the line onto the ring with a biner, and all they used it for was weight to help make it easier to pull down after getting it over the branch.
 
I keep the throwbag on as well when pulling up a climbing line. Most of my non-spliced ropes have a throwline loop stitched into them so I can clip onto the ball. I usually use a steel biner for the termination end of my climbing systems which also add some extra weight to the throwball when jumping it over crotches and pulling it back down. For the stick trick I use an old Broom handle cut down to 12" with throwline loops on each end.

The Tree Climbers Companion is a great resource for those new to throwline techniques.
 
Shadowscape said:
Those work for a little while when new, but as they are made out of fine braided wire, as soon as one of the small wires breaks it catches deep into your rope and makes it a pain to get off. Then you put it away in your electrical stuff in case you ever have to pull feed cable through a conduit.
Click to expand...
There is a brand of these finger trap thingies for pulling electrical cable that are made of some kind of really tough synthetic plastic strands and not metal wire. I use one for pulling my climbing line up so it slips through tight crouches OK. Fairly regular use now for six years without any broken strands, and if they did break they would not be as dangerous or damaging like the metal wire versions. Wish I could remember where I bought it, but it was online not locally like Home Depot, Ace, or whatever.
 
Found it! This is where I bought mine. These are made from very heavy monofilament - no metal at all. Mine has held up perfectly for six years and the 3/8 in. size seemed just right. It expands easily over my normal ropes. The 1/4 in. size might be even better. I think it would expand just as easily and might tighten down that much better.

www.techtoolsupply.com

Fish Tailz Wire Pulling Sock - 3/8in x 36in

Fish Tailz Wire Pulling Sock - 3/8in - Pull Wire or Cable Quicker, Without Stripping and Taping!
www.techtoolsupply.com
 
Burrapeg said:
Found it! This is where I bought mine. These are made from very heavy monofilament - no metal at all. Mine has held up perfectly for six years and the 3/8 in. size seemed just right. It expands easily over my normal ropes. The 1/4 in. size might be even better. I think it would expand just as easily and might tighten down that much better.

www.techtoolsupply.com

Fish Tailz Wire Pulling Sock - 3/8in x 36in

Fish Tailz Wire Pulling Sock - 3/8in - Pull Wire or Cable Quicker, Without Stripping and Taping!
www.techtoolsupply.com
Click to expand...
Shit, for $10, I will be ordering a few. They'll make great stocking stuffers to give to friends
 
One thing I found using the one I bought (3/8 inch size) is that if I am using it with my smaller 10mm rope, the rope can slip out if I relax tension on the tail side when pulling it up. Stays tight and grips fine as long as I pull down a bit, but works fine on the larger, normal size 11 and 11.7 stuff. (I have this smaller rope if I have to hike a long distant and want a lighter backpack load. And I made a larger bollard for my BDB to grip this smaller stuff OK, which I can switch out from the normal bollard). Oh, another cool thing with this wire pull gadget is when I want to get my big Vortex Cool 12mm monster line thru my ZigZag. Works a treat for that.
 
Burrapeg said:
One thing I found using the one I bought (3/8 inch size) is that if I am using it with my smaller 10mm rope, the rope can slip out if I relax tension on the tail side when pulling it up. Stays tight and grips fine as long as I pull down a bit, but works fine on the larger, normal size 11 and 11.7 stuff. (I have this smaller rope if I have to hike a long distant and want a lighter backpack load. And I made a larger bollard for my BDB to grip this smaller stuff OK, which I can switch out from the normal bollard). Oh, another cool thing with this wire pull gadget is when I want to get my big Vortex Cool 12mm monster line thru my ZigZag. Works a treat for that.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I have a few of the metal ones left over from my electrical work days. But they are worn to the point of not being useful for rope work. Been awhile since I investigated new ones, and apparently they have progressed to synthetic ones these days.
Appreciate the info and will be ordering a few myself. :tanguero:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Kask Stihl NORTHEASTERN Arborists Wesspur TreeStuff.com Teufelberger Westminster X-Rigging Teufelberger
Back
Top Bottom