Pros Cons - When and When Not To

[Tucker943]

I do it if the bark is smooth/wet/ going to have a delay before the bowline gets loaded up, or doesn't have a knob/nub/hump/bump/twig to keep it from moving towards the butt.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I do it when I don't want to become a 'struck by' statistic because of an inexperienced groundie running the rope. If I put the half hitch close to my cut, then there isn't much left to swing back and hit me. Also, on a heavy load, I believe doing that takes some of the weight off the bowline, making it easier to untie.

 

[Cold Logging]

I do it when I don't want to become a 'struck by' statistic because of an inexperienced groundie running the rope. If I put the half hitch close to my cut, then there isn't much left to swing back and hit me. Also, on a heavy load, I believe doing that takes some of the weight off the bowline, making it easier to untie.

Two good points I hadn't thought of yet.
I often put a half hitch above a running bowline when I'm leaving pulling lines in stobs/ spars that are slick and Im going to be leaving them there for a bit.

 

[Cold Logging]

How I typically set a running bowline remotely.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

With a light saber?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Can't see much with that blurry pic.

 

[pantheraba]

With a light saber?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

That is funny, I don't care who ya are

 

[Cold Logging]

Sorry bout the blurry pic. That is a Side Kick extendable pole hooky deally.
It helps me render the running bowline into leade. And to getthe throw weight back to me. . Really a handy tool to have on the saddle.

 

[Cold Logging]

My ground guy got an I phone this week so the pic quality has improved some. His old blackberry get kinda blurry when a pic is enlarged.

 

[NHlocal]

I recently have changed over to using the running bowline for rigging duties.
But, up until recently I used the clove hitch. Never had it slip, roll out, or fail
in any way. I've tied off everything from "light" limbs to pieces of trunk that
weighed several hundred pounds.
The running bowline is faster to tie.

 

[sydneytree]

I think all the knots are just as fast to tie when you're familiar with them. For me it's the running bowline for general lowering off duties and I'll usually tie it by itself on rough barked limbs. I don't like to leave much of a butt, and I like to flush cut on the first cut on removals, not make a first cut then a second stub cut. The exception is where speed is important and there's a lot of flare at the collar. If it's smooth barked, I'll generally add a half hitch near the cut and tie the bowline out at the first stub/fork/large bump. It's still a nice easy knot to untie.

On smaller stuff I'll often just use a pre tied bowline with a yosemite finish and maybe a double fishermans after that, and a bunch of small slings. The slings are about 3/4" and rated to about 2 tonne breaking (not SWL!). I carry a bunch of them and it's a real quick simple way to limb out pines, cedars etc where it all needs to be roped but it's smaller stuff. The slings I choke on the branches, then clip to the bowline, or anywhere on the rope above the bowline. It's real fast, and easy on the ground too. You clip up to maybe half a dozen, cut them all at once and away they go. As it's being handled on the ground I've clipped a bunch more, the rope comes back up with the slings from the last hit all attached with one biner, which I clip to myself, then clip all the branches I've already slung, then cut cut cut cut cut cut cut and we're away again. It's way faster then doing single hits, and the slings grab real nice on smaller stuff. I don't push my luck weight wise.

Clove hitch doesn't have so much appeal in tree work in my opinion. I use the larks head on the throw bags, and some weird hitch I can't remember the name of for attaching throwline to rope. Marlin spike hitch for sending stuff up, it's quick, one handed and unties fast. Quick hitch from tree climbers companion is the only way to send a rope up in my opinion, and it ought to be universal. Faster for everyone and saves work for the climber too. Timber hitch still gets used from time to time for base ties if setting a porty, or a base tie for an SRT, though a sling is probably quicker and just as strong if you have one the right size. Only time I use alpine butterfly is when setting mechanical advantage and putting a pulley mid rope.

Shaun

 

[flushcut]

My 1/2-9/16 rigging lines are spliced and I use a big locking steel biner, smallish wood I just choke it off and biggish wood a marl and a choke, for pines/spruce I use loop runners with steel biners. I can't remember the last time I used my 5/8 or 3/4 for lowering.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Good post, Shaun. Welcome to the TreeHouse!

 

[bonner1040]

Imagineero

mobile...

 

[Stumper]

Running Bowline for rigging. A marl with the RB helps balance/stabilize a piece (hmm...notice a a spread clove hitch without a free end?) but does nothing good for strength and is more hassle to de-rig. Clove hitch used to be a favorite of mine....but I've had a roll out and the RB is now almost all I use for rigging...other than girth hitched slings. Slipped Anchor hitch on the throw-bag. Timber hitch on the port-a-wrap. Alpine butterfly is great for setting up a Z rig. AB unties fine if not really heavily loaded. Sheet bend for sending up ropes. Carrick bend for joining ropes that you want to untie after loading.Double fisherman's bend for making a permanent join (such as making a sling without splicing). Pile hitch for attaching throw-line to rope. Valdotain tress for climbing hitch or attaching the power puller to a pull line.

 

[Husabud]

Imagineero

mobile...

Probly

 

[gf beranek]

Running Bowline for rigging. A marl with the RB helps balance/stabilize a piece (hmm...notice a a spread clove hitch without a free end?) but does nothing good for strength and is more hassle to de-rig. Clove hitch used to be a favorite of mine....but I've had a roll out and the RB is now almost all I use for rigging...other than girth hitched slings. Slipped Anchor hitch on the throw-bag. Timber hitch on the port-a-wrap. Alpine butterfly is great for setting up a Z rig. AB unties fine if not really heavily loaded. Sheet bend for sending up ropes. Carrick bend for joining ropes that you want to untie after loading.Double fisherman's bend for making a permanent join (such as making a sling without splicing). Pile hitch for attaching throw-line to rope. Valdotain tress for climbing hitch or attaching the power puller to a pull line.

That is a good and basic repertoire of practical knots you named off there, Justin, along with some of their best and most simple applications. hoo rah

 

[sydneytree]

Imagineero

Yeah, well spotted Nick. It's not my first rodeo at the treehouse, I signed up as imagineero a few years back but due to some glitch in the software it wouldn't let me have it, then wouldn't let me use the email address I used for signing up either :-( I dutifully signed up again not long after with another name something similar to sydneytree which I dutifully forgot, and also forgot the email address I used to signup with so there goes that idea. With AS seemingly out of commission permanently a guy has gotta get his tree fix somewhere and it might as well be here

Shaun

 

[Tucker943]

Running Bowline for rigging. A marl with the RB helps balance/stabilize a piece (hmm...notice a a spread clove hitch without a free end?) but does nothing good for strength and is more hassle to de-rig. Clove hitch used to be a favorite of mine....but I've had a roll out and the RB is now almost all I use for rigging...other than girth hitched slings. Slipped Anchor hitch on the throw-bag. Timber hitch on the port-a-wrap. Alpine butterfly is great for setting up a Z rig. AB unties fine if not really heavily loaded. Sheet bend for sending up ropes. Carrick bend for joining ropes that you want to untie after loading.Double fisherman's bend for making a permanent join (such as making a sling without splicing). Pile hitch for attaching throw-line to rope. Valdotain tress for climbing hitch or attaching the power puller to a pull line.

This sums up my bag of tricks.

 

[Stumper]

Thanks Ger and Chris. There are lots of great knots but a few good ones cover most things.

 

[sydneytree]

It isn't just the knot you choose, it's also how you tie it. I see guys from time to time tying a running bowline in such a way that as the strain takes up the knot won't choke. The side you tie it on can make all the difference. It isn't rocket science, but taking a moment when rigging to consider the direction the piece is traveling in and how the piece will take up the slack can make all the difference. Same story when it comes to using devices that can take up the slack like the friction drum/GRCS etc.... you want to tie it so the device will choke the knot.

 

[Cobleskill]

I like the Carrick bend but I only use it on cable. Zeppelin bend is a good one. I can never teach anybody else to tie it. Too hard they say.

 

[Tucker943]

Tree work and rigging is far less complicated than some guys are trying to make it. Most trees can come down quickly and efficiently the same way it was done 20 years ago.

 

[stig]

And by the same guys who were doing it 20 years ago!