How big can you go?

[Bodean]

if you want/have to go for a large log.

Best scenario is a good straight rigging spar close enough to be able to tip tie the log and lift with the cut.

This is saying no crane, just rigging gear.

Like was said earlier, the Ropero is just as important as a good climber.
like a left hand a right hand, both strong and equal.
When they have worked together repeatedly day after day communication
is telepathic. Hard wired if you well.

Tip tieing and cranking the monkey out of it, keep cranking as they cut.
If there's no rigging spar and you'd be false crotching logs.
That would be some serious stress on the rigging and tree itself.

Maybe 1.25 inch rope with an old hobbs where you could fit 6 or 7 wraps.
Could you false crotch 16' fir logs?

In my little time, I've had a Ropero F$$K me up pretty good,
Then other times, i'm sure he saved my life.

 

[gf beranek]

Hey, more power to you, Sean. Working with a crew that can do it right is what I've longed for. I wish I could dump chunks that big in confidence but never had a groundie that I could trust. You are fortunate.

 

[jomoco]

I've got a cool crane trick where I tie a tree together with nylon straps and a clevis that's way out of reach of the cranes reach, but tied at the exact point that I can stay with the crane rather than on the tree after the cuts are made and the real action starts.

Good timing between the CO and myself allows me to float away far away from the danger zone.

Of course I only use this trick in a low value target scenario mostly.

I like doing it alot.

jomoco

 

[Bounce]

yep, it's fun.

 

[Bounce]

Come to think of it, that may be half the trouble with it.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I ain't getting the mental picture.

 

[Treevet]

I lean more to the strap on bollard than my big porty (got 3 sizes of them) for the benefit of the GM on the big wood. Do you have a bollard or just the porty Sean (Bounce?, I am working on names, I am new)?

I love to take honkers. But a number of years ago I snapped a line and the huge piece hit the dirt and rolled right into the swimming pool. Unbelievably did absolutely no damage....tree man's luck

 

[jomoco]

I ain't getting the mental picture.

You tie the tree to itself with nylon and steel, make the cuts and float away from the resulting dynamics tied into the crane.

Once the tree settles down in a vertical hang, I retag into the tree and pick the hanging half of the tree by the butt with the crane, kinda swapping positions.

It's a neat trick for picking stuff way out of the cranes reach without exposing the crane or you to any dynamic forces, the tree takes a fair beating though!

jomoco

 

[Gord]

Sean If I'm reading your original post right you were square rigging logs around 5000lbs?


Yikes.

 

[stehansen]

I've had my rigging point fail 2 times, both times in cottonwood trees. Now I always use 2 blocks in the tree if I'm rigging out anything of size. I say if you have a reason to keep the wood big, go for it as long as you have all the things you need. 3/4" Stable braid has a working load of 4,000 lbs. Don't forget that cottonwood can sometimes slilp the bark off.

 

[sotc]

like deva said, if your toproping and can crank the slack out of it ill take some huge stuff. if your butt hitching i go big but not 16'! i roped a cedar log about 24-28" and 7.5 feet long and glazed the heck out of the 1/2" rope with the grcs. i cant imagine doing stuff like you are with a porty!
this was all false crotched but with the big aluminum bollard on the grcs.

 

[The Branch Doctor]

I've spent the last 2 days removing a Locust (38"x85' height) that was less than 24" off the corner of a house, leaning a bit, and not much LZ for bombing so 3/4 or more of it had to be rigged down. Due to all the obstacles (fences, wires, house, other trees, 2 gardens, clothes line, etc) the size of each drop had to be individually assessed because the variables differed with every drop. It was quite a challenging tree from start to finish to say the least.

How big I can go is depicted by the variables of each situation so there isn't really a "rule of thumb" you can depend on other than..... don't ever go too big.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I love those graveyard gigs.

 

[arborworks1]

I have roped pine logs in the 12 foot range, around 18 to 24 inch DBH. But i had a really good groundie running the logs all the way to the ground and then snubbing it.


That was back in the day when I thought I was invincible. I tend to err on the cautious side now, I employ the grcs whenever I can to lift logs, But I refuse to butt hitch 12 to 16 footers anymore.

 

[jomoco]

How many of you guys use ATV4X4's at work with custom tow behind trailers or T bar brush dragging bars in it's receiver hitch? I started using 3 wheelers, then graduated to 4X4's in the mid 80's.

Perfect for Graveyard jobs your crane caint reach!

jomoco

 

[arborworks1]

I think most here have graduted to mini loaders. Keep up

 

[sotc]

i have one i rarely use, you can see the winch line in the first pic. it did the brush dragging, dingo moved the wood

 

[PCTREE]

Hey Sean thought I should add another point here that Im sure that you are aware of but hey I need to appear intelligent. Remember as you are bombing those huge honkers onto your prestine lowering line that a ropes cycles to failure is directly proportional to the % of the ropes strength and the force applied. ie if you load with say 10% of mbs you can do that 100s of times but if you do 90% it will fail after about 10 times (cannt remember exact stats). So yeah you may be able to do it but remember ALL YOUR GEAR is getting ruined. And once said damage has been done it doesnt take a huge load to make it fail. Since you work for Wespur I guess you can replace you rope, Whoppie and loopie every 10 logs

Obviously just messing with ya but it always worries me about the wear on our gear that we have NO WAY of seeing and GOING BIG will exponentialy increase this wear.

Yes Im the boring ol git over here

 

[lumberjack]

I've taken out some 3klb nuggets, but that's as big as I've gone when rigging from below.

Something that is possible on some jobs is to let the log run until it hits the ground with the tip, then lock it off so it doesn't fall over.

If you have room to let the log run a couple of log lengths, alot of the force can be spread over that time to minimize the shock. Otherwise, I wouldn't do it.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I'm with Burnam... CLUCK CLUCK!

I am really just working my way up to larger pieces and still often cut small. Most of our jobs have required small also. Clearance issues and such. I know there will come a day where I will really have to test my ropes and rigging. Till then... I will work my way up to that gradual

 

[FJR]

I was thinking the same thing that the Branch Doctor was thinking. There are so many variables and structure obstacles around here that end up up dictating the size of the piece taken. I generally tend to error on the side of caution.

 

[MasterBlaster]

99% of the time, there's always the option of rigging lighter.

 

[treebogan]

99% of the time, there's always the option of rigging lighter.

Spot on!

 

[stig]

I'm with Burnam... CLUCK CLUCK!

Better to be a live chicken than a dead lion!

 

[Bodean]

What does this cluck cluck mean?

I'm not getting the context, is it a duck?