Ropetek Wraptor...your experiences, value

[SouthSoundTree]

Ropetek Wraptor . com


From what I didn't find in the Advanced Search option, it seems like there is no dedicated, open forum thread to the Wraptor. Correct me if I'm wrong, please, and give a link. I saw the Treesmith's Wraptor Box thread, Hobby Climber's BC thread, the Once Used Wraptor thread.

Thought this might help out to have a thread with a searchable title, in the open forum.

I demo'ed Paul's amazing device a few years ago, getting three days of climbing done in two days on one job. It helped to get me to get high in a tree for setting rigging on another where I would have been less enticed to climb so high to set the rigging, without the Wraptor. I convinced State Parks to buy one, after seeing how many big trees went without deadwooding, due to the inefficiency of climbing them (one tree had its first live branch at 100', no joke, so the 60' bucket was a good start and end), balanced with the non-stop work load.

I know that if I'd had it for an apartment complex job where I had to climb about 30' to 40 feet in each tree (40 of them), during our heat wave, that I would have been done sooner, and safer (no injuries beyond some minor bruises).

In a nutshell, $2500 with a 150' Wraptor rope and shipping. A super deal. A sound INVESTMENT!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Wraptor rocks!

Personally, I would have ordered 200 feet of rope with it Sean

Your job as climber just got a lot easier on those tough ones and your career has also been extended barring any injuries my friend.

 

[rangerdanger]

Hell, if I was out west I'd have ordered 300' of rope! Congrats on the buy bro!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Add 150' to another rope. I thought about 200'.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Long time coming... Way too long.

Who's happier, me for a wraptor, or D to have our picture taken together, watching herself on the screen of my phone?

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[Burnham]

Lovely!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Awesomeness!

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Hangers/ widowmakers, lots of climbing for one or two or three big hangers, now lots of riding. The new way of spurless maintenance. I have several large hangers to bid this morning at my consult.

This will not only increase production, but heat challenge during our short bits of hot, hot summer will not slow us down as much, especially since I can come down and run the mini...picking up my ramps this morning for my chip truck, and off to the welder. Until I shield the radiator, I'm going to be the one running it.

 

[stig]

That is great, Sean.
I bit it is a real game changer for someone in your part of the world.

 

[lumberjack]

It will take a tank or two of gas for the engine to loosen up and get to full power. I bought one last week, used it for the first time yesterday. It wouldn't pick me up until we ran a tank of gas through it.

 

[stig]

Time to lose some weight, Carl

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've been telling him that for years! LOL...

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Test ran it, on the ground. So far so good. I know what to expect!

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Been trying to make myself an independent solo operator as much as possible. I don't want to be stuck if/when I have an employee sick/injured etc.

I'll be interested to hear how people use their wraptor, and efficiently get it down and working. Most just lower to a groundie to unhook and store.

I'm thinking I can tie the standing end of the wraptor out of the drop zone with a controlled speed line, using my climb or rigging line with a double-whip tackle for a retrievable control line.

I will pre-tie my rigging speed line standing end to a different location.

IME, with 20 speed line slings, I can strip a lot of limbs with cut and chuck, speed lining with slings, and once my SL is high enough, I can throw limbs on the speed line bare-crotch, sliding them into the drop zone when I have non-critical things in the drop zone. I did a 90' Doug fir this way. Had I carried another 10 slings, I would have been able to strip and chunk it down on one 200t tank. Oh, and had another hour of energy, and not had to chip it. As it was, I did a lot, gave Erik plenty to chip while I geared up and reascended.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I wasn't getting all the distance I could have from my speed line had I been having the SL cleared, but it works well to get clear of the under plantings, rock wall, and some dragging distance to the chipper. Saved my shoulders cutting and throwing, too.


My first limb almost made it to the chipper. At this point, E is arbor- trolleying the stuff falling short. Had I been able to head down, and cleaned up, then wraptored up, I could have saved more dragging and the ATing, and had less limbs tangled, again saving beating up the body.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I just leave it in the tree and lower it when I hit the ground when working alone. I don't always use the Wraptor rope with it. I have other hanks of rope that range from 80' to 200 feet and several in between. I try not to have a lot of excess line sitting at the base of the tree. Easy enough to loop the rest of the hank and hang it off the porty or a sling above the ground if there is any excess. I plan my work so that the devise and the rope is not in the way of the work.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I can see that being very effective with a clear path down. In a conifer, I would think it would get beat up in a number of situations. I considered it on the maiden voyage of my Wraptor, but it was a plumb trunk with branches and stubs. Tree dependent.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I do single stem all the time. If you are talking about a removal.. I can visualise an issue. If you are are doing a prune, no worries.. Just keep it in close to the stem and leave it there.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I want thinking this through. There is an effective 'tag line' on the bottom of the wraptor. On the maiden voyage, my only solo wraptor use, I hasn't thought that through, up top, when I unhooked it and hung it on my saddle.


That was an inspection ascent where I had to climb 15' above the wraptor, but not cut things. Maybe speed line if I have to bet it out from below me. Top down working will happen a lot, but not always
APTA next, especially for high shots. Try to stay with a high TIP.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

You can also just take it off the line like you did and hang it from a loop runner, advancing it as you go higher. Then just take it back down with you. That way the weight is not on you as you move up ward. .
High a shot as possible yes. I used to fret more over a high conifer shot to access the boles. Now I just get to a good landing that has some good structure and ladder up the boles. Our ponderosa are conducive to just ladder climb like that for the most part.
Like you said. Every tree is different. Just plan the work and work the plan. Keep it simple. Adapt and overcome.

 

[Merle Nelson]

It will take a tank or two of gas for the engine to loosen up and get to full power. I bought one last week, used it for the first time yesterday. It wouldn't pick me up until we ran a tank of gas through it.

Glad you posted that Carl - saved me a bunch of work (or avoidence of same.) I had done a no. of accents at about 240 or 250lbs. All went great with those but then i went to do a rigging heavy tree and it would not accend with an additional 40lbs of gear or so. Have been thinking i should dig all that exact gear out and weigh before i called Paul. Now I'll just run another half tank or tank and a half through it first.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

You can also just take it off the line like you did and hang it from a loop runner, advancing it as you go higher. Then just take it back down with you. That way the weight is not on you as you move up ward. .
High a shot as possible yes. I used to fret more over a high conifer shot to access the boles. Now I just get to a good landing that has some good structure and ladder up the boles. Our ponderosa are conducive to just ladder climb like that for the most part.
Like you said. Every tree is different. Just plan the work and work the plan. Keep it simple. Adapt and overcome.

You're in a more open canopy in ponderosa pines, to an extent. Western red cedar are the worst conifers here, except maybe for monkey puzzles. It will all develop in time.

Just trying to use others' experience and problem solving skills, too, and generate some good discussion, hopefully.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I did a big fir the other day. God Bless the Wraptor. That's different than the rapture, for sure. After topping it. I thought, I could let the top handle, and pull up the bigger saw...nah, go take a break and ride up with the saw. If it had a raise and lower mode, it would be wicked. I spent less time on the tree overall with using the Wraptor, and took two trips to the ground for breaks (what are those???).


I just sold three fir removals, 36-42". The Wraptor is going to save soooo much effort on those.

 

[sotc]

I missed the rapture?!