Stien RC 3002 Lowering Device.....Anyone got one

[Bushwackertree]

Well I think I've made the decsion to go ahead and purchase the Stien RC 3002. I think it would fit our companies needs very well as we specialize in limited access removals. We have been doing a lot of rig outs using two port-a-wrap's and I think this is becoming more of a hazard than a help. Is anyone out there running one of these units? Any feed back would be great..... good, bad, and the ugly

Thanks Ben
Bushwacker Tree Removal

 

[MasterBlaster]

GRCS.

 

[rangerdanger]

Heard great things about it, I'd definitely pick one up over a GRCS because with the type of rigging we do, it'd serve our purposes much better. I've met Reg's in person and checked out the device, great guy and awesome device, very well designed and engineered, a solid product.

 

[High Scale]

It's a good tool.

 

[Old Monkey]

It's the lifting aspect of that device that gives me pause. The GRCS lifts so wonderfully without kinking or pinching the rope like that one does. All of the force for lifting on that one is placed on one small portion of the rope. I don't like that. My daughter can crank a kid her age up in a tree no problem with the GRCS it's so easy to use.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I'm surprised their haven't (but I bet they have, it was just too expensive. Still...) made an even bigger model.

 

[treesmith]

I'm surprised their haven't (but I bet they have, it was just too expensive. Still...) made an even bigger model.

You referring to the GRCS or the Stein, Butch?

As to the question posed by the OP, I don't even consider the GRCS and the Stein in the same class. I can see where the Stein would come in handy on some jobs, having two bollards available, but the tensioning aspect trails far behind even my ratcheting bollard, I would think. No way to compare it to the GRCS as far as lifting goes. Huge difference in power and speed. I don't think Reg was trying to compete with the GRCS, but rather wanted a simple lowering device with the capability of some tensioning along with the second bollard, as much of his rigging involves using two blocks/lines together.

 

[Altissimus]

... is the Stien less expensive than the GRCS ? ...

 

[Reddog]

... is the Stien less expensive than the GRCS ? ...

Yes, but they are two different tools. http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=197&item=79

 

[NickfromWI]

Seems like a cool tool. The double bollard thing is nice. The lifting mechanism seems clever. I don't like the option to get the 5:1 with the prusik. It seems like you're barely getting 6" of rope per pull.

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I like the idea of the GRCS a lot better, but this is a LOT more affordable!

 

[MasterBlaster]

It looks heavy!

 

[bonner1040]

It does look heavy, and having not used either my uneducated guess is that the lifting is way slow.

 

[tophopper]

It looks to be built well for lowering. Id still choose a GRCS though.

 

[sotc]

but this is a LOT more affordable!

Are you certain? Price isn't everything...

 

[bonner1040]

meh, just buy 2 of these
http://karlkuemmerling.com/store/product499.html

 

[sotc]

Thats intriguing

 

[tophopper]

meh, just buy 2 of these
http://karlkuemmerling.com/store/product499.html

Looks pretty poorly built.

 

[bonner1040]

Supposedly they lift a good bit, not a grcs or anything. I am told its slow, but still effective although it takes two guys to lift as one needs to crank a pipe that goes in the end and the other tails the rope. I have also heard they can bind up when lifting but if you go slow you can pop the rope every couple turns.

They also sell a non-ratcheting version that is just a friction bollard/brake like on the stein but without the tensioning arm.

 

[bonner1040]

Looks pretty poorly built.

I have heard mixed reviews...Treesmith has one and he likes it, there is a thread on the Buzz that slams it pretty good as not being built well.. There is a similar model, although blue for sale for $400 at my local arbo shop.

 

[sotc]

Why do you say that top? May not be refined but it looks burly to me. Be a nice back up to a GRCS when you need a second point of friction

 

[treesmith]

I have before set up a porty on one side of the tree, and the ratcheting bollard on the other side when I might need to use two rigging lines. Although I see some use for the Stein double, I would prefer the flexibility of using a porty for one of the lowering devices, if for no other reason than the mobility of it. Once you mount the Stein, it's mounted, unless you loosen and move it. Like I said before, for Reg's style of using tandem lines together, it's perfect. For the usual rigging scenario, it's not necessary. It all depends on the job at hand, but I see little use for the Stein myself. Now that I have a GRCS, I see even less use for it, and that's coming from a guy who's only used his GRCS on one job. Greg Good told me he encourages guys to mount it any time there's rigging to be done, but I can't justify the time of setup on most of my jobs. I have one take down and one trim lined up where I will use it. Other than that, it stays in the shop. I keep old Red in the truck for the occasional heavy lowering job.

 

[tophopper]

Why do you say that top? May not be refined but it looks burly to me. Be a nice back up to a GRCS when you need a second point of friction

The welding doesn't look all that great to me.....looks like they fabbed it up in the back shop (they probably did), I wonder if it actually has a rating of some sort.
Also I dont like the mounting plate not being hinged, Ive used a similar bollard and they can be hard to get mounted firmly, they tend to work around a bit. Generally if removing a tree you'd just cut a small shelf to help seat the unit, even then they tend to mount a little crookedly. The price is right, but I dont really see why it would be any better than a porty with fiddle block set.

 

[treesmith]

Looks pretty poorly built.

I can't speak for the current model, but mine looks like an older brother to it. I bought it off a guy on the 'Buzz 3 years ago. Last year, Carl ran ropes for me on a big white oak, with the biggest chunk weighing in at ~1650# (figured by log chart), and it didn't budge. I did have it cut into the trunk to prevent slippage. For lifting, it's archaic, but for lowering, it's a bollard, just like the GRCS, speaking of which, if I'm lowering anything over 500# (dynamic), I switch to the bollard. That Harken 48 costs near $2k itself. No sense wearing it out prematurely, IMO. I gave $350 for the bollard, a 3/4" block, a 9/16"x150' rope, and two slings...I'll haul it around and leave the GRCS at the house until needed. (It took less than two jobs for the bollard to pay for itself, literally. It'll take the GRCS a while to pay for itself, unless you just start throwing profit at it.)

 

[tophopper]

When we use our GRCS's (mine is always on my truck), we switch out the bollard and the winch for every piece depending on the the need of that particular cut. It only takes 5 seconds, and if your groundie is good at reading you and how you are rigging, they'll know whether you are lowering or hoisting and can have it switched out before you even finish lacing things up up top.

 

[treesmith]

That's the way I do, when I use the GRCS. I rig 90% of my stuff natural crotch and lower it myself to the ground personnel. As to the unit not having a hinged section, the main body is only about 12" to 14" wide. It's not as wide as the GRCS's base is, if you count all three sections. The hinged plate definitely yields a better mount, but it costs 6 times as much overall.