tensioning speedlines?

[Steve Williams]

Steve, is that the steve from Kingswood and STANTA?

 

 

Sorry Deer Man, not me I'm afraid ..... do you mean there are two good looking Steve Williams out there!!!

[Steve Williams]

firstly this isn't best practice, so be careful, trust the tree and the driver of the 4x4. simple set up, rope over a strong crotch then tie it off a third or more down the tree. tie the other end to the 4x4. making sure there's enough distance in front of the 4x4 so when theres slack in the system the line can reach all points in the tree for zipping. and enough room behind the 4x4 so you can get enough tension for clearance.

i keep it simple just a load of lightweight slings and steel carabiners(helps slow the speed down a bit). roughly middle weight the sling on the limb. tension it so you see a slight uplift on the limb. you can otherwise back cut it so it tears off. put a felling cut in it or snap cut it, all depends on the wood. you can otherwise get the driver to snap it off for you or you can cut it off. for the back limbs you'll need the driver to snap it off for you.(make sure your out of the way, it can come off with some force sometimes).

 

i only use a return, for low limbs that need to be tensioned high to clear the ground or for big branches/logs that need their descent slowed. and thats it

 

You say this isn't best practise and to trust the tree and the driver, doesn't this practise have too many areas that can go wrong? As professional arborists surely this kind of risky set up is what we are all trying to avoid?

[Paul Smith]

do you mean there are two good looking Steve Williams out there!!!

 

Not quite the words I was thinking of with the Steve Williams I know!

[Rupe]

Yeah but you get to the next job sooner as well if you use the crane

 

Why do you want to get to the next job sooner? Is it better there than where you are now?

 

Getting the job done for the most profit is what matters and the highest rate of profit per day averaged out over a year is what gives you a successful business each year. Simply getting to the next job sooner by handing money over to someone else to do the work for you is not necessarily the best thing. It will show higher turnover of cash but thats all.

 

Monkeymadman, summed it up best, each job is different.

 

I may be in the minority but I take my time, if I've got four days but can do it in three then fine, but if I can do it 3.5 then I'll work slower and make it 4, and get all the kit serviced while we are there and be nice to the customers etc. there is too much rushing in this business its no good for anybody or anybody's bodies!

[Rupe]

As for speedlines, we have been having this problem for the last few weeks. We've tried a few things, had no room for vehicles going back and forth, so made do with a 4:1 on the end of the speedline.

 

I want to do more of this so I'm thinking portable winch, possibly electric and tow ball mounted? Not sure yet, will let you all know.

[Steve Bullman]

why not just use your grcs rupe

[Rupe]

Good point Steve! On this particular job we cant get to the bases of the trees, and there are no other ones to use.

 

A tow hitch mount for the GRCS would be ok, I'm looking into that. I know there is one in the states but its for a 2 inch draw bar type hitch ( you remove the ball/pin hitch and fit the GRCS instead) see the video

 

[Dean Lofthouse]

We used to use a Ground anchor when I did heavy recovery which was basically a long metal plate with a load of holes in it which you drove spikes through.

 

Found this which looks the dogs, you can fasten a tirfor to it and as you take up tension it buries itself to form the anchor

 

http://www.oztion.com.au/buy/auction.aspx?itemid=2950590&d=&sort=0&pg=1&cat=145&view=List&f1=&f2=&type2=&type3=&type4=&type5=&s=&pcode=&dis=0&freepost=

[David Humphries]

Thanks for the link, Rupe, I hadn't come across that vid before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Rupe]

So thats not going to work on a standard ball hitch. Plus an electric winch would be usefull for other stuff and quicker I guess? You could do a lot of driftline work with a grcs and an electric winch, also dragging brush to chipper or hauling stuff along a GRCS tensioned speedline.

 

I'm not going to fit a winch on the front of my subaru, so a ball mount would be ideal, maybe have a plate for it under the hopper of the chipper and run it there too?