Smart Winch

[Dean Lofthouse]

I think that is what we need, "outside the obvious box thinking"

 

It's the easiest thing in the world to take someones idea and refine it.

 

This smart winch could be a very usefull tool if refined, but nothing new.

 

 

I personally aim to avoid lowering at all, so a GRCS would sit on the shelf for periods of 2 years at a time

[High Scale]

I think what we have on the market already is fine, Reg's ones filled the gap nicley between porties and the Hobbs. There aren't really any gaps left to fill.

 

There was an ingenious design a few years ago that allowed 2 ropes at once and instead of a central bollard it had four fixed wheels (like pullies but not rotating) all on a plate that was perpendiclur to the tree and hinged so it would follow the user around. You could wrap the rope in many ways around the four wheels to get the friction you needed. So you could go all the way round the outside of all four, or just use one or two, or figure 8 it through two opposite wheels etc etc, endless combinations.

 

There were gaps of a few inches between each wheel so this meant a lot or rope was used and the gaps between each section of friction placed on the rope meant that any heat dissipated even betterer. The device had two sides (each "wheel" was a double) and so either side could be used or both at once.

 

I'm not sure it ever went into production, I only ever saw a CAD picture of it, but it certainly was the most "outside of the box" design I have seen so far.

 

I remember Reg asking if anybody could remember what the device was a few years ago, I have it in a old magazine somewhere.

 

Edit...Was it the Haultz? Site link no longer works.

Edited June 27, 2011 by High Scale

[Rupe]

Haultz!!! That was it, I'm sure I had a picture of it. Was it ever made?

[Rupe]

I got it.........

 

 

Edited June 27, 2011 by Rupe

[Rupe]

So the "wheels" I was on about are more like tubes that stick through the hinging mainframe.

 

Imagine that following you left and right of the tree to whatever position you chose to stand in.

 

And becaue the rope doesn't coil round anything it stay in the same plane and that means it shouldn't twist the rope at all. I wonder what the problems with it were? Production costs most likely.

[Adam Bourne]

cool that looks awesome anyway of finding out why they never did rupe, who was the people who designed it.?

[Rupe]

Its was in the states, Tom Dunlap was championing it at the time, I'll send him a PM.

[Rupe]

Done.

[Adam Bourne]

tried looking for this device everywhere Rupe but only came across a couple of other forum mentions but nothing to go on then i found this.....

 

 

The Haultz Lowering Device's limb-lowering technology generates friction without rope twist kinking the tail of the lowering line, allowing crews to work safer and faster, increasing productivity and profits. Designed by Carl Halas, Certified Arborist, the Haultz offers more than 180 degrees of movement from the mounting plate without binding the rope, and allows rigging with two ropes on one lowering device. This reduces the load at the rigging.......

 

it won't let me open the rest of the post as its says the web address has been removed.

 

really interesting to see why it never took off.

 

also read the first post by the guy who developed and built the wraptor before he put it into production pretty cool.

[Old Mill Tree Care]

That Haultz looks very good. I'd love to know what happened to that.

 

Doesn't have a Harken winch though. However, Reg's pre-tensioning pulley would solve that, if you don't need the serious winching a GRCS can do.

 

Hopefully we'll hear something back about it.