New Stein RC3002!!

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Woo Hoo! I bought a Stein Dual last week and used it today on a massive Ash limb.

Actually it was only medium size but a good first outing.

 

I thought I'd start a new thread on this as I've been involved with a few of the recent threads about rigging devices.

Also thought rather than just saying I've bought one and it's ace, I should provide details and photos of jobs in the hope that it may help some of you guys to make decisions.

 

Over the last few months I've been emailing Reg with loads of questions and he has been giving me surprisingly unbiased veiws on all bollards along with some very useful tips and advice.

 

The thing that swung the decision for me is that it became very clear that the limiting factor of the Stein is your imagination.

I was SO close to getting a GRCS due to the superb lifting speed and power but then Reg pointed out that rigging points and angles are more important than power, obvious really. Also, I already new that lifting speed and power are a luxury to me as I don't need that facility every day.

For the odd occasion I do, it's cheaper to get the RC3002 and a good fiddle block, plus that creates further lifting and pulling options for things like speedlining etc.

 

I've also been hassling Rupe over the last five months as he's a GRCS user. I've got the impression that the GRCS suits him best because he's usually a two man crew so the self tailing system is important to him.

 

I must also be honest with this. I really didn't buy the Stein because I snatch off huge stuff, I'm far too scared to do that! I chose it because of the options.

 

Now, everybody runs their business in their own way, i do mostly domestic work and operate as a three man crew with a regular freelancer.

Regularly we are crown lifting or removing trees that are very close to houses, over fences, phone lines etc so a lifting system was no1 on the list.

Having used it today I found it easy to set up, next time it'll be very easy.

My groundsmen appeared to have no trouble at all using the lifting arm and it was great to have large pieces floating away from me rather jerking off and shaking everything.

 

Sorry I didn't get photos today, it was raining like it always does up north, apparently!

 

So I hope some of this may be useful to someone and I'll post each time we have a different experience and I'll get some photos up.

 

Oh, and best of all, it's nice and shiny!

[Paul Smith]

Sounds like you like it! I love my GRCS and find I use it at every opportunity! I find it allows me to static rig, lift and swing instead of dropping everything. Polydine works very well with the GRCS.

 

Anything is better than natural rigging and wraps around the trunk!

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Sounds like you like it! I love my GRCS and find I use it at every opportunity! I find it allows me to static rig, lift and swing instead of dropping everything. Polydine works very well with the GRCS.

 

Anything is better than natural rigging and wraps around the trunk![/quote]

 

 

I couldn't agree more Deerman.

It's the little snippets of info I was able to glean from chaps like Reg C and Rupe that ultimately made the decision for me.

Reg is obviously the Guru with these matters and I have no intention of following in the footsteps of his videos but it's all really opened my eyes to the many rigging possibilities.

I know I'm going to love my Dual and use it as much as poss.

 

I should add that the price is superb and means ('cos I didn't get a GRCS) I can soon get a Stein trolley.

Having said that, I don't want a load of posts here about prices. My decision was based entirely on the individual merits of the RC3002.

If the GRCS had fitted my requirements better, I would have bought it in a flash as it's a brilliant product but I didn't and I've had the luxury of saving a heck of a lot of money.

 

I'm very happy.

[Adam Bourne]

Nice one my good friend, glad its a good beginning for your new found shiny...

 

made me want one even more now, but as i've told you! other things are more priority at the mo...

 

can't wait for you to get some photos up, still going good for the tree runner p500, and will get some photos up and a write up of that in one of my threads soon too.

 

Great Stuff.

 

Adam

[testcricket01]

i preordered my dual and received it day it was released its a very solid product, which you should never over load since it can take 3tons on it. i bought it simply because of the 2 bollards in 1 has endless possibilitys be it speedlines, tip tieing and butt tieing whole branches in 1. the only thing me and others have found is the pre tension arm is very fiddly, but reg assured me i would get used to it. but as of yet ive never really needed it so it never gets put on the device 9 outta 10 times as for the price it just rounds off the whole product

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Cool. I was beginning to wonder if was the only person to have one!

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Disastrous day! My new Dual got scratched:thumbdown:

 

Actually had a great day. Removal of large dead Poplar branches over a green house turned into a re-pollard due to discovery of an extensive decay cavity.

 

The tree had a tall stem leaning over the green house and a very tall leaning stem next to power lines. Luckily there was another Poplar 10ft away so that was rigged and the dodgy tree was pieced off over to that.

This job would have been nigh on impossible with my flying capstan due to the power lines but was easy with the Dual:thumbup1:

The groundies soon got a good system going (this sort of gear is completely new to them) and worked really well and efficiently, reporting that the pre-tensioning arm was really easy to use. For me as the climber it was super effective.

 

This is a product I can thoroughly recommend now and the tensioning system is far superior to the Hobbs H2 (and less than half the dosh).

 

I'm really interested to hear from other Dual users about different techniques and systems you've come across.

:thumbup:

[Adam Bourne]

aint you got no pictures yet mate???????????

[Old Mill Tree Care]

No, sorry. Last outing it was rigged on a Euc in the bushes so couldn't really see what was going on. Time before that was raining.

May use it tomorrow, not because it's needed, just because I love it!

 

I may be brave and get some video but I don't know how to put it on here.

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Ok so ive got some video of us using the Dual properly.

Apologies that its sideways but im a digital moron so you'll have to tilt your head.

 

This was the last piece of a long Ash limb. The tree was twin stemmed,in a compost pile in the corner of the garden so mounting position was not ideal.

 

Anyway, I think you'll see that the aim was to get loads of pretension to avoid smashing the fence and it works a treat.

This was the last piece but we had already done a few the same as well as some tall back leaners. With the branch tied in the right place it took seconds to get the pretension on and as soon as the back cut was done, the long branches would ping up and into the tree avoiding the climber and with total control.

 

The rigging line didn't have a very ggod lead onto the bollard so lifting the arm up was tricky as the rope was running at an awkward angle, usually this isn't a problem and use of the arm is effortless.

We've also found that the arm can be left on all the time, just fold it back to lower the wood.

 

Setting up the device is as easy as any other bollard on the market and surprising to me, it's easier than a flying capstan as there is no fiddling and adjusting a whoopie sling. The only thing to remember is to check the mounting strap tension after each of the first few drops.

 

So all in all, it's a brilliant product. It adds an element of fun to the job as rigging options become available and as i said previously (as Reg Coates told me) the limiting factor is imagination.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrmuw7IBStY&feature=player_embedded]Ash limb off with Stein Dual.mpg - YouTube[/ame]