Floating anchor for lowering rope retrieval

[Big 'Ammer]

Tried this technique out today for the first time that I'd seen on Reg Coates ash TD.

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2531&highlight=floating+anchor

 

Bought a small pulley at the show for the purpose.

 

What an easy thing to set up and so useful, time and effort saving.

 

Very impressed!

 

I enjoy a bit of rigging, mind you, I'm aching a bit now - havn't been up a tree for a month!

[Rowan the Bruce]

funny you mention it but I used it yesterday for the first time on a large sycamore and was well impressed with the efficiency.The only problem I found was when branches spun a couple of times it would get stuck. A bit of jiggling would free them up though. Maybe I needed to shorten or lengthen the attachment line. See what tricks you can learn from Arbtalk!

[MasterBlaster]

Cool trick for sure, but I just have the groundie snap the bullrope back to me.

[Big 'Ammer]

Cool trick for sure, but I just have the groundie snap the bullrope back to me.

 

I have always done it that way MB, but in this case we were removing some long willow limbs over a factory roof with vents and flues to avoid and the tree was up a steep bank side, base level with the roof.

 

No where for groundie to stand to flick the rope back, would have meant tying it back on the climbing rope every time otherwise.

 

No where for groundie, or indeed a cherry picker, hence my arse in rope and harness !

[High Scale]

Yeah, sometimes it is just not possible.

[MasterBlaster]

Agreed. That seems to happen to me maybe once a year. I'll throw the tail if my climb line to the groundy in that situation.

[High Scale]

Agreed. That seems to happen to me maybe once a year. I'll throw the tail if my climb line to the groundy in that situation.

 

 

Same here.

[softbankhawks]

Hello, I couldnt see what you meant. Was it the re-direct pulley with the long leg?

[Big 'Ammer]

Softbank,

 

its a 16mm swing cheek pulley fitted above the termination on the fall of the lowering line, so it can 'float' up and down.

 

A line is fitted to it and that goes back near the climber.

 

Serves two purposes.

 

1. An easy way for the climber to retrieve the end of the lowering rope if its difficult for the groundy to swing it back over and you don't want to keep tying it on your climbing line and pulling it back up.

 

2. Can be used with another groundy on the other end to act as a drift line in conjuction with the main lowering line, or to check the swing of the lowered piece like a sort of decellerator.

In fact I was doing that part of it myself as the climber from the top of the tree.

 

Sorry, no pictures as my hands were full, had a real nice horizontal riigging set up through two blocks as there was no good high anchor.

[Rupe]

The pulley makes it smoother but is not necessary. Buying one for that purpose seems a bit OTT.

 

Using a spare one makes sense. If I don't have a spare one then just tieing the rope to the cut off piece will do, you can help control the swing, using a 9 if necessary, then goundie joind both ropes together to retrieve.