Rope Wrench feedback

[Dan Curtis]

Nice one mate, won't be able to this weekend as i'll be in stoke on trent. but maybe next weekend ? if your able.

 

Possibly, I'll pm you tomorrow when I can say for certain

[Old Mill Tree Care]

I had two very interesting days last week on the RW, if anyone is interested.

First job was a 2 day Ash dismantle, not a huge tree, DBH 32" but a very awkward tree as it had been topped 6yrs ago and the laterals over the neighbours sheds were now very long and skinny.

The back side of the tree had to be rigged off.

 

I wore spikes with Pantin and found the Pantin better positioned behind the spike as it didn't get in the way and was easier to use.

I was anxious about the long skinny branch walks on the RW so I put my ascender with Revolver as a RADS and I was surprised to find that I now found that it got in the way!

It seems that technique improves no matter what and I found the whole job easier than on DRT.

Rigging down the stem was exactly the same with the advantage of my rope now being choked around the stem so getting down and up again for a cuppa was easier. Hooray.

 

Fridays job was dismantling a 60ft Fir. Straight stem, skinny branches and four phone lines.

I used DRT as it looked like the easier option. It wasn't and I was knackered after 3hrs of it! It seems that no matter how hard I tried its impossible to emulate SRT technique on DRT set up and I didn't realise how much we haul ourselves around on our arms.

 

After that was a Euc repollard that I do every two years. Five stems and loads of regrowth in the way.

Previously I've set a redirect pulley in three different places, this year on SRT I just looped the rope over a stub twice to work and used a sling and Karab to come down for a cuppa.

 

The entire job was easy and I found the process through the tree very obvious and more systematic than on DRT.

Most noticably, I wasn't tired afterwards. The last four times I've done the tree it took 4 hours. On the RW it took 3.25hrs, that's an amazing saving.

 

DRT is dead, long live SRT!

[Joe Loggs]

Looks like I will be investing In one soon, great thread👍

[Paul Smith]

I had two very interesting days last week on the RW, if anyone is interested.

First job was a 2 day Ash dismantle, not a huge tree, DBH 32" but a very awkward tree as it had been topped 6yrs ago and the laterals over the neighbours sheds were now very long and skinny.

The back side of the tree had to be rigged off.

 

I wore spikes with Pantin and found the Pantin better positioned behind the spike as it didn't get in the way and was easier to use.

I was anxious about the long skinny branch walks on the RW so I put my ascender with Revolver as a RADS and I was surprised to find that I now found that it got in the way!

It seems that technique improves no matter what and I found the whole job easier than on DRT.

Rigging down the stem was exactly the same with the advantage of my rope now being choked around the stem so getting down and up again for a cuppa was easier. Hooray.

 

Fridays job was dismantling a 60ft Fir. Straight stem, skinny branches and four phone lines.

I used DRT as it looked like the easier option. It wasn't and I was knackered after 3hrs of it! It seems that no matter how hard I tried its impossible to emulate SRT technique on DRT set up and I didn't realise how much we haul ourselves around on our arms.

 

After that was a Euc repollard that I do every two years. Five stems and loads of regrowth in the way.

Previously I've set a redirect pulley in three different places, this year on SRT I just looped the rope over a stub twice to work and used a sling and Karab to come down for a cuppa.

 

The entire job was easy and I found the process through the tree very obvious and more systematic than on DRT.

Most noticably, I wasn't tired afterwards. The last four times I've done the tree it took 4 hours. On the RW it took 3.25hrs, that's an amazing saving.

 

DRT is dead, long live SRT!

 

You now think why didn't I do it years ago! I know I did and I know I won't go back!

[Ian Flatters]

With Deer man on this I too was like it just makes sense... Dinosaur Rope Technique its called by Rope Access workers, I couldn't see why because what we did was very different in our working dimensions but the RW is a great transition over and I have the chance to test the Uni soon.

[High Scale]

Reduced three Sycamores yesterday SRT and then a tall Lime deadwood, climbed double rope, natural crotch for old time sake and wished I hadn't.

[Cary Gibson]

I did that too Carl, the other day, in my yard trees as a comparison, it just sucked large nuts man

[bbtarb]

it just makes sense, our legs are stronger than our arms. working srt felt right straight away and the wrench makes for really minimal kit. i never thought it would be applicable to most jobs in the tree other than access but the consistent friction no matter where you go is beautiful and as said going back to ddrt feels like a chore now. awesome piece of kit, glad i got one!

[Rupe]

I'm struggling with it TBH!! Not sure what I am doing wrong but so far I am not convinced but I want to be.

 

I have used it with the spiderjack and that has potential, but as I never really mastered the spiderjack yet I thought I shoud really be using the WR with a hitch for now so I can compare with what I know best.

 

I set a hitch that grabs really well. I found going down the rope and out on limbs to be fantastic, totally get it! But if you need to tension in a fraction, i.e. the limb you are on is bending too much and you just want to tighten your rope, how do you ge the tension off the rope in order to draw slack through without putting more weight on the branch?

 

I know folk have said that the advantage is that you only need to pull in a foot to travel a foot, but it seems to me that the good thing about Ddrt is the micro adjust possibilites where you can go up half an inch by pulling through an inch but maintaining your weight in the sytem as you do so.

 

Also, I get the SRT ascent thing when in free space, thats good, but if your line is against the trunk and your feet are being used to ascend then I find it harder to stop your self swinging left or right.

 

If using one foot with a pantin, how do you take the tension when moving that foot up the rope? i.e. do you sit in the friction hitch?? If so then you lose a few inches everytime you sit and raise your leg again? Is this right? Or are you supposed to hold your weight on your arms while you bring your pantin'd foot back up? My elbows were killing me so maybe thats what I was doing.

 

I still have some way to go with this, but nearly launched it all in the skip last week!!

[Danavan]

Well put Rupe. I have not given it a fair crack yet (time to play & time to work don't coincide to well) but the points you make are ones I have thought of too.

 

When I am seeing the light too I will post. I'm sure that all these fellas can shine some upon these points.