Rigging Errors

[David Humphries]

Our hobbs block got its strap cut by the man on the ground a couple of weeks ago! but its back in action with a new strap now.r.

 

 

 

Phenom, you just have to expand on this little gem, what on earth was the groundie doing so close to an £1200 piece of mechanical beauty with a running chainsaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Will Hinchliffe]

He was being a dopey git. It slipped a bit on the tree so he decided to cut out a flat section for it to sit against and rather than take it fully off he just slacked it off and lent it out and down a bit. I looked down, couldn't work out what he was doing then saw him just cut through the strap with the 371. Luckily we had the portawrap with us.

Sometimes short cuts just don't pay off. All a bit daft really.

[munkymadman]

i never fully trust groundsmen, not because i think there stupid or anything. alot of the time they over wrap the lowering device, out of fear of burning their hands more than anything. and i've burnt a few groundsmen's hands. i've been hit twice by sections swinging back into me, one knocked me clean off my perch, luckily i had no lanyard round the trunk so i got knocked/jumped out of the way. i get more shocked when the piece runs smoothly away from me. it's a rare thing a guy on the deck good at lowering.

[Andy Collins]

i never fully trust groundsmen, not because i think there stupid or anything. alot of the time they over wrap the lowering device, out of fear of burning their hands more than anything. and i've burnt a few groundsmen's hands. i've been hit twice by sections swinging back into me, one knocked me clean off my perch, luckily i had no lanyard round the trunk so i got knocked/jumped out of the way. i get more shocked when the piece runs smoothly away from me. it's a rare thing a guy on the deck good at lowering.

 

You dont trust your teammates? Surely trust is important in this job, they trust you to gauge the weight, attach the ropes properly and so on, do you not communicate with them? Having had a nasty rope burn from such a lack of communication, I always double check the load with the climber, and will even look at the load from a couple of angles to be sure what we are handling. Dont assume anything......talk to each other!

[John Shutler]

as a subby climber i work with a few different teams, some are better than others. nether the less it all comes down to comunication, i always ask how many wraps are on, and if i want it to run or not. the guys on the ground arnt mind readers

[skyhuck]

I alway start small and let the groundie get a feel for the weight, than as I make them larger I ask him if he's happy for me to go bigger or not.

[skyhuck]

luckily i had no lanyard round the trunk so i got knocked/jumped out of the way.

 

Very important!!, IMO.

 

You could be hit by a huge piece and as long as you go with it, your fine.

 

But if even a fairly small piece hits you against the trunk or a limb, you are in real trouble.

[munkymadman]

i do trust my groundie's, but human error is a variable that will always be present, so can't be counted on. but similiar to john i work with different groundie's. and the main thing is the lowering technique's change, sometimes i use all the clobber pulleys and lowering devices, while other times i'll just chuck a rope over a branch and wrap it round the trunk or i might mix the two together. all depending on the situation. so i'm never able to say one and a half wraps. all i know is 'this piece is about the same size as the last bit, let it run'. the rest is up to the groundie. i do ask is this too big. admitedly he's said yes, when i'm thinking seems a bit big too me. he then goes hurtiling into the air.

and yes to what skyhuck said if i can get away with not using my lanyard i will.

[Bodean]

Rigging errors, Here's a larger piece that had tooooooo many wraps on it.

 

I survived, just remember when you're tied into a different tree,

give yourself alot of slack.

 

[ame]

[/ame]

 

You hear me say, Goodjob Jonny, but I was a bit peeaved.