speedline tips

[Big 'Ammer]

If space is tight over the obstacles, and you have a long branch to rig down, cut it off with a sling on it fixed to the plate on the trolley as normal and then before you tighten up the line, fix another small pulley and sling to the other end of the branch and clip into the speed line.

 

Tension up the line and you can lower the stuff horizontally, instead of it hanging down.

 

Buys you a few extra feet of clearance.

[Stephen Blair]

good one mate, that looks cool, will remeber that one for the future

[Big 'Ammer]

Cheers SWB,

 

Not my idea, got it from a couple of articles that ran over two consecutive issues of Arborist News a couple of years ago.

 

We had two big poplars to take down behind two buildings and a couple of phone lines to avoid for good measure.

 

We actually used the job as an exercise for several reasons.

 

Firstly, Matt Wood who used to work for me, was keen to do some advanced rigging.

 

Secondly, Dave was still at college and needed to do an assignment about rigging and needed plenty of pictures, so we tried every technique we could think of on the job.

 

Thirdly, being a bit of a platform junkie, I wanted to weigh up whether it was easier/cheaper/quicker/more profitable etc than hiring in a RQG18 like Dean's and cutting all the awkward stuff off in small pieces and then just sticking a climber in the top to snatch the tops out.

 

FTR, there was very little in it profit wise either way, platform would have been quicker , but a really hard day to get the most out of a hired machine, rigging took longer but was more enjoyable.

[Stephen Blair]

when putting the second strop/pulley onto the branch do you just lift it up yourself and clip it on. if so it could be pretty tricky with a big limb

[Big 'Ammer]

You could if you could manage it, but its easier to cut the piece and have it held on the lowering line and then clip in your second pulley while the speed lines slack, then get the groundy to tighten up the line.

 

Another useful trick is using the speedline to 'winch' reasonably upright, but back leaning stuff over on itself, like felling a back leaning tree, if you get what I mean.

 

For example, a limb thats stuck out over an adjacent tree that your not wanting to damage, but theres not room to swing it one side or another.

 

There must be plenty others on here that know a lot more about it than me though.

 

As always, try anything new on small bits to start with to see how it works.

[Stephen Blair]

You could if you could manage it' date=' but its easier to cut the piece and have it held on the lowering line and then clip in your second pulley while the speed lines slack, then get the groundy to tighten up the line.

 

Another useful trick is using the speedline to 'winch' reasonably upright, but back leaning stuff over on itself, like felling a back leaning tree, if you get what I mean.

 

For example, a limb thats stuck out over an adjacent tree that your not wanting to damage, but theres not room to swing it one side or another.

 

There must be plenty others on here that know a lot more about it than me though.

 

As always, try anything new on small bits to start with to see how it works.[/quote']

 

so you have a lowering line aswell as the speed line, anytime i have done it is with the speedline on the limb i am removing, i know what you mean about pulling the branch back, it can act like a catapult if you get it right.

[Big 'Ammer]

In the picture the white line with the trolley is the speedline and is tensioned at the ground.

 

The rigging plate is fastened under the trolley.

 

The lowering line is clipped to the back of the rigging plate and goes up to a block and down to a portawrap, it takes the majority of the weight, the speedline is there to drift stuff away from the tree and to the landing area.

 

Heres a couple more pics where Matt has butt tied the branch and then put a sling on the lowering line with a friction knot, to make it adjustable, and tip tied the sling to make a basket rig.

[Stephen Blair]

nice one.

[coolie]

excellent:thumbup1:

[Joe]

i got these guides off here, they may be of use to some of you if you have not seen them yet