lowering device.

[crackoff]

What are the basic methods of adding friction to lower limbs down from up high?

 

Obviously, there are ready made devices out there, but there must have been methods around that were used before them? There was of course the rope over a crouch technique, but that wears both the rope, and the tree too much for my liking. So what other methods are there?

[Joe Newton]

Wrap the lowering rope around a stem, or if you want to prevent rope wear, a sling and krab round the base of the tree and use a Munter hitch.

 

That said a lowering device for around £100 (porta wrap) makes life much much easier.

[Joe Newton]

Or get your fattest groundy on it.

[Stubby]

Just take a turn round the trunk .

[matthawh1966]

Years ago before i new anything about lowering devices, my mate took two wraps round the tree, i knocked a big lump of beech out, the rope rid up and bit the rope, it took over an hour to get it free, get a bollard its easyer.

[AA Teccie (Paul)]

What are the basic methods of adding friction to lower limbs down from up high?

 

Obviously, there are ready made devices out there, but there must have been methods around that were used before them? There was of course the rope over a crouch technique, but that wears both the rope, and the tree too much for my liking. So what other methods are there?

 

Hi there, I think there are some piccies plus good n bad practice highlighted in the report here RR668: Evaluation of current rigging and dismantling practices used in arboriculture which may be of interest / use.

 

Don't be put off by the size of the report, just flick through n observe the piccies which are very informative in themselves.

 

Cheers..

Paul

 

PS Just don't return asking any technical questions as I'd have to defer to my far more learn-ED colleagues here on forum

 

PPS as others have said, a porta-wrap device (the larger the better, probably), a whoopee sling (for round the base of the tree) and a heavy duty rigging pulley (for up in the tree) is the way to go as a minimum really. BIG stuff should be using a bollard or rigging block really.

Edited January 27, 2014 by AA Teccie (Paul)

[Wolfie]

To answer your question, before lowering devices it was just a good thick bit of 3strand rope. Very strong and cheap as chips so doesn't matter if you wear it out in a year.

If your lowering limbs it must mean a dismantle so wear on the tree doesn't matter.

 

To add friction the rope went through 2 or even 3 crotches. This also shared the weight. For big bits a wrap or two round the trunk.

Done some BIG trees like this.

[burrell_]

But u have now seen the light wolfie in rigging kit :lol: