Smart Winch/GRCS comparison

[Wooden Hand]

If I sound biased it's because I am !

 

[Loler UK]

Happy to have switched you on to it thanks for taking the time to make the video, don't know where my time goes these days! would love to get making some vids but priorities keep taking over.

[Gray git]

Quick question, if you use the winch on the smart winch to lift a limb from say over a roof can you still lower this section using the winch as the bollard or do you need to always use the outer collar? I get the bit about dynamic loading the winch drum with drop shocking it being potentially destructive but in lighter rigging isn't it the advantages of these types of device to be able to pre tension, lift and then lower all in 1 sequence?

Mostly asking as really fancy 1 for the big takedowns we seem to be getting more of these days and now my lads are much more competent and experienced I feel it could be a big benefit to us.

Any advice welcome.

[edwood]

Couple of observations...

You've got less surface area touching the tree with the smart winch than the grcs, surely that will decrease grip on the stem?

Also as the grcs has a flat back and now comes with the mounting plate included it's fairly straightforward to cut a flat chunk out of a tree to mount the grcs on awkward shaped stems, is their any after market attachments to aid mounting the smartwhinch in such a manner?

 

Also it's still a 2 man job to set up both devices as someone's got to hold the smart winch while you pull all the tail of the strap through. I don't believe that you can get as much tension on the mounting strap of the SW as the grcs with the little handle, but I am open to be proven wrong it just dosnt make sense to me.

 

The ability to transfer from lifting to lowering without changing any thing is a fantastic however lowering with the winch on the grcs isn't really that much of a problem and it's great for pulling slack out of the system when negative rigging to reduce shock loading and in the instructional vid for it Greg Good does say it's ok, however I do appreciate you can where out the surface of the drum that way.

 

Also by having the shorter drum on the smartwinch are you not limiting your lifting ability when using a fatter rope by not being able to get as many wraps on the drum.

[Gray git]

Think any fixed device is a two man job to fit really and if your doing the sort of rigging that needs such a big device your going to have 2 + men on site.

[John Shutler]

good video paul

Ive used my GRCS for about the last 6 years and in that time have never used the fixed bollard, infact its sat in the same spot it was unloaded in the rope room. there is a nominal amount of wear on the winch bollard from negative rigging but not enough to affect winching performance

 

the tightening of the strap looks better on the smartwinch and it would certainly avoid the leaving the bar in the yard or onsite phenomena that occurs from time to time

[Mike Hill]

To mount a GRCS on a tree for removal using one man...

 

Cut a kerf on the Tree,tap a wedge in,hang the backing plate on the wedge,tighten up the strap,knock out the wedge,slide on the winch.

 

Takes about the same time as doing it with two guys.

[Mark Bolam]

That would damage the tree.

Murderer.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[Gray git]

Easier to do what we do with the rc3001 and put a sling around the trunk and hang the block from that while fitting the strap.