DIY Grapnel

[GemCutter]

The NT Yella Grapnel has been calling my name but I've been too cheap to buy one.

Late last night I decided to make one. Quick and dirty was the name of the game, for a first go, from the wire wrapping (instead of setting up the welder) to the lumpy powder coat. It ain't pretty, but it will give me something to play with.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Tiny!

 

[Mick!]

It occurs to me the hooks are too small.

 

[GemCutter]

It occurs to me the hooks are too small.

I was thinking of grabbing throw line with it when I made it and as soon as I finished, I thought about hooking climbing line and figured the hooks needed to be larger.

I tried it out on an 11.5mm rope hanging in the basement and it hooked it surprisingly well. But yeah...I'm guessing the next one will have slightly wider hooks.

 

[Mick!]

Hey, don't let me bring you down, I applaud the engineering types, but as you say, for branches wider hooks.

 

[Limbrat]

Very nice! It's not made for branches, but to grab a throw line for a traverse or whatever the need might be. Why buy it if you can build it!

 

[Mick!]

Very nice! It's not made for branches, but to grab a throw line for a traverse or whatever the need might be. Why buy it if you can build it!

Oh right, missed that.

 

[squisher]

I'm not following so much how this would be used?

 

[MasterBlaster]

Me either. I'm like a dog watching television.

 

[Limbrat]

It's easier to show than tell. I'll let one of you tech gurus put the video up. Lawrence Schultz does it very well. Here's the link; http://youtu.be/JZOPVqTikOM

 

[MasterBlaster]

Here's how to embed videos and be a guru;

1) Do NOT copy/paste the page url.
2) Click the "share" button - a embed button will appear underneath/to the left.
3) Scroll down and click the "embed" button - a blue highlighted address will appear.
4) Copy/paste THAT address in your post.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JZOPVqTikOM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[GemCutter]

Thanks for posting the video. Here's the ad copy... http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?item=1849

 

[Burnham]

Here's a link to and old thread, part of it gets into grapple use, latter part of the thread.

https://www.masterblasterhome.com/showthread.php?11174-Throwline-trick-for-traversing

 

[ClimbMIT]

Nice post Limbrat/MB! I may have to put the grapnel back with my gear

 

[Burnham]

I wouldn't be without one in my kit. Seldom used, but when needed, without peer. I watched a contract climber, one of the best I ever had under my admin, never touch the ground for work in 23 trees. Conifers, all within 40 feet of each other, all in excess of 120 feet tall. Saved himself not just hours, but days, over climbing each one independently. Grappled his climb line from one to the next. Wonderful to watch, and let me tell you, I learned from that experience.

 

[squisher]

He did it like in the video there?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I really like that one of Gord's traversing doing wind firming,Starts at about 4:12
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/5EU5a99uhP8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Granted not SRT......

 

[MasterBlaster]

What is wind firming?

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Making trees more resistant to wind blowing trees over. When you have a new logging cut, you have a new weak edge on the remaining block of trees after one side is clear-cut.

 

[MasterBlaster]

So, the limbs are thinned out?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yes

 

[squisher]

But what Gord's vid shows is a whole lot different than that other vid with the teeny grapnel though right? I mean besides being drt.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Yes... I should probably have said, I would prefer this method more, personally. Having the HH I can just switch it back and forth as needed.