Favorite 1/2” rope for natural crotch rigging?

Treeaddict

Treeaddict

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Please forgive me if this has been asked and answered 1 million times already.

Broke my 1/2” Arborplex. It worked well on natural crotch but was a pain as it twisted, didn’t have good hand, and wouldn’t easily give up a knot. I’d like to try something else.

1/2” Stablebraid will be used in blocks and rings but I’d like a good natural crotch option. What are you all using?
 
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How about: light, good hand, extremely durable, holds a knot very well, releases a knot with ease, high WLL, and under 50 cents a foot?! 😂

Heck, I’d pay $3 per ft if all the other qualities were met.

I’d try True Blue. Appreciate it.
 
I have never been without trueblue, its my backup rigging rope right now (backseat to stablebraid)
I beat the ever living hell out of both ropes, TrueBlue is a very solid rope, holds knots and comes untied easily, don't recall if it twists in a porty since I either use my GRCS or cut n toss

very flexible rope still, not that it matters for a rigging line a whole lot IMO, holds up just fine and pretty cheap but super stretchy, great for light negative rigging but for any sort of heavy rigging id go dynasorb or stablebraid personally


for natural crotch there's always a good option of 3 strand if you aren't using a lowering device, but sucks for knots
 
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WoodCutr said:
I have never been without trueblue, its my backup rigging rope right now (backseat to stablebraid)
I beat the ever living hell out of both ropes, TrueBlue is a very solid rope, holds knots and comes untied easily, don't recall if it twists in a porty since I either use my GRCS or cut n toss

very flexible rope still, not that it matters for a rigging line a whole lot IMO, holds up just fine and pretty cheap but super stretchy, great for light negative rigging but for any sort of heavy rigging id go dynasorb or stablebraid personally


for natural crotch there's always a good option of 3 strand if you aren't using a lowering device, but sucks for knots
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Another one for true blue.

I can’t see myself using 3 strand unless it’s in a massdam. It just seems so archaic to me. I may be completely wrong in that regard though.
 
I wouldn't discount 3strand. It has it's problems, but every rope does. It's cheap, durable, feels nice in-hand, and may be easy to splice. Treemaster is nasty in just about every respect, but it wears like wire rope. I don't think there's a textile rope that wears better.
 
Get some three strand and ’splice’ in a fixed eye steel Krab.
better friction for natural crotch work, low stretch and nice in the hand for self lowering.
image.jpg
 
I'm gonna highjack Mike's thread a little bit... I just decommissioned a 50' length of promaster. It was mainly used for running in the maasdam, and for small/short lowers. Should I replace it with promaster or treemaster? Promaster is easier to work with, but it'll leave my remaining coil less useful. Treemaster is a PITA, especially with regard to knots, but is otherwise superior, and I have 50' to spare. I really don't want to put an eye in it cause I don't enjoy splicing it, but maybe... Also considering an anchor bend around a small shackle to make knotless connections easier. Opinions?
 
Mick! said:
Get some three strand and ’splice’ in a fixed eye steel Krab.
better friction for natural crotch work, low stretch and nice in the hand for self lowering.
View attachment 131922
Click to expand...
I agree. Knotless rigging can be a help...slings and biners or a carabiner tied to the end on a bowline.

After it's broken in, knots are better.

It can be a bit frustrating at first, when it's new. You can actively break it in, if you care to.

My guess is that the 3-strand rope on rope friction , if chosen, gives extra friction.




I have True Blue, too.

Both has shock-absorbing stretch.


Neither are great for speedlining that requires lots of horizontal travel, particularly 3-strand. Functional.



Fly is lightweight. Lower stretch. I got a hank in a TreeBay purchase. It works well enough for both lowering and more advanced speedlining requiring more tension and/ or horizontal travel.



I very rarely speedline with pulleys.
 
About all I use my 3 strand 1/2" Tree Master for. Eventually it will knot ok. Just make sure you keep an eye on it (the ones you see with). I'll achor hitch a 50kn biner on the end a natty crotch all day. Wears like a champ. Especially with our sappy trees. Handles the pitch better.
The Maasdam continuous puller and 1/2" Tree Master are married together. I buy remnants for that as I usually only run 50 foot through it.
Setting a pull line in a conifer is also easier with the Tree Master as it slides through on the rough bark platelets easier.
I like True Blue when I had it, but I still prefer the Stable Braid for lowering any day.
Tree Master with its stiffer hand and being a three strand does not play nice as stable braid with lovering devises. But you can run it in a porty in a pinch or a ring or block up top. The less the better though.
Every rope has its job. Best to have more than a couple and in different lengths and Diameters.
 
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I’ve seen some stretch in three strand…. Like surprised me stretch… then it spins out wanting to straighten out… almost pot holed a deck.

1/2” Samson, honestly usually ends up using old climb line often enough…. Blaze never dies.
 
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Three-strand loads preferentially on the porty due to its twisted construction.

I forget whether it's clockwise or counterclockwise.

Very rare that I use a porty, as I can commonly double-wrap as needed or wrap different parts of the tree for extra friction.

BTW, when self-lowering, a sling and biner as a redirect can help the rope run fair, and move a pinch-point farther from your hand.

When natural crotching with stubs, working solo, I will take multiple lowering lines, sometimes, attaching on the end, and the mid-line with a friction-hitched sling on the rope, with a sling on the branch, connected with a biner.

When set up right, a person can wrap a stub to lock off the line, descend, and then flip wraps off the stub from the ground.

The most I've rigged was 9 pieces on three ropes, lowering each down from the ground, right to the chippe tray. That was most of the rigging. Made for a chill, enjoyable solo wrecking show.
 
SeanKroll said:
Three-strand loads preferentially on the porty due to its twisted construction.

I forget whether it's clockwise or counterclockwise.
Click to expand...
You can feel which way it wants to go. I think it's clockwise, but I'd have to hold it to know for sure.
 
I am surprised nobody else uses Arbormaster (originally called 'Blue Streak'). It was always my preferred climbing line and used lines turned into hand lines. I still have a couple that are over 10 years old and still look great, not that they get used a whole lot. Wears almost as well as Arborplex but much easier to tie knots. Current 1/2" rope is rated well north of 8000 lbs as well.
 
Arbormaster recently got delisted, and is now called Arborfreak. New name, new colors, same rope.
 
I have a couple of old hanks of Arbor master. One I rescued from a tree another local climber got stuck and gave up on the tree. Nice little bonus to a removal. Had a big monkey fist in it and he was tossing it up. OOOOPS. Then too much alcohol and meth later, he never came back. Another one I retired some years back.
They still get yanked about on non critical stuff.
 
The most effective I’ve used in the rigging wrench is 16 strand safety blue… like they were born together….
it’s a nice combo for auto rig…you can use it in a span w speedline slings.then pull line out of landed sling... bonus old climb line falls in this category also. Old white safety blue. Taughtline times…
 
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My favorite natty crotch 1/2” is any old semi retired 1/2” that is not my current critical load 1/2”.

But I have a soft spot for a hard lay 3 strand. It’s like the old guy nagging you on the job site, you find him annoying at times but you know he has done a thing or two. Respect!
 
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