Friction Bollard?

I'll post this again. A homemade 'Jr.' GRCS.
Pretty easy to make really. Just get a smaller Harken winch, mount a base plate and weld up what ever fairleads you want

The thing works GREAT. Easy to mount, and easy to carry around. I use 1/2" double braid.
 

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Do you use the ratcheting one or the fixed one?

the red fixed one,
ive used the ratcheting hobbs...it's ok, grcs is the lick

but for now me and old red get along fine, good dtarter unit

anyone know the life expectancy of the strap? and weight limits?
i send the occasional 1500 lb er down onto it,.........and yes...we ...let ......it ......rrrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnn so not to shock load the system too much, but was curious as its got 7 yrs or so on the original strap, and was wondering if its time for a new strap?
 
Rapid slack removal isnt done with the handle, the bollard is free to rotate in the direction of taking in as it has ratchets so no matter how many wraps are on it you just pull the rope and the bollard rotates. The reason to pull in slack if you have room to let her run is so as not to let the piece gain to much speed before you have it under control , even if you can let er run its better with less momentum.

My 2cents;)

Sorry, missed that this thread went on some...

Paul says it well...this is what I was referring to.

Frans says you can do it with a fixed bollard too...just harder to do...I wouldn't want to...once you try it with a ratcheting bollard it would be such a drag to fight with a fixed bollard.
 
I'll post this again. A homemade 'Jr.' GRCS.
Pretty easy to make really. Just get a smaller Harken winch, mount a base plate and weld up what ever fairleads you want

The thing works GREAT. Easy to mount, and easy to carry around. I use 1/2" double braid.

I have been wanting to do that, but have been unable to locate a winch.
 
Frans....I was wondering what you might have invested in "Jr."

Jr. cost me the new purchase price from Harken a winch. Sorry it has been so long i just don't remember. Anyway it is a moot point because prices always change.
My friends who weld made me the base plate according to my instructions.

I tapped the screw holes to bolt the winch to the base plate.

Hard to do actually as they are small threaded holes into half inch steel plate. Broke one tap and had to shift the bolt pattern and start over seeing as I couldn't get the tap out without drilling.
 
Frans, that's real interesting, what you home made there. Would a winch need a certain rating to make it work for the application?
 
Homemade GRCS

I've thought about trying to make a lifting and lowering device. You can find sailboat winches. How important is the self tailing function of the winch? What size ropes can you use? It seems that the self tailing part limits the size of the rope.
 
It's key for me. Nothing like one man ease of operation.

Rope size on a GRCS can go up to 5/8" with the self tailing function from what I remember. I typically use a 1/2" line though.

The problem without self tailing, is you have to hold tension on the rope, while spinning the bollard. Pretty awkward.


I'm in Seymour, ct.

Welcome.
 
I thought the self tailing function was too keep tension in the wraps around the winch? Am I wrong?
 
I thought the self tailing function was too keep tension in the wraps around the winch? Am I wrong?

No, that is true...but what Brendon is saying is that allows for one man operation of the GRCS. Without the self tailing feature, it takes one man to crank and one man to tail the line.
 
No, that is true...but what Brendon is saying is that allows for one man operation of the GRCS. Without the self tailing feature, it takes one man to crank and one man to tail the line.

Actually you can do both with the Hobbs, it just takes a Euc man to do it :lol:
 
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I wound up getting a good deal on a ratcheting bollard from a guy over on Treebuzz. It CAN be used to winch in line, but it's tough to do single-handedly. The main problem I have is that the rope tries to stack up at the back of the spool, thereby locking itself off. You have to crank in a little at a time, all the while checking the lay of the rope. The Hobbs has a tapered spool, which would seem to "roll" the rope ahead as more was winched in. The self-tailing feature of the GRCS solves the problem by leading the rope right off the back of the spool. You never gain a wrap...the rope just moves "through" the winch. I still want a GRCS, but this ratcheting bollard saved me over two grand and the groundies that have worked it like it much better than a port-a-wrap. It'll do for now.
 
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