Roping techniques discussion

SouthSoundTree-

SouthSoundTree-

TreeHouser
Joined
Sep 24, 2014
Messages
4,941
Just a general discussion starter. Walker asked for groundman pertinent info on running a Port-a-wrap.

Do's and Don'ts, when, why, where, what, how.





Never wrap your rigging rope around something that you can't easily replace, like your hand.



I am religious about stacking your rope enough that it always runs without snagging during the critical period of catching. If a little snarl needs to be cleared when you've lowered out 70' of rope, no big deal. A snarl while 'letting it run', no bueno.



Leather gloves.



Wrap your POW clockwise for one piece, and counter-clockwise for the next. Helps to prevent hockling (twisting up).



I have my groundies stack the rope slightly in front of them (on clear ground or in a bag/ rubbermaid bin), never behind.
 
Never have the tail behind you is a good one. I stupidly did that one day. Roping down big wood when suddenly I heard a whip crack noise and my helmet got ripped off my head by the tail of the rope. Scary stuff.

other than what you have already mentioned, keeping the roping area fairly clear of debris is good. keep a rake nearby and do a quick clean up when twigs start to accumulate.
 
I always wondered why, on a given good-sized limb, if you NC it with no porty, just leather gloves, it will glaze the rope where it ran thru the crotch. But if you use a block and a porty, no glazing, despite essentially the same overall friction.
 
Cory,

It's all based on the principle of pressure per square inch of surface area on your rope. When natural crotching, your rope will be in contact with a very small area, placing a huge amount of friction on a very small area of rope. A whole lot of heat will build up in that small area, and very quickly. The top rigging point takes a huge amount of abuse.

Placing a block in the tree all but eliminates the friction at the most critical point in the rigging system. Using a port-a-wrap helps spread the contacting area of the rope over a much larger surface, thereby reducing the friction at any one given point on the rope.

Hope this helps.

Joel
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #10
This occurs most when using a much longer rope than the section of the rope being actually used in the POW. The kinks can add up in the Standing End.

I don't know if a block or rings will allow more rotation of the rope, and a longer affected length of rope (working end through the block/ rings, down to the POW and the bag. Natural crotching would likely allow less rotation of the rope (from my armchair).
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11
Tethering the top of the POW, like the Stein, makes it less floppy, easier to manage, less likely for a portion of the rope to jump over another portion wrapped farther from the cleat.


I keep a "Simple 3:1" (brought to my attention, as named as such, by Reg Coates) set up (pulley, hitch cord, biner) attached on the base of the porty near the sling, or on the sling for pretensioning my rigging lines. Easy to grab when needed.

If a minimal POW wrap is too much, you have a biner or pulley to re-direct the rope from the base of the tree to the Block/ ring/ NC point, which sometimes helps the rope stay clear of the drop zone, and allows the groundman to continue to keep the rope aligned as set by the climber, which helps to prevent crossed, moving rigging line.
For things light enough to just need a pulley or light friction on a biner, the better alignment of forces should be negligible due to the small forces.



a general tip: I always connect gear together. A lone piece will get lost easily. As mentioned above, the 3:1 gear stays together. No need to disconnect the trio for using the biner or biner/pulley on the top of the POW (instead of the POW).
 
When running the ropes, there are two things Thant can help.

Firstly lock your elbows. Then if you do get a snatch on the line you will not "snap" your arms straight causing you to let go of the rope in pain.

Secondly, try & walk/move towards the friction device. This helps transition the rope from static to running & reduces chance of being pulled off your feet
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #18
Limb walking with a 3:1 preset. Can be installed even before pulling the climbing system into the tree after seeing a throw line.

A lanyard toward the to of the limb, and/ or out to the side for balance and fall arrest.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19
This roping technique thread is more oriented toward rigging. Feel free to start a thread in the climbing sub forum.
 
Keep the rope somewhat loose in your hands and don't panic-grab when the action starts. Let it run. Try and catch it before it hits the ground, not as soon as it hits the block. I know it's super basic stuff, but I've had to repeat these simple instructions to the guy who runs my Porty.
 
When rigging heavy stuff on a porty do not let rope come to a complete stop for some time after the initial run. If you do, its real easy to melt the rope on the porty.... so when is real hot keep the rope moving to allow heat to dissipate..

The closer you stand to the porty the more control in allowing the piece to run you will have

Then old school porty that looks like an anchor can allow the wraps to come off when you are negative rigging.. as the the top/wood begins to fall the porty will drop with slack in the line... when it drops the wraps can come off... I like the idea of top tether though I have never used one..

When sweating in a line (pre-tensioning) , start by pulling the fall(ing end of the line) straight down as you left the tail straight up (on the other side of the porty). Then when all that slack is out of the system, reach high and pull the rope directly away from the tree... as you release that take up on the slack on the tail (with no wraps).. Two guys working together on that can get the line quite tight...

If you ever fel that there is no way to control the piece.. do not allow it to suck you under the tree or into the tree.... you just gotta know when its too much for you and let it go... don't take chances when valuable property is at risk...

On a porty 4 wraps is always too much.. If you need more than 3 you should be using something with a bigger bollard.. When you take 4 wraps with thick rope 5/8-3/4"+, and shock load the system the wraps can actually come off.. that won't happen with just 3.

Setting the porty as low as possible on the tree will make it easier to handle the rope....

I don't mind the rubber coated gloves unless its wet...

always take your wraps off first thing as son as the piece is on the ground.... then untie.

Its a good idea to make the man running the porty in charge of the DZ.. no one enters without his OK... And hopefully your system is honed enough that the rope man never leaves the climber unattended...


When setting a redirect at the base of the work tree to porty on another tree or truck, its a good idea to keep it high enough so the ground crew can walk under it.... makes moving around the DZ a lot easier....

You can always tie a porty to a pindle hitch if you have a big shackle

ps... I AM looking for a couple old school porties. if you have one sitting in retirement let me know...
thanks
 
^ good post

Does anyone have any general tips for controlling swing etc on medium size wood when neg rigging very near to structure? ?
or is it just a case of doing whatever is possible within the limits of tag lines/pull ropes
 
It doesn't matter how close you are to the porty to get a chunk to run smoothly, and there are times when being close to the porty at the base of the tree is just a bad idea.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

NickfromWI
Article: How to learn how to splice...
Replies
10
Views
2K
Richard
R
Back
Top