The Singing Tree Rope Wrench

i like the idea, and i can see how its application in the right situations would be a benefit. i think tho that efficiency and its effect on profitability has more to do with a climbers skill, confidence, and familiarity with their system. i climb on a modern drt system like most, and there is always room for improvement, but i think that once you reach a level of skill, new gear offers a diminishing return on that improvement. my boss still climbs on a blakes, old school, and he will climb circles around most any one. now, can new gear and methods make him safer, more comfortable, and more efficient? you bet, but at the end of the day the effect on productivity is, i think, quite small. so, if that hitch climber, or frog setup, or rope wrench makes you more comfortable, gives you more confidence, or saves significant wear and tear on you or your equipment, go for it, but, gear does not a better climber make. it is hard to resist tho ;):/:
 
The inventor looks like a good, smooth treeclimber to me. It seems like a good, simple invention, allowing you to use your normal drt friction hitch doing srt. I'm don't use srt alot but it would be handy for me for the occasional srt ascent to get a pc of deadwood near the climb line- srt up to the limb, cut the limb, rappel down without having to changeover to drt or without having to switch things around to descend srt.
 
Cory hit it on the head, i was talking to Brent today and was remarking that any of us could use it and not look as smooth and efficient as Kevin, he is a smooth climber :)
 
One thing about new gear for me is it keeps me interested to a certain extent. 5 years ago I was still body thrusting up trims and hooking up TDs. I was bored to tears with tree work. I decided to get interested in learning about new techniques etc and became a gear weenie. That said Ranger you shouldnt be bored with it yet:P
 
You guys with all your gear. Repent or this is what awaits you in the hereafter!
 

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Geez man, who's gear is that?? That's a ton of stuff!

As for me being a gear weenie, I admit, I totally am. I try not to spend too much on gear. I actually haven't spent more than $50 on gear the past 2 or 3 months. My hope with buying this though is that it will actually decrease the amount of gear I use. Everyone I talk too who uses this system now(be it the tree wrench or Fate system or uni) says they don't use a ton of gear anymore. No more friction savers, no more complicated redirects.
 
I'd be terribly supprised if that's the be all end all for tree climbing, Adrian. If you jump on every band wagon, it's hard to call the current one the last.
 
That is a pic from sherrilltree Ranger...lol, it isn't mine, but that rigging paw on the Tengu is a good idea :)
 
I bought the paw to put on my bridge and then never used it. Now I keep it in my pocket in case I have to fight anyone. I'm a loose trigger that way.
 
SRT has made me a more efficient better climber. There is a learning curve, so it sure didn't happen in a week. I look at where i was and where i am now in terms of efficiency productivity and at competitions, there is no doubt the magnitude at which i've grown in all areas. As Ranger said once you've changed to SRT there is very little gear necessary. Before, climbing Ddrt i carried a cord for a redirect couple extra biners a friction saver and often times utilized two rope (ascension and climbing.) Now i only carry a footlocking prussic, most time i only use one rope, but on large 80+ trees i'll still utilize 2. Once i get the Rope Wrench the footlocking prussic will be carried as a just in case and rarely get used.
The difference in efficiency comes from being able to redirect an unlimited amount of times with out any addition friction at your hitch. It completely changes your look at a tree and your way of climbing. It allows me to get to the very edge of limbs easily with very minimal effort. Most of the increase in efficiency is in doing pruning and deadwooding where you have to move throughout the entire canopy.
Different saddles and ropes, even different hitches and toys won't make you a better climber, but once your an efficient climber it cant make you more comfortable and save you energy which will increase your efficiency even further. ]Give a good climber a tautline and old weaver saddle and he'll get the job done, but you give that same climber a more comfortable saddle and all the latest gear he will get done much faster and save a lot of energy for the next tree, the next day, and will make the last tree at the end of the week easier to do. The gear won't make the climber, but it will make the climber more efficient and effective.
 
...... latest gear he will get done much faster and save a lot of energy for the next tree, the next day, and will make the last tree at the end of the week easier to do. The gear won't make the climber, but it will make the climber more efficient and effective.

Give me a CRANE!!! (He he!);)
 
A crane won't help you much on pruning. Personally i don't think SRT will make you faster at removals either. But a crane surely will.
I guess it really all comes down to what you do most. Pruning and deadwooding is probably 80% of what i do. Thats why SRT has made such a difference for me. If you guys are doing mostly removals don't think its going to change much, and you can keep your removals. Don't want them, nothing to look back on and see years on down the road.
 
Derrick, great post!

I'd be terribly supprised if that's the be all end all for tree climbing, Adrian. If you jump on every band wagon, it's hard to call the current one the last.

Who said the rope wrench was the be all and end all?? If Ranger and anyone else tries gear that is new to them, that is the only way they will know if that gear could help them produce better or if indeed their present gear/system is the best option.
 
I do removals when I "have" to...But I would rather get customers on a tree care regime ;)

when you do a removal, it is a one time deal, no more work coming from that tree.

Pruning, deadwooding, PHC, cabling, etc. you make money every year.


personally, I HATE removals, 'specially dead ones :)
 
sometimes it pays to live in the heart of the 1000 islands...cottage country, old, old money, lots of professional people.

Getting them to part with it, now that is the conundrum :)
 
Different saddles and ropes, even different hitches and toys won't make you a better climber, but once your an efficient climber it cant make you more comfortable and save you energy which will increase your efficiency even further. ]Give a good climber a tautline and old weaver saddle and he'll get the job done, but you give that same climber a more comfortable saddle and all the latest gear he will get done much faster and save a lot of energy for the next tree, the next day, and will make the last tree at the end of the week easier to do. The gear won't make the climber, but it will make the climber more efficient and effective.

i agree
 
Adrian, it's ok to know too much. If you like gear, so be it.
Take what you like and dump the rest or sell it to someone else.

But as many have said, know the basics as a back up.

The music in that demo video was terrible.
 
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