Rigging equipment profiles & operation

GRCS — Good Rigging Control System

A trunk-mounted bollard with a removable winch head: it lowers pieces under friction and, with the winch fitted, lifts or tensions loads with a large mechanical advantage (roughly 44:1 at the handle on the standard unit).

• ▸Mount it on sound trunk wood at a comfortable working height, strapped tight so the base cannot rotate or slide. Tighten after the first load — straps bed in.
• ▸Route the line through the fairlead so it enters the bollard cleanly and leaves in the direction the tailer is standing. A fairlead's job is to stop the rope climbing the drum and to keep the bend consistent.
• ▸Lowering: take wraps on the bollard for friction, exactly like a Port-a-Wrap — more wraps for heavier pieces, and tail with the rope under control at all times.
• ▸Winching: use it for pulling trees over on a felling cut, tensioning speedlines, and lifting pieces clear before the cut releases. Crank smoothly; the advantage hides how much force you are applying.
• ▸The winch can generate far more force than the tree, sling or rope may tolerate. Size the weakest link first, and stop when the crank gets hard instead of leaning on it.
• ▸Keep hands, sleeves and the tail line away from the drum, and never leave a loaded winch unattended without a secured tail.

Port-a-Wrap — mounting and wrap counts

• ▸Sling it low on the trunk with the rated sling choked tight, cinch drum against the wood, with the horns facing where the tailer stands — clear of the drop zone.
• ▸Feed the line into the bottom and take wraps upward so the wraps stay separated; the working line should leave the device cleanly to the tailer.
• ▸Light brush and small pieces: one to two wraps. Medium wood roughly 100–300 lbs: two to three wraps. Heavy pieces 300 lbs and up: three to five wraps, or more when the piece is above the tailer's ability to hold.
• ▸Add wraps rather than adding grip — friction should hold the load, not the tailer's hands. Gloves on, body out of the bight, feet braced.
• ▸Never let wraps cross over each other. A crossover pinches, jams mid-lower and burns the rope at the crossing point.
• ▸Lock off with a half hitch over a horn when a piece must hang, and say 'locked off' out loud.
• ▸Let long lowers run in stages so heat can dissipate, and feel the rope for heat after big pieces.

Rigging blocks vs pulleys

• ▸A rigging block is built for dynamic, shock-loaded tree work: heavy sheave, generous D:d, a becket, and a rated attachment point. It is the right tool over a limb union.
• ▸A climbing pulley is designed for lighter, static loads — redirects and mechanical advantage systems — not for catching pieces.
• ▸Never substitute a carabiner or a shackle where the rope needs to turn under load: the bend ratio is far too tight and the rope abrades.
• ▸Check the sheave spins freely, the bearing is not gritty, and the side plates are not bent or spread.
• ▸Rig the block above and in line with the load path so the sling pulls straight down the trunk, not sideways off the union.

Low-friction rings

• ▸A solid forged or machined aluminium ring: no moving parts, nothing to seize, very high strength for its weight.
• ▸Friction is higher than a sheaved block, which is sometimes exactly what you want — it takes load off the tailer on gentle lowers.
• ▸Pairs well with a whoopie or dead-eye sling for fast redirects and speedlines.
• ▸Because there is no bearing, a fast-running line generates heat at the ring. Keep runs short and inspect the rope after.
• ▸Inspect for grooving and flat spots; a grooved ring cuts rope.

Whoopie and dead-eye slings

• ▸Whoopie sling: an adjustable eye-and-eye sling with a buried brummel-style splice you can lengthen or shorten by hand. Fast to set at exactly the right length on any trunk diameter.
• ▸Adjust a whoopie only when unloaded, and make sure a decent length of tail remains buried — a short bury is a failure waiting to happen.
• ▸Dead-eye sling: a fixed loop and a captive eye, choked on itself. Simple, strong and easy to inspect, but you set the length by where you place it.
• ▸Both are stronger than a knotted rope sling because a splice loses far less strength than a knot.
• ▸Inspect the bury, the throat of the splice and the wear at the choke point before every use. Retire on fuzzing that exposes the core.
• ▸Keep slings off sharp bark ridges and steel edges; a leather or synthetic wear sleeve pays for itself.

System thinking before the first cut

• ▸Name the weakest component out loud: sling, block, rope, hardware, device, and the tree union itself.
• ▸Check every angle: sling angles, block orientation, where the line enters the friction device, and where the tailer stands.
• ▸Agree the plan for a stuck piece before it happens — who cuts, who tails, who steps back.
• ▸Everything rated gets inspected on the same schedule as climbing gear. Rigging hardware kills from the ground as well as the air.