Hi guys - Gonna hit the woods this weekend and drop some dead oaks. I've got a massdam rope puller (3/4" ton) and 150 feet of 1/2 inch, 3-strand rope. There is only one tree that I want to put a rope on, the rest I can wedge over. This particular tree, don't have any good branches to get a line over, so I was going to go up the ladder maybe 10-12 feet or so and attach the line to the tree using a running bowline. I noticed on all the videos on how to tie this particular knot, they are using climbing line (the smooth stuff). I'm curious if I should be rigging my rope (because its 3 strand) to the tree differently than a running bowline knot. This particular tree has been dead standing for a while and I want a rope on it just for a little more control. The knot that I'm tying with the 3 strand looks correct, I'm just wondering if the holding power is different on a 3 strand rope versus the smooth climbin rope. Any advice is appreciated... J
I use a bowline knot most of the time with my bull rope, never had any issue. Get it up as high as you can for leverage obviously.
Rope type doesn't matter. It's the tensile strength that matters. We have pulled trees over with dyneema throwline and I was absolutely hauling on that line. Climb line looks like bull rope, please don't use climb line for anything else. I have a 200 ft bull rope rated at 13,000 lbs or so. It's the size of my finger. 3 twist rope is only rated for hand pulling. Get it high and be careful.
Bowlines are good in any rope as far as I know, it was one of the go to knots learned early in Boy Scouts. Here's a good video on an easy flip method of tying them.
This is the stuff I bought... Pro-Master 1/2” Riggin Rope || WesSpur Tree Equipment I needed three strand to work with the maasdam puller. 12 strand works with it also, but not as well. What kind of rope are you guys using?
I bought this kit, which has Samson 3-braid rope. Maasdam Rope Puller Kit It's done what I've asked of it. Including, dragging white oak logs about 80ft, through the woods. By no means am I a rope expert.
Got out in the woods. Didn't use the maadam for pulling over trees, used it to get down a bad snag that I managed to achieve on my last tree of the day. As the tree came off the stump, the crown rolled it just enough to get it snagged in a 50' jack pine. Knights of Columbus!! Couldn't move it with the puller, even with the rope pretty high up the trunk, so I ended up taking pieces off the stump side and whittling it down until it was a little more vertical. Got the rope on it again and down it came. Decided it was time to call it a day after that one. Overall, got 6 oaks down. Between those, and the other blown down stuff, I'm gonna be a splitting fool this spring. In hind sight, I should have had the wife film it or take pictures, but was having to much fun running the 572. I do think I'm going to evaluate the rope set-up and try to get some heavier 13000 lb line. I know I can only get 1500 lbs on the puller so its unlikely I'm going to snap a 5700 lb line with it, but man, watching that line tighten up, made me nervous.
