The Pro Climb Easy Rig is probably the smallest big bollard on the market. And its capable of lowering timber up to half a tonne in weight - Treetools knows this because we tested the Easy Rig to prove it.
Half a tonne you say! The Easy Rig must be for pussies - our crew drops pieces much bigger than that on a daily basis!
Yeah right!
Arborists love telling tall stories and the loads bombed into their bollards is a good old chestnut.
The reality is; dropping big sections of timber puts considerable force on the rigging points, and gear…and should be avoided at all costs.
As Tim Walsh says in the latest TCIA Treeworker Newsletter; "Regardless of what your rigging point, you should work to reduce the rigging forces". Loosely translated, minimise the load where ever possible. The smaller the piece, the smaller the force - on the tree and your rigging gear.
Accurately calculating the weight of timber is an advanced skill, developed over a long period in tree work. It takes years of experience to get things right. Thankfully, most arborists overstate the weight of the load, but occasionally things go the other way - with disastrous consequences.
Novice use of heavyweight rigging equipment can lead to the assumption that massive pieces of timber can be dropped without consequence. For novice riggers, this can be lethal.
Please minimise the load and drop smaller pieces - it might take a little longer but its worth the effort (and much safer) in the long run.
Rig smaller sections where ever possible - photography by Pro Climb using the Easy Rig - ADDENDUM - the Pro Climb Easy Rig is no longer in production.
