What rope do you like? What knots?

[SmallChange]

For general purpose use, which I think includes moving large objects (maybe with snatch blocks in the mix) and pulling trees over, I like braided polyester arborist's rope. It has the right mix of properties, in the rope world of compromises.

What kind of (non wire) rope do you use?

While on the subject, what knots do you use? I should learn some. Maybe one bend and one hitch?

 

[WranglerX]

Personally I use chain for about 90 percent of my tree work because Its already down..... As for rope, I use not to expensive hardware story ropes and to me it expendable.... As for knots, try to learn "nonbinding" knots exclusively.... My Favorite is a bowline...

How to Tie a Knot: The 21 Essential Knots You Need to Know

OL's knot experts highlight 21 essential knots and how to tie them. Here's everything you need to know about how to tie a knot.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[WinterDeere]

Perspective of someone who races sailboats, and then uses those lines for general purpose stuff after they've aged out of racing condition: Polyester lines are very weak, and have a LOT of stretch. Sometimes those are desirable properties, like for dock lines on a boat, where the stretch acts as a shock absorber, and having a weak like can prevent tearing out a cleat if things go really wonky.

Hi-tech lines like dyneema and vectran are easily 10x the strength of polyester, but are slippery and don't hold up as well to UV or abrasion. Great in single-braid configuration for things like halyards or standing rigging expensive racing boats, where you don't mind replacing the line every year ($$$), but not for the everyday joe.

The sweet spot, where you find most general purpose lines and control lines, is a polyester or polypropylene jacket over a dyneema or vectran core, as a double braid configuration. Low stretch, feels good in the hands, good UV resistance, coils nicely without kinking, etc.

For Polyester line properties, look at "Robline Dinghy Sheet", only 935 lb. at 6mm. For pure Dyneema, look at something like Amsteel Blue, 8600 lb. at 6mm. The compromise would be something like V-100 from New England, which is polyester over Vectran, coming in at 4600 lb. for a total build of 6mm (probably 3mm Vectran + 3mm polyester).

https://newcontent.westmarine.com/documents/pdfs/OwnersManuals/SAILBOAT_HARDWARE/Line%20Selection%20Guide%202018.pdf

I'm actually surprised to hear you say loggers use polyester, I'd have assumed nylon would be their preference. No experience there, but nylon has less stretch and better strength than polyester, at similar cost. Polyester is usually just the cheap chit you buy at Walmart, not what anyone who knows lines and ropes would use by choice, for most applications.

 

[WinterDeere]

Personally I use chain for about 90 percent of my tree work because Its already down..... As for rope, I use not to expensive hardware story ropes and to me it expendable.... As for knots, try to learn "nonbinding" knots exclusively.... My Favorite is a bowline...

How to Tie a Knot: The 21 Essential Knots You Need to Know

OL's knot experts highlight 21 essential knots and how to tie them. Here's everything you need to know about how to tie a knot.

www.outdoorlife.com

Ditto. I use chain almost exclusively, until I need to rig a long safety line for dropping a backwards leaner, etc. Then, you're not going to beat the strength/weight ratio of Vectran or Dyneema.

 

[sea2summit]

Arborist rope is very general....there are static and dynamic ropes specific to arborists' tasks. If you're using it to move large objects you want static as much as possible, for bulling trees over you don't really want static.

Rope IMHO is only suitble for tasks that don't include contact with the ground (i.e. pulling truck out of the ditch is find but skidding logs is not) because it generally doesn't like to get dirty or be subject to abrasion without loosing strength...it also doesn't like being stretched too far unless it is specifically designed for it like a yank'em type rope and even then they rather quickly loose their elasticity when working near their full capacity.

You need to know all the knots You can do so many things with knots if you know how to use them. Generlly if you start out with a good understanding of the bowline, figure eight, and hitch you can learn a lot variations and of the other knots very quickly.

 

[WinterDeere]

You need to know all the knots You can do so many things with knots if you know how to use them. Generlly if you start out with a good understanding of the bowline, figure eight, and hitch you can learn a lot variations and of the other knots very quickly.

In addition to square knot and double half hitch, which I assume any person on a tractor forum must already know, I'd call this my short list of must-know knots:

1. Bowline
2. Figure-8
3. Zeppelin
4. Timber hitch

Yes, there are many other knots but if you know these four, in addition to basic square knot and double half hitch, that's going to cover 99%+ of anyone's needs. The Zeppelin is just a better way of joining two ropes, which won't slip like a square not, esp. when rope diameters or construction aren't identical. Always good when you need to make up a long line for pulling down a back-leaner tree, and more reliable and compact than making two bowlines.

Bowlines and figure 8's probably make up more than 90% of my knot tying, maybe even more than 95%.

 

[WinterDeere]

Oh, another one that's useful for tying down tarps or equipment, is to throw a figure 8 on a bite in the middle of the line, double back to it with your tail after going around the trailer railing or tie-down eye, and then use that bite to create a 2:1. You can finish it off with a simple half hitch rabbit ear/slip, for easy removal, and it will pull your tarp or tie-down tighter than you could ever do otherwise.

 

[sea2summit]

Oh, another one that's useful for tying down tarps or equipment, is to throw a figure 8 on a bite in the middle of the line, double back to it with your tail after going around the trailer railing or tie-down eye, and then use that bite to create a 2:1. You can finish it off with a simple half hitch rabbit ear/slip, for easy removal, and it will pull your tarp or tie-down tighter than you could ever do otherwise.

[yodavoice] learn the truckers hitch you must [/yodavoice]

 

[WinterDeere]

[yodavoice] learn the truckers hitch you must [/yodavoice]

Yah, I like that one too. But I'd hold to my list as the ones to learn first. Of course truckers might re-order the priorities to put their hitch above a timber hitch.

I guess I could also argue that if you just learned the bowline, you could do nearly everything with that knot, plus the double half hitch everyone already knows. Use the double half hitch when you need something to slip and snug tight, and bowline for literally everything else. Not as efficient as knowing some of the others, but it'll get the job done, and you'll be able to undo it every time.

Then again, I do use a lot of figure-8's.

 

[sea2summit]

Yah, I like that one too. But I'd hold to my list as the ones to learn first. Of course truckers might re-order the priorities to put their hitch above a timber hitch.

I've never taken the time to use a timber hitch...I learned most of my knots under the very direct supervision of a mountain rescue organization founder who only allowed "pretty knots" to be used (aka knots that are easy to check from a distance which things like the timber hitch are not).