Rigging line snapped on a white oak removal Tuesday

I was taking down a big white oak in a tight backyard in Salem. Had my rigging line set up through a high crotch, lowering limbs down one at a time. On the third piece, maybe 800 pounds, the line just gave out with a pop. That 5/8 inch double braid snapped right where it ran over a small branch stub I missed. The limb crashed into a fence and took out about 12 feet of cedar boards. I stopped everything, paid the homeowner $400 cash on the spot, and finished the job with a crane the next day. Took me three days to go through every rope in my truck and retire anything with even a hint of wear. Anyone else had a close call from a hidden pinch point on a lowering line?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_rivera1mo ago

That 5/8 double braid snapping at a branch stub is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. How long had that rope been in service before it gave out? I'm asking because I've got a couple of older lines I'm getting nervous about, and your story makes me want to run them through my hands right now, looking for any hidden damage. The fact that you caught it on a branch stub and not just a sharp edge is what scares me, since those stubs can hide so easily in the bark. Did you notice any visible crushing or flat spots on the rope before it failed, or did it just look normal until the pop?

simontorres1mo ago

@sam_rivera you're right to be nervous about older lines, but that rope wasn't old at all. It was only about 6 months in service, which is the scary part (brand new pretty much). No visible crushing or flat spots before the pop, that's what got me. The stub was maybe an inch around and blended right in with the bark on that white oak, so I never saw it from the ground.