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That 40 foot maple in Tacoma taught me to double check my rigging
Was taking it down piece by piece, had a big limb tied off. My ground guy, Dave, gave the all clear. The rope snapped right at the trunk. Limb swung wild, took out a section of the client's fence. Cost me $1200 and a whole lot of pride. Anyone else had a rigging line fail on them out of nowhere?
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seanh911mo ago
That's a brutal lesson to learn the hard way. Always check for abrasion where the rope runs over the bark, especially on maples with that rough texture. A quick rub with your glove can hide a ton of damage. Switched to a heavier rigging line after a close call and started retiring them sooner, way before they look worn out.
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irisw731mo ago
Seriously, people forget about internal damage from shock loading too. Even if the sheath looks fine, a hard drop can wreck the core. That's why I mark my lines after any big shock load and check them way more often.
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