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Pro tip: check your knot integrity on big lowering lines before the job, not after
Last week on a 90 foot white oak in Portland, I found a half hitch that had slipped almost two full inches on a 5/8 line we were using for a heavy limb. The crew chief said it was fine, but I flagged it and we re-tied everything, took an extra 20 minutes. I have seen three near misses this season alone from knots that looked fine from the ground but were creeping under load. Brake the line down and inspect every friction hitch and termination point, especially after multiple drops. It is not about being paranoid, it is about the fact that a 400 pound piece moving at speed will test your knot better than any classroom drill. Has anyone else caught a slipping knot that could have ruined their day?
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xena_murphy26d ago
You ever watch a knot creep while you're taking tension off a rig and just feel your stomach drop? I had a distel start rolling on a heavy spar last fall, caught it when the line went slack for half a second between drops. Now I make the groundie do a check on every termination after the third drop, no exceptions. Costs five minutes but saves you from a 300 pound log deciding it wants to be a pendulum.
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