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I doubt there would be enough use for a super long one to justify
spending a lot of money. Especially, since two fliplines are needed on
big trees.
The uee of these fliplines on big trees involves large diameter rope to
enable the fingers to grip. Long runs upward are implicit, since we have
a long way to go. Redwoods, in particular, have few limbs down low. Each
pitch should end by including a limbover with an auxilliary flipline for
positive safety. Fiddling with an adjuster knot or device while fatigued
can mean disaster.
The stiffness is needed to move the line upwards. This stiffness often
comes free with large diameter. It comes with certain types of rope,
like static line, or some hard lay 3-strands. New rope is stiff. 1 inch
manila gets real limp with age. Then there is wire core, which adds
weight to the stiffness, and produces inertia to aid the upward motion.
Adjustability is needed for frequent resting. The cheapest adjuster is a
hitch. Dissimilar types of rope hitches bind together best. An 8mm
static line Blake's hitch on 3/4" 3 strand polyester is a good
combination.
Then there is the question of splices. The rope ends are too bulky when
knotted, so eye splices are desirable. Since eyes are a product of
skilled labor, they get expensive to buy.
Long fliplines should have an adjuster on each end. See the photo in Beranek's "General Tree Work"
A mechanical
adjuster eliminates two of the splices needed on one end of the
flipline. All that is left is a termination eye or backsplice I am
testing a Petzl Grillon for this use. A 3/4" stainless steel Gibbs
ascender works great. The rope clamp is attached to a dee ring with a
locking carabiner.
Use of the long flipline involves tossing a loop upward. This is the
hard part, because the arms must hold the climbers body against the
trunk to keep a lot of slack in the line. This slack allows long steps.
Short steps make the job much harder, creating fatigue.
Dragging the flipline upward is eased with a 'sawing' motion. Walking
past horizontal so the line is at knee level or lower increases
efficiency by lengthening the step.
Special gloves can be made for flipping up big trees. This involves
gluing extra leather to the backs of the fingers and hand. This
protection allows the hand to support the weight of the body between the
flipline and trunk. Without gloves, the pain of abrasion can cause us to
mysteriously let go of the rope and fall.
Long spurs are a must taking down big trees. Be careful not to injure
the other foot. Step high each time. Spread the feet, pointing the toes
sideways. Secure footing shouldn't need to be thought about. Don't spur
live trees at all, unless it's an emergency. Install an overhead line
with a bow or a gun.
Whelp, Leonard, there's some stuff on the topic for you to chew over. Having recently checke in at the ISA Tree Climbers Discussion group, it's time these comments were added.
Arboreally yours,
Michael Oxman