Throw line changed my trimming game

Back when I started trimming I fought every limb from the bucket. I would muscle through stuff that was clearly out of reach, trying to get that perfect cut. Then about three years ago a guy named Pete up in Portland showed me how to rig a throw line. He had me set a rope in the canopy on the first toss. Now I just send the rope up, tie a running bowline, and pull the branch down from the ground with a pulley. Saves me at least 20 minutes per tree and my shoulders don't scream at me the next day. Has anyone else ditched the bucket for a throw line on smaller jobs or am I just lazy?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_christopher1d ago

Wait, Pete in Portland? I was born and raised in Southeast Portland, worked tree jobs off Powell for five years. You don't mean Pete Morrison do you? Short guy, always wore a faded Carhartt vest, had a Border Collie named Bean that followed him everywhere? That man could put a throw line into a 80 foot Doug fir from 40 feet away blindfolded. I watched him one time set three lines in under two minutes while drinking coffee. If that's your Pete, you got trained by a legend.

the_brian22h ago

Three lines in under two minutes while drinking coffee"... yeah that sounds exactly right. Man I'm sorry for your loss too, sounds like the whole tree world lost someone special.