GRCS - Good Rigging Control System

1Review
$3,595.00
SKU: RIG101

Specifications

BRANDGood Rigging

The Good Rigging Control System (GRCS for short) created by Greg Good is an essential tool for any professional tree crew working with large timber. When using the winch, the GRCS helps with lifting downed limbs and trunk sections - especially helpful on storm cleanup jobs - thanks to the Harken winch adding serious lifting power to your crew. The aluminum bollard allows for bringing down heavy wood with control, and shines when working on a site which must be preserved from damage.

The GRCS is an equipment investment which quickly pays for itself, allowing a crew to tackle jobs they might otherwise need a crane for, thanks to its lifting power.

The aluminum rope brake on the GRCS provides a large surface for taking wraps making this tool the ultimate in controlled lowering. The aluminum rope brake dissipates friction heat, and the heavy duty fairleads ensure proper line angles. Using the aluminum rope brake, the GRCS has a Working Load Limit (WLL) of 2,000 lb.

The Harken capstan winch on the GRCS has two settings providing a 44:1 and a 22:1 mechanical advantage, and a dead-lift rating of 3,000 lb. Multiple fair leads position the rope on the winch drum to keep operation tangle-free. The 2-speed self-tailing winch allows a single ground person to lift, lower, and lock off tremendous loads quickly, safely, and without tying knots. In 2012, the GRCS was updated with an improved winch, the Harken 46 Arborist. It has a taller drum, allowing for a full 5 wraps with a 3/4" lowering line. The self-tailer has been changed to accommodate the larger diameter ropes used in our industry. The new version was found to be just as tough and provides even more pulling power!

The GRCS attaches firmly to the tree trunk with a 20' cinch strap tightened with the included 36" tensioning bar. Rubber pads on the mounting plate protect the tree from damage and ensure a good hold for the unit. If protecting the tree is not a concern, an additional visor mount is available which can be placed in a kerf cut into the tree to help keep the unit positioned correctly when rigging very heavy loads.

    Features & Benefits
  • Quickly switch between capstan winch and rope brake
  • Raise loads with ease thanks to the capstan winch
  • Lower with absolute control on the aluminum bollard
  • Mounting assembly secures to tree with wide cinch strap
  • Run ropes up to 3/4"

The GRCS Story, from inventor Greg Good

In 1997 we had a contract to remove a dead silver maple tree growing over a house with a tile roof. The job site made crane access impossible, but trees adjacent to the silver maple offered rigging points for moving pieces of the silver maple away from the roof. The only thing needed was a way to hoist the limbs gently up and away from the tile roof. We were running just a two man show at the time so we needed to empower the ground man. This job gave me the impetus to act on an idea I had about using a yacht winch for tree rigging. I certainly wasn't the first to do this, other arborists like Glenn Riggs in Philadelphia had worked with winches, but in the pre-internet days arborists often worked in their own small orbits and information wasn't shared as it is today.

I acquired a Harken model 44 self tailing winch and bolted it to a thick aluminum plate with the idea that the aluminum plate could slide into a mounting bracket which would strap to a tree. The mount was cobbled together from steel plate and angles that we had lying around the shop.

We did the silver maple removal and realized that having real mechanical advantage available on any tree we were working on was something good.

As we gained experience rigging with the winch, it became apparent that fairleads on the mount to prevent turns of the rope from crossing over on the drum were necessary. Each time we did a job using the winch we found new ways to use it. Before long we were using it on every job.

 

 

 

 

 

Ratings & Reviews

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9/30/2023 4:40 pm

A must have

by Shane -

Amazing!!

This tool has opened up amazing possibilities for rigging.

Used it to lift and lower an adjacent tree on a job a few days ago. Mounted the visor plate and hung the GRCS. We lifted and lowered modestly sized chunks of spruce with effortless control.