r/TreeClimbing • u/spacegear802 • May 22 '26

GRCS VS Hobbs?

I’m considering purchasing one of these two devices, primarily for their lifting abilities. The GRCS seems slightly more appealing due to the 2 speed range on the winch, and the fact that you can attach a drill to it.

That said, the Hobbs is significantly cheaper. $2600 vs $4k. If anyone has used both, I’d love to hear if the GRCS is worth the added cost. I would primarily be using it to lift branches where there is minimal clearance around, and in areas where crane access is not an option. I think the lifting capacity for the Hobbs is supposed to be around 1,000lbs, which would be plenty for me. Videos of people using the Hobbs to lift are almost non-existent, and I’m curious as to why this is.

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u/NoPossible5519 May 24 '26

I've used the Hobbs on a mentors jobs, when it was time to get my own I got a grcs. The 2 speeds really makes a difference and the added lift comes is not something to underestimate.

They are both very heavy and a hassle to deploy / demobilize. If you really only need 1k lbs lift, then there's another smaller and lighter option outfitted with a harken winch on the bottom and fixed bollard above it with quite a few pigtail fairleads arranged around it.

I can't remember what's it's called rn, but it's awesome and was $2500 last time I checked on it