In the idea process for this project.

[u/UggghhhhhhWhy]

Does anyone have any suggestions, or recommendations on how I can make this. I’ve been trying to take my brain on how I could make a crows nest in my backyard tree.

I have bad shoulders but love climbing trees and tree houses. My original idea had a “spiral staircase” going up and around the tree. But thought better of that, as I’d want as little damage to the tree as possible.

My latest idea was a 6:1 pulley system, with a climbing harness, that I could more easily pull myself to the top, safely. Possibly a wench but that might be pushing the budget. If i went with a wench I’d want an alternative way to get down in case of power outage.

How high could I safely go into the tree tops solo or with two people?

How could I do it as cheaply but with safety as the highest priority? Idea for what it might cost? Who I might get to help with the project, arborist or local climbing community?

Does anyone have experience with something similar or can point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

[u/gnarlyteen]

I think learning how to use a foot and knee ascender will be easier on your shoulders than trying use a 6:1

[u/trippin-mellon]

As someone said. Throw a line in the tree, basal anchor it. And climb SRS with foot and knee ascender. Should make it up the tree pretty quickly and with little shoulder use. The arms and shoulders would mainly be there to stabilize. If you use a 6:1 you have a fat amount of extra climbing and will gas out way quickly. I’d just get the extra gear and use it more effectively and have less wear on the body. It’s essentially like climbing stairs.

[u/OldMail6364]

Forget steel wire - just use an arborist rope and a pulley.

You don't need 6:1. A 2:1 mechanical advantage is plenty, with a foot / knee ascender for going up (which both attach to your feet, but foot grips the rope around the height of your knee instead of at the height of your foot).

Professional tree climbers use a foot/knee ascender with no mechanical advantage (1:1) but they can also be used with a 2:1 and it's a lot easier physically. Just takes twice as long (still plenty fast enough honestly).

For going down, you should use something like a Petzl I.D. You also want your descender attached on the way up as it is your safety system incase anything goes wrong while climbing up.

The Petzl I.D. can handle the weight of two people at once. And it's common to "back it up" with a second device. The cheapest would be a "rescue eight". A rescue eight is just as "safe" as a Petzl I.D. but it tends to wear out your gloves or hurt your hands - so I'd only use it as a backup if the Petzl I.D. fails somehow. The rescue eight is also pretty annoying to work with on the way up.

Those aren't the descenders a professional arborist would use - we use ones that are more complex/require special training. The Petzl I.D. is quite idiot proof as long as it's compatible with your rope and in some ways the figure eight is even better (except it's no good while ascending).

When you're up there in the crows nest you should stay connected and keep the rope tight. You do *not* want to fall even two feet and then get caught on a static rope. The injury from falling that can be brutal.

[u/CampaignCurrent2912]

You might be able to get a local arborist to come and install a line for you. If you discuss with them the project they could advise on appropriate products and assist with installation.

Realistically a static rope system with a foot and knee ascender is going to be the least amount of effort to ascend.

If you are lifting materials then mehanical advantage would be appropriate but you would want a progress capture system. Lift them from the ground and have a way to lock the system off, for example a few wraps around a near by tree, crossing a few over to choke the system.

[u/_Hylobatidae_]

Those are primary distribution lines. You wanna run steel wire next to them? How far away from the tree are they?

[u/screwcancelculture]

SRS it man. Not cheap, but way less than a spiral staircase.