Maasdam Rope Puller Kit

The Maasdam rope puller is a rope come along: a hand-operated puller that grips rope instead of winding cable on a drum. Because it works on a continuous length of rope, you can pull as far as your rope reaches, which makes it a favorite for pulling trees over, tensioning lines and dragging logs.

How a continuous rope puller works

A cable come along winds steel cable onto a drum, and when the drum is full you have to reset. A rope puller instead grips the rope with jaws and pulls it through as you work the handle. The rope passes out the back, so you can keep pulling as long as there is rope left.

Rope is lighter than cable, easier to handle, and kinder to bark when wrapped around a trunk. That is why a rope come along fits so naturally into a tree crew's kit.

The kit format helps too. Rather than buying puller, rope and hooks separately and hoping they match, the kit gives you a working setup on day one. Keep it in a bag in the truck so it is ready when a tree needs a pull.

Where it earns its keep

The common job is helping a tree fall the right way: rope high in the tree, rope puller anchored to another tree or stump out past the fall zone, and steady tension as the sawyer works the back cut. It is also handy for tensioning a speedline, pulling a hung-up top free from a safe distance, or skidding a log into position for bucking.

Pair it with pulleys from our mechanical advantage section to redirect the pull or gain more force.

A rope puller also works as a backup on a stuck saw. If a bar gets pinched in a leaning stem, a little tension from the side can open the kerf enough to free it.

Rope and anchors

Use rope of the diameter and type the puller is designed for, in good condition. Glazed, cut or crushed rope can slip in the jaws. Anchor the puller to something solid with a rated sling, and keep the line of pull straight.

The force you put on the rope goes into the tree, the anchor and the hardware. Pulling hard on a tree with a weak union or a small anchor tree can cause failures you did not plan for. Think the whole system through before you start cranking.

Use a block or pulley to redirect the pull when the anchor tree is not in line with the direction of fall. A redirect at the base of the anchor tree keeps the puller operator out of the fall zone and lets them work from a comfortable stance.

Safety

Rope pullers are not for lifting people or for overhead lifting unless the manual says so. Keep the crew out of the fall zone and the rope's path. Do not extend the handle. Inspect the puller, hook and rope before each job, and train everyone who runs it per ANSI Z133.

Take steady, even strokes rather than hard jerks, and watch the tree as well as the puller. If something looks wrong, such as a crack opening in the wrong place, stop and reassess. Keep a spare handle; a lost or bent one ends the pull.