Arborist Rigging Kits

Buying guide

Speed line kits

A speed line runs from high in the tree to an anchor on the ground. Brush and small wood clipped to the line slides down to the drop zone instead of landing on lawns and gardens. Kits typically include a pulley or trolley, carabiners or snaps and the hardware to tension the line.

Set the line steep enough for loads to slide, tension it with mechanical advantage, and keep people clear of the line and landing area. A tag line helps control loads near the bottom.

Speed lines are especially useful when the drop zone is far from the tree or blocked by structures, gardens or fences. They reduce the number of trips the ground crew makes dragging brush and keep turf damage down. Plan the line's path so it clears obstacles and lands loads where the ground crew can unclip them safely.

Lowering kits

A Port-a-Wrap with a soft anchor rigging sling gives you a ready-to-go friction device to mount on the trunk. It is a good first lowering setup for small crews and pairs with any rigging rope in its size range.

A soft anchor sling wraps around the trunk and gives the lowering device a secure mount without hardware that could damage bark. Choose the sling length to fit the trees you usually work on, and make sure the device sits in line with the rigging rope's direction of pull.

A Port-a-Wrap kit is also handy as a second lowering point on bigger removals, or for controlling a pull line or tag line. Inspect the device for grooves worn by rope, check that the sling is free of cuts and abrasion, and store the kit together so nothing goes missing between jobs.

Why buy a kit

Kits remove guesswork about compatibility. The parts are sized to work together and to similar strengths. You can still add or swap components later as your rigging grows, but starting with a matched kit avoids weak links.

Check the rated strength of every component, including carabiners and slings, and inspect the kit before each use. Kits are for rigging loads, not life support.

If you already own some components, check whether a kit duplicates them. Sometimes buying the missing pieces separately is cheaper. When in doubt, compare the rated strength, rope diameter range and connector type of every piece so the final system has no weak spots.

Training

Rigging setups are simple to buy and easy to get wrong. Learn from a qualified trainer, follow ANSI Z133 and the manufacturer's instructions, and practice on light loads first.

Rope compatibility is another reason to train first. Each friction device and pulley in a kit works best with a certain rope diameter range. Using the wrong rope can make a device grab too much or too little. Read the instructions included with each component before the first job.