"Leon Fisk" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:44:27 -0500
"Jim Wilkins" wrote:
BTDT. The most useful thing I carried was a folding pruning saw to
cut
a tree trunk lever to repeatedly lift the car and let rocks piled
against the tire fall into the rut, and then to cut short pieces to
make a few feet of corduroy track.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corduroy_road
I had an inexpensive folding saw break on me out in the boonies. It
worked like a big jackknife. Problem is they are weak side-to-side
in
the pivot/fold area. Thankfully I was only cutting a small blow-down
on
the way into a secluded area. Lesson learned though. Be careful with
then or carry a more rugged saw 
The Coghlan folding saw has been fine for me, but I rarely break
anything anyway.
The chain fall has served me as a slow and awkward manual winch. For
horizontal pulls a lever hoist is a much better choice. The jack is
more pull for a lot less money than a big lever hoist, though.
I consider the hi-lift jacks as problem solvers. They aren't the
best
for any particular job but will get the job done for many.
I'm looking for examples of what they can do that something else
couldn't. I don't like that they can tip the load onto the operator
so easily.
Have you seen the cable gripper type winches? Griphoist stuff:
http://tractel.com/us/series.php?id_serie=47
http://www.amazon.com/Tractel-GRIPHO...dp/B000KUCKI0/
http://www.bairstow.com/Griphoist-Ti...sts-p/ghwh.htm
God awful expensive but would be nice to have at times...
Leon Fisk
I have a pair of mountaineering ascenders that grip like that on
kernmantle. Unlike Prusik knots they don't need tension on the bottom
of the rope. They tear up Walmart rope.
I looked into those cable pullers after watching a power crew use one
to string up new lines. Most of the pulling I do is at ground level
where I can make short pulls, stop and shorten the lines. When I have
to change the lean of a large tree I use two pullers alternately.
The PBS show on salvaging the Costa Concordia has a cutaway animation
of the hydraulic jacks with fixed and moving cable gripper jaws that
pulled the ship upright.
-jsw