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Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo
1 Level
706 Review
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Review on Stainless Steel 3-Claw Grappling Hook With Carabiner For Anchor Retrieval, Climbing, Hiking, And Tree Limb Removal - MHDMAG by Dee Holt

Revainrating 4 out of 5

as advertised but not great for tree branches

Despite the listing title, this isn't the best way, or even a good way, to remove tree limbs.I got the medium grapple to try to break off a couple of attached-but-dead branches on brittle trees in my backyard. They were too high for my pole pruner, so I thought I'd try a grapple for the first time.Those branches usually snap pretty easy if they're dry-rotted, but in my case they turned out NOT entirely dried out, so put up quite a struggle before I could break them off.Also, unless you have better technique than I do, it's hard to loft this hook with rope trailing more than 20-some feet up.ie, that would be within reach of a step ladder and pole tool anyway. Mind you, I wasn't trying for a record, I was grappling for the first time, and was minding my safety. Maybe you can get more height out of yours.Other thoughts: If the grappel gets stuck in the tree, try walking it around at different directions & angles to get it loose. Up on a ladder to change the angle works too. For the effort and relative risk, it would have been probably just as easy/safe to set up a ladder and use a pole saw.Friendly advise: be careful with the points (the spinning technique you see in movies NOT advised), don't stand under what you're trying to bring down, wear relevant safety gear, and wrap that rope around something else (eg another tree) so you're not pulling direct towards yourself. Hopefully that was all obvious before you tried to grapple a high branch.Still giving four stars because it's a grapple with a decent length of line & carabiner, but not useful for dealing with tree limbs. I see why many reviewers discuss pulling items out of water. For that, it's probably great.

img 1 attached to Stainless Steel 3-Claw Grappling Hook With Carabiner For Anchor Retrieval, Climbing, Hiking, And Tree Limb Removal - MHDMAG review by Dee Holt



Pros
  • I should have bought the larger one.
Cons
  • More expensive than other grappling hooks on the market

Comments (1)

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July 25, 2023
Bought it to use to grab branches to cut. Took awhile to get the hang of tossing it. Not as easy as you see in viking movies.