Gin Pole Set Up

I cut some wind blown Aspen and hauled them out of the woods so that I could rip them into planking. However, when I fired up the tractor to lift these 16 foot (10" diameter) logs onto the stumps for cutting, it became very clear just how soft the ground was. It took about a minute to figure out there was no way to maneuver the tractor without getting it stuck. So, it was time for plan B. I broke out the new rigging and set up a 4 to 1 ratio for the main guy and pulled the gin pole up into place. Total set up time was about 40 minutes and I used this all week. In the end this set up was easier to use than using the tractor.














Rope puller set up for moving the gin pole fore and aft. I really like the reach and ease of use of this puller compared to a standard come-along.














Block and tackle arrangement was set up to allow a 4 to 1 pull ration. I lifted the end of the Gin Pole about 4 foot off the ground and then this block and tackle allowed me to easily pull the Gin Pole into position.














The back of the Gin Pole was staked into the ground, that way when it was loaded, there was no way the pole would slip.















Gin Pole rigged with a block and tackle guy line, a chain fall for liftting, and forward safety line to prevent the pole from tipping over backward.














Gin Pole in use. It lifted 500-600 pound logs with no problem. And, one guy can move this thing around and get it set up for use.