How to attach a wire rope to a tree?

[NoSpam]

I need to attach a s/s wire rope between a couple of big trees - where can I get straps or something else to give an attachment on the trees?

(I asked this earlier but it was buried in another thread)

[Dave Osborne]

You have a few options, dependant on what you're using the wire rope for, whether it is permanent or temporary, how you plan to tension the rope, etc.

Can you give us more info describing what you're trying to achieve?

[NoSpam]

The idea is to stretch a s/s rope between 2 trees so that it's parallel to the front of the garage, then to run 2 more ropes back from it to the corners of the garage, then to attach awning fabric to the second wires to form a cover over the drive. The attachment needs to be semi-permanent and to not damage the trees (one has a TPO). The span between the trees is about 8m, the other two will be 6m'ish. Tensioning will probably be with turn-buckles.

All suggestions gratefully received!

[Cicero]

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Webbing belts from an army surplus outlet would probably do the job but you might need to make up some kind of harness with 'D' rings etc.

It would be wise to make it possible to furl or otherwise dismount the awning fabric which could possibly damage your garage in a high wind.

Cic.

[Dave Osborne]

Well, if you don't protect the tree from the rope, it will dig into the bark. You could protect the tree by threading the rope through a piece of polythene tube.

Ratchet tensioners (or strainers) for wire fencing are cheap and might be useful:

[NoSpam]

Hmm, if it would be sufficient to just put the wire through some poly pipe it would overcome the concern about a webbing strap rotting.

I like the ratchet tensioner idea. I could run the wire over a pulley at one end and then down to a tensioner at ground level - easy to adjust and less metal lumps up in the sky.

[Dave Liquorice]

That will dig in overtime as well, in fact pretty much anything will. How fast this happens depends on the tree, some have bark so soft that looking at it hard will damage it, Larch is terribly soft.

IIRC one of these trees is a Walnut I've not tried attacking the bark of Walnut but it is hardwood and in my mind most hardwood trees have tough bark as well.

Think I'd look at broad webbing or lifting strops. Strops would have ready made eyes in the ends to put a shackle through to attach the SS wire. Webbing might need the attention of someone with an industrial sewing machine.

[Dave Osborne]

Yes, you're probably right, but there's the consideration of UV. Webbing or lifting strops will spread the load, but they will deteriorate with time unless black (i.e. the UV stable kind of black). At any rate, they will go green with moss/algae.

[Dave Liquorice]

I doubt decent quality webbing strops will deteriorate all that quickly. They are after all generally used outdoors and your situation is under trees, in the shade.

Like what is already growing on the tree trunk?

[Andy Champ]

Green webbing in a tree? That would be a disaster wouldn't it!

Webbing should be good for a few years. Whether the trees will take the loads is another matter - wind pressures can easily be several pounds per square foot, even in a sheltered area (sorry, I don't know that in metric!) and a lateral force on a taut wire will be multiplied many fold. I wouldn't be surprised to see several tonnes pulling the wire, which might take them up by the roots.

Andy

[dennis]

several tens of kg or several hundreds of newtons per square meter.

I expect the wall fixings would go first.

[andrew]

Proper stuff is cobra, black stuff that is assembled with a weave that tightens the joint when tensioned and but the tree could push the loop out as it expanded. It was too new fangled for me, we used lag eyes (coach screws with eyes welded on) or through bolts with diamond washers.

Walnut doesn't respond well to wounds.

Beating it allegedly shocks the tree into thinking it's on its way out and reacting by fruiting prolifically.

AJH

[TMC]

An almost off topic thought but where will all the water go?

I would have thought that with only 2 ropes front to back at approx the same height the awning will collect water so the fixings for these ropes to the wire rope will also be interesting

[Jeweller]

While researching tree houses I remember reading that drilling through the tree and fixing an eye-bolt (?)with a nut at the far side did far less damage to the tree than wrapping something (part way) round it.

[NoSpam]

The inter-tree rope will be higher than the attachments at the garage so there'll be significant front-back fall ... but I'd rather find a fine mesh fabric to reduce the noise and let some of the water through.

[The Medway Handyman]

Use a lifting sling around the tree

'D' shackle through the loops onto turnbuckle.

Or just loop a ratchet strap around tree & use that to tension rope - depends how pretty you want it.

Just a thought - you have a 48 sw/m sail there :-) Hope it isn't a windy location :-)

[S Viemeister]

That's what we used, after we found that the tent-type fabric sagged and filled with water. We need it not so much for the bird cr*p, but for the nuts themselves. Our tree is a black walnut, and some years, the fruits are absolutely enormous - big enough and heavy enough to dent the car - or one's head.

[Spamlet]

If your tree has a TPO you had better ask their tree officer for advice/permission first, as no matter what you do they are bound not to like it if they are not in from the start. Unfortunately, in my experience council tree officers are all too chainsaw happy, so you may even have to try and restrain them a bit if you really don't want to harm the tree!

S

[Dave Liquorice]

And a gutter?

And poo?

[Dave Liquorice]

tree that needs 3M sling... I was looking for slings the other day but 3M is just too long 2M or 1.5m would be more like it for my use. I suspect 1M would be fine to the OP.