So 3:00 in, I'm thinking you need to climb up higher so that the wooden contraption will slide down the throwline.

Using the weight of the throwline to pull the retriever over...GENIUS!!!

I'll go keep watching now...

Mr Burch- I must say- great idea. Initially when you were showing the grabber, I thought, "blech...way too bulky." But it's value in the tree seems immense.

Thank you for sharing the concept of using the throw weight to pull the grabber over. It has seemed to spark good conversation. I'm going post haste to the work room to practice this, then off to the trees to try it aloft! I have a traverse I've been trying to do in a couple live oaks. It's about 35' away. A moderately easy throw with the throwbag, but near impossible to grab with a grappel.

I'm interested to see what form my technique develops to.

Great work on the grabber, and great work on the vid. Thanks for the clear explanations!!!

love
nick

I finally built one (DTBR) at home and gave it a trial test. I need to work out the balance of the unit so it stays more horizontal during deployment along the throw line because the coat hanger wire I used on mine is rather heavy and pulls it down to much.

The basic concept is great but hooking up the target line hanging down takes some more practice that I have done so far. I will post pictures later.
I like that I was able to put one together in about 30 minutes using only scrap materials and tools from my garage. Very simple but ingenious design. I'll give it one more chance after I change the wire puller for a lighter one.
It should work as shown in the video for sure.

Hey,

Glad folks find the device (whatever you call it) helpful.

The wire I used is much, much lighter weight than coat hanger wire. And if you can see from the video, the wire protrudes from the lower end of a dowel that operates the "locking cam". In this fashion, the device hangs on the throwline and doesn't tend to flip. I also wanted to make it as light weight as possible so the 14 oz throwbag would have enough counter mass to pull it across the "gap".

When I deploy the BLC (I call it the Burch line grabber!) I size up the diameter and general placement of the limb that it is headed to and re-bend/adjust the wire "to fit". Sometimes, I send the BLG across the gap and its not quite right so I quickly pull it back to me and make the necessary change... In this way one can send the BLG on its way even if the limb is higher or lower than the climber. The device doesn't "care" where its going. Just bend the wire correctly to "snag" the down side of the line....

My wire is only about 12" long so I can't work it on a limb bigger in diameter than about 8". It would be neat to have a wire that protrudes outward, which is somehow adjustable in its length. I'll work on that design next! My energy at the moment is perfecting the use of a wrist-rocket sling shot with a Zebco fishing reel duct-taped to the handle so I can shoot monofilament and a small weight to get where I want to go...

Cheers,

EB