GRCS : Good Rigging Control System

GRCS stands for 'Good Rigging Control System', and that's exactly what it is. Greg Good invented the GRCS to raise and lower tree wood with control.

The GRCS is essential for rigging large timber. The Harken winch adds serious lifting power to your crew, and helps lift downed limbs and trunk sections - especially helpful on storm cleanup jobs. The aluminum bollard allows for rigging down heavy wood with control, and shines when working on a site which must be preserved from damage.

Investing in the GRCS quickly pays off, not just in rigging down wood, but in allowing the crew to lift heavy wood with the mechanical advantage of the winch.

The GRCS has an aluminum rope brake with large surface are for taking wraps. This rope brake dissipates friction heat, and the heavy duty fairleads ensure proper line angles. The overall lowering experience on the GRCS is smooth and controlled. Using the aluminum rope brake, the GRCS has a Working Load Limit (WLL) of 2,000 lb.

The GRCS aluminum rope brake can be changed out for a Harken capstan winch. Two settings provide a 44:1 or 22:1 mechanical advantage, and a dead-lift rating of 3,000 lb. Multiple fair leads position the rope on the winch drum for tangle-free operation.

A single ground person can use the GRCS to lift, lower, and lock off tremendous loads quickly, and safely, all without tying knots.

In 2012, the GRCS was updated with an improved winch, the Harken 46 Arborist. It has a taller drum, allowing for a full 5 wraps with a 3/4" lowering line. The self-tailer has been changed to accommodate the larger diameter ropes used in our industry. The new version was found to be just as tough and provides even more pulling power!

The GRCS attaches firmly to the tree trunk with a 20' cinch strap tightened with the included 36" tensioning bar. Rubber pads on the mounting plate protect the tree from damage and ensure a good hold for the unit. If protecting the tree is not a concern, an additional visor mount is available which can be placed in a kerf cut into the tree to help keep the unit positioned correctly when rigging very heavy loads. See our full range of GRCS repair parts and accessories.

The CRCS was invented by Greg Good in Wisconsin.

Features & Benefits of the GRCS

• Quickly switch between capstan winch and rope brake
• Raise loads with ease thanks to the capstan winch
• Lower with absolute control on the aluminum bollard
• Mounting assembly secures to tree with wide cinch strap
• Run ropes up to 3/4"

GRCS Specs

• GRCS Rope Brake WLL: 2,000 lb
• GRCS Arborist Winch Dead Lift Rating: 3,000 lb
• GRCS Winch Mechanical Advantage: 44:1 or 22:1
• GRCS Max Rope Diameter: 18mm (3/4")

The GRCS Story, from inventor Greg Good

In 1997 we had a contract to remove a dead silver maple tree growing over a house with a tile roof. The job site made crane access impossible, but trees adjacent to the silver maple offered rigging points for moving pieces of the silver maple away from the roof. The only thing needed was a way to hoist the limbs gently up and away from the tile roof. We were running just a two man show at the time so we needed to empower the ground man. This job gave me the impetus to act on an idea I had about using a yacht winch for tree rigging. I certainly wasn't the first to do this, other arborists like Glenn Riggs in Philadelphia had worked with winches, but in the pre-internet days arborists often worked in their own small orbits and information wasn't shared as it is today.

I acquired a Harken model 44 self tailing winch and bolted it to a thick aluminum plate with the idea that the aluminum plate could slide into a mounting bracket which would strap to a tree. The mount was cobbled together from steel plate and angles that we had lying around the shop.

We did the silver maple removal and realized that having real mechanical advantage available on any tree we were working on was something good.

As we gained experience rigging with the winch, it became apparent that fairleads on the mount to prevent turns of the rope from crossing over on the drum were necessary. Each time we did a job using the winch we found new ways to use it. Before long we were using it on every job.