So we just moved into a new house and I want to freak out the neighborhood.

Halloween decor is the perfect opportunity.

Our front yard has a ton of huge old oak trees. I'd like to hang a bunch of Halloween decorations, particularly "dead" people sitting on swings.

The tree limbs are much to high to climb and I don't have a really long ladder. Now, I can easily make a loop in a rope and throw it over the branch, but I want to make it removable so I don't have a buncha ropes hanging from my trees all year.

The only way I can come up with to make these ropes removable is to tie a smaller rope around the loops and hope that I can use the smaller rope to the loop through when I want to take the ropes down...from experience, this doesn't always work if the rope gets too tight around he branch.

The other option is to throw the rope of the branch and secure the other ends to the ground.

You guys have any ideas how to remove a rope from a high limb?

Maybe something rigged up with an extending pole. Metal hooks on the end of the rope. How high are the branches?

1. Tie something relatively heavy to one end to throw over the branch.
2. It will now be looped over the branch. Let the short end down and you have both ends.
3. Tie your item to both ends rather than tying off at the branch. When you untie the item, you can now just pull down the rope.

Throw one rope over. Then use a spreader up about as high as you can. The spreader makes it look better if need be, maybe a length of string to tie off to make it run parallel to limbs. Untie and pull on one end to remove.

You could drill out a dowel on both ends, pass the ropes through the dowel and tie them off. Make sure to leave a couple of inches of dowel on either side of the holes. Toss the dowel over the branch, loop the rope over the ends of the dowel and cinch down. Should be enough to hold. When you are ready to take them down just pull the ropes back over the dowel ends and you're done.

In my head it would work.

Please make sure you post pics when you get this finished up. Lol

When repelling in rock climbing you typically have both ends hang down together (and tie a knot in it so you don’t repel off the end). Then when you get down to that point you untie it and pull one end. Loop it over a solid point and repel down it again. This way you get off the mountain without leaving anything behind.

Your rock and rope over a high limb will work. Both ends on the ground.

If you do two ropes over two limbs (4 ends on the ground) you could tie two together and pull on the pair with the knot. Both other ends go up (with zombies attached). Tie off the knot to a lower limb. You could actually “bundle” as many ends as you want. Everything goes up as the big knot is pulled down. Just be sure your zombies are heavy enough to come down later.

Now some other thoughts -

If they fall down unintentionally somebody will drive by seeing a dead body in the yard. The local constabulary might not appreciate repeat calls to your address. If they blow loose and get entangled in the tree, you are going to become “that house” where kids forever have nightmares going by and intentionally cross to the other side of the street. Not that that is a bad thing...

quote:

Originally posted by Chris42:


If they fall down unintentionally somebody will drive by seeing a dead body in the yard. The local constabulary might not appreciate repeat calls to your address. If they blow loose and get entangled in the tree, you are going to become “that house” where kids forever have nightmares going by and intentionally cross to the other side of the street. Not that that is a bad thing...

Ha! Too funny!

Thanks for the recommendations guys!

Sounds like a great excuse to buy a line launcher if you ask me.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by BurtonRW:
Sounds like a great excuse to buy a line launcher if you ask me.

I like the way you think

Does the OP own an M14?

Bow and arrow with a spool of 20lb test monofilament attached to an arrow.

Shoot arrow over limb, use monofilament as a messenger line to pull rope up and over.

Tie slip knot in rope, pull tight. Trim off excess rope. Mount display item.

To remove the rope dig out under the tree, causing it to sink into ground. When limb is at easily reached height, untie knot. Done.

An alternative is to tie 784 Estes F50-T6 rocket engines to your back, and ignite, Wiley E. Coyote style.

Or use 9 wraps of det cord around the base of each tree.

A last resort is to hire either a trained monkey (contact SIGmonkey for recommendation) or a team of trained squirrels.

I just use paracord in a loop for the swing. Tie one end to something heavy like a large speaker magnet or large bolt or a few to throw over branch.

Trained mice to nibble through rope when you are done.

No elvish rope laying around?

quote:

Originally posted by Mikito:
No elvish rope laying around?

...frayed knot.

quote:

Originally posted by Fenris:
Trained mice to nibble through rope when you are done.

That's how Richard Gere did it.

Depending on how high the branch is; Maybe use an extendable branch pruner? You could use it to get the rope up and use the blade to cut it.

amateur radio operators use sling shots to fire a leader up over a limb for putting up temporary long wire HF antennas

How high are these "high" branches?