**** Riggin

[2oolhound]

I thought I'd share this bit of technology I found in my travels this summer.

What is it?

A swivelling leader from a whaling ship?

Nope, it's the **** rigging from a logging skyline. The point where the main line connects to the haul back line on a skyline is under tremendous stress from twisting a mile or more of cable as it is stretched and turned over sheaves and wound and unwound onto drums. The **** rigging is where these 2 heavy steel cables join so it needs so swivel. Steel cable is much stronger than solid steel chain for example so these components have to be very high grade steel, tempered and hardened. It is also the place where the chokers hang down to be wrapped around logs, lifted and dragged to a landing where they are loaded. There are also tremendous stresses to the **** rigging from when the logs hit stumps and boulders etc. The chokers attach to the eye in the tang that is forged on the body of the barrel swivel.

This particular set up is very unusual in that it is so small (about 3' long and not much more than 100 lbs.) and the 2 barrel swivels face opposite directions. Normally both barrel swivels face the mainline so they drag through the ground smoothly and when in the air the front isn't pulled down causing stress. I don't know why this one is configured like this.

Here is a shot of one of the barrel swivels.

Each one is 12" and 5" thick for the main body and the swivels in the ends. An average sized barrel swivel is twice this big and would weigh as much as this whole rigging set up. Typically there would be between 2 and 5 barrel swivels in the **** rigging. I suspect the bright metal you see on the edge is stellite which was used abundantly in the bush up until the end of the 60's.

 

[RStewart]

Nice. Thanks.

 

[Fretters]

I was in two minds whether to read this thread, with a title like that.

 

[2oolhound]

I was in two minds whether to read this thread, with a title like that.

LOL that’s funny. I never considered the modern aspects of it. There’s not much info on this type of gear on the web so I wanted a simple title that would show in a search. “**** Rigging” is the actual proper tern you’d use for this in any cable or rigging supply shop or what you’d find in worker’s compensation board safety texts etc. Most of the terms in the industry were coined in the early 1900’s by some rough and tumble characters.

The earlier barrel swivels were just a short length of cable that passed through a steel plate at each end and a ferrule was installed on the ends. I doubt they would last long and that’s why these would have been invented.

 

[leg17]

I was in two minds whether to read this thread, with a title like that.

And both minds said "READ IT".

 

[2oolhound]

What I would really like to know is why it's configured like this with the 2 barrel swivels facing opposite directions. The only things I can think of is:

- it could have been used in a dry land sort or mill site to separate cedar to one deck and fir/hemlock the other way. (lame idea, rubber tired loaders are very efficient for this on flat ground)

- both were connected to one load as in cradling a load (small logs were often bundled in 6' round bundles).

- It is small, probably run on 5/8 or 3/4 line and maybe it ran more level when off the ground and loaded.

I'm guessing here because I've never seen one like this so curious why someone went to this trouble to produce it.

 

[Jon_E]

I am far from an expert on that stuff but I think you may be on to something with the load cradle.

Would a mill have set up a high line over a mill pond to grab specific timbers? That might also be a possibility.

 

[2oolhound]

Typically mills have a green chain in a trough that pulls logs out of the water. Log booms come into the holding pond and guys use 20' pike poles to sort and feed the green chain.

I bought it at an estate sale that was one of the original homesteads in the area but unfortunately the surviving family that was there didn't even know what it was and seemed to not believe what I told them it was so no help from there on it. I may weld the links together and hang a sign off it over my sidewalk gate but haven't decided. I had a full sized one of these up north but when I went back to get my big outdoor stuff after I'd moved someone had lifted it, probably for scrap. This one would look nice over a gate.

 

[Strouty]

I am going to say that someone welded the chain together to make them like that.

 

[2oolhound]

Hi Strouty, Thanks for your observations, you're absolutely right.

I've always understood these things were forge welded with stellite at all the seams and never took note of that centre link.

It did look odd as the other links don't contain stellite and it's joined right through the link like that not to mention the globby appearance. But yes that link was cut in half and welded in order to turn the one barrel swivel around like you say.

It still doesn't explain why someone did it in the 1st place but at least I know Esco didn't make it like this. I've been able to identify ESCO Corp as the maker who was founded in 1910. They have a sales office in Portland, Oregon which may be where this was made. Their website doesn't offer much background of their historical roots. I'd guess this was made some where around 1940 to 1960.



.
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[quattro_sinko]

I wonder if it could have been put together like that to allow pulling loads in either direction (uphill or downhill)

((I know nothing about logging rigging))

 

[Strouty]

I was thinking someone made it for a decoration of sorts.

 

[royce]

Typically mills have a green chain in a trough that pulls logs out of the water. Log booms come into the holding pond and guys use 20' pike poles to sort and feed the green chain.

I bought it at an estate sale that was one of the original homesteads in the area but unfortunately the surviving family that was there didn't even know what it was and seemed to not believe what I told them it was so no help from there on it. I may weld the links together and hang a sign off it over my sidewalk gate but haven't decided. I had a full sized one of these up north but when I went back to get my big outdoor stuff after I'd moved someone had lifted it, probably for scrap. This one would look nice over a gate.

2ool,
That thing is beautiful and I agrree it would look great over the gate.

Royce

 

[2oolhound]

I made a trip back to my brother's farm and found a real barrel swivel! This one is a mid sized one that would handle 1" - 1 1/8" mainline. (all rigging fixtures are classified by the size of the mainline used). A large barrel swivel is twice this size and used with 1 3/8" mainline.

Here is the photo of my small set of **** riggin with the mid sized barrel swivel: