Water Bottle Throw Ball?

[Plebe]

Well, I saw @MattMan81's classifieds inquiry into a throw ball. He's probably not the only one testing the @John RB waters.

So I thought I'd get some throw ball and line discussion going.

I know John uses a coil of 50' throw line with a 16oz ball. His shopping list links a package with 3mm line.

@mtsrunner was using dynaglide (1.8mm) and a cube bag, @Bango Skank the same line with a 12oz ball. Others liked Samson ZingIt 2.2 mm w/14oz bag, they make 1.75mm as well.

@bj139 goes in for 300lb test Dyneema fishing line and a 12oz bag.

@Treehopper2 shared a neat trick to just toss your rope over limbs 16-20'. No balls needed.

Looking around arborist sites it's all over the board, except they all seem to agree the Harrison Rocket is a premium design.

Anyway, one arborist claimed to have good results with a water bottle tied to his throw line. I wonder if that's worth a try, given it could be repurposed twice. Once to drink, once to pee into.

Seems small diameter line allows a lighter throw ball, but is more likely to snap and possibly tangle? Thicker line pairs with heavier weights, and kept short is maybe manageable sans cube? Water bottle is, well, idk, clever?

Well, what's the wining combo?

 

[Inhunter]

I played around with a bottle the other day. It worked for a couple of throws, but ended up busting on me. It is a solid idea, but the bottle couldn't hold up.

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[Still Kicking]

I don't use throw lines as I preset with sticks but could you stuff the line inside the bottle and use it like a water rescue throw line? You hold the end of the line and throw the bottle. Might give it a try. It's no trick to throw 50 foot of 1/4" line that way.

 

[MattMan81]

So mine is in the tree. I was trying to hit the last tree on the way out, and it got stuck on the side of the tree. I wish I could have taken a picture that was good. But hard to get a good one 30ish foot up. It looks like it is hoovering on the side of the tree. I couldn't pull it down. Even when I walked way back. I was to tired to get my one stick out and go up and get it. So I left it for now. I will probably hunt it this fall. So I will get it back then. I will have to take a picture of what it's on. It's like it landed on a nub slightly sticking out..I could throw that thing a million times again, and probably never do it. But it's either in the knot of the rope, or the ring on the ball.....
Water bottle might be a good temp use if needed. I was pretty tired and was ready to go. But figured a back up is a good idea anyway.

 

[Plebe]

So mine is in the tree. I was trying to hit the last tree on the way out, and it got stuck on the side of the tree. I wish I could have taken a picture that was good. But hard to get a good one 30ish foot up. It looks like it is hoovering on the side of the tree. I couldn't pull it down. Even when I walked way back. I was to tired to get my one stick out and go up and get it. So I left it for now. I will probably hunt it this fall. So I will get it back then. I will have to take a picture of what it's on. It's like it landed on a nub slightly sticking out..I could throw that thing a million times again, and probably never do it. But it's either in the knot of the rope, or the ring on the ball.....
Water bottle might be a good temp use if needed. I was pretty tired and was ready to go. But figured a back up is a good idea anyway.

This is why the Harrison Rocket doesn't get the call. If it isn't unstuckable, that's a fair bit of quid of tree earring.

 

[MattMan81]

This is why the Harrison Rocket doesn't get the call. If it isn't unstuckable, that's a fair bit of quid of tree earring.

I had to Google Harrison Rocket......

 

[LoadedLimbs]

I’ll bite.

There’s a good reason why most arborists use a throw ball. They are filled with lead shot, narrow, and not rigid. All of these attributes help them slip through tight tree crotches without getting hung up. I like to use a 14oz cordura throw bag. Less weight doesn’t always pull the throw line through high crotches and/or the foliage encountered on the way back down. More weight is okay if you don’t mind carrying it, but I find the 14oz performs well enough for me. When I’m making presets, I always carry two throw balls and an extra hank of throw line, because I sometimes get one snagged and need a second one to free the first one.

I’ve tried 200 lb test dyneema fishing line, 1.8mm Dynaglide throwline, and Sampson Zing-it 2.2mm throwline.

My advice:
1. Skip the fishing line - it tangles too easily and doesn’t glide through tight tree crotches very well - it’s much more prone to snag.
2. Use a throw line cube - it helps prevent twigs and forest floor litter from getting wrapped in the line, and it helps prevent tangling of the line itself.
3. Choose Zing-it or Dynaglide because it has a slippery urethane coating that helps it glide through tight tree crotches and keeps it from getting tangled up when it is dropped on itself in a pile. I prefer the blue 2.2mm Sampson Zing-it that WesSpur.com sells. The royal blue color stands out in the canopy better than most other colors, and the 2.2mm line is higher strength if you have to yank hard on a stuck throw line. My second choice is fluorescent orange 1.8mm Dynaglide.
4. Use AT LEAST 100’ of throw line. When you’re throwing to a high crotch AND standing far enough back to get a good throw angle, you want to know that the ball can make it back to the ground. Don’t think that you’re only climbing to 20-30’ … consider that the crotch you want to use might be 40’ up, and that you need to stand back far enough to get a good throw angle so you’re not throwing straight up.

 

[LoadedLimbs]

This link has a good tip for freeing stuck throw balls that haven’t completely wrapped around a branch:

 

[Plebe]

I’ll bite.

There’s a good reason why most arborists use a throw ball. They are filled with lead shot, narrow, and not rigid. All of these attributes help them slip through tight tree crotches without getting hung up. I like to use a 14oz cordura throw bag. Less weight doesn’t always pull the throw line through high crotches and/or the foliage encountered on the way back down. More weight is okay if you don’t mind carrying it, but I find the 14oz performs well enough for me. When I’m making presets, I always carry two throw balls and an extra hank of throw line, because I sometimes get one snagged and need a second one to free the first one.

I’ve tried 200 lb test dyneema fishing line, 1.8mm Dynaglide throwline, and Sampson Zing-it 2.2mm throwline.

My advice:
1. Skip the fishing line - it tangles too easily and doesn’t glide through tight tree crotches very well - it’s much more prone to snag.
2. Use a throw line cube - it helps prevent twigs and forest floor litter from getting wrapped in the line, and it helps prevent tangling of the line itself.
3. Choose Zing-it or Dynaglide because it has a slippery urethane coating that helps it glide through tight tree crotches and keeps it from getting tangled up when it is dropped on itself in a pile. I prefer the blue 2.2mm Sampson Zing-it that WesSpur.com sells. The royal blue color stands out in the canopy better than most other colors, and the 2.2mm line is higher strength if you have to yank hard on a stuck throw line. My second choice is fluorescent orange 1.8mm Dynaglide.
4. Use AT LEAST 100’ of throw line. When you’re throwing to a high crotch AND standing far enough back to get a good throw angle, you want to know that the ball can make it back to the ground. Don’t think that you’re only climbing to 20-30’ … consider that the crotch you want to use might be 40’ up, and that you need to stand back far enough to get a good throw angle so you’re not throwing straight up.

You were one of the ones who recommended Zing-It. Thanks for chiming in. Glad to have your experience.

Just to clarify for others following, from my research, not all throw balls are filled with lead shot, so be careful when shopping to get what you need. Also, the shape is something that could make a small difference in performance.

One of the more expensive throw weights, the Throwpod Throw Weight, is actually a lead free rubber and polymer.

 

[Plebe]

I played around with a bottle the other day. It worked for a couple of throws, but ended up busting on me. It is a solid idea, but the bottle couldn't hold up.

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Maybe a Gatorade bottle then?

 

[Inhunter]

Maybe a Gatorade bottle then?

That might be the answer. I'll have to give it a try.

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[Plebe]

That might be the answer. I'll have to give it a try.

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We all know the wider opening will be advantageous during refilling. Hope it's durability and functionality is adequate to get there.

I doubt personally I'll rope climb pre-sets, so two pounds of throw balls doesn't excite me. I'm glad a bottle at least has potential as a back up.

 

[Topdog]

Out of the Big Shot I much prefer round throw balls, I have no idea what mine are filled with, I always assumed sand, the long and skinny ones always seem to tumble like a poorly thrown football, they get stuck more often as well in my opinion too. If I get one hung up I just tie it to the skid steer grapple and break the string releasing the ball, not an option when hunting I guess lol.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I’ll bite.

There’s a good reason why most arborists use a throw ball. They are filled with lead shot, narrow, and not rigid. All of these attributes help them slip through tight tree crotches without getting hung up. I like to use a 14oz cordura throw bag. Less weight doesn’t always pull the throw line through high crotches and/or the foliage encountered on the way back down. More weight is okay if you don’t mind carrying it, but I find the 14oz performs well enough for me. When I’m making presets, I always carry two throw balls and an extra hank of throw line, because I sometimes get one snagged and need a second one to free the first one.

I’ve tried 200 lb test dyneema fishing line, 1.8mm Dynaglide throwline, and Sampson Zing-it 2.2mm throwline.

My advice:
1. Skip the fishing line - it tangles too easily and doesn’t glide through tight tree crotches very well - it’s much more prone to snag.
2. Use a throw line cube - it helps prevent twigs and forest floor litter from getting wrapped in the line, and it helps prevent tangling of the line itself.
3. Choose Zing-it or Dynaglide because it has a slippery urethane coating that helps it glide through tight tree crotches and keeps it from getting tangled up when it is dropped on itself in a pile. I prefer the blue 2.2mm Sampson Zing-it that WesSpur.com sells. The royal blue color stands out in the canopy better than most other colors, and the 2.2mm line is higher strength if you have to yank hard on a stuck throw line. My second choice is fluorescent orange 1.8mm Dynaglide.
4. Use AT LEAST 100’ of throw line. When you’re throwing to a high crotch AND standing far enough back to get a good throw angle, you want to know that the ball can make it back to the ground. Don’t think that you’re only climbing to 20-30’ … consider that the crotch you want to use might be 40’ up, and that you need to stand back far enough to get a good throw angle so you’re not throwing straight up.

I was going to type a response, but this sums up my experience and lessons learned (the hard way).

 

[Gator]

A plastic bottle would be a no go right off for me from a noise perspective.

 

[Plebe]

A plastic bottle would be a no go right off for me from a noise perspective.

I can understand that thought.

Not sure a small Gatorade with the label removed would be all that loud, perhaps a coolie/koozie could deaden it.

But it won't make a difference for where and when I would use this climbing method.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

I could see how knowing how to make a throw ball out of a water bottle you had on you might come in handy to retrieve a stuck throw ball. There are a lot of tricks to retrieving stuck throw balls. I watched a bunch of arborists channels on YouTube to get some pointers. It's not a question of if but when.

 

[bowhunthard88]

I don't know as I'd see a water bottle being a primary option on the durability aspect lol. My preferred setup is a 12oz Notch throw weight on 1.75mm blue (easier for me to see) Zing-It. I have weights from 10-16oz and line from 1.75mm-3mm. My 12oz has enough weight to drag the 1.75mm through a tight crotch, but my primary reason is that this is by far the most accurate for me. Not for hunting, but I can still hit 70-90' with this, and hunting is about 30' tops with the amount of rope that I choose to carry.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Well, I saw @MattMan81's classifieds inquiry into a throw ball. He's probably not the only one testing the @John RB waters.

So I thought I'd get some throw ball and line discussion going.

I know John uses a coil of 50' throw line with a 16oz ball. His shopping list links a package with 3mm line.

@mtsrunner was using dynaglide (1.8mm) and a cube bag, @Bango Skank the same line with a 12oz ball. Others liked Samson ZingIt 2.2 mm w/14oz bag, they make 1.75mm as well.

@bj139 goes in for 300lb test Dyneema fishing line and a 12oz bag.

@Treehopper2 shared a neat trick to just toss your rope over limbs 16-20'. No balls needed.

Looking around arborist sites it's all over the board, except they all seem to agree the Harrison Rocket is a premium design.

Anyway, one arborist claimed to have good results with a water bottle tied to his throw line. I wonder if that's worth a try, given it could be repurposed twice. Once to drink, once to pee into.

Seems small diameter line allows a lighter throw ball, but is more likely to snap and possibly tangle? Thicker line pairs with heavier weights, and kept short is maybe manageable sans cube? Water bottle is, well, idk, clever?

Well, what's the wining combo?

A 12 to 14 ounce throwball is my preference. I’ve never used a water bottle as I assume it would bust open upon landing…. Something else I’ve used to great success is a normal cheap daisy sling shot from Walmart with a 6oz round bottom style fishing sinker. It shoots out of the sling shot much better than a big throw ball does and since we are only hitting limbs 25 to 35’ high, it’s plenty of weight. I also typically use the small dyneema dynaglide because it goes back into my throw cube really well. The only negative to the sinker is some times, you gotta work it a little harder to get the line to come back down if it hangs up. But if you lose it, it’s only a $2 sinker instead of a $15 throwball

 

[Plebe]

37 throws of a 12oz gatorade, Lemon-Lime, as high as I could throw, in the woods, with no line attached.

The test ended when the bottom of the bottle landed directly on the pointy remnant of a branch of a fallen log and was punctured. Though I had a refreshing beverage before it all ran out, lol.

It didn't make much noise at all, imo, unless it hit branches on the way up or good sized limbs on the forest floor. I'll have to see how much quieter a proper throwball is.

But, durability is an issue. Maybe I'll try again when I'm thirsty and see how it goes, lol.

I'm definitely going to see how accurately I can throw it with a line, as a possible backup.