There’s been a lot said about roping ie: tying a dolly or double dolly, splitting between hooks ect, but not a lot said about something I was taught how to do and that was how to splice a loop in a rope and how to splice two ropes together and back slice the loose end, don’t ask me to show you now I’ve long forgot but was all part of the learning for me back then, anybody else learn to do this?
Ossie
OssieD:
There’s been a lot said about roping ie: tying a dolly or double dolly, splitting between hooks ect, but not a lot said about something I was taught how to do and that was how to splice a loop in a rope and how to splice two ropes together and back slice the loose end, don’t ask me to show you now I’ve long forgot but was all part of the learning for me back then, anybody else learn to do this?Ossie
My Dad taught me how to tie dollys and how to splice a loop which I can still do and also tying thread round end of rope to stop it fraying/unwinding.
One of our old tipper drivers (still around and in his nineties) used to take time to splice his ropes neatly together when fitting them to his sheet eyelets, most of us just tied them on with a knot and cracked off down the road! I asked him once why he did this, “Because I can” was the answer! 
Pete.
windrush:
One of our old tipper drivers (still around and in his nineties) used to take time to splice his ropes neatly together when fitting them to his sheet eyelets, most of us just tied them on with a knot and cracked off down the road! I asked him once why he did this, “Because I can” was the answer!Pete.
Hiya,
I always found the “pig sticker” part on my old army jack-knife was a useful tool when
splicing ropes, and yes all us oldies could splice loops and ropes together and did, I did
however always splice a loop on both ends of my securing ropes, and in the words of
“Windrush” because I could and it saved looking for the plain end at wrapping up time.
thanks harry,long retired
Always used to splice loops in the old days but I’m afraid I got a bit lazy toward the end of my working days and just tied a knot like all the other tossers!
I too remember how rope hooks were bolted to cross members with two bolts. How come I can’t remember any of them failing? Maybe the double dolly wasn’t putting as much strain on them as we imagined but most of us never had anything fall off. I was reminiscing last week about the loads of charcoal we used to haul from the Forest of Dean to Maryport in hessian bags. The loads were about 14 feet high on a little Ford D-series and we had to go via Carlisle to miss a low bridge. Never had a single load shift.
Hi ROF, where did you deliver the charcoal to at Maryport ? and where was the low bridge you had to avoid ? The only one i can think of was the Keswick railway overbridge on the A66 as you enter Keswick off the A 591. I used to pass through it with three decks of sheep or 11 rounds of bales on an LAD cabbed Albion Clydesdale back in 1962 onwards.
I agree that rope hooks bolted through the crossmembers with two bolts were certainly adequate for most handballed loads and also packing case loads.
Cheers Leyland 600
Retired Old ■■■■:
Always used to splice loops in the old days but I’m afraid I got a bit lazy toward the end of my working days and just tied a knot like all the other tossers!
I too remember how rope hooks were bolted to cross members with two bolts. How come I can’t remember any of them failing? Maybe the double dolly wasn’t putting as much strain on them as we imagined but most of us never had anything fall off. I was reminiscing last week about the loads of charcoal we used to haul from the Forest of Dean to Maryport in hessian bags. The loads were about 14 feet high on a little Ford D-series and we had to go via Carlisle to miss a low bridge. Never had a single load shift.
As I said the other week you started with a horse in front then progressed to a chap with a red flag lol
OssieD:
There’s been a lot said about roping ie: tying a dolly or double dolly, splitting between hooks ect, but not a lot said about something I was taught how to do and that was how to splice a loop in a rope and how to splice two ropes together and back slice the loose end, don’t ask me to show you now I’ve long forgot but was all part of the learning for me back then, anybody else learn to do this?Ossie
my old man (a fisherman who also knit his own nets) tried many times to show me those tricks , I would watch and copy then promptly 
forget
My old man also showed me once the rope is spliced put it onto the ground and run your foot over it back and forth a few times to tighten up the splice then trim any loose ends off. The new rope would also need stretching to remove the twist from being coiled by putting the eye end over a hook and then turn it around the next hook for extra hold run out the length of rope twist it around the arm and then give three or four pulls making sure if anything goes you won’t go A over T, worked a treat then the new rope could be thrown and recoiled easier without twisting. Its probably this side of roping that gets forgotten about over time and is lost. Franky.
Frankydobo:
My old man also showed me once the rope is spliced put it onto the ground and run your foot over it back and forth a few times to tighten up the splice then trim any loose ends off. The new rope would also need stretching to remove the twist from being coiled by putting the eye end over a hook and then turn it around the next hook for extra hold run out the length of rope twist it around the arm and then give three or four pulls making sure if anything goes you won’t go A over T, worked a treat then the new rope could be thrown and recoiled easier without twisting. Its probably this side of roping that gets forgotten about over time and is lost. Franky.
So, Franky, you can see why w****** like me would take a loop, wrap it round , pull it through and hook it on! Life’s too short!
I can still do a dolly though!
John
Does any one know why a “dolly” is so called, it wasn’t any thing to do with holding up body parts on Dolly Parton was it ? just a thought, Buzzer.
Ha ha aye John sometimes the shortcut ways won through especially when the weather was rough. Buzzer it was called a Dolly because the shape of the knot, small loop at the top and larger loop at the bottom looked like a kids old style rag doll or Dolly, nothing more complicated than that. Wonder how many sheets it took to fully cover Parton! Franky.
Frankydobo:
My old man also showed me once the rope is spliced put it onto the ground and run your foot over it back and forth a few times to tighten up the splice then trim any loose ends off. The new rope would also need stretching to remove the twist from being coiled by putting the eye end over a hook and then turn it around the next hook for extra hold run out the length of rope twist it around the arm and then give three or four pulls making sure if anything goes you won’t go A over T, worked a treat then the new rope could be thrown and recoiled easier without twisting. Its probably this side of roping that gets forgotten about over time and is lost. Franky.
We always made our ropes 90ft long and spliced the eyes in and rolled them under the boot as well just as Franky explained. Cheers Bewick.
Frankydobo:
Ha ha aye John sometimes the shortcut ways won through especially when the weather was rough. Buzzer it was called a Dolly because the shape of the knot, small loop at the top and larger loop at the bottom looked like a kids old style rag doll or Dolly, nothing more complicated than that. Wonder how many sheets it took to fully cover Parton! Franky.
Hiya,
“Frankydobo” it’ll take quite a few sheets to “hap” up Dolly there’ll be quite a lot of
plastic there and you’ll need to be careful where you put your feet. 
thanks harry, long retired.
Harry iv’e been told that they are all Dolly’s no artificial not that I have personally had a feel, wouldn’t mind though Buzzer.
harry_gill:
Frankydobo:
Ha ha aye John sometimes the shortcut ways won through especially when the weather was rough. Buzzer it was called a Dolly because the shape of the knot, small loop at the top and larger loop at the bottom looked like a kids old style rag doll or Dolly, nothing more complicated than that. Wonder how many sheets it took to fully cover Parton! Franky.Hiya,
“Frankydobo” it’ll take quite a few sheets to “hap” up Dolly there’ll be quite a lot of
plastic there and you’ll need to be careful where you put your feet.
thanks harry, long retired.
just tie a plank to your arse “H” ! 
Anon1.
just finished roping and sheeting this in my living room-what a pain in the arse tying dollies with a pair of tweezers lol
very good well done
andrew.s:
just finished roping and sheeting this in my living room-what a pain in the arse tying dollies with a pair of tweezers lol
0
Leyland600:
Hi ROF, where did you deliver the charcoal to at Maryport ? and where was the low bridge you had to avoid ? The only one i can think of was the Keswick railway overbridge on the A66 as you enter Keswick off the A 591. I used to pass through it with three decks of sheep or 11 rounds of bales on an LAD cabbed Albion Clydesdale back in 1962 onwards.
I agree that rope hooks bolted through the crossmembers with two bolts were certainly adequate for most handballed loads and also packing case loads.
Cheers Leyland 600
I can’t remember the name of the foundry just outside Maryport- it’s a bit too long ago for my memory! I believe it was the Keswick bridge that caused the diversion although I can’t recall the exact height of either the bridge or the load!
And don’t take too much notice of that young lurpak chap, he drives his loads on and off and wouldn’t know a fly sheet if it jumped up and wrapped itself around him. And if Fatface is to be believed he spends all of his free time shopping, partying or blowing through bits of metal tube.
Hi ROF The foundry would be Joseph Wharton & Co, South Quay, Maryport I guess. No need to go round by Carlisle you should have used the B5305 from Catterlen now jct 41 just north of Penrith to Wigton and dont be afraid of the 1 in 8 Doctors Brow at Sebergham. Engage bottom gear and be patient in climbing the steep part which will take just over one and a half minutes, much faster then fighting your way through Carlisle traffic and adding 18 miles to the journey.
Cheers, Leyland 600
