From start to finish, here is how our team and ranch ropes are made right here in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Boxes of raw materials arrive weekly at our warehouse. High quality threads (nylon and polyester) from around the world arrive monthly at our warehouse. Almost every rope we make uses some type of white thread, but we also have thread in almost every color of the rainbow.
Various combinations of materials are threaded onto the hooks of a specialized machine that then twists the threads into either three strand or four strand rope bodies. The bodies are kept in sets, and moved to the side.
These bodies are rough to the touch, stiff, and will kink easily at this point.
Each bundle of rope bodies them goes to the wax process. They are immersed in our thermostatically controlled wax vat, which gives the rope both body and memory. Once removed from the wax, bodies are hot stretched and then set aside to cool and relax.
Did you know?
A ranch rope has over 1 mile of thread in it.
Did you know?
Our facility can produce 400-500 ropes in a single day.
Did you know?
It only takes 40 seconds to spin a ranch rope, but it will have over 1,000 twists in it.
Did you know?
We keep about 20,000 lbs. of thread on hand.
Did you know?
A rope will shrink about 10% when it is placed in the wax.
Did you know?
Our products can be found in every state and also 17 countries.
Each bundle is then moved to another facility where our experience employees hand tie each hondo (eye). Then, the rope is stretched again, this time to tighten and set the eye.
The employees then hand sew a rawhide or leather burner into each eye, and finish the tail. A team rope will be given a shrink tag, and then tied with a single crown, where a ranch rope will be sealed with a shrink tag and the end will be melted.
Next, the ropes spend the night laying on the floor. This is a very important as time allows the crowns to relax and return to their original positions. Skipping this step and coiling the rope immediately, leads to ropes that swing inconsistently among other problems.
One by one, each rope is threaded and coiled by experienced employees who operate our exclusive coiling machine. The rope is given a specific amount of kick, coiled up to a consistent size, and secured with twist ties. Our exclusive coiling process eliminates variations from batch to batch leading to more consistent ropes throughout the year.
Rubber gators are placed on our Gator team ropes. Other ropes, such as Rocky Mtn. Ropes, receive our new informational hang tags. We keep over 300 different styles of ropes, constantly rotating them to keep them fresh. When an order is placed, the ropes are pulled from the shelf and sent out to the customer.