Thread: friction hitches,how safe are they!!?

I trust my friction hitch more than a mechanical device any day.

Originally Posted by TreeCo

I've been a VT climber for six or so years now but always use a traditional system for my second tie in off the end of my main climbing rope. The best thing about the traditional system is.......it's always there!

Good point. Its always good to know how to set it and use if needed. I wonder what percent of new tree workers leap frog right over traditional rigging and would not know how to set it up if caught in a bind with few options.

yea right now and well always ive used just 120' TB rope a classic saddle ,one snap and "my own varietion of the BH" about to add a MP and a biner.

no offense whatso ever to yu guys but i just dont see the need for a whole bunch of stuff honestly,i GET the micro pulley,i tried one out on another guys equipment and loved it i call that a necessity honestly

have you guys ever seen the key chain biners? well have you seen the ones that come withholes in them to add links ? or all ready have the circles to put the keys onto

its a WONDER there havent been biners made with pulley's attached or somthing like that i dunno just a thought

I've got three of these, I use them on speedlines:



http://www.sherrilltree.com/Professi.../Carabiner-285

If you really want a secure pulley/carabiner, you can always step up to this upgrade: http://www.ultrarob.com/shop/product...er-Pulley.html

Those revolver biners look sweet. Have yet to try them out. I've got three captive eyes I use for speed lines.

I was a bit disappointed with how well they perform on the speed line.

They are plenty sturdy, and they are easy to use, but the small diameter of the roller does not really freewheel down the rope as well as I had hoped. The little roller does do a very nice job of protecting the carabiner and rope from damage, but it does not roll down the speed line as well as a real pulley. I think the small diameter roller incurs too much friction. My 2 inch CMI pulley would run away from it in a race to the ground.

They do slide down better than a carabiner with no roller at all.

Originally Posted by MonkeyMan_812

I trust my friction hitch more than a mechanical device any day.

45 years on a tautline and it hasn't failed me yet.

Rollout hahaha only happens when the knot is undressed.

Originally Posted by freeweight

but im curious ,just how well would these hitches stop 220pounds falling a good ways ...

I think your body will break before the hitch cord does. I guess it depends what you mean by "falling a good ways", none of the stuff we climb on is intended to catch a big fall.
-moss

Originally Posted by MonkeyMan_812

I trust my friction hitch more than a mechanical device any day.

The whole mechanical ascender/descender issue is a joke, to my way of thinking. It is a way for companies to keep coming up with new toys, ever so often, so they can rip you off. Give me my climbing line, a split-tail with a Blake's and my saddle, and I'll get around in a tree just as easily, and safely, as those with all of the fancy, new gizmos.

OK, I just thought of something: I do use a CMI foot ascender when I need to get up on my rope while it's hanging in the middle of nowhere. Other than that, I'm hip thrusting up using my Blake's.

Both mechanical and traditional rope only systems have their advantages. I come from a background of rope access over the last 15 years - rock climbing, caving, mountains rescue work and industrial access. If you are talking purely about ascension on a rope then you might as well forget using a prussik or variations of same - mechanical devices are the only way to be efficient and fast. I started on very basic equipment - harnesses tied together from webbing, prussiks, everything rope, no biners or devices.

There are many levels of roped access though. When climbing, systems are dynamic for shock absorption. For tree work, I figure its much the same as caving, only easier. Ive gone up as much as a vertical kilometer to get out of some caves, most of it freehanging on ropes with no chance of using feet and hands on slippery wet limestone. I'd challenge anybody to get up even a few rope lengths using only prussiks - its exhausting!

All systems have their place. Most guys in trees are really using the rope mainly for assistance. A lot of guys use spurs. We stand on branches a lot of the time, or climb them. I always climb using the branches in preference to using the rope, it's so much faster. Then the rope is there to catch me if a branch snaps or whatever. Again, when we move down the tree, our weight is only on the rope some of the time.

Whether rock climbing, in a tree, doing industrial access or any kind of rope work, I like to have options. With a couple of pulleys (hopefully one self locking) a couple of ascenders, a handfull of biners and maybe a belay device i can rig anything from a hall system to a quick ascension system, lower off, self belay or do a full rescue. I always carry prussik cords as a backup, and know many ways of adapting systems like using a few biners to make a belay brake etc.

Its not really worth rubbishing one in favor of the other - all systems have their benefits. While its true that most high quality (and high price!) purpose designed tools are going to do their job incredibly well, it's also true that they are likely to not do any other job. With only a piece of rope, I can do a lot. But with a small arsenal of specialised tools plus a piece of rope, there are so many options, and all of them are good.

Shaun

Mechanical ascenders have their place. I love mine. For getting into a tree without spiking they are great. But once I get up there I am working off of a friction hitch. I know of some who are working off of a mechanical system on a SRT line. More power to them.

Originally Posted by imagineero

Its not really worth rubbishing one in favor of the other - all systems have their benefits. While its true that most high quality (and high price!) purpose designed tools are going to do their job incredibly well, it's also true that they are likely to not do any other job. With only a piece of rope, I can do a lot. But with a small arsenal of specialised tools plus a piece of rope, there are so many options, and all of them are good.

Shaun

Nice post, Shaun.

Have you tried the Unicender? It is one specialised tool that can do many things very well.

Dave

As a lowlife dirt-sucking groundman of long standing who has had to tolerate and pick up after you bourgeois elitists through a thousand and one trees, may I say that you climbers talking about your trade is like listening to ten-year old girls debating the merits of the new Hannah Montana footwear line.

Now if you will excuse me, I will return to working harder than you for less money than you while having things dropped (thrown) on me from fifty-feet up.

Be nice to your ground-pounders, you altitudinal snobs.

Don't worry, we'll still carry your gear for you if it's too heavy.

Originally Posted by Groundman One

Be nice to your ground-pounders, you altitudinal snobs.

Dont worry too much.... From the ground, there isn't far to fall, all you can do is get down on your knees and grovel

Shaun

Originally Posted by imagineero

Dont worry too much.... From the ground, there isn't far to fall, all you can do is get down on your knees and grovel

Shaun

And make sure you put the damned oil cap on correctly! lol