Blake's hitch binding up

[jack76]

I bought a new 16 strand safety blue climbing line. I put a Blake's hitch on a traditional climbing system and proceeded to cut some branches off an oak too close to a house. When I went to descend the hitch would not release. I jostled it about up and down but it was frozen in place. Finally I had a leatherman on me and took out the screwdriver section and kept poking at the turns to separate them. After many tries I got to move the Hitch and then descended.
I have never had the hich bind up before on my old line.
Has anyone had this problem?
I just do this work for friends not for a living but being stuck up a tree was a little nerveracking.
My neighbor was home and I had a cellphone to call so I did have an out.

 

[Grace Tree]

Wow. Please don't dig on your hitch with anything. Learn to do a simple footlock on the tail of the rope and you can take enough weight off the hitch to loosen it with your free hand. I haven't used a blakes in a number of years but I can't ever recall one locking up that tight if it's tied properly.
Phil

 

[jack76]

Small wood I did the footlock to no avail. I used the phillips end but you are right I should not have dug anything in there. Once the hitch loosend everything was fine. I thought it might have been because it was a new rope.

 

[lxt]

Never heard of that!!! are you sure you tied a blake####ch?


LXT............

 

[jack76]

Blake's Hitch

I Tied it according to Tree Climbers companion and used it earlier that day on my older climbing line. I switched to my new line and tied it the same way. I kept it down at the workshop so tomorrow I will check it out. After the footlock did not work for me I sat on a branch and that is when I worked on the knot with the phillips end. After it loosened it worked up and down fine but I will double check tomorrow. Seeing this doesn't happen to anyone else I must have screwed up somehow. Tomorrow I will go practice again at a much lower height like 3 or 4 feet .

 

[RacerX]

When I used the Blake's in the past I did have it bind on me also but never to the point where I would need to pry it apart. Binding was one of the reasons that I stopped using it altogether.

 

[jack76]

racerx
I did come across another post on another site that experienced a binding problem but he weighed over 300 lbs. I 'm about 200 and have used the blake before and never had a problem.
I will experiment with other means of ascending now.

 

[RacerX]

racerx
I did come across another post on another site that experienced a binding problem but he weighed over 300 lbs. I 'm about 200 and have used the blake before and never had a problem.
I will experiment with other means of ascending now.

If you've never had a problem then maybe it's your new rope. Maybe some else who climbs Safety Blue with a Blake's can chime in.

 

[Tree Pig]

racerx
I did come across another post on another site that experienced a binding problem but he weighed over 300 lbs. I 'm about 200 and have used the blake before and never had a problem.
I will experiment with other means of ascending now.

I am 270 and when I did use a blakes I cant remember it ever binding bad, especially to a point like that. You tied or dressed it wrong, not sure how its pretty easy to tie.

 

[tree md]

I used the blakes very briefly many years ago and although it didn't bind as bad as you described, it just didn't run slick enough for me. I climbed for a lot of years on safety blue with a 3 coils on bottom, 2 coils on top prussic. That ran a lot smoother than a blakes and worked very will with my safety blue and big blue ropes. Of course you need to make sure you use a stopper knot and dress and set the knot properly which goes for any knot.

If it is binding to the point that you are having to jab it with a screw driver then something is seriously wrong. Binding like that is indicative of being heavily loaded or else you are getting you blakes wrong and using a different knot.

 

[sawinredneck]

I'm 275 and have had it lock on me, Arborplex on Arborplex. When I switched to Bee-line for a pursick life went a LOT easier! Arborplex is notoriously slick but for some reason two combined get sticky!
I also learned I had to tweak things on a VT going from Arborplex to Poison-hy-v to make everything happy. Added a twist and took a turn out.
It's about being able to fine tune your gear to you, what is written is a base line if you will, if it's grabby take a turn out, if it's slick put a turn in, just stay low and play with the systems until you learn what works for you!

 

[jwp]

I am a total rookie but this is what I have found. A new safety blue has a coating or something on it that makes it sticky or to have more friction. I tried climbing with a new rope and wore myself out before I had gone up 5 feet. Once the rope is used and starts to fuzz and soften all this sticking problem will probably go away. I use a modified blakes hitch (sometimes called a B53) which gives a little more friction for grip but also seems not to load up so tight.

 

[jack76]

Picture of line.. Bailey's wanted a picture
hope attachment works

 

[jack76]

Jwp

From one rookie to another. maybe that was the problem because today it works much better.
But I will take the advice of the other replies too and fine tune my techniques.

 

[Parrot Head]

I am 270 and when I did use a blakes I cant remember it ever binding bad, especially to a point like that. You tied or dressed it wrong, not sure how its pretty easy to tie.

What combo are using now? I'm about your weight at 250#. I'm using 3/8 beeline on 16 strand arbormaster tied with a klemheist. Works ok for 10 - 15 feet then locks up kinda hard.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[troythetreeman]

i prefer a tautline hitch, you can tie it with one hand, tho i usually go under twice, over once unless i want to be sure it doesnt slip, then under twice over twice
it will slip a little occasionally, just give the tail a tug to prevent this but i havent ever had it bind so tight it left me hanging
there are pros and cons to any friction hitch i guess

 

[Tree Pig]

What combo are using now? I'm about your weight at 250#. I'm using 3/8 beeline on 16 strand arbormaster tied with a klemheist. Works ok for 10 - 15 feet then locks up kinda hard.

Thanks,
Tom

7/16th line with 8mm beeline and a distel hitch.

 

[Parrot Head]

7/16th line with 8mm beeline and a distel hitch.

Thanks stihl, I think I might try the distel again. Last time I tried it was with 5/16 ice tail and it locked hard. With the distel does it matter how long the hitch is?(the cord left over after the hitch is tied). The ice I was using probably had a foot of cord left over to hook to the biner.

 

[Tree Pig]

Thanks stihl, I think I might try the distel again. Last time I tried it was with 5/16 ice tail and it locked hard. With the distel does it matter how long the hitch is?(the cord left over after the hitch is tied). The ice I was using probably had a foot of cord left over to hook to the biner.

To tell you the truth I use a very short prusik like maybe 22-24" just enough to do a four wrap distel and clip to biner and I use an williams ball lock with a micro pully between the legs of the distel for tending. The set up seems to run very smooth.

 

[stoneland]

I climb with a blakes and and new england rope and i have had a similar experience. Now i take three turns on the top, and it slides nice and easy. Im also 210 Lbs.