Wire core lanyard hitches?

[BostonBull]

What is everyone who uses a wire core lanyard using for a hitch? I am on the standard hip prussic that comes with it but want to change it. I have heard that some, not sure which, hitches dont work so well with a wire core.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

IMO a Gibbs or similar unit is best for this application!!!

 

[beowulf343]

IMO a Gibbs or similar unit is best for this application!!!

I don't know, can't help you BB, don't like wirecores. And the Gibbs is the reason why. Releasing it under tension blows. Climbed with a wirecore for a month-got into a bad situation (slip) and couldn't release the gibbs to lengthen my flip line. What a pita.

 

[rahtreelimbs]

IMO a Gibbs or similar unit is best for this application!!!

I don't know, can't help you BB, don't like wirecores. And the Gibbs is the reason why. Releasing it under tension blows. Climbed with a wirecore for a month-got into a bad situation (slip) and couldn't release the gibbs to lengthen my flip line. What a pita.

While the Gibbs may be the best for this setup........I will agree that they suck for the reason beowulf343 describes!!!

 

[kennertree]

What is everyone who uses a wire core lanyard using for a hitch? I am on the standard hip prussic that comes with it but want to change it. I have heard that some, not sure which, hitches dont work so well with a wire core.

Do you mean an actual hitch in the steel core? I saw a guy climbing once that hitched the steel core to the D-ring on the saddle. Don't know what kind of hitch he was using but it seemed to work for him. Maybe somebody else has seen this before and can chime in as to what kind of hitch it was.

 

[RedlineIt]

I have a swiveling snap wire core prussic on my 5/8" wire core lanyard, and I have a swiveling snap wire core prussic for my 1/2" wire core lanyard, but I switched to a Petzl microcender on that.


I love the swivel snaps, make life so easy, but the microcender is utterly the bomb.

You'll want to mount it to your side D with a twisted clevis, try ordering Sherill's combo #30458. Comes as a package and it's a treat!


RedlineIt

 

[RedlineIt]

Do you mean an actual hitch in the steel core? I saw a guy climbing once that hitched the steel core to the D-ring on the saddle. Don't know what kind of hitch he was using but it seemed to work for him. Maybe somebody else has seen this before and can chime in as to what kind of hitch it was.

I think you're talking about a "catspaw". Old school, I climbed on it with spurs exactly ONCE. Safe and reliable, but a rank biatch to adjust.

Jepson shows a diagram, good to know if you get caught without gear or have a failure, but other than that, it's historic.


RedlineIt

 

[kkottemann]

You can use a flipline hitch but is is a pain on wire core, I tried it once..there really is no reason for a hitch though, there are many mechanical devices which help adjust, but several of the members do not seem to like them. A beeline and mico pulley would work well, tie a swabish or distal and go to town. I personally use the combo wire core from sherrill for most of my work, but have a extra large (home made) filpline for really big trees.

 

[CoreyTMorine]

I currently use a ½” newengland rope wirecore with a ropeman ascender. Works pretty well, much more positive than an Idaho cam, and releases under tension easily.

However, I am thinking about switching to 5/8” Kevlar 3 strand with a swedged cable core, attached with a becket bend or cats paw. All this talk of cut safeties and tying in twice has me thinking, and I’ve always had this setup on the back burner.

I think you're talking about a "catspaw". Old school, I climbed on it with spurs exactly ONCE. Safe and reliable, but a rank biatch to adjust.

Jepson shows a diagram, good to know if you get caught without gear or have a failure, but other than that, it's historic.


RedlineIt

I don’t think it’s historical, or maybe it is and we are fooling ourselves about how the convenience of ascenders doesn’t have a negative impact on safety. I have used ¾” manila with a wire core and becket bend and found that it worked well enough. One handed operation, you can let out slack while under a load, and it is really nice to hold on to. The down side is that if you need to change the length of your safety by a few feet, it takes a lot longer than with a Gibbs.

But your query seemed to be more about prussic style adjustment knots. I can’t work with one. Every time I look down and see that flimsy little, undersized line I’m sure that my saw will one day be pulled into it and send me plummeting to my doom; it wouldn’t take much to cut through 8 or 9 mm line and then it doesn’t matter how robust your flip line is. This has always been the part of Beranek’s Fundamentals that I most disagree with.

30 years ago treemen around here did a little bit of everything; pruning, cabling, firewood, lot clearing, fences, xmas trees, et cetera. In the past 20 years that has changed; work is done by companies or sole proprietors who are very specialized; firewood is done by processor or in dedicated firewood yards, single house lots by sheer and tractor and 18” chipper, heavy clearing involves big Treelan chippers and excavator chassis, xmas trees are sold by boy scouts. I wonder if that trend toward specialization is going to separate pruning and tree maintenance from removal work.

Lots of the questions coming up over the past couple of years seem to revolve around adapting light weight equipment, which is more desirable and suitable for pruning, to function in the more abusive environment of heavy removal work.

Years ago I tried having 2 different saddles, one heavy set up and one light, it didn’t work out well because I couldn’t switch back and forth and maintain a level of familiarity which allowed for automatic operation of each setup, I quickly went back to a hybrid climbing system.

As time goes on Rope & Saddle climbing becomes more and more distinct from Spur & Safety; perhaps it is time to revisit the idea of having two different set ups. Perhaps in time they will be two different occupations.

 

[Bermie]

I use a distel with a micro pulley. Works just fine, smooth adjustment and release. pic attached.
I've never been keen on the microcenders, just a personal thing!

 

[Sparko]

Machard Tresse.

 

[joesawer]

I use a distel with a micro pulley. Works just fine, smooth adjustment and release. pic attached.
I've never been keen on the microcenders, just a personal thing!

This way works great on a 1/2" flip line, releases under pressure and self tending. I use a simular set up on my small flip line. I have not found a suitable pully to make it work on 5/8" and 3/4" lines. So I use a gibbs on my 5/8 and an untended prussik on the 3/4".
The cats paw is pretty fast and efficiant once you get the hang off it. It needs big Ds wich are becoming rare.

 

[Stumpcutter1]

steelcore with a hook on each end and a prussic just like a double lanyard

 

[Sassafras]

My set up is very simple and slick. 8mm bee line and 1/2" 16strand Two ways you can do it: with eye and eye use hip prussic i use two leg prussic. put a #2 swivel dog snap behind it to tend your slack. Simple, quick, and adjustable under tension. For a 2 in 1 set up use the eye and eye to tie a two leg or french prussic if you use a dog snap to tend slack make sure to put the dog snap on the other side of the hitch when you use the other end of the flip line. very similar to Bermie's set up, I cut out the micro pulley and replaced it with the dog snap, it saves noise, gear and weight. 5/8" or 3/4" flip lines probably need the #3 dog snaps. 5/8" might be the tweener go #2 or #3 not sure depends how tight you like it. Many of the common eye and eye hitches work well i experimented with a handful and ended up back to the two leg because it worked best with the dog snap. different prussic cord, ropes, wire cores probably react a little different to the various hitches. I say experiment with them you'll find one that works for your set up.

 

[joesawer]

My set up is very simple and slick. 8mm bee line and 1/2" 16strand Two ways you can do it: with eye and eye use hip prussic i use two leg prussic. put a #2 swivel dog snap behind it to tend your slack. Simple, quick, and adjustable under tension. For a 2 in 1 set up use the eye and eye to tie a two leg or french prussic if you use a dog snap to tend slack make sure to put the dog snap on the other side of the hitch when you use the other end of the flip line. very similar to Bermie's set up, I cut out the micro pulley and replaced it with the dog snap, it saves noise, gear and weight. 5/8" or 3/4" flip lines probably need the #3 dog snaps. 5/8" might be the tweener go #2 or #3 not sure depends how tight you like it. Many of the common eye and eye hitches work well i experimented with a handful and ended up back to the two leg because it worked best with the dog snap. different prussic cord, ropes, wire cores probably react a little different to the various hitches. I say experiment with them you'll find one that works for your set up.

Thanks for the tip. I will play with the snaps.

 

[booboo]

Bermie's set-up is simple and slick, though I'm in agreement that the micro pulley is not really necessary but I'll bet it is smooth. I'm with Beowulf on this one though. I don't care for wirecore, tried it for a short while and never really got used to it. One of the first things I was taught was to never even fire up the saw until you knew exactly where your ropes were and that they were well clear of the cut. Knock on wood, I have yet to hit my climbing line or lanyard, which I credit to always making a mental double check of where they are. Could it happen? Sure. That's why you'll see me double tied.

Corey's got an interesting point too. I also tried 2 saddles set up differently for different work a number of years ago and canned that idea pretty fast too. It was a pain switching back and forth. I prefer knowing exactly where my stuff is all the time, how it feels etc... While there are outfits that do almost exclusively preservation work, i.e., very few removals and most outfits have a crew that does most of their big removals, I doubt that the industry will specialize so much that it's either pruning or removals, but not both. For small companies, like where I am, you need to be good at both to survive. It's market driven also. In large, high end markets, specializing in preservation or large removals is possible. In more rural areas, again like mine, you've got to be able to do both.