Any Rope Wrench or Hitch Hiker users here?

[NHlocal]

Okie dokie...might need to give it a whirl, bro. Thanks for the feedback.

Burnham, I'm sure no expert so I rely on picking up as much information from people like you
and David who understand more about climbing and tree work than I ever will. I take in as much
as I possibly can and apply it to the best of my ability to improve how I climb and do tree work.
If I find something that helps me improve that I haven't seen or heard about I don't hesitate to
pass it along so it might help someone else.
I know I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, this is one of the great things about the TreeHouse,
so many people with so much knowledge and experience and willing to share it/pass it on to others. I love that.
I don't have anyone here to help teach me so you all are like my climbing partners/teachers, THANKS!!!

 

[Burnham]

Goes both ways, my friend. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[NHlocal]

 

[bstewert]

HOw do you mean, Bob?

I use one rope for ascending SRT, then haul up or carry up a second rope that is pre-rigged Ddrt and switch, temporarily or permanently abandoning the SRT line. At least for fir trees, which is what I'm in mostly. I know the secret weapon system, but that is still two ropes. Am I reading here that there is a switchover system using only one rope?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

You would have to girth hitch a crotch or limb with a running bowline or something and then untie when you get to it. Or have a groundie untie your base tie so you can change up.
Girth hitching would require you to isolate your TIP to send up the running knot

 

[bstewert]

Yeah, sometimes I do that using an alpine BF. But changing to Ddrt would still be a time-consuming PITA. Seems like I have heard about a changeover with the HH specifically, that is easy and quick.

 

[NHlocal]

Yeah, sometimes I do that using an alpine BF. But changing to Ddrt would still be a time-consuming PITA. Seems like I have heard about a changeover with the HH specifically, that is easy and quick.

This video that Nick Bonner put out might help explain.....

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BWEqDgaux8g?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[JMcC]

I've been using a loopie at the base. My spliced eye clips in with a butterfly 2' above for rescue. Srt up to the tip, lanyard in, have my groundie unclip me and pull the eye up to me. Then I set a retrievable friction saver. It's working well for me.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Bob, what do you like about working DdRT, rather than SRT?

 

[Burnham]

Here's my attempt at encorporating a slack tender pulley into my HH system. DMc inspires with his free thinking ways, to modify as needed any bit of gear as he sees fit.

I took a cheapo REI rescue pulley that had been gathering dust in the bottom of a gear chest for several decades, took it apart and reversed the cheek plates, then customized their profiles with a vice, anvil, and hammer so the side plates JUST fit outside the side plates of the HH. Had to waller out the biner holes a smidgen to ease the mounting fit, but otherwise it was not much effort. Think I need to open those holes a bit more, actually.

I'm not 100% happy with it...it's fiddly to rig, and once in a while when I go to take up slack the tailing rope drops outside of the pulley sideplates and I have to stop and drop it into the sheave. The better I pay attention, the less this happens . Dang it .

Anyway, it ain't that hard to do. Dave shows the way, yet again .

A few pics:

 

[DMc]

Nice, Burnham! There are several aspects of that I really like and you have given me more ideas. Do watch the lowest bolt on the HH and how the pulley and it play together. You can see in this picture that I removed the button head and replaced it with a flush mounted machine screw.

Also, with the pulley in that position, the pull-up tailing movement will still partially use the carabiner in the bend radius. When the pulley is in the lower position the carabiner is basically free floating so you will get the maximum amount of smoothness from the setup.

I can see pros and cons in both systems, good stuff.

 

[GemCutter]

The lower pulley placement also allows the neck/shoulder strap connection for tending to attach to the bridge ring instead of the added tether on the HH. I'm guessing this pushes the carabiner straight up vs being pulled back and up by the tether resulting in a smoother release while climbing.

 

[Burnham]

Thanks, guys. Yes, Dave...re that buttonhead bolt, noted it as a possible issue. I'm going to do some adjustments to several aspects of my pulley...or maybe rejigger completely. It's all an experiment for entertainment to me, at this point in my "career" .

 

[Burnham]

Here's the current setup, and no surprise...following Dave's advice produced much improved handling.

I monkeyed with the sideplate profiles again. Works a treat now.

I'm still on the fence about which attachment for advancing the HH on ascent, but it may well be that the tether works better down on the sliding bridge ring, as noted by GemCutter.

 

[DMc]

...I'm still on the fence about which attachment for advancing the HH on ascent, ...

Looking good, my friend. Add a foot and knee ascender and I'm betting you will have a hard time wiping the grin off your face.

About where to attach your chest harness, the bridge ring is best IMO. It is smooth and consistent even at off angles, but it is important to use some sort of corner trap at the HH carabiner interface. With the pulley unloading the carabiner it can get crossed up, = not good.

 

[Joezilla11]

My taped tether came apart on me 3 times today so I ended up clipping into the bridge ring and it wasn't all that bad. These posts have me wanting to add a pulley now! I can see how that would improve performance now

 

[Burnham]

Looking good, my friend. Add a foot and knee ascender and I'm betting you will have a hard time wiping the grin off your face.

About where to attach your chest harness, the bridge ring is best IMO. It is smooth and consistent even at off angles, but it is important to use some sort of corner trap at the HH carabiner interface. With the pulley unloading the carabiner it can get crossed up, = not good.

That was long ago done, my friend.

I'm using a Petzel Basic attached to a Sherrill footloop, with a bit of small diameter bungee from the hardware store for the knee, and the Pantin on the right foot...until just this week. Changed to the CMI foot ascender after the last straw of unintentioned kickout . In most of my past SRT iterations, going back to the mis-named Sherrill Frog, as well as DRT assist for the footlock-challenged before that, I've always been able to work with the Pantin. But for this system, whatever the reason may be, I'm liking the camlock the CMI has.

Thanks for the advice re the corner traps...as well as all the other details. Again I will say it, DMc has it down...no matter what the subject. And if he doesn't, his fine life partner S. does .

 

[Joezilla11]

Added a pulley and I gotta say u guys were right on. I even made a video talking about it but when I watched it my helmet blocks most of the view! I feel like a doofus! I'll just have to try again.
The pulley really keeps the whole system upright and clipping into the bridge ring now has it advancing smoothly with minimal set back, and I can let out some slack on my bridge now. Slack tending is improved with ddrt as well but because it keeps the hh upright and it doesn't flop over and hit the eye splice when tending slack. It's one more thing to add on to the hh now but atleast it works well. I wonder if people are this finicky with the rope wrench?

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Where are you clipping in your DdRT termination, Joe? On your bridge ring, too?

 

[Joezilla11]

Yea on the ring. I wasn't before because I didn't like how they collided but the pulley solved that. After I posted that I went and tinkered with it a little bit more. I replaced my ring with a bat plate and used a carabiner in the last hole to capture the rope just like the pulley would. It had the same effect and kept everything upright for slack tending. I think this was yours/Bermys idea but I found the biner worked better with the plate vs a ring.

 

[bstewert]

This video that Nick Bonner put out might help explain.....

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BWEqDgaux8g?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It looks like there is no cambium saver for Ddrt, plus he's limb cinched, not base-tied, for SRT. Is that correct?

 

[bstewert]

Bob, what do you like about working DdRT, rather than SRT?

Sean, I read about guys climbing strictly one or the other. For me, it just depends on the tree or where I have to go in it, so both systems are useful. It's much easier for me to advance a Ddrt system. Some of my cat rescues are 100-150' in dense fir trees, and I find it easier to ascend/re-crotch descend with a short 80' Ddrt line in a backpack and long lanyard, rather than fight dragging a 150-200' rope.

If I can "free climb" most of the tree (still tied in), SRT is for preferred. If it requires a lot of strength or effort to move around, Ddrt is probably going to be in there somewhere.

 

[Joezilla11]

Ok two failed attempts at a video so here are some pics. This shows what I don't like when using it ddrt and I've had it get stuck in this position before
This next one shows how adding a pulley keeps the hh oriented upward when tending slack

 

[Joezilla11]

Now as much as I like how much better it functions with a pulley, here is what I think is a compromise of the two (I think it was actually bermy's idea?). By using a bat plate its simple and easy enough to just add a biner in the last hole and capture the rope like a pulley does. It's not as smooth but functions similarly and keeps the hh oriented upward as well when tending slack. It's simple and less bulky IMO and easier to clip in/out whether ddrt or srt. Put it on or off whenever u want. Also, using a biner with the bat plate seemed to work a bit better than a bridge ring in this setup.

 

[ClimbMIT]

Hey Joe have you had problems with the HH biner getting stuck sideways with the Pinto pulley?