Any Rope Wrench or Hitch Hiker users here?

[Levi]

Yep

 

[DMc]

Nope. The HH has other pluses besides just its compactness, nothing around or above the hitch, nothing to engage or set when coming to a stop after an ascent, no additional drag on a limb walk and it does not bend the rope to achieve its frictional component. That last one is a big deal. The HH is an outstanding tool.

 

[Levi]

If there were a slack tender buit in I might give it another go.

Dave, what's wrong with bending the rope?

 

[NHlocal]

Nope. The HH has other pluses besides just its compactness, nothing around or above the hitch, nothing to engage or set when coming to a stop after an ascent, no additional drag on a limb walk and it does not bend the rope to achieve its frictional component. That last one is a big deal. The HH is an outstanding tool.

I agree Dave, that's why I love my HH.

 

[Boomslang]

The whole slack tending thing is the most overrated hooey I ever hear. The HH tends just fine if you have it set up right.

The RW is just in the way ALL THE TIME. Plus the wrench still creates a bunch of drag when you go to move the hitch. I've tried the RW three times and have disliked it more and more each time.

 

[Climbhigh]

"The whole slack tending thing is the most overrated hooey I ever hear. The HH tends just fine if you have it set up right. "

Yep, It took me forever to figure out the HH compared to other devices. Must say I was having my doubts for a while But once I found the right combo it works great and is definitely my favorite for close in spar work. But after a few tweaks on the RW it is a close second and still tends easier than the HH for me at least.

 

[Tim_B.]

I'm probably not going to buy a ZK2, at the moment, as the ZK1 works fine. What kind of proper tether should I buy? A stick taped to the tether works okay, but its not as high performance.

Is there a commercially made tether for the HH1 that helps to keep it oriented? My homemade tech cord does okay, but again, not as high performance as a more purpose built one.

Here's a link to a post by Tony Knight that includes photographs of his process for making his Rope Wrench Flex Tether. It's a great idea. He also included a link in that post to a YouTube video of his prototype Flex Tether, with commentary by Tony.

http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/zk2-wrench-tether-v4.24363/page-2#post-344344

Here's a direct link to the video. I embed so infrequently that I can never remember how it's done, and I always seem to be up too late and too tired to want to research how to do it all over again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Fso_x0SIFrw

Tim

P.S. I can't answer your question about a commercially made tether for the HH1.

 

[Climbhigh]

Interesting, Thanks Tim.

 

[DMc]

If there were a slack tender buit in I might give it another go. Dave, what's wrong with bending the rope?

Like others have said, if the HH is not tending well it is not setup as well as it could be. But I still use a pulley under mine because it tends even better and gives me no trouble otherwise.

There is nothing wrong with belay tools that bend the rope as a means of friction control, it is how most accomplish it. The fact that the HH doesn't makes it unique. The main advantage to this is consistency. Anything that changes the tension on the tail end of the climbing line, like its own weight difference from the top to the bottom of a tall tree or moving through redirects, will change its load holding. With the HH once it is set it will maintain that setting no matter how much weight is applied below it.

 

[NHlocal]

Like others have said, if the HH is not tending well it is not setup as well as it could be. But I still use a pulley under mine because it tends even better and gives me no trouble otherwise.

There is nothing wrong with belay tools that bend the rope as a means of friction control, it is how most accomplish it. The fact that the HH doesn't makes it unique. The main advantage to this is consistency. Anything that changes the tension on the tail end of the climbing line, like its own weight difference from the top to the bottom of a tall tree or moving through redirects, will change its load holding. With the HH once it is set it will maintain that setting no matter how much weight is applied below it.

 

[Levi]

Thanks for the response Dave. I can't say I've noticed any difference in the performance of the wrench due to rope weight etc but I will keep an eye out for it.

 

[Climbhigh]

"Nope. The HH has other pluses besides just its compactness, nothing around or above the hitch, nothing to engage or set when coming to a stop after an ascent, no additional drag on a limb walk and it does not bend the rope to achieve its frictional component. That last one is a big deal. The HH is an outstanding tool."

"Like others have said, if the HH is not tending well it is not setup as well as it could be. But I still use a pulley under mine because it tends even better and gives me no trouble otherwise."

If the Rope wrench is "set up correctly" I never have to set it after an ascent, it always just grabs. Descending; just operate hitch, I don't even add friction with my belay hand, saves gloves that way (or skin). Limb walks/tending; smooth as the Rope runner. That is an interesting point about the rope bend and I know I've seen you mention that before. I guess that would come into play more as you gain height and or tail weight. just don't tie your 066 to the tail !

 

[Boomslang]

All performance quibbles aside, my biggest gripe with the RW is just how clunky it always felt. I can concede that it tends better or that it's smoother on limb walks, but all that is moot if I don't like the look and operation of the device. And for me the RW felt like it was always in the way during my climb.

 

[Raj]

With our low dollar up here, I like the economy of 4ft of hitch cord as opposed to the cost of an eye-eye.

 

[Tim_B.]

I use hitch cord with both my Hitch Hiker and my Rope Wrench. I just use the larger Petzl William biner to accommodate the size of the termination knots in my Rope Wrench setup. Using knots allows me to adjust the length of the hitch cord to make it exactly as long as I want it.

I guess I could try to dial-in the length needed for an eye to eye, just to neaten things up a bit, but I really like the economy of not having to pay for stitched eyes. It's nice to be able to just buy a few different short lengths of hitch cords on the cheap, try them out and see how you like it. It probably costs about one-third as much for just a four foot length of hitch cord versus buying an eye to eye.

Another advantage is that if you do run with both the Rope Wrench and the Hitch Hiker, using just straight pieces of hitch cord on the Wrench with termination knots allows you to swap it over to the Hitch Hiker and try it with that device, too.

That's all for now.

Tim

 

[Tim_B.]

All performance quibbles aside, my biggest gripe with the RW is just how clunky it always felt. I can concede that it tends better or that it's smoother on limb walks, but all that is moot if I don't like the look and operation of the device. And for me the RW felt like it was always in the way during my climb.

Ok, what I'm about to say might amount to "telling on myself", but so be it. You know how they always warn climbers against grabbing at the rope above the hitch, or words to that effect? The fear being that if you grab hold of the hitch in a dicey situation, you could just end up collapsing the hitch and taking an uncontrolled fall for as long as you continue yanking on the hitch.

Well, it is in this situation where I find the bulk of the Rope Wrench to actually be an asset, and not a detriment. I used Tony Knight's idea for making a tether for my Rope Wrench, only the quality of my craftsmanship does not come anywhere near Tony's work. Mine is just big, ugly and utilitarian. I used what is probably a bigger, fatter spring to make mine, and it might be longer, also. I probably did this to accommodate the size of the accessory cord I had available to me at the time, as well as to put more distance between the top of the hitch and the Rope Wrench, to make absolutely certain that the Wrench would not ever cause the collapse of the hitch.

So, a byproduct of having this big, fat, probably too heavy Rope Wrench tether is that every once in awhile when I'm climbing, I might put myself into a situation of being tipped way over, in an attempt to make a cut with a handsaw, or to try to pull out a piece of deadwood, or whatever.

At this point, it can sometimes be tough to find something with which to pull oneself back up into a heads-up posture. And this is where having my big, fat, overly heavy Rope Wrench tether becomes an advantage. It is like having a long, flexible bar that hangs down below the rope, more easily within reach than even the rope itself. Grabbing onto the tether causes the Rope Wrench to lock down hard on the rope, creating a reliable and stable hand-hold with which to pull oneself back up into an upright posture. I actually feel safer with the Rope Wrench in this situation than I would with the Hitch Hiker, since the Hitch Hiker's hitch is completely exposed. I know the old-school guys probably think that a climber should always be able to plan well enough to avoid a situation in which it should become necessary to have to try to grab the rope above the hitch in the first place. My only answer to that is "stuff happens", and it is nice to have the backup of the beefy Rope Wrench tether to get one out of an uncomfortable situation when the need arises, every once in awhile.

Thanks for listening.

Tim

 

[Climbhigh]

"You know how they always warn climbers against grabbing at the rope above the hitch, or words to that effect?"

I assume you mean accidently grabbing the hitch when you meant to grab the rope above the hitch? It would be real hard to climb if you couldn't grab the rope above the hitch. As far as the rope wrench is concerned I climbed a year on the thing with a 12" teather and I'm sure I may have used it as a handle I don't recall but there is no way I would ever go back to a long tether. It got in the way of everything. I only fully realized that after making a 6" tether. I even mad a 5" tether but it was to short and I could not get my fingers in between to release the hitch. Even with the 5" tether I never had the RW inadvertently release the hitch , even when it made contact. I always put a stopper on so it would not go much past neutral position . IMO it's not a concern as long as the tether is stiff enough and you have a stopper in there to keep it from going past the neutral position.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

What is this stopper you speak of? Pic, please. I need a new tether. I climbed on my RW1 the other day.

 

[Raj]

http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=1912&item=2031

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

is the stopper the rubber band?

 

[Climbhigh]

Its a little piece of rubber tubing, fuel hose works good. Just don't forget to slip it over the hitch cord ( assuming using hitch cord ) before you put it all together like I usually do. Or you can just cut it down the middle stick it on and tape it all together. I usually end up trimming the rubber down to let the wrench drop down to the neutral position (pic). Rubber tubing is just below the "up" on the wrench.

 

[Tim_B.]

What is this stopper you speak of? Pic, please. I need a new tether. I climbed on my RW1 the other day.

Sean, you might consider laying out the sheckles for this specialty item for the Rope Wrench. I think its biggest feature is that because the stiff tether is spliced directly to the becket of the pulley, it turns the Rope Wrench around so that it is no longer in your face, and therefore less likely to bust you on the lip.

http://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=1912&item=14665

Since the tether is on the becket, it leaves the space on your biner open for attachment to an over the shoulder holder upper thingy. (OTSHUT)

Tim

Also, I think those bands do act as the stopper to prevent the Rope Wrench from sagging down too far.

 

[Climbhigh]

I Wonder if they would make a custom length ? If so I would run a shorter hitch and get no longer than an 8" model. My home made one measures 7 " from the RW eye to the center hole of the HC pulley and its just perfect for me. Almost as compact as the HH.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

I will upgrade sticks at the least. I climb on the HH 95%+.

 

[RiverSap]

My setup is a Rope Wrench ZK2, Hitch climber pulley, Oceans split eye stiff tether, 30” Bee Line eye to eye hitch cord, Sterling HTC kernmantle climbing line. I have been using a distel hitch but it has been biting really hard on the climbing line and has not been tending well. I am going to try a Michoacán hitch. Like any system it takes some fine tuning. My biggest problem with the Ropewrench is the removable pin is not tethered to the body. Believe it or not it can be dropped. Trust me on this. You get to think creatively on how to get down safely when that happens.