Any Rope Wrench or Hitch Hiker users here?

[Jack]

Yeah, buckles and laces were common - Army issue in WWII. I found a pic of what I had:

I was cool

 

[Jack]

But, we digress. Back to the RW & HH stuff. Which reminds me ... where are the RW users?

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Eagerly awaiting the Rope Runner.

 

[Cold Logging]

I think its for an arch crampon. Cool pic.
As I understand it the RW isn't a stand alone device. That ruled it out for me. .

 

[NHlocal]

That weighed heavy in my decision also, the other stuff that goes with it(RW).
With my HH I only need to fuss with the friction hitch/cord.....
But, I am still very much looking forward to and anticipating using the RW when the SRT demo kit comes to me!

 

[kevin bingham]

The rw is misunderstood here. It is too simple i think. some people believe it needs to be more complicated. Just a regular climbing setup made SRT with a small wrench thrown in. Goes from ddrt to SRT in a flash. It Is as functionally compact as your hitch and it is light. Best SRT tool out there including the totally awesome but complicated rope runner. I've climbed on all of them and I just can't see ever getting any better than a wrench. It's just too simple. Can't beat it. My two completely unbiased two cents.

 

[NHlocal]

Hey Kevin, thanks for jumping in.
Compared to most here I'm just a "beginner". I'm not familiar with the RW at all other than
what I've seen in pictures and on video. I am very much looking forward to using one so I can
learn from personal use and experience how it works for me.
I appreciate your input and have great respect for all the experience and insight you've learned and share about climbing.
Thanks,
Randy

 

[kevin bingham]

Really, the difference in climbing tools for SRT are very small and one tool doesn't have drastic differences over the other as far as function. They feel slightly different on the hitch and they both require someadjusting and playing around with hitches. There is very little I can do with one tool that I can't do with another or visa Versa. The main thing is climbing SRT that has all the advantages. Little things like switching to ddrt I find better with a wrench especially when using the hitch climber pulley. But that is something I do very rarely. I can descend faster and more accurately on a wrench but that is a feature that would only be useful in a comp where they are not allowed anyway. But truthfully you give me any of the SRT climbing tools and ill be happy as long as I'm not restricted to ddrt.

 

[Cold Logging]

Cody uses the RW. He seems to like it. I just couldn't figure out exactly how I would utilize it as I hadn't climbed on a hitch.
Now that I've gotten to be friends with the HH, I'll stay with it as it does everything I want and need it to.

 

[kevin bingham]

Definitely can't find anything at all wrong with the HH. It's a beautiful tool as well. The more Srt is made accessible to climbers the better.

 

[NHlocal]

Really, the difference in climbing tools for SRT are very small and one tool doesn't have drastic differences over the other as far as function. They feel slightly different on the hitch and they both require someadjusting and playing around with hitches. There is very little I can do with one tool that I can't do with another or visa Versa. The main thing is climbing SRT, that has all the advantages. Little things like switching to ddrt I find better with a wrench especially when using the hitch climber pulley. But that is something I do very rarely. I can descend faster and more accurately on a wrench but that is a feature that would only be useful in a comp where they are not allowed anyway. But truthfully you give me any of the SRT climbing tools and ill be happy as long as I'm not restricted to ddrt.

Definitely can't find anything at all wrong with the HH. It's a beautiful tool as well. The more Srt is made accessible to climbers the better.

Thanks again Kevin.
The more I climb, the more I'm finding that out also..... SRT opens up all kinds of possibilities.

.....Randy

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Kevin, Rope Runner debut??

 

[Grendel]

Is there any trick or tip for starting the descent w/ the Hitch Hiker so I don't get this initial drop? I've been using the HH on Arbormaster, and I get this little jump in the beginning of the descent. Not always, but just on that first breaking of the hitch friction. After I've gone down a bit it functions perfectly. . .

 

[ClimbMIT]

I am sure Paul will chime in shortly in response to your question. Wish I new the answer? Are using the supplied Beeline? I have used the 10mm Beeline on Vortex with good results. I did notice after doing a pine removal just a little bit of sap seemed like it caused my hitch to jump a little. I replaced the hitch cord and it definetely made it run smoother. My experience with the HH is minimal though.

 

[PCTREE]

As said pine pitch on the HH "belly" will make it very jumpy. How long have you been using yours?? Ive heard of one guy who had this issue and it was a slight imperfection on the surface that the caribiner runs on in the slot. The wear area is a 7 degree angle but should be very smooth, run your finger nail along it and check. If it feels rough at all take a flat file and smooth. Hope this helps, FWIW they should be totally smooth to start descending just like a regular hitch.

 

[ClimbMIT]

Thanks for posting Paul!

 

[Grendel]

Thanks for the response. I've only climbed on it a few times, so I know I need more practice. I appreciate the feedback. Awesome device by the way.

 

[PCTREE]

Hey Grendel keep me updated on this, I have thought about another potential issue which I thought I had ruled out. If yours is newer it is probably has powder coated side plates, we file off the powder coating on the caribiner wear point but not the dog bone one. In testing which was just done in the shop, so not a lot of hours on it it seemed fine . However Im wondering if maybe the coating has become "peened" and is causing the dog bone to stick......

As previously stated they should feel super smooth and confidence inspiring.....

 

[Grendel]

Sorry guys, I'm about to post a bunch of pictures. . .

Paul? PCTREE, thank you for your concern. I should explain what is happening a little better. I've noticed that this only happens after I've taken all the weight off the HH. It weights up and holds my position just fine, then on descent just the initial breaking of the hitch has led to a quick two or three inch drop before the lower krab engages and pinches the rope.

I love the device. It really seems that the hitch is just engaging the mechanical bits which do most of the breaking. Again, I need to work with it more, but the weather has been prohibitive. I'm using the supplied Bee-Line cordage and I really like that as well. It seems super durable and works well with my Arbormaster. DbRT is smooth as silk.

Anyways, here are some pics of my specific device.













Based on what you said, everything looks good. I'll give it another shot tomorrow if the weather cooperates, and I'll keep an eye on the dogbone. Thank you so much for your help!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Looks like the hitch cord is still breaking in. This can also cause a slight hesitation on the release grab.

 

[rumination]

I had a similar issue when I first started using my HH. I think it may have been caused by a very very slight imperfection on the surface that the carabiner rides on, causing it to get hung briefly before engaging properly. I was going to file that surface smooth, but ended up changing ropes first which solved the problem, so I never got around to it. I think the different rope diameter caused the carabiner to sit in a slightly different position and avoid whatever imperfection there was at that point on the surface of the HH.

 

[rskybiz]

Not sure it will help but you may try putting the dog bone in from the opposite direction see if that makes any difference.

 

[PCTREE]

OK so the HH is a very simple device with 2 moving parts, the crab and the dog bone. For it to function correctly they both must move freely. The crab does the bulk of the work as its angle is way shallower than the DBs giving it more clamping force on the rope, this is because the rope is trying to push it up an out of the bind. If I make the upper slot 1 degree shallower the DB will not release as the rope is trying to keep it in position. I very much doubt that the crab is not engaging on the rope, very much more likely that it is not releasing smoothly. Pay close attention to the sequence of events, when you gently release your hitch do you not move for a split second THEN get the drop?? This is indicative that one of the pinch points is not releasing until the hitch has fully released giving that brief OH Shit moment (not really desirable for a tool used all day at height). This could be as well be cause by the dog bone, in the second picture it is hard to see but looks like the powder coating is all buggered up, is that causing it to stick?? What ever it is it is a very small imperfection which would be solved with some sand paper or a file or by just using it as Im sure it will "break in"

Interesting side note on the DB, back during the design phase I played with making the upper slot shallower so that it did cause a jam EVERY time so if the hitch didn't grab the unit would. It works fine but you had to put tubes on the legs of the hitch cord so when you pulled your hitch it unjammed the DB. This made for a VERY jerky device which I had no interest in climbing on

 

[Grendel]

I will smooth out the remaining powder coat on the dog bone and give her another try tonight. Thanks again!

 

[PCTREE]

Not on the dog bone, on the slot the dog bone runs on, i.e. the internal rounded edge that appears on yours as banged up, do the lower slot whilst you are at it and you should be golden