Friction saver for climbing.

MatthewMMeckley

TreeHouser
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I am venturing into using this as I have been reading and researching. Ive never even seen one used till I started seeing videos on youtube and joining this site. What are tips and tricks to setting it and retrieving it. I have also seen people use it on a spar and climb off of it. I would be afraid of it slipping. Ive been raeding the Fundamentals but someone lend me your knowledge.
 
I can't describe through text how to set and retrieve but I can say they can be your best friend on pine removals.
 
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  • #3
Thats a big thing I was wondering. Sometimes i don't trust just one limb on some of these pines. Go around a few or set it on the spar.
 
Well, that comes down to the situation itself. I can't offer a one size fits all set up for you. It's the fact that your rope doesn't fill with sap and fuse into a crotch that makes it awesome. Nothing sucks quite like your rope burned down into a pine crotch and glued in place with sap.
 
It is. It really comes to head when your climbing hitch welds together at the same time with pine sap.
 
How are you climbing? If I'm doing DdRT my favorite is a simple leather one. I usually climb SRT now. Depending on the tree and the work plan I might set a ring and ring and use a stopper knot for the SRT climb line, but it's very seldom.

For DdRT I have choked it on the spar, but I might have had a stub or two, you know, to hang... up.... slings and such while working, yeah, that's it.... well... may be as back up.
 
I've only played with them a little, making my own and setting/retrieving it in my practice tree. What I have found to be important is to make sure the sling or whatever you are using is longer than the circumference of the branch. remote setting and retrieval gets a bit sketchy if its "just barely long enough". I recommend playing around with them for practice, not at a customer's jobsite, at least for the remote aspects. I picked up what I know from youtube, cornell climbing something or other has some very good videos, spot on info, as soon as you set one it all makes sense and is super handy. If you want I can talk you through the bits of kit I carry in my bag to make one when needed.
 
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  • #10
I climb DdRT, I have not venture into SRT. You don't think a ring to ring would be wise to use with DdRT with a pulley. Or just a ring to ring with a prussick?
 
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  • #11
I've only played with them a little, making my own and setting/retrieving it in my practice tree. What I have found to be important is to make sure the sling or whatever you are using is longer than the circumference of the branch. remote setting and retrieval gets a bit sketchy if its "just barely long enough". I recommend playing around with them for practice, not at a customer's jobsite, at least for the remote aspects. I picked up what I know from youtube, cornell climbing something or other has some very good videos, spot on info, as soon as you set one it all makes sense and is super handy. If you want I can talk you through the bits of kit I carry in my bag to make one when needed.

Yea that would be awesome if you could. I think i'm going to by the xRing arb friction saver. Just hope i don't get the pulley stuck in the crotch.
 
I've looked at that one briefly, it looks very useful and versatile. For now I use the simplest "use what I've got" setups I can, so i can afford a proper harness (Onyx is looking pretty good). I have several 2 and 4 foot sewn webbing slings, as well as 2 that are about 2 and 1/2 or so that I made with webbing and a beer knot, I clip a locking carabiner to one side and a large quick link to the other. I got the quicklink for a dollar or 2 at the hardware stand at the farmer's market, I had smaller ones, but the rope had to be passed through it by hand (gate opening was too small) and tying a throw line to the rope would not pass through them. This one is big enough that I can open the gate and put the rope in midline, and the rope end will pass through while attached to the throw line with a few half hitches. After isolating your branch with a throwline, placing the quicklink on the side with the throweight and the carbiner (locked) on the other allows it to be placed using the throwline and weight, the weight comes down, remove weight, attach climbing line, etc.(youtube explains it way better and quicker than I can) A simple overhand knot on the climbing line (make sure it goes into the carabiner side first) will pass through the carabiner, grab the quicklink, and bring everything down (watch your head and make sure the area is clear). If you need a controlled decent, attach the throwline to the end of your climbing line.
I have found that the smallest branches I trust to climb on are too big for the 2 ft slings, so my homemade mid length ones are a minimum.
 
I have a diagram I drew up on here somewhere that pops up on the homepage every now and then .
It shows how to install a double ring friction saver with a throwline and weight bag.
 
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  • #16
Oh man I hope it come up on the home screen. That would be awesome. Ive been watching the ones that Bonner puts up on tree stuff with how they work. But I feel like I would still mess it up.
 
I go DDRT and use a leather cambium saver (donkey dick to some folks). I learned how to set it from the ground from Jeff Jepson's book, The Tree Climber's Companion.

I keep mine on the rope most always...occasionally on removals I'll toss it out of the tree and use the rope thru crotches but rarely. The leather one really does help cut down friction.
 
The first time I tried to set my ABR uSAVER from the ground, the pulley hung up in the crotch. I had to set another thrown line to get a rope in the tree to climb up and retrieve it.

A simple ring to ring is pretty easy to set from the ground if you can get the TIP isolated. I learned from youtube. You just have to do it a time or two to remember the method. Sleeve styles are even easier to set.

I most often use the sleeve type when I'm not climbing SRT.
 
Ring and ring will be a big effort saver for you at this stage. Getting good with working your throwline bag through the branches is key, so you get both sides of the line coming down the same route.
If you climb to your TIP, then just bring it with you and put it in when you get there.
I have been climbing SRT for a while now, but only just today as I was pulling my rope down I thought about how much damage the friction would be doing up there, and have decided to try and use a friction saver again when possible!
 
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  • #22
Im a pretty good shot with my throw ball. ITs just the retrieving part im sketchy about. But practice will make perfect. I just have to buy one and give it a shot.
 
On retrievals I tend to tie a throwline after the retrieval ball, gives a measure of control to bringing the Ring-ring down, instead of flopping out and getting hung up in another branch. Make sure you have plenty of throwline!
 
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