Let's Hear It For 3 Strand!

[Burnham]

When I first started, we had some damn fool idea to try to meet 15x working loads breaking strength with 3 strand manila...which had us on 3/4 inch rope .

You ever try to tie a friction hitch in 3/4 inch manila, trad system? The prusik was the size of my head!

 

[Al Smith]

Manilla hasn't been used much for anything much except farmers for at least 30 years .

During the first or second world war they planted hemp by the hundreds of acres in central Ohio for raw material for Navy ships mooring lines .In spite of attempts to rid the country side of this "weed " it still prospers .

Fact even back when I was in the Navy I don't recall much manila rope .The mooring lines then were common lay nylon, 2 inch or larger .Now they are braided nylon .

 

[Underwor]

Started on 3 and 4 strand manila. Best control with the good old tautline that I have ever found. Won 3rd place at Prairie Chapter TCC in 1994(?) using 3 strand esterlon. Still have a chunk of that rope I use as a lowering line. Just asked the boss to get a new 120' chunk for lowering line at work. Great stuff in its place.

Always told students the reason I got hooked on climbing was a fast descent on manila with wisps of hemp smoke coming off the tautline hitch. It was the 60's, what do you suspect???

 

[Al Smith]

They used to call 4 strand "truck " rope .If I'm not mistaken it would run through sheeves and pulleys without the tendency to unlay or distort like 3 strand under tension .

I had mentioned before that my ex wife was involved in a program at the US Coast Guard Academy where they conducted the only collection of data at that time ever done on every known rope ,line or wire rope in the world at that time .Try as I might I've not been able to find that data anywhere on the internet .

Interestingly enough one of the honer student cadets involved in that program eventually became comandant of the academy having attained I think a 3 star admiral .Funny my recollection was this 20 year old kid that sat in my apartment smoking my cigarettes and drinking beer .Ha I guess we were all young and ornery at least once in our life .

 

[Burnham]

Only once??

 

[Al Smith]

Well some perhaps more than others .

 

[treebogan]

I started my Climbing Career on it,but after a stint in Germany when a guy had a New England Rope I never went back.

I still use it for Pull lines and Slings for Zip-lines etc.Its cheap to buy in a Coil here.

 

[Al Smith]

Timely .There is an auction today that listed a brand new 600 foot roll of 3/4" nylon .I told Tom about it .

Mid week afternoon auction right after Christmas he might do allright .If he gets it I'd imagine he'd make 2 300 footers .I'll probabley put eye splices in it because I don't think he knows how to splice .Besides that a 600 footer you can't hardley pick up unless it's on a reel and I can't hardly see a tree service man toting around a wire reel full of rope .

 

[simplypete]

Nothing like a shiny new lanyard.

 

[Burnham]

That one is plenty long, Pete .

 

[simplypete]

I just do not like coming to the end and wishing I had more. Last one was 15, this one is 25. Maybe just whip up a 15 as well. Seem to like the 15 for most things. Then I have a 40' with a hitch climber and a distel that has not seen a lot of use lately.

 

[Burnham]

 

[simplypete]

Done. One 15, one 25, and one 40. Now to stack some firewood.

 

[gf beranek]

An extra long flip line comes in handy for more things in the tree than just girth alone. For work positioning using a long flip line as a tag works miracles if you can foresee the use.

 

[Burnham]

Absolutely agree.

 

[stig]

I have never had fliplines more than 12 feet long, since we don't have that big trees around here.
Then when we went to California to climb 3 years ago, we had Nick make us some 30 foot fliplines, since you need a lot of rope just to get over the next branch in those trees.

We started bringing them with us to work here, mainly in the hope that someone would ask" why do you have a 30 foot flipline" and give us a chance to brag about the big trees

Then we realized just how versatile they are.

Especially for pruning jobs, they double as a short life line.

Now they are among our most favourite pieces of gear.

And each time we use them, they just make us go: "Remember when............................................."

 

[Burnham]

Huh...imagine that .

 

[chris_girard]

Same here. I love having an extra long lanyard for working certain decurrent trees. Like Jerry says if you can foresee where you are going to need it and plan your work accordingly, it comes in very handy. It sure beats having to pull up the end of your climb line for double work positioning.

 

[flushcut]

3 strand love!

 

[pantheraba]

Just re-read the whole thread. This is a good one. Thanks.

 

[flushcut]

What's not to love about 3 strand.

 

[Mick!]

Multiplat was lovely to climb with, rarely tangled and felt great in your palm.

 

[pantheraba]

Multiplait. Never heard of it until now. Thanks for the lead.

 

[pigwot]

Started on manila 1/2" line; and we almost always used heavy manila natural crotch rigging back in the day.
Still have a few triple twist lanyards I spliced up over the years. Only time I splice it now is for rope swings for kids in the neighborhood.

 

[lxskllr]

All I have for rigging aside from some rope ends is 3strand. Still haven't made the time to learn to splice it. I have a piece of 3strand hardware store rope that came apart I've been meaning to try to splice, but haven't gotten to it. I'd have a hard time trusting something I spliced. I can look at a knot and see if it's right. That splice /looks/ ok, but is it?