pulley saver question

[bstewert]

Any suggestions for a more symmetrical knot above the big eye, rather than the double fishermans?

Also looking for ideas on a better Pinto spacer. The DMM spacer does not fit as well as I would like.

 

[sotc]

Eh? Is that a friction saver? Which knot?

 

[Bounce]

Could you just tied the ends of the prusik cord to directly onto the eyes of the pulley frame with a double fish knot? That way the line would not have to go through the pulley like that. I don't really know though; just thinking out loud. Nice set up!

 

[Bounce]

Splice that big eye!

 

[bstewert]

I thought I said the knot over the big eye (green rope).

First of all, I would probably just buy DMM's pulley saver, but it's not here in the US yet. I don't know how to splice yet, but yes, that would definitely be better. So meanwhile, I'm just trying to throw something together because the idea is brilliant.

I've tried various pieces of tubing for the large eye, but none stayed to shape. This stuff I picked up yesterday at the hydraulic supply house looks promising, and I may be able to cut it down further. I tried tying the fishermans directly to the pulley, but it just made it tougher to pull back thru the eye. It was better to keep that bulky prussic knot on the "outside" of the eye.

This thing is yet another example of why splices are superior to knots.

 

[stig]

I must be even denser than normal today.
What is that setup for???

 

[bstewert]

It's OK, Stig, everyone has an off day every now and then. My setup works, it's just rather clunky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_zDuHgVbBk

 

[stig]

Cool.
I couldn't tell what the thing on the left side of your picture was.
Had I known, I probably would have figured it out.



Notice I say "probably".

 

[bstewert]

I know, it's too big, huh. I tried some different garden hoses and some supply hoses from West Marine, but they basically folded in half after being loaded. One kept the eye OK, but the outer rubber surface was so sticky it affected how the pulley pulled back through.

 

[sotc]

Interesting stuff

 

[top_notch]

Does this have to be installed in the tree by hand, or can it be done from the ground?

 

[DMc]

Any suggestions for a more symmetrical knot above the big eye, rather than the double fishermans?

Also looking for ideas on a better Pinto spacer. The DMM spacer does not fit as well as I would like.

Bob, you might try a bowline to form the loop. If you finish it with a Yosemite turn, the tail will be running out parallel, which will allow you to tape or stitch it down. This will not only make it safer, but more streamlined. I am surprised at the gap in the pulley spacer. I think that is too much. You could make your own spacer with just some heavy-walled aluminum tube cut to the right length.

I sure wish somebody, or myself, would have thought of all these cool tools when I was still climbing with doubled rope.

Dave

 

[Widow Shooter]

it can be removed from the ground, but needs to be installed by hand

 

[stig]

Off hand, I'd say that 80% of the top tie- ins I work from are set by hand.
So no big deal.












But then, I'm an old-schooler!

 

[bstewert]

Dave, with the DF I can easily cinch it up tight against the tubing. With the bowline I'd have to keep retying it. I will give it a try. How do you mean the bowline would be safer? The DF is much more difficult for me to untie. That's the biggest thing I don't like about it.

I haven't got far enough along to figure how to set this thing from the ground. I think it would be pretty difficult. For now I'm just trying to get a working setup that I can retrieve from the ground. Without splices or a piece of tubing that will keep the eye open, it is more difficult or impossible to make work. But when it works, it is REALLY slick.

As for the spacer, I don't understand why they made it like that. It's like it's the completely wrong piece.

 

[DMc]

I meant the "bowline" would be safer after being set by having it's tail stitched or taped down . It really should not be hard to tie the bowline so that it snugs the tube tight and it probably should be tighter than the one you pictured. I can't see how the DF is tied in your picture but you could possibly bind its tail to streamline also. Of course, none of these would be as tidy as a splice.

Dave

 

[bstewert]

Dave, the bowline, especially with the YF, made a big ol' bulky knot, worse than the DF. Plus that tubing is pretty stiff, so it's a bit of a fight. Actually, the knot being snug or not to the tubing is not the biggest problem. It is the sharp edges of the cut tube. I sanded those as smooth as possible and it made a sizable difference. Still not as good as a splice, totally agree.

It really helps to have a throwline attached to the big eye for retrieval, or else you have this big contraption flying down towards you.

 

[DMc]

Dave, the bowline, especially with the YF, made a big ol' bulky knot, worse than the DF.

Bummer. I personally love playing with knots, but there are times when a splice is the best answer. Could you take a picture of the DF from the side? It might be possible to stitch the tail and then use heat shrink to smooth the edges. My thought on the tubing being close to the knot was to prevent the large diameter edge of it acting like a ring and creating a snagging point.

Dave

 

[Treepreacher51]

I thought I said the knot over the big eye (green rope).

. I don't know how to splice yet, but yes, that would definitely be better. This thing is yet another example of why splices are superior to knots.

Bring that green rope, or another, and some of that hose and I'll splice it up for you at the GTG. Eeezy peezy

 

[pantheraba]

Jesse, that is a cool offer. Nick has done some splicing for me and it really is nice having a functional yet elegant product that you can associate with a specific person that made it. Good deal.

 

[pete mctree]

Is that the large pinto pulley? It looks like the spacer is for the small one ( which I have & appears to fit alot tighter)

 

[bstewert]

Yes, that is the large Pinto, and according to Luke at TreeStuff, that is the spacer for both pulleys. I tried the Petzl Ultragere pulley, which fit perfectly (amazing coincidence), but then the retrieval ball wouldn't fit thru.

Jesse, thank you for the offer on splicing. Look forward to meeting you this week. Hopefully I will have this thing more dialed in before we splice in the final version. For example, I tried cutting the tubing shorter and now it tends to fold more instead of keeping the eye round. I should have bought more tubing when I was at the supply house, so now I have to make another trip.

Splicing will make a cleaner, more "elegant" product for sure, but it appears the big problem is the ends of the tubing catching on stuff. The knot itself, or the tail, is not as much an issue, altho in a tight crotch the whole thing gets jammed.

 

[pete mctree]

If you look at the info sheet for the pinto pulley it gives 2 separate codes for the 2 spacers, hence I presume 2 different products. I'm not saying that that he is wrong, but it makes no sense at all producing & supplying an undersized spacer.

 

[bstewert]

You did better than I did. I couldn't find any part numbers for a spacer on DMM's site. http://dmmprofessional.com/downloads/DMM_Pinto_Flyer.pdf

Do you have a link?

 

[Burnham]

I might be tempted to try cutting the ends of the tubing on a long taper so they lay together down to a single end of the original diameter, then cover that taper mateing with large diameter heat shrink tubing and heat set it...keeps the tubing loop clean.