Rope Runner Pro
- Thread starter DMc
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #177
So have you stopped drooling on it long enough to put it on a rope?
Jonny
Treehouser
Such a stunning looking device though! I couldn’t decide if it’s prettier than the Akimbo though, she’s a babe too!!! 
The drooling never stopped, in fact it got worse!!! Only had a little bit before the wife made me come inside and be a parent, but i did have time to figure some stuff out. First off, for me, brand new, first mechanical ever other than a petzl rig so I'm still green, the bollard probably needs to stay on 1 for blaze. I tried going to about 2.5, and it wouldn't hold, so i put it back. I obviously didn't try it, but i bet it would work on just about any rope out there. It grabs very reliably, and easily breaks free, with just enough resistance where you can feel the moment where it lets go. Even to a complete noob, it has easily controllable friction until.... you pull just a touch too far and are reminded that you are driving an f1 race car. I tried doing a few jumps, and was too open, freaked out, and then caught myself short. It will take some time, but i can easily see how people can full on parachute jump with it. As i was heading in, i stuck an 8 foot jump and it felt really good and with practice it would become instinctual fairly easily.
It tends slack like nothing I've ever seen. Imagine pulling just rope over a cm pulley(what i used to use as tender), it tends slack that easily. But since it will flop over if you stand up with slack, it won't self tend under normal climbing, which is ideal because something that always pulls slack is very annoying. I never saw the point of a bungie tether to stand the device up with the wrench, but i see it now. I would bet that with a neck bungie or similar (I'll be using my chest plate so it'll be super easy and comfortable), you could clip a throw weight on the rope and it would self tend while you just climb the tree/ ladder/ spur up the trunk.
I did notice that the device can move around on the carabiner, so i switched to one with a spring corner. If nothing else i would at least put a leather corner keeper on it. I also tried it ddrt, worked just as smoothly of course. Also did my 3 to 1 rads, works fine there too but you do have to manually set it by bumping up the beak, which honestly is the same on a hitch for the most part. If you completely drop yourself it still caught tho, but just bump it to be sure. The device needs it's space to work, if something it's touching it it's not happy. I had it up against the trunk, and that collapsed it the same way. So it's something to watch out for, but really no big deal to someone who has been on a vt hitch.
I can also see why some would prefer to work on a rope wrench for certain situations. Dead ash trees with lots of dead suckers come to mind, if something breaks and slides down the rope and you aren't ready for it, you would likely deck. All in all I'm very very happy, and i haven't even learned to use it yet. In about 5 minutes, i honestly felt that i could go up and work it, no problem at all. It surprisingly felt very much like climbing on a hitch, except for the fact it's orders of magnitude smoother and has an extra 5 gears
This will definitely make me a better climber, just from an ease of use thing, and since it's the same every time, my comfort level will be higher considering i don't climb all the time. I'll get to play and work on it in the coming days, so I'll add more as i learn more. Basically it makes me wish i had gotten the rr years ago, although this one is more refined.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #183
Good report, Kyle. I wouldn't worry too much about something sliding down your rope and making it release. That takes some doing. I have been using top release friction devices for a long time and have never come close to having something like that happen.
I'm not necessarily worried, but i could see how some would be. I've had branches ride down my climbing line before, but simply grabbing the device would lock it in place. I forgot to mention that, i kinda got in the habit with the wrench to squeeze the tether and the hitch together when doing goofy stuff, and that is the same with this, which completely locks the system. So if you had your weight on the system, and were about to flip the line to break something free, simply grabbing it would be a hard lock. If you were nervous about that you could always add a stopper knot, which i might consider on my first few higher difficultly limb walks, but would then not do because really it had very intuitive control, I'm just not used to something that will literally do full on free fall. Honestly I'm super stoked to climb on it, the mechanical from hitch setup is a definite leap forward, kinda like a Blake's to a vt. It will take some getting used to the higher possibilities it is capable of, but for normal climbing i feel 100 percent comfortable to use it right now.
Thumbs up to you Kevin, your insight, labor, and mind bending imagination simply boggles the mind of what can be done on a rope. Humans have been using and climbing ropes since before the wheel was invented, but what you have done for our industry and work at heights in general is astonishing. Both the wrench and the runner are works of art. Thank you man!!!!!
pantheraba
More biners!!!
Some very nice engineering here....have not put it on a rope yet. Arrived today.
TallTreeClimber
Treehouser
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2019
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- 23
What an excellent 6 minutes of rrpro porn. I liked that.
Is there a mechanism on each pin recess that allows simple rotation and pulling to remove the slick pins? Or is that just on 1 or 2 of the three slick pins?
Jonny
Treehouser
A little twist on the Slic pin to depress the internal cotters without sticking your fingers in there, right?
Benjo75
Treehouser
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #192
Yes! There is a decreasing spiral recess that captures the first latch and by twisting it automatically depresses that latch but not the second one, if you stop twisting it.
Benjo75
Treehouser
Yeah. Left over from the logging days. Now I just use it around the place clearing land and on storm damage tree jobs. If I can keep everyone away from me.
Benjo75
Treehouser
They'll flat put the wood on the ground.
TallTreeClimber
Treehouser
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2019
- Messages
- 23
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