Rope Wrench & Other Such Devices

[Bermy]

Yes, I know..it's a peach of a quote isn't it! I about fell of the couch when I heard they guy say it on TV.

 

[Tree09]

That's pretty cool @Brocky, never seen that and it gives me some other ideas too! I saw a really cool one from Lawrence Schultz where he used a pinto for a slack tender with a krab clipped in the becket. For descent you add a few wraps around the krab spine, a la the old school carabiner wrap brake. Then you just have to work the hitch. I need to try it, because i have a pinto on my long lanyard so I'm already set up for it.

 

[Brocky]

That sounds interesting, the easily added friction would be good with the Sticht.

 

[Tree09]

@Brocky is there any reason you can't just use a carabiner (or 2) rather than the ring? Or does the ring provide much more friction? And does that damage the rope as it goes through the plate, as in all of the friction is directly on it?

 

[flushcut]

HH1 for me. On quick up and down gigs I'll use ascenders and switch out to a fig8 and bomb down sometimes.

 

[Brocky]

The four sections of cord that go through the ring need to be close together to prevent the slack in the wraps from migrating down to the legs, which will cause it to eventually bind up. The Sticht uses a twist in the back, but an overhand could be tied instead and an oval carabiner could be used in place of the ring, in fact that is the Oval VT, a SRT hitch that I had been using about 5-6 years.
The twist makes tying and adjusting easier than the overhand. Both hitches can be hand tended without any helping hardware, but with hardware it’s easier and instantaneous.
Haven’t noticed any unusual wear from the plate, all the edges are rounded, I mostly just use a small steel ring. Haven’t noticed much flattening of the rope either.

 

[ruel]

HH1 for me. On quick up and down gigs I'll use ascenders and switch out to a fig8 and bomb down sometimes.

I used to do this too, until I heard from jed about a dude on a munter falling and breaking his back!

You can put a munter under your hitch if your saddle has lower dees, that'll let you run your normal hitch with just 1 extra carabiner. Less slick but easy

 

[Tree09]

How did he possibly fall using a descender, let alone a munter? Let go of the rope?

 

[RegC]

Rope wrench for me. Really predictable, smooth and safe. Engages and releases you into descent like a clutch on a vehicle....no sudden movements. No bits of string, knots or add ons that you have to monitor or tweak. Mid line attachable. Very, very safe, for beginners in particular. Just replace your hitches as they wear and stiffen....thats important.

 

[ruel]

How did he possibly fall using a descender, let alone a munter? Let go of the rope?

Secondhand info, but I think they were on a spar, choked bowline routed up and over the top.

Somehow rope slipped off the top and dropped him a few feet, jerking the line out of his hand... something like that anyways

 

[Brocky]

Perhaps my previous pictures were too much of an ocular overload! Here’s the Sticht in a simple configuration, a hitch cord, ring and rigging ring, with everything midline attachable, no knots or strings. The two pieces of hardware are tied to the rope, don’t go through it, with no possibility of slipping that needs to be monitored.
It functions just as you describe how the Wrench works. The RW, with needing to rotate first before engaging, is harder to release than the Sticht.
The hitch can also be adjusted for easy tending and grabbing reliably by setting the wanted distance between the wraps and the lower part of the hitch.

 

[Burnham]

That's very interesting. I think I like it .

 

[pantheraba]

Very interesting. I think it could be called simply elegant. Or elegantly simple. Intriguing for sure.

 

[lxskllr]

Yea, I definitely like the looks of it. I don't think there's any application for drt, is there?

 

[Brocky]

It will work for moving rope, but it’s overkill, there are other hitches that work just as good without the rings. I keep playing around to find the easiest operating system for my 8 yr. granddaughter, the Michoacán is the best so far.

 

[ruel]

That's the most streamlined version yet, looks awesome

 

[cory]

Very interesting!

Have you done production climbing using it?

 

[SeanKroll]

How does it slack-tend on ascent?

 

[Brocky]

I came up with the Oval VT, which is similar, after I got out of full time work, but have done numerous jobs solo with no problems from prolonged use. Having another way to create friction is necessary for long, or fast descents, though.

For best results using a neck, chest harness, or LOTS a small cord tied to the steel ring brings up the properly adjusted hitch instantly, with little effort, if the hitch legs are long. If using the stopper eyes, attaching to the carabiner works just as well.