Friction hitches for climbing lines

newguy18 · 5th August 2007, 08:11 PM

Still like my tautline.

vl2007 · 14th August 2007, 04:45 PM

Hello all:
First post!

I use the blakes hitch and a micro pulley when working a tree. I've tried the VT, but find it difficault to body thrust with, maybe I'm not setting it up correctly, but it works great for rigging a 5-1. I use the Klemheist to foot lock, (binds less than the prusik), and use the prusik to balance rigging. I've never tried the tautline, and have heard nothing but bad about it, so probably never will.

vl2007

Ekka · 14th August 2007, 09:28 PM

Good on you and welcome

I'm sure a few Vt lovers will sort out that hitch, maybe post a pic of it.

TREE-SURFER · 15th August 2007, 01:41 PM

Looks pretty good that TreeCo. Might try that when next I do so climbing. Don't know about the body thrusting with it though, so would probably still use my Blakes on a split tail.

Ekka · 16th August 2007, 01:57 AM

Surfer,

The guys climbing on those Vt style things dont bodythrust.

They have a small prussik minding pulley or dog clip under it and pull down on the rope above the hitch and the hitch allows the tail of the rope to pass easily .... of course the higher you are the easier this happens as there's more weight in the rope.

newguy18 · 16th August 2007, 07:02 AM

Has anyone tried a micropulley on a tauline hitch yet?Does it work okay?I figured I would ask before I tried it.

vl2007 · 17th August 2007, 04:48 AM

I'll try that. The vt is very smoooooth once you tweak it, and if i could body thrust with it, it maybe my new hitch.
Thx for the info.
I'll be trying the srt system soon, I don't like all the hardware needed to make it work, but hey, I didn't like the vt idea until now eather.

JohN Dee · 19th August 2007, 02:07 AM

Yes TreeCo, that is the Martin's.

Surfer, the Martins and body thrusting is a pain in the azz. The best way to tie it i've found is to keep the legs on the hitch short... But having said that the part of the hitch where the top wrap comes back down and goes behind and through the bottom wrap loves to creep around the back of the hitch releasing the friction resulting in yourself slowly creeping down your climbing line... I'm always onto this and have been experimenting with more/less wraps to try and fix it, but nothing has worked so far. Soon, if I can't find a way to make that part of the hitch static, i'm going to switch hitches because it is damned annoying.

OsAGe85 · 22nd August 2007, 11:10 AM

I'm working on using a micro pulley with a tautline. I figure it should work well since there are only 4 loops. (my version) any way.

Recon Freak · 13th September 2007, 05:00 PM

I climb on the VT and body thrust with it. I use a cabiner with the termination knot clipped to my harness. My VT is on a second carabiner. I then put a quick hitch on the termination side of my line about eye level with a little tension on the line. I clip the hitch carabiner into the quick hitch and I'm ready to go. When I get to work position I clip my hitch back to my saddle.

jim1nz · 15th September 2007, 12:12 PM

Using your hitch climber, you can make an extendable climbing prussic system, this simply moves the entire climbing system to exactly where you want. For example you would extend your system out from you so you can hip thrust or streight pull below the prussic advancing the system without disconnecting or changing the prussic.

Dont suppose anyone gets that do they? Its hard to explain! Ha sorry i cant promice a pic either, not in the position at the moment to beable to do that.

TreeCo · 15th September 2007, 08:07 PM

I was using a gibbs ascender is a similar configuration in the late eighties! It's a great idea and it self advances the hitch. It's even better with someone pulling on the tail of your rope. We would sometimes tie a redirect pulley to the base of the tree and put a couple of men on it to help the climber ascend. If the climbers rope happens to be in a pulley ascention rates can be really rapid......like 50ft. in ten seconds or less.

Sean Freeman · 15th September 2007, 08:29 PM

I agree with both Dan and Jim about the advantages of the extended bridge set up, but one note of caution...if youre climbing on a friction hitch be sure to double check the hitch befre you go to the extended mode and pay attention to any close branches or limbs on the way up...remember in this configuration if the hitch doesn't grab you are some distance from it

and manually tending it will be pretty hard. But aside from this added attention it is a very very quuick way to ascend into the tree.

fatkoala · 8th November 2007, 03:11 AM

Can some one show us a picture or diagram of the extended bridge

cheers confused ?

Sean Freeman · 8th November 2007, 03:50 AM

There are so many different variations on the theme, but here's a couple...NB these are not mine but the setups others are using I have used an extended rig, and found it yes to be very quick to ascend on but my own set up left a lot to be desired when reaching the upper canopy!!

Here's one set up as normal in close...working setup if you like

And here it is extended out....ascending setup

The pics can be a bit confusing perhaps so here's another set up using a quick draw arrangement as the bridge with the climber in shot to help illustrate the advantage of the extension during ascending.

newguy18 · 8th November 2007, 06:16 AM

I use a distel to.I just haven't bought the slack tender yet.

5th August 2007, 08:11 PM	#51 (permalink)
newguy18 Part of the Furniture Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Live Oak Florida home of the crapiest trees you will ever see. Posts: 2,680	Still like my tautline. __________________ Have your say join us today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzkd_m4ivmc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzfzb...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-OqK...eature=related Last edited by Ekka : 5th August 2007 at 09:45 PM. Reason: disrespectful content toward professional member

14th August 2007, 09:28 PM	#53 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 6,943	Good on you and welcome I'm sure a few Vt lovers will sort out that hitch, maybe post a pic of it. __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding and Stump Removal Brisbane Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations, Developer, Tree and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

15th August 2007, 01:41 PM	#54 (permalink)
TREE-SURFER Mature tree Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Isle of Man,UK. Posts: 410	Looks pretty good that TreeCo. Might try that when next I do so climbing. Don't know about the body thrusting with it though, so would probably still use my Blakes on a split tail. __________________ The Aerial Arborist Isle of Man Tree Surgeon\| All Aspects of Tree Work Andy@Aerial-Arborist.co.uk What experts say about TOPPING

16th August 2007, 01:57 AM	#55 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 6,943	Surfer, The guys climbing on those Vt style things dont bodythrust. They have a small prussik minding pulley or dog clip under it and pull down on the rope above the hitch and the hitch allows the tail of the rope to pass easily .... of course the higher you are the easier this happens as there's more weight in the rope. __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding and Stump Removal Brisbane Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations, Developer, Tree and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

16th August 2007, 07:02 AM	#56 (permalink)
newguy18 Part of the Furniture Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Live Oak Florida home of the crapiest trees you will ever see. Posts: 2,680	Has anyone tried a micropulley on a tauline hitch yet?Does it work okay?I figured I would ask before I tried it. __________________ Have your say join us today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzkd_m4ivmc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzfzb...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-OqK...eature=related

14th August 2007, 04:45 PM	#52 (permalink)
vl2007 Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Florida Keys Posts: 92	Hello all: First post! I use the blakes hitch and a micro pulley when working a tree. I've tried the VT, but find it difficault to body thrust with, maybe I'm not setting it up correctly, but it works great for rigging a 5-1. I use the Klemheist to foot lock, (binds less than the prusik), and use the prusik to balance rigging. I've never tried the tautline, and have heard nothing but bad about it, so probably never will. vl2007

17th August 2007, 04:48 AM	#57 (permalink)
vl2007 Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Florida Keys Posts: 92	I'll try that. The vt is very smoooooth once you tweak it, and if i could body thrust with it, it maybe my new hitch. Thx for the info. I'll be trying the srt system soon, I don't like all the hardware needed to make it work, but hey, I didn't like the vt idea until now eather.

19th August 2007, 02:07 AM	#58 (permalink)
JohN Dee Over mature heritage tree Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 750	Yes TreeCo, that is the Martin's. Surfer, the Martins and body thrusting is a pain in the azz. The best way to tie it i've found is to keep the legs on the hitch short... But having said that the part of the hitch where the top wrap comes back down and goes behind and through the bottom wrap loves to creep around the back of the hitch releasing the friction resulting in yourself slowly creeping down your climbing line... I'm always onto this and have been experimenting with more/less wraps to try and fix it, but nothing has worked so far. Soon, if I can't find a way to make that part of the hitch static, i'm going to switch hitches because it is damned annoying. __________________ Climber with slow climbing speed, must make up with mighty chainsaw roar. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Red : Green : Blue

22nd August 2007, 11:10 AM	#59 (permalink)
OsAGe85 Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Littlerock Arkansas US Posts: 66	I'm working on using a micro pulley with a tautline. I figure it should work well since there are only 4 loops. (my version) any way. __________________ Gotta love the smell 2 stroke and wood chips. Be smart, be safe.

13th September 2007, 05:00 PM	#60 (permalink)
Recon Freak Sappling Join Date: May 2007 Location: Evansville,IN USA Posts: 11	Re: Friction hitches for climbing lines I climb on the VT and body thrust with it. I use a cabiner with the termination knot clipped to my harness. My VT is on a second carabiner. I then put a quick hitch on the termination side of my line about eye level with a little tension on the line. I clip the hitch carabiner into the quick hitch and I'm ready to go. When I get to work position I clip my hitch back to my saddle.

15th September 2007, 12:12 PM	#61 (permalink)
jim1nz Mature tree Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tauranga, New Zealand Posts: 296	Re: Friction hitches for climbing lines Using your hitch climber, you can make an extendable climbing prussic system, this simply moves the entire climbing system to exactly where you want. For example you would extend your system out from you so you can hip thrust or streight pull below the prussic advancing the system without disconnecting or changing the prussic. Dont suppose anyone gets that do they? Its hard to explain! Ha sorry i cant promice a pic either, not in the position at the moment to beable to do that. __________________ SPEED ALWAYS FOLLOWS TECHNIQUE

15th September 2007, 08:07 PM	#62 (permalink)
TreeCo Mature tree Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Georgia, USA Posts: 259	Re: Friction hitches for climbing lines I was using a gibbs ascender is a similar configuration in the late eighties! It's a great idea and it self advances the hitch. It's even better with someone pulling on the tail of your rope. We would sometimes tie a redirect pulley to the base of the tree and put a couple of men on it to help the climber ascend. If the climbers rope happens to be in a pulley ascention rates can be really rapid......like 50ft. in ten seconds or less.

15th September 2007, 08:29 PM	#63 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,671	Re: Friction hitches for climbing lines I agree with both Dan and Jim about the advantages of the extended bridge set up, but one note of caution...if youre climbing on a friction hitch be sure to double check the hitch befre you go to the extended mode and pay attention to any close branches or limbs on the way up...remember in this configuration if the hitch doesn't grab you are some distance from it and manually tending it will be pretty hard. But aside from this added attention it is a very very quuick way to ascend into the tree. __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

8th November 2007, 03:11 AM	#64 (permalink)
fatkoala Sappling Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Mildura Posts: 27	Re: Friction hitches for climbing lines Can some one show us a picture or diagram of the extended bridge cheers confused ?

8th November 2007, 06:16 AM	#66 (permalink)
newguy18 Part of the Furniture Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Live Oak Florida home of the crapiest trees you will ever see. Posts: 2,680	Re: Friction hitches for climbing lines I use a distel to.I just haven't bought the slack tender yet. __________________ Have your say join us today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzkd_m4ivmc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzfzb...eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-OqK...eature=related