I would suggest making the hitch by starting the wraps on the opposite side of the rope per HH instructions. This pulls the dog bone more directly into the rope instead of up into the the HH sideplates.
Any Rope Wrench or Hitch Hiker users here?
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I would suggest making the hitch by starting the wraps on the opposite side of the rope per HH instructions. This pulls the dog bone more directly into the rope instead of up into the the HH sideplates.
rskybiz
TreeHouser
Thatoldchestnut
TreeHouser
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2014
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Hi gem are you finding that this is making a big difference in proformance? What your saying does make sense but I find it hard to believe why it would be better than the instructed method of tying the hitch as I presume that a fair amount of r/d went into which hitch worked best on the hh when it was being designed?
Cheers luke
Cheers luke
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Welcome to the TreeHouse, Luke! 
Welcome to the TreeHouse.
If you're referring to the distel hitch vs the HH 6 wrap, yes, it made a big difference for me with a couple of my ropes and the OP hitch cord.
When I first started using the HH with a new rope and new HRC hitch cord (I couldn't get the supplied bee line dialed in), the HH 6 wrap worked very well. I was also very new to climbing and preferred to have extra effort to release the hitch...it was very secure and worked reasonably well.
As the ropes and hitch cord worn in a bit, I started noticing the combination developed a tendency to grab very tightly with a hard stop or when warmed up with a descent and required a fair amount of muscle to break it free. I was also gaining confidence in my climbing by this time and was looking for more "sensitivity" in control of the hitch.
I acquired many of the hitch cords available and started experimenting with them and a variety of hitches. Some were grabby and didn't release smoothly, some locked hard and had to be muscled and some were just scary with the way they would "coast" to a stop over a foot or two.
The distel hitch with 10mm OP on Yale Aztec and NE DragonFly is what I found to work extremely well for me. Always grabs when I want it to and releases with ease in an very controllable manner. As the ropes and cord wears in more, that may or may not change.
My admittedly limited experience with the HH and a Rope Wrench is that the functionality of hitches varies greatly with the type hitch, hitch cord used, climbing rope used, the tightness of tying the hitch and wear on the ropes. Every variation can make or break the setup.
Plus, where would the fun be if I didn't get to play.
SouthSoundTree
Treehouser
Maybe a mis-read. I saw to do it 'per HH instructions'.
If Luke was referring to this post...
...then yes, I was pointing out that the hitch in the photo started wrapping the hitch on the opposite side of the climbing rope than what is recommended by HH.
No matter what hitch I use with the HH, I always start the wrap on the recommended side of the climbing rope.
TreeCutterDoug
TreeHouser
Bombproof Tech cord
I've been climbing on my HH as much as possible, since I got it last fall. I seemed to be burning through hitch cord far more quickly than I do climbing DdRT. I climb a lot, being a freelance production climber, and I've been splicing my own eye2eye's for a few years. They seemed to last about two months during peak seasons climbing DdRT and I often retire them a bit early, being as it costs me so little to replace them. Though cost isn't a factor at all, I found that I was burning through the same cord (8 or10mm ocean) in half that time climbing SRT. Admittedly, I am a bomber. I don't slack on safety, but I love high speed maneuvers through wide spread canopies and repells that warm the hands.
I bumped into the friendly rep's from sterling rope at the NE-TCC in May, and we spent a good while talking about SRT, as I was headed to the very first SRT class/workshop ever offered through TCIA, directly from the competition. The class was awesome and I picked up a ton of tricks and techniques, and have since spiced/built my own HAAS (I think there's another forum for pics of that...) After a couple emails back and forth, the rep from sterling sent me a length of their RIT 9mm to try with my HH.
I was a little skeptical at first, seeing how the cord flattens when coiled to provide more surface area, and I thought it would bite too much and be tough to break. Instead, I've found it to be perfect! The double overhands set with the first weight test, and even throughout a 2-3 hour climb, the hitch never locks or requires tightening! Plus, after a month of climbing on it for 70-80% of my time in the trees, the cord is nothing more than broken in (that's it in the pic, and a brand new one to be put into service if the first ever wears out.)
My primary line is tachyon, and for big climbs and basal tie-offs, I climb on a 300' 11.5mm platinum (cuz its orange...) I was just given a 200' HTP line, which is only 10mm. Not taking into account any memory that the hitch cord might have, it gripped sufficiently through 95% of my climb. Only returning from a limb walk, with a 3-1 advantage, did I have a pucker moment when it didn't bite.
I have only found one site that sells the RIT 9mm in un-spliced lengths. Unfortunately, it's in 70' or 110' lengths. You may have to contact sterling to get anything smaller, to run in your HH. If there is enough interest, I may go ahead and order a long length to re-sell/share in pieces cut for the HH.
I've been climbing on my HH as much as possible, since I got it last fall. I seemed to be burning through hitch cord far more quickly than I do climbing DdRT. I climb a lot, being a freelance production climber, and I've been splicing my own eye2eye's for a few years. They seemed to last about two months during peak seasons climbing DdRT and I often retire them a bit early, being as it costs me so little to replace them. Though cost isn't a factor at all, I found that I was burning through the same cord (8 or10mm ocean) in half that time climbing SRT. Admittedly, I am a bomber. I don't slack on safety, but I love high speed maneuvers through wide spread canopies and repells that warm the hands.
I bumped into the friendly rep's from sterling rope at the NE-TCC in May, and we spent a good while talking about SRT, as I was headed to the very first SRT class/workshop ever offered through TCIA, directly from the competition. The class was awesome and I picked up a ton of tricks and techniques, and have since spiced/built my own HAAS (I think there's another forum for pics of that...) After a couple emails back and forth, the rep from sterling sent me a length of their RIT 9mm to try with my HH.
I was a little skeptical at first, seeing how the cord flattens when coiled to provide more surface area, and I thought it would bite too much and be tough to break. Instead, I've found it to be perfect! The double overhands set with the first weight test, and even throughout a 2-3 hour climb, the hitch never locks or requires tightening! Plus, after a month of climbing on it for 70-80% of my time in the trees, the cord is nothing more than broken in (that's it in the pic, and a brand new one to be put into service if the first ever wears out.)
My primary line is tachyon, and for big climbs and basal tie-offs, I climb on a 300' 11.5mm platinum (cuz its orange...) I was just given a 200' HTP line, which is only 10mm. Not taking into account any memory that the hitch cord might have, it gripped sufficiently through 95% of my climb. Only returning from a limb walk, with a 3-1 advantage, did I have a pucker moment when it didn't bite.
I have only found one site that sells the RIT 9mm in un-spliced lengths. Unfortunately, it's in 70' or 110' lengths. You may have to contact sterling to get anything smaller, to run in your HH. If there is enough interest, I may go ahead and order a long length to re-sell/share in pieces cut for the HH.
Attachments
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
Welcome to the TreeHouse, Doug! Excellent first post!
Welcome to TH.
Look for it at the fire/rescue suppliers...http://www.rescuedirect.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=21145&Category_Code=
Burnham
Woods walker
Welcome to the TreeHouse, Doug! Excellent first post!
Indeed.
PCTREE
Treehouser
Hey Doug, just received the RIT in the mail , thanks. I am eager to give it a try out in the trees this week. Treestuff will have this cordage available shortly FWIW.
kevin bingham
TreeHouser
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2010
- Messages
- 4,788
i played with a bit of of this stuff and found it had quite good wear but like you said the stiffness of it made it a bit unreliable catching I would hesitate to try it on anything skinnier than tachyon which is a good rope.
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
TreeStuff!
Yes!!!
Yes!!!
Joezilla11
TreeHouser
NHlocal
TreeHouser
Welcome Doug,
Still haven't found a cord I'm 100% happy with, sounds like a good one to try.....
Still haven't found a cord I'm 100% happy with, sounds like a good one to try.....
TreeCutterDoug
TreeHouser
Thanks for the welcomes! I'm looking forward to posting pics of my splicing for feedback, as well as showing off my homemade HAAS... Sooooo many forums to read, and so many cool cats posting some awesome tips, tricks and info!
MasterBlaster
Administrator Emeritus
How did you find us, Doug?
And here's a heads up - To stay caught up on threads, 1) Click on the new posts link at the top left hand side of any page or 2) Click on the unread posts at the top right hand side. If you don't see any posts/threads that you don't want to view, click on the "Mark Forums Read" link (under Forum Actions) and that will clear them.
And here's a heads up - To stay caught up on threads, 1) Click on the new posts link at the top left hand side of any page or 2) Click on the unread posts at the top right hand side. If you don't see any posts/threads that you don't want to view, click on the "Mark Forums Read" link (under Forum Actions) and that will clear them.
TreeCutterDoug
TreeHouser
I love tree stuff, but can't recall if the rep from sterling, or pctree with ropetek turned me on. The rep asked me to drop some reviews, and honest before anything else, I really put that RIT9mm through the paces. Thanks for the tips: I'm kind of a techtard. Still can't find the oil filler cap on my smartphone and I'm sure some lubrication would speed it up.
Is there a TCC forum? Or a "check out this treehouse I built" forum?
Is there a TCC forum? Or a "check out this treehouse I built" forum?
Thanks TreeCutterDoug. I bought 12' of the Sterling RIT 9mm and gave it a try today. Platinum 11.5/HH/RIT 9mm/distel hitch. VERY nice combination on the first try. I hope it handles as nice with a little wear.
Went up 80' in an ash and on the way down I did several start/stops, inch down, normal speeds and just let it burn on the last 30' coming to an abrupt stop....two fingers is all it took to go back to inching down. Me likey.
Joezilla11
TreeHouser
Where did u get the rit?
NHlocal
TreeHouser
Looks like Wespur has it.....
Wespur Hitch Cord
Wespur Hitch Cord
NHlocal
TreeHouser
Oops, it should work now..... 
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