DMM hitch climber pulley knot interference

[MarcM]

Haven't turned up anything in search, apologies in advance if this is a dead horse but... I'm using a hitch climber with samson arbormaster and bee line i2i as my main setup. I bought the arbormaster before I had the hitch climber and I was still on a blake's with a knot tending pulley, so no eyes spliced or sewn in either end of my climb line. The only thing I've used that was semi successful in not having my anchor/biner interfere with my climbing hitch is using a double figure 8 with a looong loop to attach the biner. It's not optimal, I'd prefer a cinching not just to avoid cross loading, but I haven't noticed much tendency for that when clipped into the hitch climber.

But still, I've tried about ALL the friction knots, from simple prussiks, to the knut to the distel, the schwabisch... and I keep coming back to the vt. I've got the turns and braids tuned just right and it works great, aside from having to baby sit it getting hung up on my biner and termination knot. I clip the biner in the middle hole and I've tried with the hitch through the bottom and top. I always have troubles.

Is the real solution just to pony up and buy a new climb line with tight eye splice? I probably should. The arbormaster has served me well, but it's well used and I could probably use another light rigging line...

 

[DriplineZack]

Cant' go wrong with the unicender. Love the thing

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Spliced eye is the bees knees on the hitch climber. But I have used it with anchor hitches on the biner with little interference on a VT hitch. 3 wrap two braid if I recall correctly for my frame. Could try a smaller line as well. Something in the 11.7, 11.8 family. Lighter and not terrible on the hands.

 

[Tree09]

You could also learn to splice if you wanted to

 

[Benjo75]

A spliced eye is the best. However there are other ways that work. Add an extra biner to get the knot higher. A bowline with enough of a loop to get above the hitch, obviously with a Yosemite tie off. That would be my least favorite. I have just clipped my termination end back in to my bridge before. There are plenty of options but keep in mind that the knot snagging the hitch is always a possibility. A spliced eye eliminates that and is one less thing on your mind while climbing.

 

[Tree09]

Couldn't you clip on an extension thing too? Like a rated stiff tether for the rope wrench? Or maybe just start running a rope wrench?

 

[Burnham]

You can also tie a long loop with a bowline...the standard is pretty safe, but an alpine style/Yosemite finish is bombproof. That keeps the knot away from the hitch.

 

[lxskllr]

I like the Scotts Locked Bowline. The Spyder posted an article that had it in there, and it caught my attention. Simple and elegant...

 

[Tree09]

That definitely looks cool, but for a life support the Yosemite tie off works so well that it's kinda "the way." I bet that would be awesome for heavy loading tho!

 

[Benjo75]

Before srt, I was body thrusting. I would take an extra eye to eye of Bee line. Double it over, run it through the ring on my saddle and clip both ends to the carabiner on my hitchclimber setup. That gave me an extra 15 or so inches and moved the hitchclimber away from my saddle and was way easier to pull the tail. And I could still reach the hitch. Once in the tree, I'd lanyard in and remove the eye to eye and clip directly to my saddle ring.

You could use an eye to eye to clip just the termination of your line to. That should get your knot out of the way of your hitch. Obviously try these suggestions low and slow and at your own risk.

 

[ruel]

New line 100%. Arbormaster is fine, but yale 11.7 ropes are soooooo much nicer.

 

[Bermy]

I climbed hitchclimber for years, 1/2" xtc terminated with a double fisherman's and with a distal to start then a VT in icetail..I know I solved knot interferring with the hitch by using different holes in the HC...but I cant remember quite how! In the end I did get a spliced eye when I moved to 11.5 Tachyon.
Then not much later I transitioned to SRT

 

[MarcM]

You can also tie a long loop with a bowline...the standard is pretty safe, but an alpine style/Yosemite finish is bombproof. That keeps the knot away from the hitch.

I've often thought of switching to a bowline but I never did. The rock climbing community, and the fire service community (which I was once a part of) has something against the bowline as a life safety knot and for that reason I always default to the figure 8 follow through/figure 8 on a bight I guess. I got yelled at once at a climbing gym just doing top roping for using a bowline instead of a figure 8 follow through. I think it has to do with the amount it derates the capacity of the line, but that said. the strength you get in the half inch or 11.x mm climb lines these days is such overkill compared to a climber's weight, I've always thought about just using a bowline + yosemite finish instead of the figure 8. for some reason though, I still get that interference... I think even though the knot is away from the hitch, the double legs of a loop is enough bulk for the hitch to rub on, just enough that I always feel like I have to baby sit it.

 

[MarcM]

You could also learn to splice if you wanted to

I could, in theory. But between all the other crap I do, plus a two year old to take care of, learning to splice might solve my interference problem but also might ruin my marriage

 

[MarcM]

Before srt, I was body thrusting. I would take an extra eye to eye of Bee line. Double it over, run it through the ring on my saddle and clip both ends to the carabiner on my hitchclimber setup. That gave me an extra 15 or so inches and moved the hitchclimber away from my saddle and was way easier to pull the tail. And I could still reach the hitch. Once in the tree, I'd lanyard in and remove the eye to eye and clip directly to my saddle ring.

You could use an eye to eye to clip just the termination of your line to. That should get your knot out of the way of your hitch. Obviously try these suggestions low and slow and at your own risk.

I really like that idea, thanks. I might give that one a try first. Even though I really should probably just get a new climb line. And probably think about switching to SRT anyway or at least one that's SRT/DdRT capable. I really like that a basal tie SRT system allows someone else to lower you down should something horrible happen. I hope it never does, but you know, I always like to plan for the worst.

Thanks to everyone else for your replies and ideas.

 

[MarcM]

I think I'm sounding cheaper than I am here, hemming and hawing over ~150 - 200 bucks for a new climb line, which could pay for itself in one job. The thing is, is I'm also very much considering a new saddle. I'm still on a Weaver 4 D wide back, which is actually great for removals, but I've been doing more and more prunes lately, and I'm becoming more confident in spur-less climbing. And using the bosun's chair (minus the board) style inner d's on that 4d saddle for any length of time is just not comfortable on the hips, and it's restrictive of movement, and clipping and unclipping to 2 ds is such a pain that I'm kinda in between upgrading my climbing line or upgrading my saddle, but probably don't want to shell out the cash for both.

 

[Bermy]

Saddle, man, saddle!
A modern leg loop, sliding bridge harness will allow you freedom of movement you never thought possible.
Sequoia, Treemotion, Buckingham, Edelrid, Tree Austria, Notch..the list goes on...

 

[Tree09]

Splicing won't take a year, honestly it takes a few hours to learn. And it will be a lifelong skill that will save you tons over time, but i get it, they talk it up like it's brain surgery. It's definitely not, or i couldn't do it.

 

[cory]

09, I have a couple of pressing questions regarding nuclear fusion in relation to the helium-4 nucleus, whose binding energy is higher than that of lithium. um can you help?

 

[Benjo75]

All you would need is a Rope Wrench and a foot ascender for srt. Use your ln anyard to tend.

 

[Jonny]

What Bermy said about double fisherman’s and new saddle. I don’t have any spliced climbing lines, DFL for all of them. It’s not terribly bulky or maybe I’m just used to it.
Can get a TreeMotion for 350$ at Sherrill right now.
A bridge with floating ring or D or swivel or whatever is a huge improvement, but get something with lower Ds as well.

 

[stig]

Wher are you located?
Knowing that would make it easier for us to help out.

 

[ruel]

Southern Massachusetts I believe he mentioned in another thread.

I've got an old style weaver sliding d saddle you can have, and I'll trade a splice for a weekend of camping on farm once Corona calms down!

 

[Burnham]

Saddle, man, saddle!
A modern leg loop, sliding bridge harness will allow you freedom of movement you never thought possible.
Sequoia, Treemotion, Buckingham, Edelrid, Tree Austria, Notch..the list goes on...

I'm with Bermy. Of her list, my personal favorite is the Sequoia, but there is no slouch in any of them, and more than a few others beat your current ride big-time. Might also look at what New Tribe has on offer these days.

 

[Bermy]

I 'm happy in my Sequoia SRT...FWIW