What Am I Doing Wrong Here? - RopeWrench

John: I might add that a ton of people over here in connifer land love to work the tree srt for ease of rope travel, but then prefer to ascend to the top srt tie-in point and then change over to dDrt to descend on. We seldom use basal anchors since our ropes are not long enough. We whould often need like three hundred feet of rope which can suck. so... just work the 150' tree with 150' or rope go up to the top... descend 75" dDrt, till ya hit yer stopper knot... rinse, repeat. The beauty of Kevin's wrench is that it does both srt, and dDrt so very well, and with no adjustments needed.

Basal ties can be problematic here... a guy could hit it with a saw (this actually happened) or else, rope-stretch just gets super annoying by the time you get toward the bottom.
 
For sure, very good, no BS vid, well done!

It was when I was learning SRT. I had been climbing so many years Ddrt that I was hesitant to change. So I started learning to ascend SRT and got comfortable with it. But I was uncomfortable and slower working all day on it. I didn't trust myself on a base tie with the rope running down the backside of the tree. I was afraid automatic pilot would kick in and I'd forget about it. I was also more comfortable being able to retrieve my line anywhere I was without having to climb back to the top. After a while climbing srt then changing over and a few months of rec climbing and getting used to the retrievable redirects and figuring out that climbing back to the top to retrieve my line wasn't an issue. I went solely srt. Now I generally only use ddrt on the tail of my climbline to pull myself out to a bad spot.

There is so much to learn starting out with srt. So I learned one retrievable redirect, one top tie setup and one base tie setup and stuck with that. After a couple years I've added other setups but I mainly use my basic setup. I just recently swapped to a different base tie.

This post speaks to me re long time DdRT use and getting comfortable with SRT. You are well ahead of my SRT progression. Can you tell us about your basic 3 you mentioned- your go-to retrievable redirect, top tie set up, and base tie set up? Thank you.
 
Thanks Cory. I don't think I'm too far along with SRT. I'm still trying to figure out what's safest and quickest. I've learned so much from all the good folks here at the Treehouse. You saw my main top tie. Alpine Butterfly with a Quickie. I also use a delta link if I'm pulling it through a dense canopy or when the tie in point is out of sight. I like to be able to see the quickie and make sure isn't loaded against the pin the wrong way.

My main base tie is a running bowline with Yosemite Tie off. But I add a double fishermans to the loop going around the tree to keep the loop tight. I usually have an Alpine butterfly just above the bowline just in case of rescue. Although I'm rarely working with anyone who would be able to perform an aerial rescue.

My retrievable redirect is the small ring with a keychain biner and small piece of throwline. Bight of rope over a limb and clip back into my harness. I don't want to derail the original thread. I may put a couple of quick videos on a separate thread. I'd like to hear what yall are using too. I'm always looking to learn.
 
I like your good sense/ safe approach. I'd be the same way about worrying about auto pilot possibly leading to danger to the down leg if the rope to the base tie. And eyes on the quickie to ensure proper orientation (btw, why not use the bullet proof delta link full time?)

Not a derail imo, unless you want to put this all in the SRT thread. So your redirect, when you're done with it, you unload/disconnect from the rope and just pull it back to you with the throw line? Sinisterly simple :drink:
 
I used the delta link for a while. Works perfectly and bomb proof. Been giving the Quickie a go for about a year. I really like it. It's quick. Doesn't require a wrench to properly tighten. I keep a box end wrench hanging on my delta link so it's not a problem. Just personal preference at the moment I guess.

I use a ring for redirects. It's completely retrievable from anywhere you are without a throwline or anything else. It does use 3 times the amount of rope. Sometimes I'll just go through a natural crotch. Sometimes I'll use a sling and a biner. You just have to go back and retrieve it or be able to pull pull it out from a base tie. I made a video this evening but it was almost dark and wasn't very good quality. I'll make another tomorrow. I'm not really good at videos I just hope someone can get some good from something in them as I have from all the other good videos out there and all the good info from all of you. I don't have time to edit and put fancy music to them and all that. I've always preferred short informational videos that I can learn something from. I don't make anything off of them and don't care anything about views or number of subscribers. Just info that might help someone's day go a little better.
 
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Agreed. Shows everything necessary, with enough explanation to understand the how and why of what's being shown.
 
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Pretty clever Ben. I'm gonna have to set it up myself to see exactly how it works, especially the interaction with the ring.
 
Thanks Ben. I hate when a man from one region is pretending to instruct a man from another... either giving him licenses or else creating prohibitions that might be completely irrelevant or perhaps even dangerous due to the different nature of species, growth patterns etc.

So much better to have a knowledgeable fellow from a more similar reagion sharing his experience.👍
 


I like the Fiori's ring trick redirect but have switched to this SCAM redirect with a Petzl Rollclip Z pulley carabiner. I feel it is just as easy to setup and a bit smoother as a haul-back.

 
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John: I might add that a ton of people over here in connifer land love to work the tree srt for ease of rope travel, but then prefer to ascend to the top srt tie-in point and then change over to dDrt to descend on. We seldom use basal anchors since our ropes are not long enough. We whould often need like three hundred feet of rope which can suck. so... just work the 150' tree with 150' or rope go up to the top... descend 75" dDrt, till ya hit yer stopper knot... rinse, repeat. The beauty of Kevin's wrench is that it does both srt, and dDrt so very well, and with no adjustments needed.

Basal ties can be problematic here... a guy could hit it with a saw (this actually happened) or else, rope-stretch just gets super annoying by the time you get toward the bottom.
What happened when someone decided to act in a way that could have killed a fellow workers?

Incidents and accidents are not the same...you are talking about someone willfully deactivating the throttle interlock and pulling the throttle while aiming the chainsaw, right?

Didn't you have a near fatality, recently? Kid fell almost to his death, but only hospitalized and damaged for his lifetime.
 
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Ah, ha! Thanks guys. I'll have to rig something up. I have everything I need. I'm thinking some nylon strap for around my neck, and some paracord with bungie sections.

10-4 on a rope walker setup. That's clearly the easier way, but I want to get at least functional on footlocking. It's a useful skill, and I like learning the basics before adding technology. That applies to just about everything, not just climbing.
I recently had the same issue trying out my rope wrench for the first time. I watched one of Kevin’s YouTube tutorials and saw I was missing the shoulder support. A daisy chain with 2 biners did the trick. I’m glad I kept it low and slow because I had issues descending. Now I’m trying to figure That out.
 
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I recently had the same issue trying out my rope wrench for the first time. I watched one of Kevin’s YouTube tutorials and saw I was missing the shoulder support. A daisy chain with 2 biners did the trick. I’m glad I kept it low and slow because I had issues descending. Now I’m trying to figure That out.
I believe you just grab your hitch to prevent it from grabbing, and the wrench is supposed to give you an easy descent. Release the hitch if things start getting out of control. Perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
 
What happened when someone decided to act in a way that could have killed a fellow workers?

Incidents and accidents are not the same...you are talking about someone willfully deactivating the throttle interlock and pulling the throttle while aiming the chainsaw, right?

Didn't you have a near fatality, recently? Kid fell almost to his death, but only hospitalized and damaged for his lifetime.

Sean: Thanks... not opposed to answering these questions, but just not super clear on whatcha mean by a buncha stuff. 1) What do you mean by your first question? 2) Throttle interlock?? Deactivation?...:? please explain. 3) Yes. We have very recently had one very near fatality, have had several near fatalities in the past, as well as one actual fatality. I was (by my own idiocy) almost one of them. I fell a maple stem uphill and nearly took myself out of the workforce, but emerged unscathed and laughing. I got a lot to learn brother, believe me; but please do let me know what you meant by the other two remarks just so that I can address them.
 
Someone cutting the base-tie is an intentional action with an unintended outcome.

Deactivating the trigger lock and pulling the trigger is not an accident. Conscious effort to cut a base-tie. Not an accident.

100% avoidable.





I thought it was the company you are at that had a 100% avoidable death, ... I didn't want to say, without knowing. 6 years ago or something.

Be safe, buddy!!! You have yourself and family and friends to get home to.
Watch each other's backs.


Tree workers are way more dangerous than tree work, generally.
 
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