Acerxharlowii
Branched out member
- Location
- Greensboro
Are u still using the bola everyday?
BOLA
- Thread starter surveyor
- Start date
-
- Tags
- lanyard adjuster
I was editing my post for clarity as you were typing yours. It doesn't creep in MRS, and I have not added a wrench to it yet. I was just curious if anyone found a rope that worked without added friction in SRT.
Acerxharlowii
Branched out member
- Location
- Greensboro
What rope have u used for a lanyard and not srs
Muggs
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Canuckistan
No, it doesn't work srt on its own. Not designed for it.
No, haven't been using it since I got my dmm swivel back on my lower D. I've been using a HHXF on my long lanyard/hook line, and just a hitch and pulley on my short lanyard
No, haven't been using it since I got my dmm swivel back on my lower D. I've been using a HHXF on my long lanyard/hook line, and just a hitch and pulley on my short lanyard
I would probably never use it as a lanyard adjuster only as I much prefer a hitch and pulley, and while I know it wasn't meant to be used as an SRT device I had thought it may work that way if it was used as a second SRT tie in and was only carrying part of my weight. Testing hasn't shown that is a viable option thus far. I will say though that the 9mm version @surveyor made for my hook line does function in SRT and MRS nearly perfectly.
You could call that combo the “Bing-Berg”!
William has been giving feedback about the BOLA and as a result I have added this small elongated steel bollard shown here (interior). It provides a bit more grip. It works like the elongated on the Bone, and swivels in place providing two wear faces.
- Location
- San Juan
Hello Gordon,
I hope that you are well.
I was lurking here re-reading this older thread and wanted to pick it up where it left off to ask a few questions. I was going to message you directly, but I figured that any info that I am going to add here might be useful for someone else, as this whole thread has been for me, so here it goes.
As a little overall background information for any users of your devices, I had been using the Bulldog Bone with the adjustable brass bollard since late 2019 until I purchased a second one with the new elongated bollard in the fall of '23. It has been my primary climbing device ever since and the older one is always there as a backup as well as for a second line or hook line. Both have the standard teardrop attachment point, and I run a double rope bridge with a DMM Axis small blue swivel as the primary attachment, and a ring on the secondary bridge rope. I have used both Bones mainly with Tachyon 11.5 and also DrenaLINE 11.8. I prefer the Tachyon's thickness but the cover of the DrenaLINE is smoother IMHO.
I also purchased in the fall of '23 a BOLA 3.0 lanyard adjustor with the Rock Exotica Nano Swivel installed. I have been using it on either Tachyon 11.5mm or Tritech 11mm with a single spliced eye on the top end and just a stopper knot at the tail. I usually use it as my long lanyard and sometimes hook line (~25'), and have a secondary short lanyard (~10') with a hitch cord and pinto combination. I have found that I get less tangles with two separate lanyards instead of a double ender.
I was planning on trying the BOLA next with a hank of Teufelberger Firefly 11mm, which I understand is the "little brother" of Tachyon. I weigh about 170# and felt like the Tachyon maybe gets a bit thick once it has some wear in it, and a bit slow on the release for it sometimes, and the Tritech, while super durable, seems to milk a lot and bunch up. I saw that others have used KMIII or other 11mm ropes, so I will see how the Firefly feels and report back later.
In any case, let me get to the point here after blabbering for four paragraphs here...
The last post on this thread mentioned a small elongated bollard for the BOLA. Have you gotten any more feedback from that? Do you still produce them? I would love to purchase one and have a go with it. Have any other major changes happened with the BOLA 3.0 since I purchased it?
I really enjoy the device. It is very compact, robust, and I love being able to terminate the rope back on the device for when I put it on my second bridge as a mini MRS system. But I always wondered how much smoother it might be if it had a larger diameter on the outboard steel wear pins closer to the rubber nubs.
One other thing that I have noticed about the overall geometry of the BOLA 3.0 is that with Nano swivel installed (which in general has been a great modification to the device IMHO), it seems that the lower arm steel plates do not allow the swivel to be perfectly lined up in every situation. To me it seems like a slight modification to the lower arms shape (ie: a a scalloped curvature in between the swivel attachment point and the lower arm chain links) would mitigate this. While it is probably no more than 5-10º off perfect alignment, the swivel is supposed to always be able to self orientate perfectly aligned to the load, and it seems the body of the swivel touches the lower arm before it can straighten out completely.
I will take a couple pictures of what I am trying to convey and post it here.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts, or those of anyone else willing to share their experiences on your devices. It has been great to read all the feedback here, and thanks to the Treebuzz forums, I was able to learn about your contributions to tree climbing in general and eventually get my hands on your wonderful devices to try for myself.
Best regards,
Michael
Attachments
Hello Michael, I do still have the small elongated steel bollards in stock, but little to no feedback (I am not sure I even have any users of that bollard). I have not made any other changes to the BOLA pictured, but could produce the BOLA with the scallop you suggest. Masayuki in Japan has both the BOLA and the Bomb Diggity OAR and from what I gather prefers the OAR to the BOLA. The OAR is only one quarter inch longer overall, but even more robust with thicker components overall with aluminum alloy arms (same as the Bulldog Bone). The stainless steel friction pins are also the same dia. as the friction pins in the Bulldog Bone and the elongated steel bollard is beefier. Thank you for your feed back.
- Location
- San Juan
Hello Gordon,
I appreciate hearing back from you, and getting some more info to help understand the difference between the devices.
Is the "Bomb Diggity OAR" different from previous iterations of the OAR shown in photos on a thread (or threads) here on Treebuzz? Can you provide pictures of the most recent version?
I think that I might be interested in trying the OAR, and also getting the small elongated bollard for the BOLA, as I am enjoying the process of experimentation within the evolution of your inventions.
Best regards,
Michael
Here is the thread with pics and video for the BDO. https://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/bulldog-oar.48149/
The BDO has the same geometry as the BOLA, but scaled up in size with longer arms which give more mechanical advantage for the release, and with the design intention being both SRT/DRT
The BDO has the same geometry as the BOLA, but scaled up in size with longer arms which give more mechanical advantage for the release, and with the design intention being both SRT/DRT
- Location
- San Juan
Thank you Gordon. I just read through the end of that thread, as I hadn't see the more recent pictures or messages.
