Blakes Hitch Drop Test Video

[CornellTree]

Good day,

If you are a climber who uses the Blakes Hitch, you will find this note of high interest. We have conducted some strength testing and documented it with video.


http://www.youtube.com/user/CornellTreeClimbing#p/u/0/BxxLD1TT4NI

Please distribute and post on other forums.


Climb Safe.

Cornell Tree Climbing Institute
Treeclimbing.coe.cornell.edu

 

[Dan_Watkins]

Although I do not climb on the blakes hitch, the results are better than I thought they would be. I thought that the hi vee split tail would have broke or at least slipped, Im impressed. Good test

 

[Fernhorn]

I don't climb on the Blakes but I do use it for progress capture often. Thanks

 

[dandandatreeman]

Good video! Thank you for posting it.

 

[Blinky]

Do more!

Thank you, that was cool.

 

[southsoundtree]

That's very interesting.

I'm not sure that a lack of slipping under high load is the best thing for a hitch. I'd like to know what kind of impact force is being generated by a very low slip hitch. Ideally, we need a combination of slipping some to dissipate the energy, but not continuing to slip once some energy is absorbed.

Will you plan to test other hitches as a comparison?

Thanks for posting that. Hope to see more.

 

[Daniel]

Good effort on the video and interesting to get people thinking about such matters. But realy there is very little to glean from this video that has any practical application to professioanl tree work.

What were you trying to achieve?
the objectives and conclusions are completely unclear. You do not state the fall factor in the final test, nor do you state the dynamic properties of the ropes in use. Nor does it make sense to test the blake on single line. Has anyone ever heard of the blake being used on SLT?

The real lesson here is to use a doubled bowline anytime the forces could concievably be approaching the SWL of a line..

 

[SingleJack]

Agree with Sean, <u>some</u> slip is good BUT not too much. I do use the Blakes but only DdRT on the tail of the rope when double crotching. There had to have been some slip if (as mentioned in the video) the rope was "crispy" above the hitch after the drop. It would have been good to have seen some more experimental data - actual length(s) of rope placed under load, a mark for the starting points of the hitch and measurements to the final points, new rope, old rope, etc., etc.

However, the work and video is much appreciated. Thanks for posting. I, too, hope to see more.

 

[Tr33Climb3r]

[ QUOTE ]
Good effort on the video and interesting to get people thinking about such matters. But realy there is very little to glean from this video that has any practical application to professioanl tree work.

What were you trying to achieve?
the objectives and conclusions are completely unclear. You do not state the fall factor in the final test, nor do you state the dynamic properties of the ropes in use. Nor does it make sense to test the blake on single line. Has anyone ever heard of the blake being used on SLT?

The real lesson here is to use a doubled bowline anytime the forces could concievably be approaching the SWL of a line..

[/ QUOTE ]

Wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Great video guys...interesting topic is that the blakes locks up...would have a difference in aerial rescues