Cheapest midline attachable rope grab?

samsquatch

samsquatch

Participating member
Location
SE MN
Looking to see if anyone has a source for some very small, affordable midline rope grabs? Looking to order a few. No need to be life support, the lighter the better.
 
What are you making?
You can tie a very small hitch.

There are tiny plastic cam type rope grab things for tying down loads at the hardware store.
www.homedepot.com

Nite Ize CamJam Cord Tightener in Black (4-Pack) NCJ-01-4R3 - The Home Depot

Designed to lock securely into place with a simple pull of a cord, the Nite Ize CamJam is an easy, knot-free way to tighten, tension, and secure lighter loads of all kinds. Made of sturdy, durable plastic,
www.homedepot.com
Hell, I thought they were midline. I never read the directions.
 
Just looking for quick knot-less ways to attach gear to a rope, or set a MA hauling system.
E.g: alpine butterfly cannot be tied on a taut line.

I like the Petzl tibloc! Is there something similar but cheaper?
 
I got 3 Gibbs that are probably never gonna be used again by me. I think 2 steel, 1 aluminum but the steels really aren’t very heavy. DM me if interested.

Hand tied prussik are cheap and easy, and if you’re a little creative there’s tons of ways to tend them.
 
I have a ton of rope grabs from just about everybody that makes them. Some are quite ancient. They can be handy for lots of things, but I've found that a hitchcord still works the best, overall. All of them can destroy a rope with enough shockload... but the damage from a hitch hasn't ever led to a rope failure, for me. I really think it is the safest bet.

I had a drop test tower I made from a couple of sections of Rohn 65G until about a year and a half ago, when I destroyed it pushing my luck with it. Playing around with old, retired lanyards I found that the tooth cams did the most damage, the ridged cams were next, and the smooth cams and hitches did the least damage. Exactly what you'd expect just looking at them. I was the most impressed with a Trango Cinch that was pretty beat up and fairly worn. It was given to me by a friend, and since I had bought two new ones earlier that year, I risked testing it, too. It pretty much slides and then comes to a stop... with almost no rope damage other than bunching up the sheath. I still have the thing, but I just use it for controlling the trolley on a speedline setup, to ease stuff down the speedline with a 3/8" control line.

I wish they were still in production. I don't care if they dropped people on their heads when used wrong for belay... they are a damn fine lanyard adjuster.
 
For the curious, I was actually testing these to determine if they would work with solo rigging and arial friction to hold the rigging rope while I made the cut. Tests were about six feet of drop with two 80-lb. bags of concrete plus the weight of the sled, which was about 40 lbs.

I decided against using any of them, and am now messing around with using a Petzl ID for this.
 
JeffGu said:
I have a ton of rope grabs from just about everybody that makes them. Some are quite ancient. They can be handy for lots of things, but I've found that a hitchcord still works the best, overall. All of them can destroy a rope with enough shockload... but the damage from a hitch hasn't ever led to a rope failure, for me. I really think it is the safest bet.

I had a drop test tower I made from a couple of sections of Rohn 65G until about a year and a half ago, when I destroyed it pushing my luck with it. Playing around with old, retired lanyards I found that the tooth cams did the most damage, the ridged cams were next, and the smooth cams and hitches did the least damage. Exactly what you'd expect just looking at them. I was the most impressed with a Trango Cinch that was pretty beat up and fairly worn. It was given to me by a friend, and since I had bought two new ones earlier that year, I risked testing it, too. It pretty much slides and then comes to a stop... with almost no rope damage other than bunching up the sheath. I still have the thing, but I just use it for controlling the trolley on a speedline setup, to ease stuff down the speedline with a 3/8" control line.

I wish they were still in production. I don't care if they dropped people on their heads when used wrong for belay... they are a damn fine lanyard adjuster.
Click to expand...
But a pinto and very short spliced HRC is sooooooo much better. Like soooooooo much better. Probably last a whole career and is not misoriented when used on the left side if I remember correctly.
 
JeffGu said:
For the curious, I was actually testing these to determine if they would work with solo rigging and arial friction to hold the rigging rope while I made the cut. Tests were about six feet of drop with two 80-lb. bags of concrete plus the weight of the sled, which was about 40 lbs.

I decided against using any of them, and am now messing around with using a Petzl ID for this.
Click to expand...

Hey, JeffGu! Interesting topic, thanks for sharing your results with the various devices! On the topic of solo rigging, I was wondering if you've ever come up with an effective way to remotely release a rigged load while you are still up in the tree, and the load has already made its way to the ground?

Such an item would be of huge benefit to most solo tree workers. It is something that I've not yet been able to figure out. It seems to me that with all of these remote control quad copters flying around, some kind of remote controlled clevis would not be that much of a stretch. I've not yet seen such an item, though, other than huge and expensive ones used in industrial settings. I'm curious to know whether or not you've figured out this puzzle already. Thanks in advance for any comments you care to make on this topic.

Tim
 
Hey, @JeffGu! I was wondering if you've heard of this device from Trango? It might be meant as a replacement for the Cinch? I'd love to hear your impressions about the device. They have a video on this web page I'm about to post. I'll try to post links to both, if the moderators don't mind.

trango.com

Vergo & React Screwlock

The Vergo emphasizes ergonomics and human-device interaction to deliver exceptionally safe performance. Clear physical and visual indicators reaffirm correct usage, and the geometry reduces the likelihood of misuse. There is never a need to override the device, even when feeding slack for a...
trango.com trango.com


I'm hoping this product is actually available in the marketplace, and not something that never saw the light of day. Thanks.

Tim

Edit: It appears that it is possible to buy this device directly from the manufacturer, right from the website to which I posted a link! Just in case it does not have good distribution among the retailers.

2nd Edit: Here's a link to a Bing results page for sellers of the device.

trango vergo belay device - Search Shopping

www.bing.com www.bing.com
 
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Tim, there are three options floating around that I know about at this point for self rigging and releasing.
Setting a pulley saver and lowering it on a bight, the heavy hook with a stiff loop system that releases when the system is slacked, and just carrying a bunch of speed line slings and lowering small pieces on a bight on your tail. You pull the rope through to release on that one.
 
SomethingWitty said:
Tim, there are three options floating around that I know about at this point for self rigging and releasing.
Setting a pulley saver and lowering it on a bight, the heavy hook with a stiff loop system that releases when the system is slacked, and just carrying a bunch of speed line slings and lowering small pieces on a bight on your tail. You pull the rope through to release on that one.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for your post, SomethingWitty! I'll need to give your suggestions some thought. I really appreciate your time and input.

Tim
 
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