Climbing lines; and the twist goes on!

Rich_O

Rich_O

Location
michigan
OK rope experts, how do you keep your lines from doing the old three strand twist. The twelve strands did not seem to have the same problem. But who wants to give up their spliced eye? Basically we have been climbing on High Vee, due to economics you don't want to just buy hanks of ropes just to try out. So I would like to know your thoughts on the issue and what was your worst & best type of line. /forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Use a 16 strand. /forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Woops, I had to edit this because I'm definately no expert. I'm pretty sure that most 16 strands are "torque balanced" (no spin) and spliceable.
 
I know that 12/16 strand ropes tend to twist less if they're bagged or put in buckets. Flaked in other words. I don't know if the same holds true for three strand.
 
3 strand twists. That's the way it's made. No matter how "good" it's made, if you're climbing on it, it's gonna twist.

About that splice, almost all arborist climbing lines are spliceable, so don't feel like you will be sacraficing a splice if you switch to a different rope.

If you're using the NER Safety Blue 3 strand, that makes a good flip line. It's too short in this application for the twist to become a hassle.

love
nick
 
Sorry I was out for a funeral. I see I was too breif in opening this thread. Yes back in the old davey days we climbed on three strand with a taught line hitch. Then many years later finally 12 and 16 strand ropes. Currently we are using 16 strand high vee with an eye splice. The hitches vary with the climber. Some still use a slit tail and a blakes hitch. But most of the guys are using a VT or a distel. I prefer the TK, but on a long decent out of a tree you have a huge twisted mess. I have tried the Distel and VT with the same results. But if I switch to my 12 strand tree pro red the twists are minimal. I prefer the 16 strands and was wondering if any one else has had these problems, or if other 16 strand ropes are friendly with the advanced hitchs. [ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ] Not enough information leads to confusion /forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
I have had that same twist when using the Rope Guide for a friction saver. A petzl swivel, between the saddel and spliced eye of the rope, stoped the twisting for me.
 
Good Idea, and yes using the rope guide friction saver adds tons of rope twist. I went back to my old friction saver with the large aluminum ring carabener and micro pully. The less bend at the attachment point seems to reduce the amount of twisting. And yes all ropes are flaked into bags.
 
Hmmm, I never saw that twist when I switched to the Rope Guide, and I use it in 99% of the trees I climb.

The Wise Squirrell mentioned once that switching the direction you make the wraps on your friction hitch might solve the problem.

love
nick
 
I haven't notice added twists when using the Rope Guide either. I climbed on 16 strand with the RG, hitches or Lock Jack and never noticed hockles unless the rope was coiled. Hmmm...
 
I'll Have to get a picture of the rope for you. But what I am leaning towards from reading these posts is a possible flaw in manufacturing. I do replace all lines at the same time so I can keep track of the age of the ropes. All loaded portions of the rope are twisted(high vee, so it looks like an orange candy cane)
but past your hitch the rope keeps it's normal woven pattern. as you decend from a tree the tail must keep up with the twisted portion above your hitch.Therefor as you leave the tree you end up with a twisted mass heading towards your hitch. At first I thought after the rope broke in this would stop,it did not,then thought it might have been to the longer lengths(150')lets hear your thoughts this time?
 
When you describe that it's happening on one side of the friction hitch, but not the other, it makes me think that it's the friction hitch that's causing the problem. Have you changed the friction hitch in anyway recently?

love
nick
 
I don't think you can eliminate hockling. Reduce, sure. No matter what you do all ropes have a natural twisting effect. That's the result of the material being formed from twisting the fibers to form the yarn then to form the strands and so forth. They do try to combine the strands in different ways to reduce the twist and use differnet combos of strands(even/odd #'s).

So, it's not necessarily a manuf. default. It's just the way the rope is. I beleive all ropes have a factor on how many revolutions or complete twist per set amount of feet of rope. Example: Hi-vee might be like one complete revolution per foot of rope(that is probably not right but that's the idea).

Nick probably has better tech info on that than I do.
How's that presented Nick? You know what I mean though?

Keeping your rope in as straight of a line as possible throught your whole climb should reduce that. Not avoidable though. Have them groundies tidy your rope.

Later

Nick... is your dad Tom Araya of Slayer?? /forum/images/graemlins/jamminz.gif /forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
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