Compact Bulldog Bone

oceans said:
When you operate any mechanical hitch, does your hand have a reference point? Say your fingertips are on the actuator, is your palm against anything? I find that without a reference point, you can easily get that all or nothing feel.
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Considering for example the zigzag...I have all the control necessary keeping my palm towards the device and giving the right amount of release with the tip of my fingers with no hesitation, that is with my 13mm rope. With the Vortex it disengages all at once giving me a more jerky 'stop and 'go fast' down motion.
Anyway I have new findings for the BdB with Vortex rope. The good news is that I tried the bigger bollards without trying it with no bollard at all. With no bollard there's a big difference...much better control however not 100% as with the Petzl Grip 13mm. I also tried it with the bronze bollard (the one inserted into the 5/8 one) and it's OK. Also the idea of having something rolling instead of nothing with the rope rubbing on the pin makes me think there's less friction on the link itself. However better and smoother with no bollard at all. Still the 13mm beats the vortex for smoothness and the fact that you can go really slow or fast as you wish even using one hand only. But at least it got much better with the orange vortex.
 
Tico said:
Considering for example the zigzag...I have all the control necessary keeping my palm towards the device and giving the right amount of release with the tip of my fingers with no hesitation, that is with my 13mm rope. With the Vortex it disengages all at once giving me a more jerky 'stop and 'go fast' down motion...
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I've been using my zigzag with 11mm New England Fly. With my hand wrapped around the accordion links with the index finger and thumb on the top link (the same as with a hitch), it only takes a very light touch to release and to modulate the speed of descent. It is very easy to go from stopped to a smooth slow crawl to fast if desired. No jerky moves or too fast of descents as long as I do my job with a light touch. I've had the same experience using it on Vortex.

I'm trying to be helpful and not insulting, but it seems to me the extra drag of your 13mm rope is making up for the 'feel for the devices' you have not developed yet and that you are ready to abandon many good ropes that others are having great success with. I politely suggest spending more time on the 11.5mm-12.7mm ropes and attempt to develop your technique before confining your choices to one rope.
 
gmcttr said:
I've been using my zigzag with 11mm New England Fly. With my hand wrapped around the accordion links with the index finger and thumb on the top link (the same as with a hitch), it only takes a very light touch to release and to modulate the speed of descent. It is very easy to go from stopped to a smooth slow crawl to fast if desired. No jerky moves or too fast of descents as long as I do my job with a light touch. I've had the same experience using it on Vortex.

I'm trying to be helpful and not insulting, but it seems to me the extra drag of your 13mm rope is making up for the 'feel for the devices' you have not developed yet and that you are ready to abandon many good ropes that others are having great success with. I politely suggest spending more time on the 11.5mm-12.7mm ropes and attempt to develop your technique before confining your choices to one rope.
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Open minded I accept the advice and also thank you for it...It is just less complicated with the 13mm...just feeling more safe in case of accidental touching on top of the mechanical hitch, but I will persist trying with the other rope (Vortex is the only 'other' rope) and become better...
 
Hi guys currently in the market for a new long rope as my boss decided I didn't need the last 12 m on my 60m line has anyone ran there bone on the cougar orange and is it 11.7 the same as the blue cheers in advance Luke
 
That old chestnut said:
Hi guys currently in the market for a new long rope as my boss decided I didn't need the last 12 m on my 60m line has anyone ran there bone on the cougar orange and is it 11.7 the same as the blue cheers in advance Luke
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I run the Cougar grey and it works great for me. Cougar orange is supposed to be the same construction. Yes it is 11.7 also. The only difference should be the dyes used, but maybe someone who has used it on the BDB can answer from experience.
 
Tico, just so you don't feel like you are crazy....I was on my matching BDB's yesterday with Vortex. My Blue in well used and washed several times, my Orange is new and never washed. There was actually a difference between the way they interacted with the devices. The older one was fatter and harder to get off and on, however it was smoother when feathering the descent speed. The new(Orange) was easy to get on and off but seemed to flatten out more easily and was also less controlled on descent. They both worked for me but I think that as the Vortex gets used and washed it seems to get a little fatter and is also less prone to flattening as much. They both still flatten, Vortex is very soft in the hand.
 
monkeylove said:
Tico, just so you don't feel like you are crazy....I was on my matching BDB's yesterday with Vortex. My Blue in well used and washed several times, my Orange is new and never washed. There was actually a difference between the way they interacted with the devices. The older one was fatter and harder to get off and on, however it was smoother when feathering the descent speed. The new(Orange) was easy to get on and off but seemed to flatten out more easily and was also less controlled on descent. They both worked for me but I think that as the Vortex gets used and washed it seems to get a little fatter and is also less prone to flattening as much. They both still flatten, Vortex is very soft in the hand.
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Thanks for that monkeylove!!!
 
After experimenting a few hours with the bdb and the home made chest harness, to tend the bone and also the knee ascender like most of you do, I decided to use the same chest harness in descending mode, attaching the bdb to the big hole on the spine. That is to relax the back distributing the weight between the harness attachment point from hips/back to upper shoulders...When I sit on my harness the tendency to flip back is definitely less. I snugged in a round piece of wood with a half moon shaped hole and ran a shuckle that stays put at the angle I want without lowering by itself...shu.webp shuk.webp
 
I strongly suggest that you don't keep the chest harness attached to the BDB except when ascending. There is a slight possibility this can prevent the bone from properly grabbing the rope if you get in just the wrong position. While the chance for a problem is small, I do not consider this to be a good practice.

We discussed this here.....http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/compact-bulldog-bone.28246/page-20#post-402894
 
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gmcttr said:
I strongly suggest that you don't keep the chest harness attached to the BDB except when ascending. There is a slight possibility this can prevent the bone from properly grabbing the rope if you get in just the wrong position. While the chance for a problem is small, I do not consider this to be a good practice.

We discussed this here.....http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/compact-bulldog-bone.28246/page-20#post-402894
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Thanks for the concern...yes I remember very well all it's been said about it and to refresh my memory I just read it again now that you had mention it. I always avoided putting any weight into the spine hole because of what was said. I've been experimenting other possibilities and they do more damage than anything else. As soon as you make the spine or the links perform differently from what they are meant to the risk of not grabbing anymore increases. Strangely, with my ropes and the set up of bollards (I went from no bollard to the bronze one) this doesn't happen. Plus I don't lean completely on the harness but keep sort of a straight position and let some weight on the chesty and control the rope slack with the other hand. I really put some time into this and apparently it isn't bad at all. The key is that I could use it only when I really feel in need, charging more or less my weight on it...but yes, I am aware that anything can happen and if I feel unsafe all I would do is get closer to the rope and disengage the weight or even the carabiner from the shuckle.
Let me experiment more and see what happens...
 
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