Compact Bulldog Bone

oceans · Sep 24, 2014

Flying a mechanical actually brings me back to my days on a Blake's hitch.

Two systems, though somewhat unrelated to each other, the Hitch Climber system in DdRT and the Rope Wrench in SRT don't allow you to easily give yourself slack unless you really have your body weight in the system. This means during some lateral motion through structure, you really have to lean into things for the system to allow you to advance. The HC is right at your bridge and you can't really get a whole lot of free slack for the effort, and while in SRT, you can collapse your hitch, but you still have the drag of the RW to pull against.

With the Blake's hitch, the Rope Runner, and the Bone, you can pull down from above the hitch (cordage or mechanical) and get enough slack to easily move your body forward. This is because the Blake's is tied well away from your bridge, and the mechanicals will just collapse and come to you friction free.

None of this is really a big deal, just more of an observation of how some things can be so much alike when you may not expect it.

TreeLogic · Sep 24, 2014

You miss the Blake's. I can tell

macswan · Sep 24, 2014

No one misses the Blake's.

oceans · Sep 25, 2014

I've often thought that I would still climb in bliss if I were ignorant to contemporary gear.

Paul Hedderly · Sep 26, 2014

Gordon the tweaked parts arrived today - many thanks!

surveyor · Sep 26, 2014

Great! Once you have the cotterlinks throughout and the bottom swivel locking link installed it should be bombproof. Just keep a close eye on the aluminum sleeves over the roller and pins you added as a modification.
You can get steel sleeves that are made for the pins, if you obtain the size 80 roller link and press the steel axle sleeves out of the roller link.

Paul Hedderly · Sep 27, 2014

I have to say, clevis pins/cotter pins really annoy me - you get to insert remove many of them just a couple of times before the legs break. Still anything in there will do just about - they aren't load bearing.

Having the "gate" on the lower pin does make it 'feel' bullet proof - could take a big drop on it and the link pin isn't going anywhere. Very nice.

Still looking for steel sleeves over here - not easy to find.
I've been using my Response a lot this week - and without the extra roller sleeve/pin sleeves. Works great! Tends better without, although the extra roller sleeve doesnt seem to make much difference.

Cheers

surveyor · Sep 27, 2014

To any Bulldog Bone users. You should always use the hole in the middle of the spine to advance the the Bone SRT NOT THE CHAINLINK AT THE TOP. While the bone will advance if you pull it along from the top, if you lean back hard, if attached at the top link, the Bone will release.

macswan · Sep 27, 2014

And that would suck

Paul Hedderly · Sep 28, 2014

Thats cos the earth sucks.

treebing · Sep 28, 2014

I discovered the same thing with the rope runner. That is why there is not an attachment point up top which runs great. I realized if you got knocked out during an ascent you could lean back and disengage everything. Right at the pivot point of the lever is where I found to be the sweet spot.

Tom Dunlap · Sep 29, 2014

I added a cord to attach my neck bungee for rope walking. New England Tech Cord is a fav because it's so stiff. A double fisherman's stopper on the outside and a bowline to clip into. I used a piece of Big Shot tubing to secure the end of the bowline. I might capture both legs of the bight though to make it more of an eye. When I get the length dialed in I'll probably seize an eye to make it as clean as possible. Maybe run it through a short piece of tubing to keep it directed out of the arms of the BDB.

Another change I might make is to put a swivel in the bottom since I attach my multicender directly to my bridge. The swivel will allow me to keep it fair to my hand.

macswan · Sep 29, 2014

Swivel idea ain't bad.

Have you used that fly with it? I was having trouble with significant creeping on a different version of fly.

Tom Dunlap · Sep 29, 2014

Not in the tree...I'll use Tachyon in green or pink or blue/orange

The Fly is a short piece leftover from the very first run of Fly many years ago.

macswan · Sep 29, 2014

Historical artifact, I see.

surveyor · Sep 29, 2014

How about a zip tie to drag the Bulldog Bone along? An OAR user in the UK did modify his harness attach point with the swivel from a lockjack. Nice looking rope Tom, I believe Caleb has a fly rope like that and has used it on an OAR

TreeLogic · Sep 29, 2014

macswan said:
Yeah that's me. True detective or dazed and confused?

Dallas Buyers Club

surveyor · Sep 29, 2014

I see you can buy just the swivel part from the lockjack, and I am willing to custom install them on the Bulldog Bone if you send just that part to me.