Couple wrench questions...

tomthetreeman

tomthetreeman

Participating member
Location
Rhode Island
I apologize if these have been covered, but I am not terribly successful with the search function...

I have been SRT climbing whenever possible for a couple years now, but as a company owner I don't get tons of opportunities. I basically went straight to the RR and BDB and haven't wrenched too many times. I have a few questions for the veteran wrenchers:

My hitch never grabs on ascent; I always need to tend it to get it to grab. I have used OP (both diameters), beeline (both), RIT (8 mil?), and HRC on Tachyon, Fly, Vortex, Kernmaster and HTP (not exactly all of these combos). Is this common, or should I just keep trying combos? Most of the climb lines have been fairly new, so I'm wondering if that's it.

Where do you guys/gals attach your chest harness and HAAS with the wrench? I use a hitch climber, and I have used the pulley itself with some success, but I'd like to hear/see what works for others. Thanks in advance,

Tom
 
haas in bottom hole chest harness in middle knot and wrench in top. its a little tight but only till you get up there. i had trouble tending at first, im 6' 190lbs ive found a vt 4 wraps/2twists holds me fairly well with 8mm op and poison ivy. i think yoyoman had a video about adding twists and such to your hitch cord to change the way they function. might be something as simple as twisting the legs one way or the other.
 
I keep a mini biner in the top hole of the pulley and attach my chest harness biner there. It so keeps the wrench oriented on the pulley. I attach my haas direct to my chest harness. Attach wrench and hitch in bottom hole of pulley. Nothing in the middle one. Used to attach the haas there though.
 
Any thoughts on the hitch not grabbing during ascent? ST's comment seems more about working & moving around, which I have no problem with. Only when advancing the wrench straight up with ascenders and harness.

Tom
 
I set it by hand out of habit. Usually you have to trade binding for sliding. If I don't set mine, it sometimes slides until the wrench totally engages, but holds at that point. As with any hitch/rope combo, it just comes down to tweak and dial. I'm using a two wrap, five braid vt.
 
What hitch are you using tom? I found that a vt on single kind of warps, the legs when compressed can get wrapped under the pulley, or not grab predictably , so I started adding a twist or two right before I attach to pulley. ( twist similar to cooper hitch) 4 wraps,2 braids, 1 or 2 twists. That really helpedhelped
 
I'm using a 4-5 wrap Michoacan, depending on the hitch cord. Super smooth working and moving around, but it seems that advancing it with ascenders makes it come untended. I'll try the VT/XT, haven't used one in a long time.

Tom
 
The issue you're having is due to the change in rope diameter once it is under tension. The rope fibers have to go somewhere...elongation goes hand in hand with reduced diameter. Add the tension component and you've got a loose hitch on a taught, slightly thinner climb line. This can result in the non-grab issue.

More importantly, how to treat the cause and not the symptom...fairly simple in that you need to find a hitch LENGTH that allows you to properly tie your preferred configuration without much remaining length on either eye as they meet the carabiner attachment.

This is why I favor the Michoacan for Rope Wrenching. It is not a tall hitch, because the coils stack relatively flat compared to tresses. When using sewn eyes and a Micho, you can dial in a very responsive hitch with little setback and very reliable grab whether the climb line is under tension or not.

Exactly what combo? That is your journey, my friend. All I would suggest is try playing around low and slow with one of your current configs that comes close. If you stand on your foot ascender and get your hitch to slide, try releasing tail tension by quickly lifting your leg. You will most likely see that once the climb line is slack, the hitch should begin to grab. Again, do this low just to observe.

Best of luck, TTTM.:)
 
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Tom, I'm using a 30 inch armour Prus 8mm green in a 5 wrap michocan on tropical ivy and sumac with no setback slippage issues. I'm binering in the wrench tether into the top hole of a hitchclimber and using swings chest harness in the middle hole using an xsre biner. My saka is attached to the bottom hole of the left rigging plate of my bridge so it is completely out of the way. I want to try a 32 inch eye to eye and see how it works. TL let me try his bdb and with my weight, it just didn't/wouldn't work
For me :(. I think i'm probably the beefiest climber on the forum. This combo has been working great for me though. The only real issue is because of the damn heat down here, my hitch and rope get soaked in my sweat and can grab unexpectedly.
 
A lot of good stuff shared already. I have never had much luck getting OP to grab...too stiff. I would have thought you'd have had better luck with the Bee-line as far as grabbing more reliably, maybe try some more hitches. I agree with Oceans about finding the perfect LENGTH and combo. Also, and I'm sure Oceans would agree, do yourself a favor and get some EpiCord. I have never had a hitch respond so well! Great stuff! oldoakman had a good suggestion with the armour Prus 8mm... that is my second favorite... I do love the EpiCord more!
 
I also use the Distel hitch and either 9.3mm EpiCord or 9mm ArbPro @ 26" or a 10mm cord (EpiCord or OP) @ 28" long. Sewn Eyes.
When the cords and ropes were new, I had a bit of trouble on and off but after a few climbs it all settled down. Once in awhile I try other hitches, but the Distel has been the most reliable for me as far as grabbing right away and still sliding up the rope freely on ascent. Everything else I try might do one of those two things better, but worse on the other. Might just be me, might just be the combos I'm using.
 
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