Hitch limber and Distel,not grabbing?

Yes I have a spliced eye. You are definitely right about keeping weight on it. As long as I do that it is fine. Sometimes when I am doing a removal and I am heading up I might be using my flip line to keep me near the trunk as I am spiking up and I will tend to use my hands to flip up and then take a couple steps up on my spikes and then my climbing line is slack, so I pull the slack through and that is when it doesn't bite unless I "re-set" it. I have always climbed on a Blakes until now and I was used to doing this, but when I pulled the slack through my Blakes it always bit right away.
 
I think I have seen where people have used an adjustable set up to get the hitch further away from you so you can pull yourself up with the rope beneath the pulley and the pulley advances the hitch and you are tending the slack as you go. Does that make sense? Would that be a better technique to use.
I find that I have no problem limb walking and then returning towards the tree, all the while keeping my weight on the hitch and advancing the h itch with one hand. It is mostly when ascending the trunk on spikes that I run into the issue. So maybe it is a technique issue that I need to work out. It is still very new to me. I have just one cabling job and a pretty good size removal on the Hitch Climber so far so I haven't used it too much yet.
 
I had trouble with OP when I tried it too. I prefer Epicord or Armor-prus. That being said, as others have already stated, wait until it breaks in...it will get better. Also I am curious if you have spliced eyes or sewn on your e&e? The spliced eyes make the cord stiffer at the bury and can make a cord not want to perform. The sewn eyes are bulkier, but in this application I much prefer them.

Here is a video that yoyoman did on friction hitches. He shows different hitches, ways to pair them with the climbing line, and that not all cords/hitches/lines are compatible.
 
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fastbub said:
Yes I have a spliced eye. Sometimes when I am doing a removal...it doesn't bite unless I "re-set" it.
Click to expand...

This makes sense. It's just the stiff ocean imo. The same thing happened to me until it was broken in. I think a 4 wrap schwabisch will help.

I'd climb up a spar or (which I shouldn't be doing) above my TIP in the canopy to get that one last deadwood. If I'd go above my TIP or allowed too much slack on a spar, the hitch cord wouldn't bite without resetting. Now with the hitch climber, I use different cords and have worked out a system - before and after moving in the canopy I always "squeeze" my hitch like an orange and push up to ensure it'll grab. On removals, I put and secure my weight in my flip line then adjust and set my climbing line hitch. It seems like a lot, but I don't even realize I do it anymore - it's just habit. Also, everything is right there in one system.

Here is a good sample pack - I used double fisherman termination knots on the hitch cords until I found which I liked best. Then I just order 4 at a time with e2e now.

https://www.treestuff.com/store/catalog.asp?category_id=20&item=11163



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I think you are referring to the slace termination or the O-rig with the hitch climber. I'm not a fan. I only played with that setup for a bit, and went back to the way it is advertised.

As with any equipment, it has a learning curve. But once I got used to it, I can't imagine ever going back to a blake.



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Try a "Knut Froppe" hitch or something like that. Stays tighter on the line for longer, but as with any friction hitch, it'll work loose if you don't keep an eye on it.
 
NorCalBrock said:
You might try a schwabisch hitch until it is broken in. I started with new tachyon and ocean - both were stiff. Schwabisch grabbed best at first. Once both the rope and hitch were broken in, I switched to a distel. I don't use ocean anymore because it takes so long to break in, then once it does break in, it doesn't like to be tied in other configurations.

8mm Armor prus, Samson ice, and beeline eye to eye will work well on 7/16


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Click to expand...

Just like the original poster, I experienced non-grab on a variety of hitches with the ocean poly 8mm without first tending the hitch. I would always test the hitch before leaving the ground but would sometimes not grab without first tending the hitch. Being a new climber this was extremely disturbing until I read this thread.

The suggestion to use a Schwabisch hitch was the solution for me. It doesn't advance as great as the VT or distel but there is no tending required while climbing and descents are smooth enough. Thanks for the info NorCalBrock.
 
I will echo what others have said in this thread about Oceans 8mm. I just made a new cord and used it yesterday for my lanyard adjuster. It wouldn't hold without massage / setting. I was bummed.

An hour later, I noticed that it was holding after I pulled slack through the tending pulley. My conclusion was as everyone else has noticed -- it is very stiff when new and I just needed to really sit into the lanyard and pull the hitch tight a few times.

For those that are curious, my main line is 1/2" 16 strand XTC and my lanyard is 1/2" Hivee line.

--andrew
 
Good grief....just wear those cords in.....damn instant society we have become......ocean 8 is a stiff cookie...however the damn thing becomes gripford after use.....2018 folks...try some 9.3 or 10 epi and be done with that rubbish....or 10 codeblue...those are the ticket....and I fly a 3.5/3 VT forever....28's hand or sewn....wrench/HC with single fer life..
 
Treedreamer said:
Just like the original poster, I experienced non-grab on a variety of hitches with the ocean poly 8mm without first tending the hitch. I would always test the hitch before leaving the ground but would sometimes not grab without first tending the hitch. Being a new climber this was extremely disturbing until I read this thread.

The suggestion to use a Schwabisch hitch was the solution for me. It doesn't advance as great as the VT or distel but there is no tending required while climbing and descents are smooth enough. Thanks for the info NorCalBrock.
Click to expand...

@Treedreamer; Welcome to the TreeBuzz forum! I think you are going to like it here!

Nice job reviving a cool older thread. It is actions like that that keep this forum alive and interesting to come to. I hope you have fun, and stay safe, with your new climbing obsession. Low and slow with new gear and techniques, and try to build in backups to your primary system whenever possible.

I look forward to reading more from you!

Tim
 
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