Ronin Battery Powered Ascender

Am I the only one cringing at the ropes with no edge protection? Those shingles will eat through a rope under tension. Beside that, the device looks right at home doing that kind of work.
 
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yeah no the ropes will not get eatin through on the shingles or wooden edge of that roof, doesn't even barley scuff up the outter sheath, and I do use rope protectors, if you look you can see on the top of the roof peak and the lower edge. Never had any problems with damaged or cut ropes. It actually cuts through the shingle and makes a nice smooth grove in the wood.
 
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KrisJennings said:
yeah no the ropes will not get eatin through on the shingles or wooden edge of that roof, doesn't even barley scuff up the outter sheath, and I do use rope protectors, if you look you can see on the top of the roof peak and the lower edge. Never had any problems with damaged or cut ropes. It actually cuts through the shingle and makes a nice smooth grove in the wood.
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Have it your way. I protect my ropes. After all it is MY ass on the line.
 
You protect your ropes over tree branches? Those trees could eat through a tensioned rope no?

I do protect my ropes, hence the rope protectors you see me using in the video. I am well aware that the majority of rope failures are due to unprotected edges. There are risks to work at heights, we mitigate them and make judgment calls, mine was that this edge was safe without a rope protector for the situation.
 
KrisJennings said:
You protect your ropes over tree branches? Those trees could eat through a tensioned rope no?

I do protect my ropes, hence the rope protectors you see me using in the video. I am well aware that the majority of rope failures are due to unprotected edges. There are risks to work at heights, we mitigate them and make judgment calls, mine was that this edge was safe without a rope protector for the situation.
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We do protect our ropes in trees. It is called a friction saver or a lowerable TIP. I also have a leather rope sleeve on my lanyard. FYI, a rope will eat through the bark of a tree so we do it to protect our ropes and the tree.

I see the one edge protector used in your video, in one of 2 locations. I also saw the climber remove it and back down over the same edge. A 90 degree bend over an abrasive surface is not good anyway you spin it.

Your argument of "there are risks to work at heights" is no good. If you know of a risk before you set out to do something, you mitigate the risk. In that video I saw several cases of rope abuse. That does not look to me like someone who is trying to mitigate risk.
 
I don't picture running rope as an issue but a stationary rope being worked over a solid surface will get eaten trough pretty quickly. If you are anchored to a fixed point and swinging from side to side, such as in roofing, this creates a bad situation. The same small segment of rope can get cut by a shingle edge, sheet metal, brick or block.

This is a scenario probably never encountered in tree work but it is very common in construction. This is something rock climbers are all too aware of and keep a look out for. As with any climb, know and inspect your gear first.

If I ever rappel off of a building or structure, I have an aluminum edge plate with a roller. I use 2 edge plates for running rope. Just my way of doing it. Your edge protection looked adequate if it is used on every edge.
 
All I can tell you is I made the decision that the edge was safe to navigate without protection for myself. It was a soft edge, I've had no issues with the rope. I wasn't working side to side off those edges just straight up and down. I was working sideways on the roof, with additional roof anchors and rope protection over the peak of the roof. So what about that Ronin? These guys look pumped!

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I really like the device as is. I would be budgeting for one if it was mid line attachable. My other suggestion for the ronin to be more arb friendly would be to use a battery system they already have. Like others have stated, if it used the same battery that the high end electric saws use it would reduce the cost of entry. I also like the idea of having an extra battery up with me.

An example of how this is useful goes back to my days as an electrician. If you are up in an attic or basement and your light goes out you can swap the drill and light batteries and the problem is solved. It would be nice to have this compatibility with Stihl or hsq.
 
Sounds like Ronin Is working on a Mid Line attachable and a smaller less powerful unit. Also working on a direct power attachment to run off a wall plug. Don't suspect the batteries will ever be dewalt or something like that but I will pass along all design suggestions.
 
The new player on the market is not only the fastest battery power Ascender at 38/min but also boasts the longest battery life offering a staggering 305m continuous operation with a 91kg load (152m with 181kg load). With its smooth hot-swap battery you can change batteries mid-operation, a rope access technician's dream. The Ronin has a self-lock mechanism removing all risk of user error. The manual release works exactly the same as a standard ID descender in industrial rope access so there is no need to remove the unit from the static rope and decent speed is controlled by release handle in the same manner as any rope access descender. With the multi speed operation you can ascend at your desired speed at the push of 1 speed controlling button.

Weighing only 9kg its 4kg lighter than its nearest competitor and makes handling & transportation an easy task. It doubles up as a winch for rigging, confined space access, caving, hauling or lifting equipment.
The focus is simple is better. The robust design has simple features & operations that does exactly what it is designed for & ensures longer lasting mechanisms than its competitors as well as strong cast anchor points. Entering at such a competitive price range that now businesses, sub-contractors & even general public can afford this superior machine. CE certified & IP rated the Ronin power ascender handles the toughest of environments. Our focus is to bring superior quality products to the market at affordable & reasonable prices.

Call today on the number below for more information from the official distributor in the Canada.

204-380-1922 Kris
 
I visted Ronin today and learned more about the powered ascender and got to try it out. It is a very impressive unit from what I saw. I look forward to having one to try out for an extended period of time on the job site.

One thing that impressed me a lot was the decent feature. While you are coming down, the gears are engaged and they slow you down. By tightening or loosening a knob on the device you can control the rate of decent but even at its highest speed it is very comfortable and feels controlled. I don’t think the fact that the device is not midline attachable is that big of a deal. I think I would just use it for ascent into the tree and then switch over to a moving rope system and lower it down on the ascent line. Or for jobs where you were just going straight up, making a few cuts, and then immediately coming back down, you could just stay on the Ronin because the decent feature is so user friendly. The group of guys developing the products at Ronin are really cool and very receptive to feedback and suggestions. I look forward to seeing their future products.
 
KrisJennings said:
You can use different Climbing rope, but you should be using an 11.m with very low elongation for best performance. So I hate to point it out but an Arb working in trees uses dynamic rope as it is the main part or their fall arrest system in which the dynamic rope cushions the fall. I will be testing lots of different ropes including Dynamic and report back.
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Arborist use static rope too, and unlike rock climbing we aren’t really into taking Big falls on our gear. Swings are more common.
 
RyanCafferky said:
I visted Ronin today and learned more about the powered ascender and got to try it out. It is a very impressive unit from what I saw. I look forward to having one to try out for an extended period of time on the job site.

One thing that impressed me a lot was the decent feature. While you are coming down, the gears are engaged and they slow you down. By tightening or loosening a knob on the device you can control the rate of decent but even at its highest speed it is very comfortable and feels controlled. I don’t think the fact that the device is not midline attachable is that big of a deal. I think I would just use it for ascent into the tree and then switch over to a moving rope system and lower it down on the ascent line. Or for jobs where you were just going straight up, making a few cuts, and then immediately coming back down, you could just stay on the Ronin because the decent feature is so user friendly. The group of guys developing the products at Ronin are really cool and very receptive to feedback and suggestions. I look forward to seeing their future products.
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I would like to see the form factor a little bit nicer! The box thing just looks well ... boxy! Corners and edges to hook up on everything. I’m sure it works good and I’d love to give er a try. What’s the price all in with spare battery and charger ( in Canadian funds please )?
 
Good job Kris. To read between the lines you sound like a good guy to deal with. I'm on my third year of solo rigging removal work which is considered kinda taboo but the more I do it the more I see the safety, economic, environmental and stress level benifits. It's been fun to solve all the new challenges but sometimes it would still be nice to rig a big piece that needs untieing on the ground. Powered ascenders would open that door for more ups and downs and change things again.
 
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