Rope Wrench / Hitch Climber Question

MatKep · Nov 15, 2020

Greetings. Finally made the leap to SRT and could use some advice. Using a rope wrench with dual tether fix on bluemoon with 28” epicord eye to eye distel and a hitch climber... looking for advice on cleaning up/configuring the hitch climber.

Placing the dual tether fix and eye to eye through the same pulley hole takes up the entire rock o biner and places the hitch eyes uncomfortably close to the biner hinge and gate. Since the rope wrench is not life support, can I attach that to a separate pulley hole with a small lock pin or something similar? Or a separate pulley hole with a rated biner? ...Or keep it all together and upgrade to a hms biner for more space? So many options... Looking for input and pros/cons of each.

Jonny · Nov 15, 2020

You should get an HMS carabiner, I like the Rock Exotica Pirate. Everything fits nicely. Using another biner for the tether is gonna get sloppy on ascents.

Did the distel work ok with that setup?
If it works and you’re happy, then fine, but if your hitch won’t release well and needs to be loosened to tend it after loading, try a knut or Michoacán.

Really solid setup you got though, should work well once you’re a little more used to it.

Grafted_In · Nov 15, 2020

Ditto to what Johnny said. I use a Pirate; one of my favorite biners. I tie a 4:1 michoacan or petroacan with a 28" e2e. Shorty @height tether. Clean setup, can't go wrong.

rico · Nov 15, 2020

Do yourself a massive favor and ditch the Distel and go with a Michoacán/Petroacan. Like comparing a beat up old dump truck running on 3 cylinders to a well dialed in race car.....

Reach · Nov 15, 2020

rico said:
Do yourself a massive favor and ditch the Distel and go with a Michoacán/Petroacan. Like comparing a beat up old dump truck running on 3 cylinders to a well dialed in race car.....

I’ll second that. Or try a VT of some variation, that’s my usual go to with my Wrench.

Benjo75 · Nov 15, 2020

This is how I do mine. DMM Ultra O carabiner. Hitch pin from Tractor Supply.

MatKep · Nov 15, 2020

Thanks all for input. I feel I must try the Michoacan now and report back. Have a petzel william and it does fit everything much better. Will likely try the hitch pin method too, just needed confirmation I wasn’t missing something. Good to have options.

Follow up Q: when descending with the wrench, do you grip/tend the wrench or the hitch? When tending/descending via the hitch cord the wrench sticks a bit and releases suddenly.

Benjo75 · Nov 15, 2020

Pretend the wrench isn't there. Use the hitch. Once I get to the top I like to pull on the hitch and descend about 3 or 4 inches to let the Wrench engage. Helps keep the hitch from binding up.

Tuebor · Nov 15, 2020

MatKep said:
When tending/descending via the hitch cord the wrench sticks a bit and releases suddenly.

Probably a result of using the Distel. Or maybe too small diameter hitch cord. Which diameter EpiCord are you using?

MatKep · Nov 15, 2020

Tuebor said:
Probably a result of using the Distel. Or maybe too small diameter hitch cord. Which diameter EpiCord are you using?

9.3mm epi on bluemoon. I don’t think it’s the hitch though... almost as if the wrench gets canted ever so slightly causing the rope to freeze for a sec. Only happens on the initial transition from ascend to descend and once it releases it starts and stops smooth all the way down. I’m not weighting the rope beneath me, could that be it?

Tuebor · Nov 15, 2020

I would think 9.3 mm Epi would be better, and a Michoacán much better. Rope weight beneath you shouldn't affect its performance much. Definitely no need to weight the rope.

Brocky · Nov 15, 2020

Before the Wrench rotates, you’re trying to descend on a stationary line, resulting in the need for increased effort to release. Grabbing above the Wrench to take some of the load will help with the sudden release.

MatKep · Nov 16, 2020

Tuebor said:
I would think 9.3 mm Epi would be better, and a Michoacán much better. Rope weight beneath you shouldn't affect its performance much. Definitely no need to weight the rope.

Roger that, it’s 9.3... typo on my original response confusing my other cord

Hosocat · Nov 16, 2020

If you use a solid pin like the picture from benjo do not use the wire safety snap on the pin to attach to your chest harness to tend the system. I did, and while ascending I leaned back, putting my upper body weight into my chest harness, and the wire safety snap snapped of, causing my upper body to jerk backward at about 30 feet high. The solid pin did not come out and I carefully descended to ground, but underwear still needed to be changed.

Benjo75 · Nov 16, 2020

I've been using that method for several years with no mishaps. I do see that it could happen though. I lean back regularly with no problems though.

Hosocat · Nov 16, 2020

Yeah, I had been using the solid pin for a while with no problems. I'll continue to use it, but I just won't use the wire safety snap to hook on to. I just put too much weight on it.

moss · Nov 16, 2020

This is a tether based on a bored out twisted shackle with a slic pin installed, people who've been around the 'Buzz have seen it.

The tether cordage is NE Ropes tech cord with one pass sewn eyes,, also sewn throughout the length of tether. The tether stiffened with shrink tubing.

One of several versions, I've been climbing on this one since January 2018. The previous version used the stock locking pin that comes with the Wichard twisted shackle.
-AJ

Hosocat · Nov 16, 2020

moss said:
This is a tether based on a bored out twisted shackle with a slic pin installed, people who've been around the 'Buzz have seen it.

The tether cordage is NE Ropes tech cord with one pass sewn eyes,, also sewn throughout the length of tether. The tether stiffened with shrink tubing.

One of several versions, I've been climbing on this one since January 2018. The previous version used the stock locking pin that comes with the Wichard twisted shackle.
-AJ

Very slick!

Jonny · Nov 16, 2020

I hadn’t seen that before and I usually pay attention to what AJ works on.
Very cool, I may try to make one.

moss · Nov 16, 2020

Jonny said:
I hadn’t seen that before and I usually pay attention to what AJ works on.
Very cool, I may try to make one.

It’s a lot easier to build the tether on a Wichard shackle and use the stock threaded locking pin. When I first built a tether that way people said “It would be better/quicker with a slic pin”. Slic pin is fine but you’re only saving 5-6 seconds on the tether install onto the Hitchclimber pulley.

If you pair the Wichard shackle with NE Ropes tech cord it’s a perfect snug fit on the Hitchclimber pulley.

Here’s the one I built, I put a stainless screw through the opening hole on the end of the Wichard locking pin and put a plastic sleeve over the screw. This is to make it easy to lock the pin with gloves on or in cold weather. The sleeve is cut from an insulin syringe, perfect fit. I’m a diabetic so plenty of syringes to recycle. I put a swivel on the pin tether to reduce hockling.

https://flic.kr/p/dYGB9q
https://flic.kr/p/dYB39v