- Location
- Austin, TX
Thanks Dave. Looks like you have really worked out the connections. It's hard sometimes to get all this gear dialed in. So many combinations..
Rope Wrench vs Unicender
- Thread starter DSMc
- Start date
Sorry, Scrat, I forgot to reply to you. The shoulder harness is a Petzl Torse. Simple light weight and inexpensive. I got mine from Wesspur for about $21.
The tether from the Uni to RW is just hand sewn with a lock-stitch awl. Even though this is in fact, very strong, I have more leeway in this setup compared to most Rope Wrench/hitch combinations. The reason for this is that the Unicender is not only safe without the RW (like a properly tied rope hitch) it remains fully functional on a single rope in all ascender/descender or work positioning operations.
Dave
The tether from the Uni to RW is just hand sewn with a lock-stitch awl. Even though this is in fact, very strong, I have more leeway in this setup compared to most Rope Wrench/hitch combinations. The reason for this is that the Unicender is not only safe without the RW (like a properly tied rope hitch) it remains fully functional on a single rope in all ascender/descender or work positioning operations.
Dave
rfwoodvt
New member
- Location
- This side of eternity.
Any more updates on this set up Dave?
Anything you think needs changing or is that system ready to rock and roll?
I've been watching this post with baited breath and am waiting to pull the trigger on a rope wrench. of course that would be after you worked the bugs out of the system
Anything you think needs changing or is that system ready to rock and roll?
I've been watching this post with baited breath and am waiting to pull the trigger on a rope wrench. of course that would be after you worked the bugs out of the system
[ QUOTE ]
...I've been watching this post with baited breath and am waiting to pull the trigger on a rope wrench. of course that would be after you worked the bugs out of the system
[/ QUOTE ]
Rick, these are exciting times in the tree climbing world. The setup as I have shown is working great! The Unicender, with the shoulder bolt, traps the down line and the Rope Wrench, on a hard tether, improves friction modulation, in a big way, while at the same time traps the top rope and fair leads into the top cam of the Uni. These are pretty big improvements in both safety and user friendliness.
The down sides are size and weight. These have not hindered its use for me but they are quite noticeable. It is also easy to see how both size and weight can be reduced so I have no doubt that more tweaking will occur.
So I would say, yes, get the RW because it not only will work with the Unicender and hopefully ease the transition in the mastery of that fine tool, but it also works very well as intended, combined with a hitch on a single rope.
Dave
...I've been watching this post with baited breath and am waiting to pull the trigger on a rope wrench. of course that would be after you worked the bugs out of the system
[/ QUOTE ]
Rick, these are exciting times in the tree climbing world. The setup as I have shown is working great! The Unicender, with the shoulder bolt, traps the down line and the Rope Wrench, on a hard tether, improves friction modulation, in a big way, while at the same time traps the top rope and fair leads into the top cam of the Uni. These are pretty big improvements in both safety and user friendliness.
The down sides are size and weight. These have not hindered its use for me but they are quite noticeable. It is also easy to see how both size and weight can be reduced so I have no doubt that more tweaking will occur.
So I would say, yes, get the RW because it not only will work with the Unicender and hopefully ease the transition in the mastery of that fine tool, but it also works very well as intended, combined with a hitch on a single rope.
Dave
Dave any update on your progress...?
I have the RW and love it with a hitch. I'm keen on the uni and like how it makes the whole set up quick to attach.
Is tending slack with one hand easy (without the chest harness clipped in)?
Have you tried any swings with one handed control?
Is it possible to make a vid for us??
Thanks for any help you can provide.
I have the RW and love it with a hitch. I'm keen on the uni and like how it makes the whole set up quick to attach.
Is tending slack with one hand easy (without the chest harness clipped in)?
Have you tried any swings with one handed control?
Is it possible to make a vid for us??
Thanks for any help you can provide.
[ QUOTE ]
Dave any update on your progress...?
I have the RW and love it with a hitch. I'm keen on the uni and like how it makes the whole set up quick to attach.
Is tending slack with one hand easy (without the chest harness clipped in)?
Have you tried any swings with one handed control?
Is it possible to make a vid for us??
Thanks for any help you can provide.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hi, Ficus. There are a few things to report. I have tried several different tethers and have concluded that for the full benefits of this combo, it must be stiff enough to function as a hinge with very little side movement. Set Up in this manner the RW works as a rope trapping guide, stopping any possibility of the rope falling out of the top cam on the Uni. The rope can only be forced out of the Uni during off angle slack tending but with the RW on the stiff tether this just cannot happen.
You can easily advance without a chest harness, like with climbs up to a new position on the Pantin or foot-lock but for climbing the tree a harness will keep everything in the auto-slack-tending mode ( at height the rope will fall through on its own ) and stop it from dropping below your bridge and being always in the ready position.
Dave
5/8" nylon web with aluminum screw rivets, stiffened with superglue.
Dave any update on your progress...?
I have the RW and love it with a hitch. I'm keen on the uni and like how it makes the whole set up quick to attach.
Is tending slack with one hand easy (without the chest harness clipped in)?
Have you tried any swings with one handed control?
Is it possible to make a vid for us??
Thanks for any help you can provide.
[/ QUOTE ]
Hi, Ficus. There are a few things to report. I have tried several different tethers and have concluded that for the full benefits of this combo, it must be stiff enough to function as a hinge with very little side movement. Set Up in this manner the RW works as a rope trapping guide, stopping any possibility of the rope falling out of the top cam on the Uni. The rope can only be forced out of the Uni during off angle slack tending but with the RW on the stiff tether this just cannot happen.
You can easily advance without a chest harness, like with climbs up to a new position on the Pantin or foot-lock but for climbing the tree a harness will keep everything in the auto-slack-tending mode ( at height the rope will fall through on its own ) and stop it from dropping below your bridge and being always in the ready position.
Dave
- Location
- Retired in Minneapolis
Nicely done!
What is the measurement from the center of one eye to the center of the other?
I can imagine that this distance would make the RW act differently.
What is the measurement from the center of one eye to the center of the other?
I can imagine that this distance would make the RW act differently.
lonniels
New member
- Location
- Manhattan MT
Dave,
This has been working really well for me. I really like how the Uni grabs right away and there is no binding like with a hitch. Ascents are friction free. The RW allows one handed operation of the Uni and I know it will grab everytime. Great set-up!!!
Ficus,
I prefer to take the Rope Wrench off during ascent so this is my tether, 4 inch double snap:
This has been working really well for me. I really like how the Uni grabs right away and there is no binding like with a hitch. Ascents are friction free. The RW allows one handed operation of the Uni and I know it will grab everytime. Great set-up!!!
Ficus,
I prefer to take the Rope Wrench off during ascent so this is my tether, 4 inch double snap:
[ QUOTE ]
...What is the measurement from the center of one eye to the center of the other?...
[/ QUOTE ]
The shortest I could go is 3 3/4". When the RW is folded down it needs to be close to the top cam on the Uni but not so close that it interferes with normal Uni movements.
Dave
...What is the measurement from the center of one eye to the center of the other?...
[/ QUOTE ]
The shortest I could go is 3 3/4". When the RW is folded down it needs to be close to the top cam on the Uni but not so close that it interferes with normal Uni movements.
Dave
- Location
- Longmont, CO
I missed this thread?!
I love the title of the thread. It lured me in for sure.
Question or clarification for Dave and Lonniels:
I can see that a descent would be nice. But, can you assure me the ascent is smooth?
A short video would be sweet!
I love the title of the thread. It lured me in for sure.
Question or clarification for Dave and Lonniels:
I can see that a descent would be nice. But, can you assure me the ascent is smooth?
A short video would be sweet!
lonniels
New member
- Location
- Manhattan MT
I don't have a GoPro and Dave has had more experience with this but I think the ascent is very smooth. Jamin how do you normally ascend with the Uni? With the double snap and removeable pin if I feel like taking the RW off it is very quick. I think Dave's system is great with the ring sewn in to the top of the tether. I really like the RW, but with a hitch the cord seems to get bunched up and can make the ascent annoying, not so with the Uni. I think this is the perfect combo for SRT.
- Location
- Longmont, CO
Good news. I gotta get a Wrench for my Uni then.
I've been ascending straight up with the Uni for about 3 years now.
I've been ascending straight up with the Uni for about 3 years now.
rfwoodvt
New member
- Location
- This side of eternity.
So I did my first climb with the uni-wrench combo today. Just a short kite retrieval climb.
Didn't have any special tether, just the one that came with the rw. I'm using the slick pin on the RW as well and my rope was the AG Prolite-24 old version without the 3rd core.
Initial thoughts are meh.
The good news is there are tons of tweaks I can still do to get it set up right and work a process that is effective.
Biggest concern is the same complaint I had before adding the RW. There is still very little modulation of the friction during decent. Basically, even with the RW, the uni is rather binary. it is either "on" or "off" with no shades between the two. I ended up taking a loop around the Uni's ears control my decent.
It could also be my rope, the RW and the slickpin are not combining with enough friction. That is always a possibility.
Dave, did you find the uni rather binary as well? if so how have you addressed that? If not, how do you modulate the friction in a managable way?
Didn't have any special tether, just the one that came with the rw. I'm using the slick pin on the RW as well and my rope was the AG Prolite-24 old version without the 3rd core.
Initial thoughts are meh.
The good news is there are tons of tweaks I can still do to get it set up right and work a process that is effective.
Biggest concern is the same complaint I had before adding the RW. There is still very little modulation of the friction during decent. Basically, even with the RW, the uni is rather binary. it is either "on" or "off" with no shades between the two. I ended up taking a loop around the Uni's ears control my decent.
It could also be my rope, the RW and the slickpin are not combining with enough friction. That is always a possibility.
Dave, did you find the uni rather binary as well? if so how have you addressed that? If not, how do you modulate the friction in a managable way?
[ QUOTE ]
So I did my first climb with the uni-wrench combo today...it is either "on" or "off" with no shades between the two... Dave, did you find the uni rather binary as well?...
[/ QUOTE ]
No, I did not. This combination of tools in the SRT work positioning environment has great depth and control.
The control you are looking for is there.
" Wax on, wax off "
Dave
So I did my first climb with the uni-wrench combo today...it is either "on" or "off" with no shades between the two... Dave, did you find the uni rather binary as well?...
[/ QUOTE ]
No, I did not. This combination of tools in the SRT work positioning environment has great depth and control.
The control you are looking for is there.
" Wax on, wax off "
Dave
- Location
- Retired in Minneapolis
Ive always figured out a way to feather the descent.
Just now I think that I might have figured out a way to do this smoothly. Having the Uni on an adjuster keeps it at a place where my hand and arm are to most efficient. Kind of like doing wrist curls.
Just now I think that I might have figured out a way to do this smoothly. Having the Uni on an adjuster keeps it at a place where my hand and arm are to most efficient. Kind of like doing wrist curls.
treebing
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Detroit, Mi.
One of the things with SRT that I have found, is that you can add a lot of friction with your hand. I find myself using my hand on the line above my hitch so that my hand is adding friction as well as the wrench and the hitch that is underneath my hand. This is not possible in ddrt as the rope is sliding through your hands at too a high rate of speed. In ddrt I tend to p[ut my entire hand on the hitch and avoid touching the rope. I dont know if that works with a Uni or not. Gloves of course are good for this. I think a stiff tether probably would be pretty key for the wrench to work with a Uni.
rfwoodvt
New member
- Location
- This side of eternity.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
... Dave, did you find the uni rather binary as well?...
[/ QUOTE ]
No, I did not. This combination of tools in the SRT work positioning environment has great depth and control.
The control you are looking for is there.
" Wax on, wax off "
Dave
[/ QUOTE ]
Thanx Dave, that control is definitley there.
Pulled my Uni back out of the closet for 3 climbs this week and ran it both in the dDRT without the RW and as an SRT with the RW.
Accidentally found an effective method to modulate the release of the Uni. Was very comfortable to run. Could be I stumbled upon finding the sweet spot or maybe it just needed a little break in.
No matter, I'm looking forward to developing a better "feel" and being able to swing 'n land at will.
[ QUOTE ]
... Dave, did you find the uni rather binary as well?...
[/ QUOTE ]
No, I did not. This combination of tools in the SRT work positioning environment has great depth and control.
The control you are looking for is there.
" Wax on, wax off "
Dave
[/ QUOTE ]
Thanx Dave, that control is definitley there.
Pulled my Uni back out of the closet for 3 climbs this week and ran it both in the dDRT without the RW and as an SRT with the RW.
Accidentally found an effective method to modulate the release of the Uni. Was very comfortable to run. Could be I stumbled upon finding the sweet spot or maybe it just needed a little break in.
No matter, I'm looking forward to developing a better "feel" and being able to swing 'n land at will.
[ QUOTE ]
...Accidentally found an effective method to modulate the release of the Uni. Was very comfortable to run...
[/ QUOTE ]
Good to hear,Rick. Even though this combo has a great deal of control range, it still requires time in the learning of how to achieve it.
What are you using for a tether?
Dave
...Accidentally found an effective method to modulate the release of the Uni. Was very comfortable to run...
[/ QUOTE ]
Good to hear,Rick. Even though this combo has a great deal of control range, it still requires time in the learning of how to achieve it.
What are you using for a tether?
Dave
