Ropes you use

TimBr said:
@CutHighnLetFly; Thanks for this answer. I still have not ever tried a Yale 11.7mm climbing line. Everybody seems to love them, so I guess I don't know what I'm missing. I'll put one on my list for the future. It's good to know that the Yale 11.7's work well with the Bulldog Bone. Thanks again.

Tim
Click to expand...

I don't. They're okay. I like Tachyon better.
 
@SomethingWitty; Interesting. Would you mind explaining what it is about the Yale 11.7mm ropes that you don't care for so much? Also, what is it about Tachyon that causes you to prefer it over other ropes? Thanks in advance for any answers you choose to provide.

Tim
 
Last edited:
I think it is the soft hand of the tachyon that really makes the difference for me. My prism is a fine rope, but it's just a little bit too static for my taste, my rope runner doesn't work right on it (probably adjustment related, but it slips or binds and the tachyon plays nice at what seems to be too tight and too loose on the poly/poly), and I've got a strong DdRT background. I just can't get used to the knee ascender thing and am pretty arm heavy in my climbing, which is probably a fault of mine and absolutely not the rope's fault.
It just feels more wiry. I also don't like gloves much and that makes how the rope grabs much more important. The tachyon squish is great.
Hope that was detailed enough, Tim.
 
I also use 1/2 polydyne for almost every job except big removals. I have 3 hanks of it 150ft for use with blocks/rings, 100ft for natural crotches and pulling tops, and a 50ft piece for tag lines, spider leg, small natural rigging, pulling small trees, etc. It is durable rope.

For bigger removals or when avoiding stretch I'll use 200ft 5/8 stable braid. It is also durable.

For climbing I mainly use 150ft Yale XTC 16 srt or ddrt with the hh2 and Sterling flex 8mm hitch cord. It's very durable rope but doesn't work well with the rope runner. For the runner or bigger trees I'll use 200ft tachyon or Yale 11.7 which work great with the hh2 and rope runner. The tachyon I've found, maybe because it hasn't fuzzed up, tightened up, and is still slick/shiny/new will glaze very easily if it rubs onto itself over a limb or etc, and it picks fairly easily.

Hand spliced eyes on climbing ropes, not sewn. No splices on rigging ropes.
 
Last edited:
Xtc for the day-to-day ddrt work horse stuff. It's awesome and lasts for aeons.
Gona try vortex cuz I love 1/2" and want something that'll do srt as well.
Spent a lot of time on bluemoon but not sure if I like it too much. Would probably go with 200ft of tachyon for any long ascent/srt stuff now.

Rigging is all on stable braid, it's great stuff but you gota know how to alternate it on the portawrap or it gets hockled super bad.

I don't bother with spliced or sewn anything but I definitely want to learn to splice my own rope.
 
AshWilliams said:
Xtc for the day-to-day ddrt work horse stuff. It's awesome and lasts for aeons.
Gona try vortex cuz I love 1/2" and want something that'll do srt as well.
Spent a lot of time on bluemoon but not sure if I like it too much. Would probably go with 200ft of tachyon for any long ascent/srt stuff now.

Rigging is all on stable braid, it's great stuff but you gota know how to alternate it on the portawrap or it gets hockled super bad.

I don't bother with spliced or sewn anything but I definitely want to learn to splice my own rope.
Click to expand...

Vortex is great but is big n heavy fyi. Try some of that 11.7.
 
Last edited:
I went with vortex cuz you can't beat that purchase your hands get while climbing on half inch. I'm gona use it as my all-around, do-most kinda rope and see how it holds up.
 
AshWilliams said:
I went with vortex cuz you can't beat that purchase your hands get while climbing on half inch. I'm gona use it as my all-around, do-most kinda rope and see how it holds up.
Click to expand...
I know a natural crotch only ddrt climber that uses an ice tail prussic loop (I'm trying to convince him to add some sort of fairlead and switch to a better hitch... He's done it like that for almost a decade.) And his vortex is going strong after 3+ years. It's tough if it is anything.
 
Some other considerations that haven't been addressed, rope construction, hand- how does it tie and hold a knot or hitch, heat tolerance.. weather usability and dexterity- how comfortable is it to grip at the business end? There is already a wealth of info on these attributes so I wont go into details.
What I will say, the type of trees you will be working in /on will have the biggest influence on ropes and lengths required. Here in the interior of BC we get fewer broad trees, we aren't in the hardwood zone though they do exist here, so most of our trees are conifers that range in height from ground level to 200'. Obviously, a 150' hank of rope will be all but useless in a 200' tree and very seldom is only 1 rope employed at a time. So for our purposes, we not only have several lengths available of the same type, but we have different diameters available because as we descend our wood gets heavier.
We may need to connect to our bucket truck to give some muscle to a pull job? can't use a climb line for that, so 3/4' is employed.
So it may be worth buying a 600' roll of commonly used 1/2' Stable braid and trimming it to say.. 300' 200' and a 100' length, because it is a versatile rope that can be used for all kinds of light to medium weight wood. Same with climb line, if you used a double rope method a standard 150' hank is only good for 70' with knots, limb radius? safety tails? etc. So for me 150' is mostly useless I prefer at least 200 feet, even for srt.
Your lines compatibility with devices is also important, too coarse and it will saw away at your device. Too skinny or fat not so good either!
As for manufacturers, they are all pretty good these days. They all have specs that need to be met so it's best to stick with what you like. Over the years you will try different ones and some won't meet your requirements. Do expect to pay a lot of money on ropes and do respect their limitations! And DON'T EVER tie a climb line to a vehicle for any reason unless the vehicle is disabled and the keys are in your pocket. Dont EVER used a climb line to rig.. period. And never let anyone STEP on a rope.
 
I will sometimes use the tail of my climb line to rig down small branches (100lbs and less) and I will continue to do so for the rest of my days. Also I don't get upset about stepping on ropes. It happens as a matter of working. Just try not to. If it's underfoot then manage it and carry on. When the ropes don't pass inspection they are replaced. Granted my ropes are shorter and therefore cheaper.
 
I feel the same about the stepping on ropes. I try to avoid it, but (especially in rigging ropes) it will get more dirt in it from running across a branch than I could ever step into it. I also like to try out new ropes so this gives me an excuse to buy another. ;)

my lengths are normally 120' climb lines and 150' rigging lines, as we rarely will get anything taller than 80' around here some pin oaks are 100' but they are the exception.
 
Jehinten said:
I feel the same about the stepping on ropes. I try to avoid it, but (especially in rigging ropes) it will get more dirt in it from running across a branch than I could ever step into it. I also like to try out new ropes so this gives me an excuse to buy another. ;)

my lengths are normally 120' climb lines and 150' rigging lines, as we rarely will get anything taller than 80' around here some pin oaks are 100' but they are the exception.
Click to expand...
It’s not just the dirt and fibre damage, it’s the habit of allowing your or someone else to potentially get ensnared buy a loaded rope! The image of a grounds person being lassoed and violently dragged into a lowering device or tripped trying to escape. Or any number of bad things, just get everyone in the proper mindset. Stay off the ropes and out of the bite. It may seem anal but it’s for a good reason.
 
As long as there’s no dog poo on the soles of my workers’s feet i don’t care if they step on my lines. They are careful about the chipper and criss crossing the rig and ride lines and that’s all that matters to me.
 
tachyon or Yale 11.7 for climbing trees, 1/2 XTC for Palms or spiky stuff
Poison Ivy for rigging anything under 200 lbs whilst climbing or in bucket (seems easier to handle and whip around branches, and seems to wear really well even when natural crotching...)
1/2 xtc or 5/8 stable/poly for heavier rigging
 
Rigging branches off the tail of your climbing line is totally acceptable I say. Know the limitations, know your gear and what you put it through. We have to apply those same principals to literally every other aspect of being a climbing and tree work so it's just another trick of the trade really.

I've been climbing the sh** out of vortex for the last couple months now and I absolutely love it. I'm gona get 200ft of tachyon for srt so I can use my foot ascender and 11m croll ghetto knee ascender setup.
 
AshWilliams said:
Rigging branches off the tail of your climbing line is totally acceptable I say. Know the limitations, know your gear and what you put it through. We have to apply those same principals to literally every other aspect of being a climbing and tree work so it's just another trick of the trade really.

I've been climbing the sh** out of vortex for the last couple months now and I absolutely love it. I'm gona get 200ft of tachyon for srt so I can use my foot ascender and 11m croll ghetto knee ascender setup.
Click to expand...
If you plan on dynamically loading your life line, I might suggest you use a dynamic rope! Static lines intended for climbing are not designed to drop loads on. They will tolerate it to a certain degree, but the deal is, we really tend to underestimate the degree of loading we place on our ropes. Watch the load cell tests August did for an example of just how bad we are at it. If you are willing to subject your life line to unknown forces be extremely careful. You won’t see me do it. I have enough ropes that there is no need to cut corners with respect to my safety or anyone else’s.
 
Yep your logic is sound. I've just seen how much some ropes can be subjected to over multiple years of hard service life and still survive strenuous truck pulls etc long after they've been retired from life support use. When I said that you must know your gear and it's limitations, I'm also assuming that one would understand that say positive rigging and accordingly running an 80lb branch is perfectly doable on some commonly used climbing lines. The low stretch, smaller diameter lines that all the srt guys use are in a different category for me, as I mainly climb ddrt and learned from the more old-school camp where tail rigging branches with 12 and 16 strand is literally just how you do your job in many situations.
I always say though that I'll never expect anyone else to do something they're not comfortable doing because at the end of the day it is your life and for many, it simply isn't worth it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Kask Stihl NORTHEASTERN Arborists Wesspur TreeStuff.com Teufelberger Westminster X-Rigging Teufelberger
Back
Top Bottom