Ropetek HH won't hold

[Joe Warner]

I decided to try the HH to see if it would work better than the unicender ( gadget junkie ), and am having trouble. It came with Bee-Line for the hitch and I am using Lava rope. No matter how I tie the hitch, always within the 2 inch requirement the HH will not consistently grab and hold. It seems that the Bee-Line when not under load opens up or springs away from the rope so that there is not enough contact for it to tighten when a load is applied. Different hitch line or different hitch maybe? Help please.

 

[oldoakman]

I usually have the opposite issue in that it holds too tight. On Ddrt it works fine and I love it, but in SRT it holds tight and when I back off on a wrap, it is too loose. I just live with it. Paul will probably see this eventually and respond as well as others who use the HH.

 

[joezilla11]

Sounds like the new cord just needs to break in a bit

 

[Richard Mumford-yoyoman]

Try wrapping your cord with some twist in it as you go around you're climbing. Because of the connection with the dog bone it may not hold as well As an i2i but it may be worth the try. I use this with a hitch cord at times and it works.

 

[macswan]

You could try an extra wrap. I have used hrc for the hitch, and that takes an extra wrap. I found that armor prus works better for me than either the beeline or hrc.

 

[DreadZephyr]

I could never get the beeline to work for me either. I use Armor-Prus orange, 7 wraps and pass the top leg behind the lower one. Also tie your hitch and bounce on it, then re-tighten it again.

 

[Richard Mumford-yoyoman]

This is what I mean about twist, different than wraps and braids.

 

[DSMc]

. No matter how I tie the hitch, always within the 2 inch requirement the HH will not consistently grab and hold. .

You can generalize on how a hitch will function by breaking it down into it's two components, legs and coils. The legs of a hitch are what controls the release and grab response and the coils the degree of gripping power available.
So if your hitch is releasing but not regrabbing, you will need to tighten or shorten the legs. If it is grabbing but not holding, you will need to add more coils.

 

[Richard Mumford-yoyoman]

something else to add, every ascender that I can think of whether it be a unicender, zigzag, rope runner, OAR etc. that simulates a friction cord, has a spring in it somewhere.that spring is what gets the whole process started.that spring is what makes those mechanical devices engage.when you put twists in your cord, it acts like a spring to help engage the wraps and the braids.

 

[gmcttr]

I quickly abandoned the beeline/HH 6 wrap combination with the ropes I use. I had good success for a while with a HRC/ HH 6 wrap until the HRC got some wear on it and it started holding too tightly and had to be "muscled" to get it to release.

I am currently having great success with either HRC or 10 mm Ocean Poly and a distel hitch on Yale Aztec, Dragonfly and Platinum 11.5 .

My experience is when you get the distel right for your combination of hitch cord and climbing rope, it tends well, grabs every time and releases smoothly with ease and complete control between inching down and a fast burn.

New hitch cord often takes a few descents before it works well.

 

[pctree]

Joe the supplied Beeline is a great cordage for many ropes. However that being said not all combos work together, never climbed on Lava so cannt coment.
Im trying RIT 9mm right now and liking it on votex. It sucks on Imori as it doesn't release to ascend.

 

[frashdog]

Spit on it! Not a weak cotton mouth spit...a fully hydrated frothy mouth eye watery gaggy spit is best! It starts some kind of reaction that just works. Or maybe it was getting broken in at that same moment. What do you got to lose, right?

 

[Joe Warner]

Thanks for the info guys, nice to see some others might be having the same challenges. Apparently it is not a device problem but rope compatibility issue. I ended up with HRC and a 4 coil one cross VT. Tied those stopper knots some much my carpal tunnel has me holding my beer with my elbows. Again thanks, when the feeling comes back I might go sit in a tree.

 

[macswan]

I have also found once any cord breaks in on this device, you go thru another period of change. Used hrc for a few weeks, and then it started grabbing to hard. It's all case specific.