Trying out my mini-wrench hook combo

[moss]

Shot some vid trying out the mini-wrench/Hook setup with 9mm line. All good, some minor problems, next version will have an integrated swivel.

For a bonus you get to watch my glove get sucked into my ZK-2 twice! Awesomeness.
-AJ

 

[Lignotuber]

Custom tether or how did you attach the biner in that orientation?

 

[moss]

Custom tether or how did you attach the biner in that orientation?

Custom tether, has a single eye attaching to the biner, you might be able to see in this photo

 

[Lignotuber]

Custom tether, has a single eye attaching to the biner, you might be able to see in this photo

Nice, slick rig. Looks like it tends pretty decently as well

 

[moss]

Nice, slick rig. Looks like it tends pretty decently as well

Thx, yes, overall functionality is good!

 

[Burrapeg]

Simple and elegant setup!

 

[moss]

How are you liking the 9mm Ez-Bend on the hook line? Love the custom rope wrench set-up.

Love it, so much more compact to stow and easy to throw. Still fiddling with introducing swivel functionality while in a traverse situation clipped in to the same bridge swivel eye as my main rope. Thx!
-AJ

 

[colb]

One thing I dislike about having my standard wrench on the captain hook is that my hand splice is too fat, too low, so I sometimes feel stressed for vert when I arrive at my destination. The foot ascender cannot power me up through the thick splice bury. Every inch matters, nice setup.

 

[moss]

Every inch matters

yep!

 

[moss]

This is what the design has settled down to. With the previous configuration pictured above the rope was exiting to the side when clipped in to a bridge ring or a bridge swivel attachment when my main line is also on the swivel. Which meant I needed an integrated swivel in the mix. I use my foot ascender a lot on my lanyard tails including the hook line. If the tail is not exiting downwards the foot ascender doesn't work well on the system. I tried different ways to add a mini swivel in but it just ended up too complex/awkward and made the overall wrench system too long.

With the Shizll rope tender and the DMM PerfectO biner in the mix everything was resolved, tail exits downward without a swivel. I've put many hours on it and it's as good as it gets for my climbing style.

I frequently use a Timber Hitch style wrap when I want to use the hook line for certain positioning situations or when I want a life support quality "closed anchor" with my hook line. The hook itself is the stopper, the anchor is very stable. I'm using 45' of line and I can use the hook line as a simple/quick second line install wherever I am in a tree.

This is vid from last winter using the current and "final" mini-wrench configuration. The video is pretty much a manifesto on my "strong positioning" techniques on pruning jobs. Having the hook hitch finger tip adjustable and with smooth slack tending is key. I reserve lanyard on hip or lower front D's mainly for working on gaffs/takedowns. I've found that working lanyards off of my bridge gives me super strong/exact positioning and allows my hips to move freely while working. With my hips more locked up traditional lanyard style on the D's my lower back gets a lot more loading when I'm running a saw or hand sawing, handling/throwing wood etc.

And... haha, I recently dry lubricated the shackle bolt interface to the hook, I tolerated that squeaky noise for far too long ;-)

-AJ

 

[Mowerr]

Slick pin and a cmi glide

 

[moss]

Thanks for the homemade mini wrench suggestion. I think I remember this combo being discussed in the past on treebuzz or treehouse. I think a manufacturer would sell many of the mini rope wrenches if they were available, certainly more than the new Notch adjustable rope wrench that just came out.

Did @surveyor build this mini wrench for you @moss?

With permission I repurposed one of Surveyor's lanyard adjuster prototypes after a few climbers had a go at it. I recognized that the sideplates were perfect for the mini-multicender I wanted for my 9mm hook line. With some fiddling around, replacing riveted bollards with stainless bolt and sleeve bollards to tune in performance, I got what I was after.

Enough parts remain for two more mini-wrenches, need to get to that.
-AJ

 

[moss]

Slick pin and a cmi glide

Challenge for that it is tuning it for a 9mm hook line, it could be done I'm sure.
-AJ

 

[Bart_]

I did testing back in the day when changing from the silver ZK-1 to the red ISC and shortened my homemade ZK-1 to shorter than the red ISC and found little difference in performance. However, I did notice a loss of room for your hand to grab the hitch which pointed me to the red ISC length. Knuckles or fingers into the tether. Maybe that's why a smaller wrench isn't on the market. You also need a bit of lever length vs rope dia to bend the rope.

 

[moss]

I did testing back in the day when changing from the silver ZK-1 to the red ISC and shortened my homemade ZK-1 to shorter than the red ISC and found little difference in performance. However, I did notice a loss of room for your hand to grab the hitch which pointed me to the red ISC length. Knuckles or fingers into the tether. Maybe that's why a smaller wrench isn't on the market. You also need a bit of lever length vs rope dia to bend the rope.

For me “smaller” means “fits 9mm line.

Interesting though what you’re saying about fitting your hand well (or not) with a tight wrench setup.

As far as a lever arm goes, it is long enough and functions well on my hook/mini-wrench setup.
-AJ

 

[moss]

Speaking of @surveyor it is worth noting that the Adjustable Bulldog Bone is superb as a DMM Captain Hook multicender on the stock 10mm Sirius Reep Schnur hook line. I never had a chance to test it on 9mm EZ-Bend. Bills had to be paid and my ABDB went to a new home (almost as bad as the time I sold my '73 Fender Precision bass to pay the rent, horrible!). The only downside and it wasn't much of a negative: in the constant battle to keep the gear load on my harness reasonable, the BDB as lanyard adjuster wasn't helping. It's a fine device that costs an appropriate amount of cash, best suited as a primary climbing system from that point of view.

However... it would be above awesome if Surveyor came up with a more compact SRT capable mechanical device dedicated to 9 and 10mm lanyard lines, like a Hook line for example. It would be great for a short lanyard adjuster as well. I use my short lanyard SRT mode constantly, not a big problem breaking the hitch to let out slack but it would be sweet to have the same buttery adjustability with lanyard setups in SRT mode.
-AJ

 

[surveyor]

I think that Moss's mini wrench with the hitch is the most versatile and adaptable to the 8-9mm range of rope, based on past experience with trying to make a full mechanical for that size rope. However I am not one to say no way, and treebuzz would be the first to know if I ever do. Maybe get Kevin on board with the mini wrench.....

 

[moss]

Yes! Yes! And Yes! @surveyor I'm interested in this as well and I'm willing to pay to play.

No pressure, haha. It doesn't need to be midlne attachable. For long or short lanyards the device is going to be staying on the line. There's no strong "use case" for a lanyard multicender to be midline attachable.
-AJ

 

[Bart_]

Andrew, grab yourself a/any bass and get back in the game sorry ot

Can you vernier your bollard gap? Curious to see how tight you ended up set to. Cylinder bollards, right?

 

[surveyor]

So here is a mini-bone build. It grips reasonably well on the reep schnur, but once weighted it, it does not want to release its bite on the line. Back to the drawing board for me......