Weakest Link

NickfromWI

NickfromWI

Participating member
Location
Los Angeles, CA
On different occasions, I've heard people claim that the rope should always be the weakest link the our rigging chain (comprised of rope, 'biners, pulleys, etc). But I've heard others say that the hardware should be the weakest.

Does it matter? Do you have a preference?

In my eyes, I can't see why it matters. What DOES matter is that you are aware of the limits of your weakest link.

Can you convince me that it does matter that rope or hardware should be the weakest link?

love
nick
 
If something breaks I'd rather see rope flying than hardware. We are talkng rigging so if something does break we are just talking property damage. Flying hardware could easily cause human injury. I know flying ropes can harm but I'd rather catch a rope than a block.
 
Dan- flying ropes could cause some serious damage to a person and property.

Funny though, I never thought of it that way. So far in my head, the hamster wheel is telling me that personal and property damage could be similar with both rope or hardware.

Mark, your comment "line is line" makes sense. Often you can back up hardware here and there, but the only way to back up a rope is with another rope, and that's just not feasible.

love
nick
 
Well if it ever comes down to testing you guys get the hardware, I'll take the rope./forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif Wonder what the world speed record is for a porta-wrap?

Dan
 
I would rather see the hardware fail also because I back it up to but I think with the strength of the equipment that we use the tree is the weakest link in the rigging
 

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i look at as the rope should be rated stronger to match, then it's compromises of use/abuse over lifetime and bends in use bring it down to the less degraded by proper use hardware's stated range; thus fairly matched. System failure is sytem failure. If long line fails, that is farther reaching death touch/recoil. if hardware fails it can stay on mount, tangle in line. Log hooked to system is deadly if rope(software?) or hardware fail.

Also, that the line is the wearable link; greatest change is in it's elastic dampner, though we tend to just watch tensile; but the quicker eroding dampner can cause the overloading (by capacity to absorb dynamic load being gone) that casues the failure of either line or hardware.

i can even back up suspect crothes etc. with sling and carabiner for lowering; i guess line is line!
 
Firstly I would like to define Hardware.I class hardware as any gear generally metal hence the name that is used in a rigging system other than the rope.Even though we could say that a whoopee,loopee or topping sling are software when used in conjuctionwith hardware ie: a block I would say it becomes hardware as failure would cause a direct failure of the hardware.I think that the rope should always be the weakest link.And these are my reasons.
1.A rope snapping will leave what ever is falling doing so under gravity.Giving you slightly more time to react to the situation and get out of the way if your silly enough to be rigging directly under what your rigging off.
A failure at the block for example is going throw the hardware like an arrow from a bow and also making it difficult to predict where it will go.
2.Failure at the hardware in the tree will mean you have a rope and a block to get out the way of with a bigg bit of wood on the end. If the rope snaps it will generally be at the the knot or hitch on the piece your rigging.The rope will then in most cases be whipped back up in the air and feed back through the block losing alot of its energy.
3.The biggest reason and most simple is.What ever energy it takes to snap the rope, if its the block it will be double.As that energy has to go somewhere I would rather have half of it Thank you very much.......

Didj
 
I go for the lines as weakest link.

I think that a line as weakest is easy to check on damage. A block/carabiner/sling or other hardware thats been over the top is difficult to check on safety for a other/next job. So if a line is damaged by heavy load i assume that it is easy to see and feel when packing the gear. if a line has been overloaded you know to check up the hardware for sure.

my 0.02 €
 
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