8mm cord wrong ?

[dryadlad]

We had our loler inspection at work today , the chap said 8mm hitch cord is frowned upon and minimum cordage should be 9mm for hitches. Is this right cause i just bought a shed load of 8mm..

[Steve Bullman]

nonsense, so long as you are terminating both ends theres not a problem at all.

[Peter]

The minimum recommended diameter for regular commercial climbing, according to the AA Guide to good climbing practice, is 10mm.

However, the majority of regular commercial climbers who use a short hitch, myself included, use 8mm.

Make sure you check and replace regularly blah blah blah....

[bob]

i have just inspected a butterfly with 8mm on the bridge and sorry to say i failed it

a hitch is slightly different as it uses 2 ends of the rope to improve strengh

and a new bridge is only £11

[Lancstree]

Could the literature pertaining to the use of friction cord (fastco and guide to good climbing practice) make this distinction between cord to be used with one or both ends terminated? I think this would make climbers more aware of the safe minimum diameter of friction cord depending on their friction hitch setup and it would also broaden their choice in rope types when purchasing new rope.

[gibbon]

As part of PPE, there is a movement to ensure all componets have a minimum breaking strain of 15kn. I would have thought that the strenghth is more important than the actual diameter.

[Peter]

With reference to hitch cord, performance as a hitch, and the melting point of the cord in a slip to grab situation are pretty important too.

A MBS of 15kN isnt unrealistic though, I would have thought that most 8mm cords would easily achieve that.

[Tom D]

my loler inspector told me 8 was the limit and 7 was too small, Bail out is 7mm.

[Lancstree]

AFAG 401 states that ropes used for friction hitches must be of a suitable type and have a minimum diameter of 8mm and a diameter of 10mm is recommended for normal commercial use. Bail out is 7.5mm