Rope Wrench feedback

[Arran Turner]

been out all day stripping ivy off sycamores and the rw made the job so much easier. I was able to tie into one tree and work off three surrounding others with a redirect. Going from bottom to top loads of times made me thankful for the rw. And that was with just a pntin and footlocking

Ivy:0 ropewrench:1

[Joe Loggs]

Had a go with my rw today with my sj and it worked really well, I need to get my head around srt, it all felt strange and I had a few trust issues but I'm sure I will get over them with more practice on it.

[James Atkinson]

got any pics albere?

[Joe Loggs]

got any pics albere?

 

I will get some pictures for you tomorrow it's a nice tidy set up with a short tether, also came up with a great idea i will be putting to test tomorrow,I will share it all with pics I'f it works:-).

[Khriss]

FYI, let me start by saying I weigh about 11st, have done since I was 20. What strength and conditioning I do possess comes solely from tree work over 22 years, although my DNA and attitude probably comes into play also. All-in-all I have what I'd consider very good power-to-weight Ratio for tree climbing.

 

I’ve been using a RW (for-pruning) for a couple of days now. Felt a little strange at first, the whole SRt thing really, but then I got the feel of things.

 

After the second tree on day one I couldn't think of a single reason to why I'd ever want to go back to DdRT (doubled rope technique)....I still cant believe I'm actually saying this:confused1:

 

I was always put off SRT for tree work after seeing photos of guys with lots of gear (clutter) that I assumed you needed to make the whole thing work. When in reality you really don’t need half of that stuff, just your hitch, the wrench, lanyard and a pantin. These guys, while they probably know their stuff paint a quite negative picture in the tradition of tree work, more likely to scare than convert anyone.

 

Re-direct slings are really handy also, with the line being non-moving you can snap them on anywhere along your route that might give you a better line-angle or potential swing reduction

 

For long ascents a basic frog-walker system is easy to compile by adding a grab and a sling for your foot, along with the stuff you already have. Hang it on the back of your harness for when you need it....but even 20-30ft ascents with a sole pantin on the left foot is still way faster and easier the any DdRT frictionless system that I've ever used....although having a pair of gloves does help a lot when raising you foot/pantin each time.

 

The base-anchor technique obviously has the rescue option and non-required limb isolation with your throw-line. You do get a little extra sit-back which can put some wear on the cambium so that’s something to consider depending on what your working on. Also, you can judge exactly how much line (tail) to use relative to a particular tree as the base-anchor can be set anywhere along the length of your line....so you've not got 50ft of line hanging below that you don’t need.

 

Limb-walking, in or out, just get on with it, there's nothing to it....grab the rope and tend the slack, find your balance.

 

 

The recent DMM/TM pulley-savers and ART stuff, while very well thought-out and engineered to the highest standard are realistically as good as it’s gonna get for DdRT....while SRT, for me at least is already way faster and yet still in its infancy.

 

Again, I can only speak relative to my own experiences and climbing ability.

 

My wrench was given to me to trial, I didn't pay for it and otherwise would've been happy enough to carry on never knowing. I reluctantly accepted it only because the guy seemed to know how to put its best points forward. Glad I did, and don’t regret not having one earlier as I now have it all to look forward to.

 

Taking nothing away from Morgan Thompson’s ingenious unicender, but tree-guys generally feel better with a hitch, they know exactly what to expect....and the simplicity of Kevin's rope-wrench offers that feel and familiarity that we all know.

 

I don’t have the quick-release pin yet and am not too bothered for now....it’s not that difficult to work around. I have yet to do any removals but don’t foresee too many sticking points there either. Still early days but my feeling so far is that this device and the technique (SRT) it complements is a huge step forward for better efficiency in comercial tree-climbing

 

I found exactly the same , mate, an PP showed me how to SRT ( an his rope wrench - which I then made out of scrap they are wicked Kx

[mistahbenn]

Been rockin the wrench as much as possible. I need to tweak the tether, make a new one a little longer and stiffer (OOh matron), and make myself another hitch from some new cord (old cord gungded up with pine resin etc). Had to deadwood and reduce lats on a big white pine after a long day, at 430 pm, first shot with big shot right over the top, installed rope, was at the top in 5 minutes, redirected then was ready to work. Was hellish hot, prob 95 F, but thanks to the RW, I got down quick. Doing this tree the old fashioned way, would have taken a hella lot more time.

 

One thing that I still not really got, advancing the TIP, the way I'm doing it is to get the tail of the rope and feed it thru the higher TIP, then pull the wrench and hitch thru, and clip back in. Please enlighten me...

[Dan Curtis]

I use a revolver and sling, lead climb style, then just unclip them as I descend.

[Ian Flatters]

I use a revolver and sling, lead climb style, then just unclip them as I descend.

 

Same, especially comes into its own when you have a dead top (ie pine) which needs to be ascended into, you can set a new advance every 1/2m if you like as a fall back point if the top fails. (now to cover my arse)(if you can get a platform near a risky top/crane near then this is best )

[mistahbenn]

But if I install all these slings, that means I have to go back up and get them when I'm done.

[Ian Flatters]

But if I install all these slings, that means I have to go back up and get them when I'm done.

 

It depends on what task your doing if i dont need to go back past a point i use a natural fork, although if im heading out to say reduce a tree i work it in 1/4 sections by moving the anchor out on a limb, do the section then back up to the direct move across and so on and so forth. I have thought about seeing if a lay over twist like a clover hitch would work when tied and undo when the weight has gone but not got round to trying it.