Unicender Mod

[Old Mill Tree Care]

CE approval is necessary for retailers to be able to sell it.

You can buy one, from any where, use it legally, get it Lolered and insurers wouldn't have issue.

 

 

Please ignore and don not respond to that post of mine, it's not relevant to this thread and there are plenty of past threads on the subject.

[D Mc]

There has been much discussion on the RW thread about the use a RADS system to facilitate easy returns from branch walks. It appears to work very well with the RW set up.

 

Does a RADS system work with the Unicender?

 

RADS works very well with the Uni. It works even better if you take a wire gate Revolver and clip it to your bridge ring. I've posted a picture below.

 

Working a tree off a single line is quite different than with a doubled line. Some climbers make the switch without breaking stride. I did not. I had been climbing and working off a doubled rope for more than 40 years, it is something I can do with my eyes shut. It was quite humbling and somewhat embarrassing to be constantly finding myself faced with having to stop and think on how too proceed instead of just flowing through it.

 

So in the beginning, I used RADS for returning on limb walks quite a bit. But now that I've become comfortable with what I can and cannot do, I use it very little.

 

With the Uni on a tether it is easy to return with great control and confidence. With the Uni leading, you hold onto its lower end with one hand with the other on the rope. Each pull back in is followed by a flick of the wrist that sends the Uni forward, capturing the gained progress.

 

All of you that are wondering, if it was so hard for me to make the switch, why bother? Well, I could instantly see and feel the benefits. A finely tuned modern doubled rope climbing system feels and indeed is low effort. But it is still based on arm strength for primary movement. Our bodies are not made for this. SRT is based on leg strength for primary movement and arms as secondary support. This fits with how we are made.

 

Most of the raves on the RW thread have more to do with the system than the tool. Many tree climbers can not imagine climbing without a hitch, the RW makes SRT work positioning possible for them.

 

Choose the tools that you are most comfortable with, but give SRT a good hard look.

 

Dave

 

 

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Thanks D Mc and this is shaping into a great thread.

Ok so the photo is exactly the same set up as on the RW thread but I'd be interested to see the rest of your gear in that photo.

Ie: is that your lanyard over your shoulder?

I can't see exactly how the tether is set up.

What kind of hand ascender is that? Did it come with that ingenious roller at the bottom?

[D Mc]

...I'd be interested to see the rest of your gear in that photo.

Ie: is that your lanyard over your shoulder?

I can't see exactly how the tether is set up.

What kind of hand ascender is that? Did it come with that ingenious roller at the bottom?

 

This is what I ascend with. Petzl Sequoia SRT, Torse ascender strap, Croll, Unicender, Patin on right foot and foot loop from Uni to left foot.

 

I am not a fan of using a lanyard to hold up the Croll. A proper shoulder strap will do the same and so much more.

 

The ascender is a Petzl Ascension with a CMI pulley sheave fixed to the large hole. My hands lose feeling quickly in the cold so the less I have to drop, the better. I can take this setup off and on with one hand, even with gloves.

 

Dave

 

[Old Mill Tree Care]

So you foot loop off the Uni not the ascender. What advantage do you find with that or is it just a personal preference.

I like the loop draped over your neck. While I'm not a fan of stuff round the neck, that's easily stowable and wont be hot in warm weather.

Thanks for sharing.

[D Mc]

The Uni is the primary rope attachment. The Croll is for progress capturing when rope walking. Toothed ascenders are not kind to arborist ropes and chest ascenders not very strong so I want my primary attachment above and away from anything that might fail or cause rope damage.

 

The Torse is not a loop around my neck but a light weight shoulder harness that stays on my harness all the time. It works better than the lanyard over the shoulder and I do not have to choose between the use of one over the other.

 

Dave

 

[DrewB]

Hey dave, If you dropped into that surely the croll would be the primary and tear the rope and the UNi would be the back up above the rope. ESP if the UNi was near the croll as your rope walking. Interested to see if you think different. Cheers bro, drew

[D Mc]

I don't know the answer, Drew. Have you had a chance to break test a Croll on arborist line? I have a hand on the rope between the Croll and Uni so they are normally separated by one to two feet. I have also had a redirect crotch fail and dropped 10' while base tied. With approximately 100' of line in the system it was a total non event with no damage. It seemed in that incident the Croll, Pantin and Uni with foot loop all grabbed pretty much at the same time.

It seems often that when the chest ascender and Pantin are engaged, there will be a sharing of the load.

I have actually changed out the Croll for the Kong Futura and am sampling that. But it looks like it could be more rope-friendly?

 

Dave

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Oh my god, this becoming impossible. I'm totally sold on the SRT system, I just need to make decisions on which components to buy.

However, with so many options being implemented with so many gear variables it's becoming a mine field. I guess I'll just get all of it!

[DrewB]

Hey Dave, we did a some drop tests on a croll+hand ascender on the weekend and the croll tore the rope on just a 20cm drop but the hand acsender prevented any more movement by arresting the fall-as the uni would in your system. This was however with very limited rope in the system.. I have the croll and the furura chest ascender and whilst i vastly prefer the futura due to its size i have heard they dont do so well in tests, however, that is hearsay as i have never tested it myself.