SAR/ISC/Troll Rocker

[Pedroski]

I have one of these and use it in conjunction with various other things, like Petzl Mini Traxion or hitches made with Prusik loops for ascending. It also makes good back up for abseil/rappel. Why don't they ever seem to get mentioned? They're a great bit of kit. I know rope for hitches is cheap but shiny stuff is nice to fiddle with as well.

[Pedroski]

I hate bumping my own threads..... but, I've been reading up more about the SAR/ISC/Troll Rocker and it is clearly the best device in terms of arresting a fall without wrecking the rope, and it runs so freely up and down the line if you're just using it for fall arrest, and holds tight on the line when using it for ascending, and locks on the line when used for work positioning. I'll hopefully get a chance to take pics of it in use this weekend. Just wondering why it seems to be so overlooked by arborists, while being one of the best rated devices out there.

[Steve Bullman]

They just arent suitable for the bast majority of arborist techniques, bearing in mind we mostly climb Ddrt. Even on SRT I dont think it would be practical...Arborists are looking for SRT solutions that involve both ascent and descent being controlled by one device, such as the rope wrench setup....which is about the only device to successfully accomplish this so far IMO

[Al Baker]

You're right there. It's the best hands off backup device I ever used.

 

 

I hate bumping my own threads..... but, I've been reading up more about the SAR/ISC/Troll Rocker and it is clearly the best device in terms of arresting a fall without wrecking the rope, and it runs so freely up and down the line if you're just using it for fall arrest, and holds tight on the line when using it for ascending, and locks on the line when used for work positioning. I'll hopefully get a chance to take pics of it in use this weekend. Just wondering why it seems to be so overlooked by arborists, while being one of the best rated devices out there.

[Paul Smith]

You're right there. It's the best hands off backup device I ever used.

 

What do you mean by backup? Do you mean in a Irrata rope access sense?

[jpbeaver]

I climbed on one exclusively for nearly 6 months. They are great.

[Al Baker]

What do you mean by backup? Do you mean in a Irrata rope access sense?

 

 

IRATA schmata, I mean in the sense that it makes a great backup for second independently anchored rope if the job demands such.

[Pedroski]

They just arent suitable for the bast majority of arborist techniques, bearing in mind we mostly climb Ddrt. Even on SRT I dont think it would be practical...Arborists are looking for SRT solutions that involve both ascent and descent being controlled by one device, such as the rope wrench setup....which is about the only device to successfully accomplish this so far IMO

 

Steve, I'm trying to get my head around all this at the moment, but surely even the "rope wrench system" incorporates more than one device - the rope wrench and the hitch. And the rope wrench on its own doesn't work as fall arrest. With a Rocker, the device will provide the back up and proper fall arrest while descending on the hitch (in the same way as descending on the hitch with a HC set up) or descending on a proper belay device. The Rocker also enables you to ascend and it grabs the rope for work positioning. Just thinking aloud....

[kevin bingham]

I messed around with the Petzl ASAP as a secondary backup for my wrench. I was mainly thinking about some way to make judges at a comp happy. Didnt make me feel safer. If I decended fast it would suddenly grab. got in the way more than anything. Cant really be used as an ascender. I have no experience with the Rocker.

[DrewB]

But the ASAP / rocker etc doesn't allow for real quickly movements within the tree, the wrench does.