Ropes

[nz paul]

Have a zigzag on its way and am currently looking for a new rope for it,does the zigzag work with static rope? Can you climb double rope on a static?if not why?I understand it's stiffer but is there anything to say i can't use it?

I Have a perfectly good 13mm rope but am thinking it won't run as nice on it,but to be honest ive spent way to much lately and can't really fork out another £100 plus for another rope.Ideas?Is there a cheaper rope option?

Thanks in advance.

Paul.

[colemanjessenz]

I typed out a fair few words trying to describe and answer but gave up , these guys put it better New England Ropes - Community News

[nz paul]

I typed out a fair few words trying to describe and answer but gave up , these guys put it better New England Ropes - Community News

 

haha nice,done that few times myself,cheers.

[colemanjessenz]

Taking the Guesswork out of Arborist Climbing Lines

 

Date: 8/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

By: Chris Parrish, Marketing Communications Manager, New England Ropes

 

Arborists today are constantly bombarded with new equipment designed to challenge popular notions about the "right way" to climb. Many of these new inventions (or in many cases, repurposed equipment) also improve efficiency and safety. Arborist climbing ropes is one such category of equipment.

 

Never before have arborists had such breadth of product from which to select their ropes. In many cases, the abundance of choices has led to confusion about which ropes are most appropriate. Let us help take the guesswork out of choosing the right rope.

 

First it is important to talk about why an arborist should buy an arborist climbing rope in the first place. It seems intuitive, but often we hear, "Why can't I use a static line when I climb?" or "What's wrong with using the same type of rope rock climbers use?" The reason is safety. Rock climbers use dynamic climbing ropes, called 'dynamic' because they are manufactured with an extreme amount of built-in stretch. This is important when a climber takes a fall because it absorbs much of the energy generated by the fall. In an arborist application, however, this characteristic makes the line very bouncy, and the arborist will expend far too much energy to make a climb than he would using an arborist climbing rope. For this reason, though, many consider static ropes. The problem with static ropes is that there is very little or no stretch. In the event of a slip, there is nothing to cushion a fall. That is the beauty of an arborist climbing line: Low stretch, very little bounce, but with some energy absorption.

 

Now that we've made the case for arborists using arborist climbing ropes, let's talk about the different constructions out there. Today there are four major rope constructions in arborist climbing lines: 24-strand, 16-strand, 12-strand and 3-strand. For the purpose of this article, the discussion will be limited to the first three types.

 

The primary difference in these constructions is the relationship between the core and cover in each and how that relates to loading. In general, the more carriers on a braider, the less cover in the construction. Table 1 lists each of the three main constructions and the percentage of core in the construction. In a 24-carrier rope, the core carries most of the load, whereas the load is more evenly shared between core and cover in the 16-strand rope. Conversely, the core carries nearly all the load in a 12-strand construction. Each has its own unique advantages, but understand that much of what ultimately goes into making an educated selection is personal preference. Having said that, here are some basic distinctions between the three.

 

24-Strand Ropes

 

24-strand ropes are becoming more and more popular as climbers attempt to reduce the weight of their ropes. Products like New England Ropes "Fly", Samson's "Velocity" and Yale's "Blaze" are smaller and lighter without sacrificing hand. Typically, these ropes are made from 100% polyester or hybrid constructions of polyester and nylon. Today, arborists have a choice between double braid (braided core and cover) and kernmantle (braided jacket and unidirectional core) constructions. Each has its advantages. Kernmantle ropes are viewed as being more difficult to splice, but can still be spliced and tend to stay firmer and rounder than double braid ropes. Conversely, double braid ropes are much easier to splice, but can tend to feel softer and flatten out. These products hold knots well and work effortlessly in mechanical devices like Petzl's GriGri. Another benefit of this new category of climbing ropes is the breadth of color choices available. With multiple colors, arborists can safely, easily, and quickly identify all the ropes in the system.

 

When choosing a 24-strand rope, arborists should consider more than tensile strength†. Look for a rope that has a thick durable cover. All 24-strand ropes on the market today use polyester in the cover. Polyester is a durable, hydrophobic fiber with excellent UV properties making it the perfect building block for any arborist rope. Finding a rope with a thicker cover, then, will hold up better under aggressive use and will result in a longer lasting rope.

 

Another consideration is hand. Look for a rope that can hold a knot without holding the shape of the knot once the rope is untied. The rope should stay round and firm when under load. This prevents the rope from flattening-a situation that increases surface area and therefore surface-to-fiber abrasion resulting in sheath melting, strand abrasion, and ultimately a shorter useful life.

 

16-Strand Ropes

 

16-strand ropes are still the favorite among the majority of working arborists. More economical than cutting-edge 24-strand ropes, 16-strand climbing lines are typically a kernmantle construction. That is, each of the 16 strands forming the cover is braided around a core of twisted bundles of fibers (as opposed to a braided core). The overwhelming majority of arborists today use some sort of 16-strand rope when climbing. Popular 16-strand ropes are sold today under the brand names "Braided Safety Blue", "Hi-Vee", and "Ultra-Vee" by New England Ropes, "ArborMaster" by Samson Rope Technologies, and "XTC", "XTC Plus" and "XTC Spearmint" by Yale Cordage. 16- strand ropes are typically composite constructions utilizing multiple fibers.

 

Fiber choices made by manufacturers can significantly affect the performance characteristics of the ultimate rope product. For instance, some manufacturers will choose to use 100% polyester in these ropes. While this results in higher tensile strengths, it also means the rope will be heavier.

 

Using polypropylene enables manufacturers to increase diameter and denseness of the rope (to prevent flattening) without compromising weight. However, manufacturers also have a choice in polypropylene fiber that can impact rope performance. There are three main types of polypropylene: Fibrillated, Monofilament, and Multifilament. Fibrillated polypropylene is the softer, more flexible of the three types and thus results in a rope that is more flexible, has a better hand, and holds knots more effectively. It is characterized by a "spider-web" appearance when twist is taken out of the plied yarn (see inset). Monofilament polypropylene, on the other hand, is a stiffer fiber that feels wiry or "like plastic," and tends to result in ropes that hold the shapes of knots when untied and bounce when used to climb. In general monofilament polypropylene is perceived as too stiff, multifilament as too soft, and fibrillated polypropylene somewhere in the middle.

 

Another thing to look for is plied yarns in the cover strands. Some manufacturers will skip this step resulting in cover strands that are more susceptible to abrasion and snagging. All you have to do is run your thumbnail over an individual strand. If you're able to distinguish individual filaments or fibers, then yours is a product without plied yarns in the strand. Plied yarns, or yarns that are formed by twisting fiber bundles together into a single yarn, stay rounder and tighter significantly enhancing abrasion resistance.

 

Many arborists choose to use 16-strand climbing ropes because the construction offers controlled elongation and some energy absorption without being too bouncy, and can be spliced for increased safety and variability.

 

12-Strand Ropes

 

Arborists also use 12-strand ropes. 12-strand users typically "grew up" using 12-strand and feel comfortable with that construction or are just starting out with a tradition system. Additionally, many arborists tell us they like the "nubbier" feel of this construction. Most ropes in the 12-strand category tend to be the lower price point ropes on the market, and all major players in the arborist climbing rope market have products in this category. Ropes like "Safety Pro 12" by New England Ropes, "Arborplex" and "True Blue" by Samson Rope Technologies, and "XTC-12" by Yale Cordage address the needs of this market segment with a lower price point product. As with 16-strand ropes, manufacturers of 12-strand ropes have many fiber choices and the fiber combinations ultimately selected will determine the ultimate performance of the rope.

 

An important consideration when choosing a 12-strand rope is spliceability. Many arborists who do not use 12-strand ropes indicate their reason is the inability to splice the product. At least one 12-strand arborist climbing line on the market is spliceable-Safety Pro 12 by New England Ropes. Knotability, then, becomes an important determinant factor when ultimately choosing a 12-strand rope. Other considerations include flexibility (non-hockling), hand, bounce, and torque/rotation or "spinning".

 

One Size Does Not Fit All

 

At the end of the day, selecting an arborist rope is all about personal choice and comfort. Ask a dozen arborists what rope they use when climbing and you may hear a dozen different brand names. Ask why they select that rope over another and you may even hear a dozen different reasons. Science and technology aside, choosing a rope is largely subjective. What is bouncy to one arborist may be just perfect to another. And it's nearly impossible to objectify something as subjective as "soft hand."

 

During a recent telephone conversation with Mark Chisholm, I asked him about what he looks for in a rope and where he sees the climbing rope category going in the future. For the two-time ISA Tree Climbing Champion, a 16-strand climbing rope is still the most widely selected line for its spliceability, low bounce characteristics, and hand. Overall Mark uses the following checklist when determining which rope is best for him:

 

Stick with a brand name you can trust

Light weight design

Spliceability

Moderate stretch for energy absorption without feeling bouncy

Choose a diameter that works well in devices

A construction that stays round and firm without flattening

In the future, Mark would like to see rope manufacturers explore new products utilizing the new high-tech fibers on the market. According to him, "there are many times when our jobs can be made more safe and easier through the use of lighter, yet stronger, fibers." The bottom line for Mark is that your climbing rope and rigging lines are tools, parts of a system, and your personal safety and that of your crew hangs in the balance. Selecting the proper rope is as important as making the smartest choices for other tools in the system. Explore all choices. Be an informed consumer. Then choose wisely.

 

TABLE 1

CONSTRUCTION % COVER % CORE

24-Strand 40% - 52% 48% - 60%

16-Strand 60% - 75% 25% - 40%

12-Strand 88% - 100% 0% - 12%

(† All ropes must meet minimum safety requirements. No reputable rope company on the market produces climbing ropes that fail to meet these minimums. Refer to ANSI and OSHA documentation for more information.)

 

 

Copyright © 2008 New England Ropes, Corp. All rights reserved

 

 

 

Hope its not a problem posting this up as the link does not work

[nz paul]

Cheers man,good link,after that read still not sure!

[nz paul]

Acutally that article has a 2005 date on it.Wonder if anything has changed?

[JimM]

Have a zigzag on its way and am currently looking for a new rope for it,does the zigzag work with static rope? Can you climb double rope on a static?if not why?I understand it's stiffer but is there anything to say i can't use it?

I Have a perfectly good 13mm rope but am thinking it won't run as nice on it,but to be honest ive spent way to much lately and can't really fork out another £100 plus for another rope.Ideas?Is there a cheaper rope option?

Thanks in advance.

Paul.

 

Running my zigzag on 13mm XTC Fire, which is static. No issues so far. Not tried it on anything thinner though to be able to state a difference. Hope this helps?

 

I'm sure there'll be some more comments along shortly!

[colemanjessenz]

nah apart from the new interwoven ropes i think all the rope structures mentioned are all the same mate just maybe a selection of new ropes being introduced in that time which all fit into those categories

[colemanjessenz]

Running my zigzag on 13mm XTC Fire, which is static. No issues so far. Not tried it on anything thinner though to be able to state a difference. Hope this helps?

 

I'm sure there'll be some more comments along shortly!

 

xtc is semi static i think Paul is talking more about an access line ?

[nz paul]

Yeah more access line,i had a little climb on some Tb patron for a couple of prunes and like the feel of it,I understand the normal arb ropes have a little give for falls etc..but im pretty safe don't do anything to crazy so thought it would be safe enough if guys are climbing it on srt.