# Hitches



## treeman911 (Oct 17, 2011)

Been using the Blake's hitch with single eye 10mm. No problems with hitch , just all I've ever used. The problem is I have a 2 D ring saddle, not a rope bridge, and disconnecting & reconnecting in the tree most the time is very tight as my legs are spread like a 2 dollar wh_re on nickel night. Just ordered a 3 hole hitch climber pulley with 2 oval biners and 10mm eye to eye. So it's time for a new hitch and soon a new saddle. 

1. Most seem to use the VT hitch on this setup. Seens lots of variations on here. Input vey much appreciated.
2. Best saddle w/ rope bridge for a part time climber, full time underground miner

I'm a 3rd generation tree guy with 10 years brush dink and bucket experience. Use to climb a little when I worked for Dad, Conan style, very dumb, no safety equipment. Been mining for several years now and Tree work is a very good side job and my favorite hobby. I am falling in love w/ climbing though. Been reading the board for a while and this is my first post. Thanks, Bill


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## TreeAce (Oct 17, 2011)

I am kinda new to I2I hitches myself. I have used a VT and still do sometimes. Its a good knot although it doesnt always reset the way I like it to. Could be my own fault , not sure. But I seem to mostly go with a distel. It just seems better, ALL AROUND, for me, than a VT.


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## squad143 (Oct 17, 2011)

Try a swabish knot. Usually 3 wraps will do, but if it slips, go with 4.

SherrillTree | Tree Gear. Tree People. Professional Tree Care

The pic shows it in one carabiner, but I use it in my "d's".


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## RacerX (Oct 18, 2011)

I've been using a 10mm Beeline eye to eye and hitch climber pulley with a Distel hitch for a while. The VT is great but it must be tied and set correctly or it can be problematic, the Distel is simple, just like a clove hitch with some extra wraps on top and pretty bomb proof.


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## chad556 (Oct 18, 2011)

The VT is a great place to start. I used it for a little bit, however I did have some problems with it not holding right and I found my self fixing it up in the tree a little too often for my taste. This is where I began to use the XT, VT is vladotain tresse but I am not sure what if anything XT stands for (my best guess is perhaps the X stands for cross like in X-country). The XT is started just like the VT except before you start to braid you cross the top rope over the bottom rope just like you are about to tie a blakes hitch. This extra cross holds the wraps together and keeps the braids from opening too far. When you are done tying it it should look like this:






Here is another:





Another good hitch that is worth trying is the knut hitch. It also holds together very well like the XT. The bottom turn on the rope also takes some of the load, and therefore spreads it out across more of your climbing line, leading to less stress and wear on your equipment. It also has an interesting little safety feature: If, for whatever reason, one of the eyes on your split tail fails or comes detached, the hitch will not unravel and will continue to function almost as well is it did with both legs attached, allowing you time to rescue yourself from an otherwise fatal situation. Try doing that with a VT! Here is a picture from the sherrill tree website






These are my two favorites. They both perform at least just as well as the VT in my opinion and provide added measures of safety and functionality that I like. Good luck. Try out everything, thats how you will find the one that is truly best for you.


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## treeman911 (Oct 30, 2011)

thanks


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## spidermonkey17 (Oct 30, 2011)

i use the VT all the time had to play with it once i went to the hitch climber system and the Ocean split tail but now that i have it figured out on how many wraps and braids i love it. 

Hey Chad....how does that Knut friction work, does it set real well and does it feed out easy on limb walks?? Might have to try that out tomorrow.:msp_biggrin:


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## Iustinian (Nov 2, 2011)

spidermonkey17 said:


> i use the VT all the time had to play with it once i went to the hitch climber system and the Ocean split tail but now that i have it figured out on how many wraps and braids i love it.
> 
> Hey Chad....how does that Knut friction work, does it set real well and does it feed out easy on limb walks?? Might have to try that out tomorrow.:msp_biggrin:



the KNUT works great, doesnt lock up, always grabs, and sometimes even seems to tend its own slack, you'll probably have to practice tying it a few times before you get it right though. 

The SCHWABISH is a good beginner knot because it is so easy to tie, but it can get really tight, and I've also noticed that it works better on a shorter eye-to-eye.

VALDOTAIN TRESSE is my favorite when I'm using a newish eye-to-eye, but as they wear and the cord gets "memory" I will switch to the DISTEL. the VT is probably not the best starter knot for a beginner.

DISTEL imo is one of the best, it rarely locks up, is easy to tieeven for a beginner, never unravels, its easy to inspect, and always grabs. 

Also want to point out that a good beginner rope is Velocity. It has a higher wax content than other climbing lines, so even in the winter, your not wont slip. I personally don't care for it, because I like to flip-off to the tree when I'm done, replace my friction cord with a figure 8, ATC, gri-gri or other descender and come down fast. (my friction cords last longer that way and it's fun coming down fast) -- Velocity isn't as fast for me bc of the higher wax content of the line, so I quit using it - but it would be great for someone that's learning and building his confidence.

I also think you are supposed to (under ANSI rules) use a eye-to-eye or friction cord that is 3mm less in diameter than your climbing line. With 11mm being the minimum for a climb line, I use 8mm for my e-t-e. works great, and grabs better.


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## freeweight (Nov 3, 2011)

IME anything smaller than the life line is gonna grab pretty dam well ,i actually use a hank of blaze on arbormaster with a blakes 5/2 or a 6/2 just to make it a lil bigger for my hand ..works fine

as far as prussic cords man i kinda hate them ...just so small to grab hold of ...and the heat from them things JEEBUS!!!

although i kinda like the distal with 10mm beeline so guess its a love hate love thing ya know


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## treeman911 (Nov 5, 2011)

Tried out the Distel a few days ago on a green ash removal. First time using the new hitch climber setup. REALLY LIKED It. THANKS ALL


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