Did the impossible!

[jkrueger]

Well, it always seemed impossible. Always wondered how it could happen.

Had a Tri-Act Petzl biner connecting my hitch to the saddle open! How, I ve always wondered how. The lanyard went across the gate mechanism and also pulled it up and in the right direction giving the necessary force to open it.

My TIP was above and my lanyard was around the limb I was working on. I then saw an ajacent branch which I could reach by standing stright out from existing branch while pushing against the lanyard. Making the simple twisting body move employing all lines did it.

On the side; today while up in a good sized Black Walnut and taking out dead wood, I noticed that every cut reveled a cavity, hollow, in the connection to the trunck. Was good and high, (in the tree), and had a funny sense that something was not OK. Within secods of that thought I droped a foot or so and was now hanging from the lanyard.

What had hppened was the friction saver slid down the brach up to the truck. Thought there was a knob and some water spruts to prevent that. Nope. Any way after the prvious days biner opening I was ..., over reactive, almost, and still cool.

Big sprawling trees with rot in areas bother me sometimes.

Need a quad act biner,
Jack

 

[jkrueger]

..., think I'll go back to the ball lock.
Jack

 

[John Stewart]

Originally posted by jkrueger
..., think I'll go back to the ball lock.
Jack

I have heard two seperate stories just like that and they were both on ball lock's
So pick your poison and make sure you keep checking your life line attachments!
Take Care
John

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Denny Moorhouse showed me a rough prototype of a quad action biner gate. That guy is so clever. He came up with the idea when he was flying.

Tom

 

[a_lopa]

I know ill get flamed for saying it,but the only thing wrong with a screw gate biner is operater error(forgetting to do it up)all the others have problems and can come undone IMO

 

[rumination]

Originally posted by aussie_lopa
I know ill get flamed for saying it,but the only thing wrong with a screw gate biner is operater error(forgetting to do it up)all the others have problems and can come undone IMO

Aussie, I'd agree with you except that I've seen screwgate biners come undone on more than one occasion. Operator error was not involved. I haven't had a triple lock open on me yet.

 

[a_lopa]

how can a biner coming undone be anything but operater error if you leave anything unchecked your asking for trouble,wether its your missus,biner,car engine etc etc

 

[rumination]

Originally posted by aussie_lopa
how can a biner coming undone be anything but operater error if you leave anything unchecked your asking for trouble,wether its your missus,biner,car engine etc etc

You know what, you're right. Operator error was involved and that error was using a screw lock biner.


Seriously, though, back when I used screwlocks and a tautline hitch I was constantly having to check my setup to make sure my biner wasn't coming unscrewed and my hitch wasn't rolling out. Now I use triple locks and a VT. I tie my knot once, make sure my biners are closed properly, and then I trust it. I still check every once and a while out of habit but haven't had a problem at all. Failure of any climbing system is always a possibility, but so far the triple locks I use now have proven to be far more reliable than the screwlocks I used to use.

 

[a_lopa]

far more reliable what have you died and been resurected everyone thinks there high tech using a french prussic and calling it a vt,one guy on my crew has been using that set up for years and wouldnt even know what its called.advanced hitches what rubbish.by the way i climb on a perfection loop,not the fishing type either,and hang limbs all day long off a screw gate biner(if its huge ill use a d),its all about speed.all this so-called modern rigging/climbing makes me puke.it must take new guys so-long to do the simplest jobs.cranes are to expensive ill put the money in the climbers pocket not the crane cos

 

[rumination]

Aussie, what's a perfection loop? Oh, and I use screwlocks for rigging, too. Just not for life support.

 

[TimberMcPherson]

Screwgates are good for rigging and using with a pulley in your tie in point but if its in a position to move against other things ie when its on a harness, they are a liability as they CAN come undone. You will find this out yourself one day, hopefully you will survive it.

I was a big screwgate fan due to my rockclimbing background but I have seen the light since. Actually they are illegal to use now as a body biner with NZ OSH regulations, its a good thing to.
Ball locks are way faster and safer to use. If I do get short of biners I double the screwgates so the gates are opposing

 

[wiley_p]

one should always check and recheck his life support equipment, this was drilled in from rock climbing. Still a big fan of the screwgate, and still use one on the sharp end cinched down they will not come undone, although again I frequently check terminal rigging.

 

[arboromega]

dmn, that is dissapointing about that tri-act. thats what i use which i switched to because the ball lock opend up on me. was it an old biner, the triact?

 

[jkrueger]

Originally posted by arboromega
dmn, that is dissapointing about that tri-act. thats what i use which i switched to because the ball lock opend up on me. was it an old biner, the triact?

It was a couple of months old. It would be _very_ difficult to re-produce the situation and have it happen again. I feel OK about the hardware, we have to be more alert to gear and safty. I think I was, I choose to look at it as it happened.

I had moved from the ball to the tri-act thinking it was more secure.

Jack

 

[a_lopa]

Originally posted by rumination
Aussie, what's a perfection loop? Oh, and I use screwlocks for rigging, too. Just not for life support.

you lay three loops over top of each other pulling the bottom loop thru the first loop holding both ends of the line.

 

[Derek]

Both are good..

Hi guys...My Twenty cents worth....

Screw gates make me to parioniod...Only once, did i have an issue with them at height..I have "rubbed" across my "second end" going from tree to tree, and the second rope has unrolled the srewgate on cliped its self into my primary..
Not so life thretening, but a wake up call all the same..

The problem i can have with trilocks holding things other than rope, is they can be a pain to open...If there is weight (from rope) on a trilock they are great...Getting a fig 8 from the loop in the middel of my back...Give me a screwgate any time... ( but would rather still use a tri to go down )...

I have a ball lock coming in the mail, i'll use that to AB down, keep the screw gates for pullys (where they dont come into contact with rope) and the trilocks for my ropes.

I love the concept of constantly checking your gear, but by the same token, i love the "set and forget" of trilocks..I have the most "faith" in them...take care with whatever your useing...Derek..

 

[Tree Machine]

mmm

 

[Tree Machine]

THERE! That says it!. But I don't know Jack.

Jack? Pleased to meet you. Tree Machine. Peace.

There, now I know Jack.

 

[jkrueger]

Hi, to ya too.

Regarding biners and life lines; I think I, like possibly others, make moves that are sometimes compressed and perhaps timid. That uses the systm in ways that are not about the trust and flow of what climbing should be.

Hey Big John, is that so. (Or your evil twin.)

Jack

 

[kf_tree]

i had a similar experiance with a dmm biner..........i was out on a limb and i looked down and my lanyard was inside the biner. the only way it could have gotten there was the biner opened. sur makes ya think.huh.

it's strange how in tree work every one use's auto locks, and in rock and ice climbing i do not know one person that carries auto locks.

the saying is anything that locks automaticly can open automaticly.