is making your own lanyard acceptable with the ISA/ITCC?

[voxac30dude]

is making your own lanyard acceptable with the ISA or ITCC? i just made one with a 6 wrap prussik closed with 2 fisherman's and a 12 foot long piece of climbing rope with 1 triple action caribiner tied into one end with a triple fisherman's loop and one clipped into the prussik cord where the fishermans knots are. is this an acceptable piece of equipment that works with safety standards?

 

[tree md]

I don't think ISA or any of the abrborist associations police safety standards... Yet.

Those associations are more interested in proper pruning and tree care.

ANSI is where you want to look for industry safety standards.

That being said, Climbers have been making their own lanyards since the beginning. I have made 2 in the past month. Just double check your knots and make sure you are following ANSI standards.

 

[voxac30dude]

ok thanks.

 

[tree md]

You also want to make sure you are reading modern text when looking at safety standards. Standards change over time. A couple of big changes that have taken place since I have been climbing is locking snaps and attachment knots. When I started out everyone I knew was climbing on non locking snaps. When the standards changed everyone was #####ing about the locking snaps (including me) but there is a reason they started requiring locking snaps. I started using them and got used to them. Another thing that changed is everyone I worked with when I was younger would attach their rope snap or carabiner with a bowline. I don't know anyone that does that now. I read why it's best not to use a bowline a few years back but I can't remember what the deal was. Either the bend radius weakened the knot or it was known to roll out and side load biners, can't remember what the deal was but I quit using it. You should be fine with a double fisherman, it's an acceptable attachment knot.

Post up a pic of your lanyard if you want and let the group look it over.

 

[voxac30dude]

heres a pic

 

[Tree Pig]

How well does that prusik grap with that rope your using, could be just me but looks a little stiff and wide. But again pictures can be decieving, knots look good though. Have you thought about using a rope grap instead? Also cant see the bottom of the line but is it a biner on both ends 2-1 style, if not make sure you have a stopper knot.

 

[voxac30dude]

it's made of 1/2" 12 strand arborplex. and no it's not a 2 in one style. the prussik actually works nicely.

 

[Tree Pig]

it's made of 1/2" 12 strand arborplex. and no it's not a 2 in one style. the prussik actually works nicely.

Im sure this is a stupid question but did you put a stopper knot on it?

 

[D Mc]

Vortac, you need to change the carabiner/prussic attachment. Carabiners need to be captured by the knot to prevent a possible side loading.

Dave

 

[voxac30dude]

right here?

 

[Tree Pig]

Sorry I meant a stopper knot on your lanyard to keep the prussik from being able from going off the end of your lanyard.

 

[tree md]

D Mc means you need a knot that will cinch down on the carabiner and capture it Where it can't slide around and side load or possibly load on the gate. If you want to make something like that do a search and see how some of the guys are using a VT or Distel for an adjuster.

 

[tree md]

Check out Treespyder's website.

Bottom of the page is the only attachment knot I will use on a biner or snap anymore:

http://www.mytreelessons.com/Carabiner & Bowlines.htm

 

[D Mc]

D Mc means you need a knot that will cinch down on the carabiner and capture it Where it can't slide around and side load or possibly load on the gate. If you want to make something like that do a search and see how some of the guys are using a VT or Distel for an adjuster.

Thanks for clarifying that Tree md, but, voxac you would be better of just going to an eye-to-eye friction hitch. They are so much safer and less bulky and on a lanyard, it'll last a long time.

Dave

 

[tree md]

Thanks for clarifying that Tree md, but, voxac you would be better of just going to an eye-to-eye friction hitch. They are so much safer and less bulky and on a lanyard, it'll last a long time.

Dave

Gotcha. That's what I believe he will find if he does a search for the friction hitch adjusters around here. I plan on making one myself as soon as I put my flip line back together. I've got a steel core with a rope grab but I'm using a rope lanyard with the grab right now until I finish this tree next to power lines. After I finish that one I am putting the rope grab on the flip line and making me a long rope lanyard with an I2I.

 

[voxac30dude]

has anyone ever used a super long lanyard like a 30-60 footer so that you can use it as a second climb-line? anyone ever done this with successfull results or is that a bit too bulky?

 

[tree md]

I know Ghillie and a few others around here have and posted pics. You can prolly find some pics if you search for lanyards. I know Ghillie was using an eye to eye on his like D Mc was suggesting and daisy chaining the slack.

 

[Bermie]

My lanyard is 15'...very handy overall, sometimes takes extra time to manage the long tail if I'm only using it short, but I like the versatility in a big tree.
In small tiddler trees like 10', I'll sometimes just use the long lanyard, switch it to my bridge, plenty long enough on its own.
I use an i2i distel and a micro pulley on it.

 

[tree md]

I have a 10' steel core and a smaller rope lanyard I made and have been using with my rope grab. I am going to make an even longer one to use on the rare occasions I would need one. I'm going to make mine just like the one Bermie described with an I2I and a spare micro pulley I've got laying around. What I have been doing is using my climbing line as a lanyard when I am working a really large spar where I need it. I normally keep my I2I and everything on one biner because it's a little tidier and less bulky. When I use it as a lanyard (like a secondary tie in while I'm working a large spar) I break out another biner and attach my spliced eye on the end of my climbing rope to it. It gives me as much length as I need when I am working a really big spar.