The Evolution of an Invention

[John Paul Sanborn]

Does that mean the bike comes down with the capstan or does he need to go get it?
Jeff
Still not buying a wraptor, ( yet).

With the work you guys do the product seems to be a no-brainer.

 

[jomoco]

Well I finally hooked up with my old school arborist hero and friend Rich Magargal this morning in Balboa park. Rich took a while getting his hands on the old VHS videotape of him pruning Canary Island date palms old school style, and while the primo footage was lost, I did get one tape of him in action for conversion to a digital format along with some of my old VHS from the early 90's.

Rich was kind enough to vid this footage of me climbing about 50 feet up a euc on my VRCB. He couldn't help crackin wise about whether I was sure I didn't need an engine at the 40 foot mark in the vid. Too many cigars on my part no doubt!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktTPmx_LMQc

While not quite ready to race a wraptor yet, I'm getting there, and the VRCB is tracking true.

jomoco

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It's like bigfoot footage, I'm seeing something I can tell that you are working the kinks out though!

 

[jefflovstrom]

Dang, takes forever to watch! All the waiting on you-tube! We did 11 Canary Dates on Thursday and all the guys climbed over the ball and removed all the fruit. Sorry OOMT, it is done all the tome here. Jon, you are on to something!
Good job!
Jeff

 

[jefflovstrom]

Dang, takes forever to watch! All the waiting on you-tube! We did 11 Canary Dates on Thursday and all the guys climbed over the ball and removed all the fruit. Sorry OOMT, it is done all the time here. Jon, you are on to something!
Good job!
Jeff

 

[jomoco]

It's like bigfoot footage, I'm seeing something I can tell that you are working the kinks out though!

I know, the vid quality sucks big time JPS, I need to quit foolin around and buy the latest POV 1.5 helmetcam with the wide angle lens already!

Regardless though, I'm fairly sure that right now I have the world's very first vertical rope climbing bike, such as it is.

jomoco

 

[jomoco]

Dang, takes forever to watch! All the waiting on you-tube! We did 11 Canary Dates on Thursday and all the guys climbed over the ball and removed all the fruit. Sorry OOMT, it is done all the time here. Jon, you are on to something!
Good job!
Jeff

Thanks Jeff, I actually took a vid of Magargal this morning, but it came out even worse than the VRCB vid, just a silhouette of him looking like a mob informer trying to protect his identity!

Makes me appreciate Reg's vids even more!

I'm a tree worker, not a videographer!

jomoco

 

[ssurveyor]

I like it. Can you manually lift tension off the tail rope and use the capstan as a friction descender also?

I am playing with a worm gear winch, driven by an electric drill, but the 1 1/4" dia.x 2" winch shaft wraps the rope up into a tangle when I try to use it as a capstan. I wish I could take some measurements of the capstan you use. Is it made of metal?

Here is my fourth generation TADZ device. It ascends very nicely, but grips tenaciously and doesn't release very well for the descent.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e33/gdsandkes/100_1023.jpg

 

[jomoco]

I like it. Can you manually lift tension off the tail rope and use the capstan as a friction descender also?

I am playing with a worm gear winch, driven by an electric drill, but the 1 1/4" dia.x 2" winch shaft wraps the rope up into a tangle when I try to use it as a capstan. I wish I could take some measurements of the capstan you use. Is it made of metal?

Here is my fourth generation TADZ device. It ascends very nicely, but grips tenaciously and doesn't release very well for the descent.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e33/gdsandkes/100_1023.jpg

Negative on any descending yet on the VRCB, it would have to have an hourglass shaped capstan to do that.

My current VRCB capstan has about a 4 inch OD that grows fatter on only one end, the ascension end, making it a oneway trip up. The capstan is a combination of steel, aluminum and JB Weld forming the eliptical incline plane on it's ascension side, and it was a SOB to cast and pour.

However I believe that even the wraptor can't descend either, but I'm not positive on that.

jomoco

 

[ssurveyor]

Ok, thanks for the info. I have only seen video of the wraptor and don't know if it descends.

You can buy "bow" rollers used on boat trailers, but they seem to be made of rubber or acrylic only.

 

[jomoco]

Ok, thanks for the info. I have only seen video of the wraptor and don't know if it descends.

You can buy "bow" rollers used on boat trailers, but they seem to be made of rubber or acrylic only.

Bow rollers from a boat trailer, that's great Surveyor!

Particularly the keel rollers right in the middle. If you could get the right OD,width and incline grades, even if it were plastic it could be used to make a negative casting to pour an aluminum capstan from.

Having my brother machine one from round block at the machine shop is what I'll end up doing I'm sure though, despite the price for a single run on a CNC lathe.

I'll never be able to afford a POV helmetcam at this rate!

jomoco

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Aren't those bow rollers HDPT or whatever?

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Like JPS said, it's like watching a Bigfoot video!

For us to see how this thing works you can rig a treadmill setup on your rope. Instead of having your ascending rope anchored at the top or bottom run it through a belay device at the bottom. Then, as you 'ascend' your belayer gives slack so that you never move up the rope. Then your cam operator can get a decent picture.

Be sure to tape the action with a good background so that you show up in profile without background clutter. Shooting with the sun at your back makes for a cleaner picture too.

going back to another JPS...what is the advantage of this over a Rope Walker setup? Unless there is a real need for a mechanical advantage for the climber a RW is simpler. If a climber needs the amplify their strength there might be a reason not to have them in the tree. Of course, there are special needs, but in a production climbing situation I don't think that I would want to have someone with less than full personal ability in the tree.

 

[jomoco]

going back to another JPS...what is the advantage of this over a Rope Walker setup? Unless there is a real need for a mechanical advantage for the climber a RW is simpler. If a climber needs the amplify their strength there might be a reason not to have them in the tree. Of course, there are special needs, but in a production climbing situation I don't think that I would want to have someone with less than full personal ability in the tree.

You're right Tom, it was a stupid idea, suitable for only special needs climbers like me, who need to know if building a vertical rope climbing bike can be done?

jomoco

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Stupid??? That's your word...

Go easy on yourself, Jomo.

Keep fine tuning it has some potential.

 

[jomoco]

Gee thanks Tom, I feel much better now that you think my VRCB might have some potential.

jomoco

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Jomo,

Are you patronizing?

Everything has potential, somethings more than others. A pedaled ascending system could be refined into a usable machine. Whether you can come up with something that has a value to anyone but yourself doesn't make a difference unless you're trying to make money marketing the invention.

My use of the term 'special needs' didn't have anything to do with anyone who has a mental, medical or psychological disability. A better term might be 'specific situation'.

 

[jomoco]

Jomo,

Are you patronizing?


My use of the term 'special needs' didn't have anything to do with anyone who has a mental, medical or psychological disability. A better term might be 'specific situation'.

I'm most assuredly being both patronizing and sarcastic Tom, drippingly so. And relieved that you caught on to the extent of trying to explain what a special needs climber is, and failed.

Why not ask Paul why he developed his Wraptor? It can pull an obese special needs climber up a tree easily, no need for chubby to pedal or anything.

Note the title of this thread Tom, it means novel ideas evolving into improved and better products and tools.

jomoco

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I've used the Wraptor a number of times, and like it. I do not see any problem with a bike style either.

I've been special needs for near two decades now, I'm rated 80% with the VA. Anything to take some of the effort out of the job makes sense to me.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Well I finally hooked up with my old school arborist hero and friend Rich Magargal this morning in Balboa park. Rich took a while getting his hands on the old VHS videotape of him pruning Canary Island date palms old school style, and while the primo footage was lost, I did get one tape of him in action for conversion to a digital format along with some of my old VHS from the early 90's.

Rich was kind enough to vid this footage of me climbing about 50 feet up a euc on my VRCB. He couldn't help crackin wise about whether I was sure I didn't need an engine at the 40 foot mark in the vid. Too many cigars on my part no doubt!

VRCB Balboa Park 2.AVI - YouTube

While not quite ready to race a wraptor yet, I'm getting there, and the VRCB is tracking true.

jomoco

Bump.
Jeff