Thoughts on mechanical split tails?

Rugged made
Wesspur
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I get interested in mechanical hitches, from time to time, but then I haul my butt up into a work tree on my Blake's and think, "Well, that was easy enough. Why bother popping big bucks for something I don't really need?" At almost 62, I think I'll just stay with the tried and true, and let the manufacturers lure you younger guys into spending your money with them. Above all, stay safe!
 
A couple inches just doesn't do it for me, I want it a couple feet out there, where my hitch would normally sit. Unfortunately that puts the other end of it out of reach. Like a lot of guys I use more than one rope. I like to use the shortest rope I can, so it's not unusual to change ropes 2 or even 3 times in a day. I use a 60', a 90', and a 165' rope, as well as a real little shorty which I think is about 40' maybe.
 
imagineero said:
A couple inches just doesn't do it for me, I want it a couple feet out there, where my hitch would normally sit. Unfortunately that puts the other end of it out of reach. Like a lot of guys I use more than one rope. I like to use the shortest rope I can, so it's not unusual to change ropes 2 or even 3 times in a day. I use a 60', a 90', and a 165' rope, as well as a real little shorty which I think is about 40' maybe.
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me too, that's why I got 2 zz's. talk about saddle bling, 2 hitches worth $550. what a brat. I don't usually use one as short as a 40 footer after years ago I fell running out of rope low limbing oaks and fell about 20 feet and had a horseshoe stake right next to me.
 
Ouch! on the price and the crash ;-) I only rarely use that 40 footer, though it's nice to have. The 60' and 90' get the most saddle time and seem to get switched out daily, the 165' still gets used a couple times a week.
 
Has anyone tried the Unicender? I can see why Treevet feels that way, but looking at the design, i don't think it's coming off unless you want it to. Is the rope wrench easy to advance/descend with?
 
I try to stick with one rope unless the tree calls for two. My groundies HATE dealing with anything more than a climbing and a rigging rope. haha. But I def know why people use the shortest rope possible. That whole falling 20 ft next to a horseshoe stake had to be a little on the terrifying side. Glad you made it out ok.
 
Most trees I work I use just the one rope, but on a good day we might do 4-6 jobs, and they're all different sizes, trims, removals. I'm going to grab the right size rope for the job, and every now and then 2 ropes. Particularly if it's a complex/spready tree, or as is often the case, a tree where you've got to get way out on a small limb far out from the TIP and the small limb doesn't offer much support and it's a trim so you can't spike. I try to keep my climb lines out of the work zone, usually by hauling them up and throwing them through a crotch on the far side of the tree which makes life simpler for me and the ground crew.
 
Brendon Phillips said:
Has anyone tried the Unicender? I can see why Treevet feels that way, but looking at the design, i don't think it's coming off unless you want it to. Is the rope wrench easy to advance/descend with?
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I can't comment on the unicender since I haven't tried it. The rope wrench certainly has potential watching the vids, but I think every device does if you are using it every day and get good at using it. I had a hard time using the rope wrench, but I'm fat. I think it's a great device for skinny guys. I'm still on doubled ropes for all but the biggest trees, where I switch out to a frog SRT.

FWIW, Kevin Bingham who invented the rope wrench once commented that he ascends by doubled rope then switches out to rope wrench to work the tree. That was the reverse of what I expected.
 
wonder if Sherrill will continue to sell them. thanks for notification. I plan to continue using mine but increase inspections. I am real easy on equipment and not a fat tuhrd.
 
I suspect I will use mine til I retire and doubt they will improve it one iota as it is about as good as it can get imo. The cost, like the wraptor, gets diminished over the years. I never trusted those skinny hitch cords either. I use bee line as my lanyard, but it doesn't get the mass abuse from repeated and heavy (hot) friction. Just a matter of time before someone goes down on one that should have been retired.
 
I tried my zz srt yesterday and didn't like it much. I think I need a shorter tether,then maybe it will feel a little better but for now I will just use it drt
 
A guy that I work with uses a Unicender and he loves it. I played with it a bit and it seemed like a great idea. But one day last week he had a brand new rope he was using on a bunch of limb removals, probably four or five hours work. At the end of the day we looked at the rope and it had little snags all over it! I also noticed very fine distinct blue particles on the unicender (the brand new rope was blue.) Has anyone found their unicender was damaging their ropes? I had other stuff to do, so I didn't take the time to look over the unicender for defects and I havent heard from him if he found any
 
As far as I know it shouldn't be able to do that. I thought it was all smooth like the zigzag. Unless he nicked it somewhere and it has a sharp burr on it. If it was the unicender that did it he should call them and get a replacement rope and split tail.
 
hey Vet, do you only use a spliced end when using a ZZ? I had one before the recall and remember thinking it worked much better with a splice than with an anchor hitch (my preferred termination knot). I am trying to remember how much better it was though. I am going to get a new ZZ but keep putting it off because I dont need a new climbing line. I actually have several good lines they just dont have splices. Do you think it works ok with a knot instead of a splice?
 
I use it with knots just fine. I usually use the anchor knot, but with a petzl biner on the static end of the rope it puts it at the perfect height to catch the release, lower you down a good bit and make a new crease in your harness. I started using a double bowline instead so the knot is well above the chain links and doesn't catch.
 
TreeAce said:
hey Vet, do you only use a spliced end when using a ZZ? I had one before the recall and remember thinking it worked much better with a splice than with an anchor hitch (my preferred termination knot). I am trying to remember how much better it was though. I am going to get a new ZZ but keep putting it off because I dont need a new climbing line. I actually have several good lines they just dont have splices. Do you think it works ok with a knot instead of a splice?
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with a splice it leaves you only one end to install or remove the device...so no I don't use a splice, won't go thru the zz.
 
I never minded leaving my ZZ on my line. My main concern was if the termination knot interfered much with the release on the ZZ. My favorite thing about the ZZ is how its so easy to tend slack. Believe it or not, pulling slack through a climbing hitch hurts my shoulders. I have experimented with different hitches and it doesnt seem to matter what I use. The repetitious movement is painful on my aging joints.Now, the VT is not bad at all but I dont care for it for other reasons otherwise I either use a mochoin (cant spell it) or a distel. But nothing tends slack like a ZZ. Its effortless.
 

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