John RB
Well-Known Member
Backstrap, Sorry for the delayed response... not getting any notifications...@John RB
Are there any alternatives to any pieces of this system that are unsafe? For example, if using a quicklink instead of a rappel ring, is there a safety concern with this? are there any safety concerns with using a different sized ring than you use for any given rope. For example, if someone used the smaller rappel ring on 9mm rope, is this unsafe in some way? Is an aluminum rappel ring safe to use? Strength rating suggested for the ring? Final question, are there any knots for attaching the rappel ring to the rappel line that are unsafe for this application? (thinking common knots people use for this: double fisherman, overhand, etc...) I"m sure i'll have more questions, but this will give me some stuff to think about! Thanks for doing the innovating, and sharing!
To answer as best I can, I just can't recommend anything except a Rappel Ring because as I understand things, Rappel rings were designed for this very type of an application, specifically with a bite of rope threaded through them and a carabiner engaging the rope, exactly as I have it on the Cinch. The ring is aluminum and I use Aluminum carabiners. I only own one Climbing Quick Link (plus a few Deltas) and it is pictured along with a small Rappel ring from RockNArbor and a Carabiner for size perspective. The quick link is pretty sizeable. I believe there are smaller ones in the market, but I just don't own any, as I just prefer non mechanical solutions wherever possible. Because a ring is an oval, not a circle, if ya create a cinch with it, ya can't assume that the Carabiner will stay where you put it on the short side and you have to assume it will find its way into the lengthwise orientation, like a slot. And that's not going to hold the way we want it to. It also is not what a quick link is designed for. I'm not saying it's going to break. Those things are so rugged. But I feel that a ring is the best way to go. I cannot recommend a quick link. But you are welcome to tie and try anything on your own as long as you are taking responsibility for testing it. Sure, steel would be better than aluminum from an overall strength perspective, but i am not aware how we can possibly generate the kinds of forces we would need to get close to the strength of these tools. I do know that my arborist friends tend to prefer to use steel on steel and aluminum on aluminum. As far as I'm concerned, as long as it is rated for climbing, it's going to be in the range of 25kN or more and that's fine in my book.
In terms of better knots than the Buffalo, you could use a Scaffold knot, but you might not ever be able to untie it without cutting it off. A Bull Hitch is a little less stable than a Buffalo, so I can't recommend it. But you could use a Buntline or an Anchor Hitch ( there are several different variants). You could even use a jrb hitch on a ring provided that you lock it properly. That's nice because you can remove it if you need to. But overall, I do think that the Buffalo hitch is the best tool for the job.
In terms of anything unsafe ... as I tied the Buffalo, and tested it, I am not aware of anything that wasn't stated in the video. As long as it is set properly and the Gate of the Carabiner is not serving as the toggle, it should stay put and is extremely strong and stable.
It's a worthwhile investment to grab a couple of repel rings in my opinion. If ya buy anything here, don't forget to use my JRB10 coupon code. And if there's anything else you need, I will get back to you if you leave a comment.
Climbing Hardware | Rope Rigging, Saddle Rigging & Arborist Hardware
Shop our premium climbing hardware at Rock-N-Arbor including saddle rigging hardware, hardware for rope rigging, sailboats, rock climbing and more.
www.rocknarbor.com
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk