So I bought a ropeman 1 and was thinking of trying it for the tree tether. I see it’s not rated for static falls and I have heard of guys backing them up with other knots. What are you guys mostly using to hang from your tether?
I can dig that, makes sense. ThanksThe ropeman for your tether is nothing but luxury. Its WAY more practical, almost necessary for a linemans belt. I found that I only make a few very small adjustments with my tether and a ropeman is just overkill.
So I bought a ropeman 1 and was thinking of trying it for the tree tether. I see it’s not rated for static falls and I have heard of guys backing them up with other knots. What are you guys mostly using to hang from your tether?
I have ropeman 1 on both tether and lineman's. I have a prussic above the ropeman on tether. Once I am all settled in, I connect my lineman's via carabineer to the backup prussic. I think it's overkill but gives peace of mind. I have complete faith in the ropemans and that's the key. Do whatever you can to feel secure so you're not second guessing your safety mid shot. You only want one thing on your mind at the moment of truth! Welcome to the diaper monkey clan!
I also believe carabineer style and condition are extremely important. I use the roundest profile and smoothest surfaced carabineer I can find and make sure it doesn't have any nicks, scratches, gouges, etc. which could cut the rope. The RM1, IMO, is pretty rope friendly unlike the RM2 which has smaller, sharper, more snaggy teeth which will take much more of a toll on your rope. Check your equipment's condition often and be safe!If you go the the thread that Terp linked above, you will see a lot of the failure's recorded with the ropeman 1 are from the toothed cam damaging the rope. Monkey's back up prusik being ABOVE the ropeman eliminates the fall risk of this particular failure. Any other backup methods will be useless if your rope is cut by the ropeman and your backup is beneath the ropeman. I would personally still recommend a stopper knot at the end of your tether though.
Also, like Reo commented, learn about available rope types before you buy a tether and if you have the ropeman already, look into options with durable sheaths/cores - I have always used Bluewater ropes in work settings with toothed cam ascenders - Poly Sheath/Nylon core. You can get Bluewater Poly/Poly accessory cord by the foot in a variety of sizes for cheap.
A prussic backup below the ropeman doesn't work if the rope is cut. A prussic backup above the ropeman only works if it's tight and can catch you before it slides off the end. Not really a sure thing in my book.
If you trust the ropeman after knowing it can shear the "right" rope with a couple of kilonewtons, cool. If you don't trust it and back it up with a prussic, why are you using it? You still have to fool with the knot. And if that knot isn't a pain to fool with it probably means it's not ready to catch you when the ropeman fails. The only advantage of a ropeman is ease of use. Back it up and you lose that advantage, and are now paying $40 for a redundant component.
I like mine on a linemans, but sold the one I had on my tethers.
I remember you talking about this.Exactly this!
I mentioned similar some time ago, but no one listened. I hope they are listening to you on this matter.
Why do people tie stopper knots then? How many inches of rope do you have before the prussic comes off if the ropeman shears the rope? If a prussic can't slide off of that little stub, how can it slide off a full length tether.I for one, mentioned the prussic ABOVE the tether for that very reason. As did at least one other. And as for it having to be so tight as to make it a pain to deal with, not true. The prussic is self tightening when a load is applied and intended to slip easily when not loaded. So it can be on standby without choking the tether to death. And the only additional equipment for my extra peace of mind is a prussic and carabineer. No bulk or weight to make a difference. Bottom line is do what works for you and makes you feel safe. Some think it's too much trouble or overkill, but we each need to feel secure how ever we see fit. Also, the ropeman is not intended to arrest a fall, rather to prevent it. You do this by not having a bunch of slack in your tether. If you do, you're not using your system properly. So rope being sheared off by a couple kilonewtons should never come into play. You should have a constant load on it the whole time if used as designed.