No it slipped which reduced the forces felt on the machine (hitch deceleration as its sliding). The force would have been higher had the hitch held. Also that’s the only drop where they measure force. They don’t attach the force meter for the 300 lbs drops or higher
Didn't look like it was slowing down much. Almost looked like it started to accelerate at the end before the shock of hitting the stopper knot. The write up said that was the highest force measured unless you have more info than what was shown on the video.
I’ve been to that same site and did the testing. I can tell you the name of the man on the ladder…. That drop is called the maximum force arrest drop. It’s a 220 lbs dummy drop. A 220 lbs drop will not create as much force as a 300 or 350 lbs dummy falling similar distances. And technically if the prusik slips past like 6” I believe it is, it’s a fail because the numbers aren’t accurate while the hitch slips, it’s reducing force. In that drop my prusik slid about 4 or 5” and our force was 1160 something.
I mean is it really? Whatever was attached to it would still be in the tree and not busted up on the ground, so I’d call that at least a partial success.
The author did note in the original post that “I have done well over 100 pull/drop tests with rope friction hitches and never had a rope sheath destroyed. I did I’ve also done over a dozen drop/pull tests with different ropes and mechanical ascenders in the past few days. Every rope was damaged or destroyed.”
So what you got from this post was use them to ascend on ropes not use them to saddle hunt?
That should be the mantra for most of the posts on here! “If you’re not using this: platform, stick, saddles, knots, system, arrow, clothing…” the list goes on and on! I can’t wait to try something new and then hit up @ Flcanopystalker to see if he can shoot holes in it. I know of at least three times I’ve changed my setup/rigging/equipment due to his knowledge. Maybe that just comes with getting older and less bulletproof. I don’t bounce as well as I used to
Funny how safety seems to matter a little more in my later years….go figure.
Yea once you learn you’re not invincible and that you have value to your family and also you don’t recover like you used to, it’s much easier to wanna be safer
It is funny. I think back on the number of times I jumped off the roof of the house growing up and now I wont climb 6 feet without being tied in.
I see people jumping off truck beds or other things any more and I say ow. Makes my knees hurt just watching. Let alone slip and fall any more.
20 in is a lot of slack...and when falling on a lineman's the load is (for better and worse!) less.
Never said 20” of slack, only a 20” fall which are very different. If you are above your climbing point 20” of slack could equal a 30” fall or worse. I was below my connection point (ie my lineman’s rope was above my hips around the tree. The normal distance we consider safe for lineman’s rope is about equal to the distance if your elbow is against your stomach and the palm of your hand is against the tree, then from your elbow to the bottom of you hand (where the palm meets the wrist). That is the distance usually used for work positioning. Let’s say you were a 36” waist and Due to arm length/ stomach size, you needed to be 14” from the tree. That means if your rope is at your hips you can fall a minimum of 14” with no slack at all. If you are above it or if you slacked it to reach around the tree, that fall can be nearly double that 14”. In my case I’m a 14 shoe with extremely long arms and a little more belly than I had 2 years ago. My lineman’s rope places me a good 15 to 16” off the tree when tensioned. I can’t go shorter or I won’t have room to lift my legs to climb the sticks. My rope was about chest level around the tree but when that stick cut out the rope still rolls some as it swings you in. That’s a drop. I set my sticks with a space of 20 to 21” distance between them. I was on the top step of a stick, just finished removing the stick above that one, completely tensioned with both hands on my lineman’s rope when it cut out. By the time I was “swung into the tree”and done with the fall, I could put my feet on the step below me. I’m fact I did so to stand back up. Yes it swings you in and somewhat pinches you, however that is still a dynamic drop. Also you can still fall using a tree squeeze as well because it has to cinch tightly before it catches you. Can you go to the ground? Most likely not. But it increases the distance you are able to fall
Also the load is not less on a lineman’s belt. That’s false. The load is simply split between 2 points of connection. There is no guarantee that split will be 50/50 or even 60/40. Therefore all lanyards should have the same breaking strength as your tether connection. IE a minimum of 10 times your body weight since this is life support
I feel that to my soul. I tried jumping off the tail gate a couple weeks ago and my knees didn’t appreciate it at all
I’m giving serious thought to adding a step to my trailer hitch… now that I think about it, maybe a fixed 2-step aider could get me up and into the truck bed in 4 moves…
