Kong Duck vs Ropeman 2 (or Prusik)

[Hellir]

What do y’all run for your lineman and tether? Currently I am using a schwabisch hitch on both lineman and tether, but I am finding that the rope is just way too long and it’s becoming a pain to adjust it. Mainly when needing to shorten. Do any of y’all use a Kong or Ropeman 2 and trust them on your lineman’s or tether? I hear mixed reviews on both.

This is my first year and am very cautious about all of my equipment. I think getting into a regular groove will lessen my anxiety but at the moment I’m still trying to figure it all out. Using 9mm rope for both. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.


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[gcr0003]

What do y’all run for your lineman and tether? Currently I am using a schwabisch hitch on both lineman and tether, but I am finding that the rope is just way too long and it’s becoming a pain to adjust it. Mainly when needing to shorten. Do any of y’all use a Kong or Ropeman 2 and trust them on your lineman’s or tether? I hear mixed reviews on both.

This is my first year and am very cautious about all of my equipment. I think getting into a regular groove will lessen my anxiety but at the moment I’m still trying to figure it all out. Using 9mm rope for both. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.


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Michoacan Is a shorter length hitch that you may like. I use this on my lineman’s. I use a shortened prussic on my tether and it works well too. I want the hitch on my tether to bite hard, they are easy enough to loosen and give or take slack up with. A Kong duck and ropeman work well. I would not trust them in a fall; however, I don’t put myself into situations where I would be falling on any of these hitches anyway.

 

[Loopwing]

I run a ropeman on my lineman and tether and a safeguard on my tether when one sticking. I absolutely hate friction knots, they lock down tight. I like being able to pick up rope and release rope with a move of the finger.

 

[thedutchtouch]

CT roll'n'lock or kong duck are best mechanicals in my opinion, prussik works great too. i use a CT rollnlock on both my Linesman belt and my tether currently.

recently got a safeguard, practicing with that for rappel, will likely switch to using rappel rope/safeguard up and down (and at height with a backup autoblock) instead of the CT/tether once i'm more familiar with it.

 

[jakev383]

I've run a Ropeman for a few years now on both my lineman and tether.
I decided to go with a smaller diameter rope for my lineman so I switched to a Duck to stay in spec.
I personally have no problems running and trusting either. I have a stopper knot on the ends of both ropes, so even if the mechanical fails I won't take the express down. I might need to clean my britches afterwards, but I'll still be around to do it

 

[Loopwing]

Also, while at height I backup the ropeman or safeguard with an Alpine butterfly.

 

[Hellir]

CT roll'n'lock or kong duck are best mechanicals in my opinion, prussik works great too. i use a CT rollnlock on both my Linesman belt and my tether currently.

recently got a safeguard, practicing with that for rappel, will likely switch to using rappel rope/safeguard up and down (and at height with a backup autoblock) instead of the CT/tether once i'm more familiar with it.

What autoblock are you using and where do you put it with the MadRock? I’ve heard you’re not supposed to put anything under the Madrock.


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[Mschmeiske]

I run a rope friction hitch, I feel safer with one than the mechanical stuff… even when I used a mechanical device I backed it up. If I’m picking up what you’re putting down, You could shorten the eye to eye on your hitch and it should be easier to adjust.

 

[Hellir]

I run a rope friction hitch, I feel safer with one than the mechanical stuff… even when I used a mechanical device I backed it up. If I’m picking up what you’re putting down, You could shorten the eye to eye on your hitch and it should be easier to adjust.

Yeah. One I can adjust. It’s just a length of trc. The other is a sewn eye to eye. Can’t adjust that unless I just wrapped it 14 times hahah


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[Loopwing]

Yeah, a safeguard and an autoblock is a terrible idea. It will lock it open and release your autoblock like tender.

 

[Mschmeiske]

Yeah. One I can adjust. It’s just a length of trc. The other is a sewn eye to eye. Can’t adjust that unless I just wrapped it 14 times hahah


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Id get some more trc and tie a new one or EWO has a solid eye to eye that didn’t seem too long to me when I had one. I think I usually make my hitch about 19-20” long for a distel/schwabisch hitch.

 

[gcr0003]

Yeah. One I can adjust. It’s just a length of trc. The other is a sewn eye to eye. Can’t adjust that unless I just wrapped it 14 times hahah


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@Brocky might have a way to shorten your hitch but maybe a new hitch will work better. I’ve seen him tie a number of hitches in ways that shorten them up and make them a tighter package.

 

[Loopwing]

OR...... You just use a ropeman, CT, or Kong. You will never have a friction that small

 

[2Sloe]

I‘m running Kong Ducks for tether/LB and Madrock for rappel. I really like the michaocan friction hitch, it holds tight but breaks with little effort. However, I like to run a long bridge and a low tether and the Meech tends to lengthen when loaded to the point that I can’t get my tether as short as I want it so I switched back to the duck. I back my tether up with figure 8 on a bite at the tail which I clip to my LB loop and I also have a prusik on the tether tail clipped to the same biner

 

[TooheyBirdie]

if i were to buy one mechanical ascender, id use it foe my linemana belt... i found i was rarely adjusting my tether but changing the length of my linemans the entire time.. noted i once owned a ropeman 1 but sold it and i choose to go with 6mm trc prussics on 9mm canyon elite... on my linemans i just run a paracord prussic tender... tends the prussic with barely more tense than a ropeman and no metal clanging around.. if ur using something like 11mm predator rope, this will not be the case...

 

[Brocky]

@Brocky might have a way to shorten your hitch but maybe a new hitch will work better. I’ve seen him tie a number of hitches in ways that shorten them up and make them a tighter package.

A flexible splice keeps it compact, or just a piece of cord with a stopper tied after making the hitch. The Sticht Hitch is adjustable so can tie to grab or slide, or find the sweet spot, you can descend with it if adjusted, so there is no binding.

 

[thedutchtouch]

What autoblock are you using and where do you put it with the MadRock? I’ve heard you’re not supposed to put anything under the Madrock.


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sterling hollowblock.

Yeah, a safeguard and an autoblock is a terrible idea. It will lock it open and release your autoblock like tender.

at hunting height i have been running the autoblock above the madrock, pushed up almost all the way to the tree. (i'd done the same thing above the CT or above a prussik previously) it connects to a loop of TRC that i soft shackle to the D loop on the austrialpin buckle on my saddle. this TRC loop is about a foot longer than my tether/bridge so i have room to adjsut from sitting to leaning without having to mess with it. it's completely reduntant, likely unnecessary, but adds a bit of peace of mine, and also gives me a good handle to grab on to if i want to reposition. as i get more comfortable with the madrock i'll likely remove it, but running it like this has basically 0 chance of jamming the safeguard, and makes me more comfortable in the tree. i used to use the same autoblock on my linesman loop when rappelling with an ATC and have been practicing using it in my brake hand/on LL with the safeguard as well. it's pretty much physically impossible for the autoblock to get into the ATC or the safeguard based on where i clip it, and the length i run my bridge, so i accept the quasi risk of jamming up for some peace of mind there as well, since the safeguard is slightly out of spec for oplux. again, redundancy will likely be removed when i get more comfortable with it, or i may just go back to using the ATC full time, haven't decided

 

[Hellir]

A flexible splice keeps it compact, or just a piece of cord with a stopper tied after making the hitch. The Sticht Hitch is adjustable so can tie to grab or slide, or find the sweet spot, you can descend with it if adjusted, so there is no binding.
View attachment 54252

That looks handy. Have No Idea how to do that lol. Any help?


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[Brocky]

Tie the hitch, Schwabishes below, keep the ends fairly even in length.
Don’t attach to carabiner like the top left example below, carabiner travels too much, and it and stopper pinch the rope, which is unneeded friction.
Left bottom has ends going through carabiner, over the top, then to the back, tie the stopper. I tie a single overhand first, test the hitch, if okay then I tie a second overhand next to the first.
The stopper acts as a tender by itself, but adds unneeded friction which can be helped by taking the ends through a bushing, or piece of water pipe, and then tying the stopper, as shown in the right example.
This attaching can be used on most friction hitches, the Prusik not being ideal with the side exiting of the ends. Any stopper knot can be used, figure eight, double overhand, barrel, etc.

 

[raisins]

What do y’all run for your lineman and tether? Currently I am using a schwabisch hitch on both lineman and tether, but I am finding that the rope is just way too long and it’s becoming a pain to adjust it. Mainly when needing to shorten. Do any of y’all use a Kong or Ropeman 2 and trust them on your lineman’s or tether? I hear mixed reviews on both.

This is my first year and am very cautious about all of my equipment. I think getting into a regular groove will lessen my anxiety but at the moment I’m still trying to figure it all out. Using 9mm rope for both. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.


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i buy a strong cord and tie a distel hitch and then tie this back to my carabiner using scaffold knots to attach each leg of the hitch cord to the carabiner, i put a rope tender form eastern woods outdoors between these two scaffold knots on the carabiner and then put the other end of it behind the distel hitch

i use distel hitch on both tether and linemans lanyard

the standard distel hitch is shown with 4 wraps, but i use 5 wraps with sterling 6mm trc as the hitch cord on either oplux or rescutech

you can make the hitch as short as is safe with this method

i've not found a reason to use a mechanical device, and feel safer for it