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length of hitch compared to length of tender?

raisins

raisins

Well-Known Member
SH Member
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Jan 17, 2019
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I'm using this tender on a lineman's lanyard and also a tether.

doublesteps.com

Prusik Tender

Double-ended 1″ webbing strap used as a prusik tender. Size: 4.75″ x 1″ x .25″ Color: Coyote Brown Current stock is now Made in China to keep enough in stock ongoing.
doublesteps.com doublesteps.com

Both mainlines are oplux and both hitches are trc. I recently switched from a prusik to a distel hitch on both.

Let's say that tender is 5" long, is there any reason not to run your hitch so that the carabiner is around 5.25" from the mainline? (the hitch is about as long as the tender so that when you pull on the tag end of the mainline the tender starts working almost immediately advancing the hitch without much slack to take up)

It seems like I see a lot of pics where the hitch puts the carabiner like 8 or 9 inches from the mainline, and the tender is way shorter in comparison.
 
As long as the hitch is unimpeded by the tender you should be okay, meaning it allows the hitch to get a full amount of friction or bite on the rope. If it is possible for the tender to end up under or between the hitch rope and the linemans rope that might be an issue as that could reduce friction. you could throw a twist in the tender to shorten it or sew it a bit shorter, but I like my tender close to the hitch with a hitch that has little "setback" when weighted, this way it is more like a mechanical rope grab in feel.
 
[mention]rabidd099 [/mention] nailed it.

Lots of guys mismatch the tender length and hitch length due to not knowing better.

Less setback provides for better tending experience.
 
I have the same tender....I had to play with the number of wraps in the prusik to get the length about equal to get it to function correctly....I was thinking maybe a soft hair tie or rubber band or something to keep the tender laid up flat against the prusik rope may help....sometimes the tender may get flipped around and require and extra sec to get to run smooth....haven't done that yet but was just a thought
 
Thanks guys. Based upon your feedback and also looking at my aerohunter prusik cord and tender kit I put on my own predator rope (they used to sell it separate from the full tether/linemans so you could roll your own), I lengthened both my distel hitches a bit to match what aerohunter devised (it worked well last year).

The lengths are so that when not under weight, the top of the tender just barely touches the bottom wrap of the distel hitch. So just long enough to make it impossible for the tender to ever get inside the hitch while in use but no longer.
 
Those are scaffold knots joining the TRC to the carabiner with the tender held in place by being sandwiched between the knots. Don't cut the rope until you hang on it with full weight and then move the knots forward or back (meaning move rope through the knots to shorten or lengthen the hitch) until you get the length you want. I use an aluminum knitting needle to loosen the scaffold knots and then you can figure out how to change length either direction before hooking up and applying weight to set things and have an idea of final length. You might have to do that a few times.

With Oplux and TRC, it grabs too tight for me to use a prusik. You might as well not even use the tender with the prusik hitch.
 
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raisins said:
Nice, never thought to stealth strip the tender. I might do that, will probably keep it even more stationary between the scaffold knots.
Click to expand...
I did 2 u shaped half's....if that makes sense....if I do it again I would cut a 3 or 4 inch strip maybe 1/8 - 1/4 inch wide and then wrap it...I had a scrap piece just big enough to make the U half's and it works ok but I think wrap would be easily to apply and work a little better
 
Weldabeast said:
I did 2 u shaped half's....if that makes sense....if I do it again I would cut a 3 or 4 inch strip maybe 1/8 - 1/4 inch wide and then wrap it...I had a scrap piece just big enough to make the U half's and it works ok but I think wrap would be easily to apply and work a little better
Click to expand...

Thanks, makes sense, turning stealth strips into mini electrical tape. I'm thinking dipping in some rubber coating would give good coverage, but that stuff gets wear spots pretty fast vs. stealth strips are nearly indestructible.
 
1 other thing I'll add that isn't exactly on topic but related.....

I have a prusik on my tether.....I run my tether long and I am always in the position that is beyond being able to just stand up on my platform...when I need to adjust the tether up or stand I grab the tail end of the tether just under the prusik and wrap the rope around my right hand and pull hard lifting my body up and allowing my left hand to loosen the prusik and slide it up....so in other words a tender on my tether would be counterproductive....the way tender works the rope has to be pulled back in the direction the rope is coming from and since I can't just stand to take the load off I wouldn't be able to pull the rope in the correct direction to make the tender do its job.....linesman's belt it's a different story and the tender is essential IMO
 
Weldabeast said:
1 other thing I'll add that isn't exactly on topic but related.....

I have a prusik on my tether.....I run my tether long and I am always in the position that is beyond being able to just stand up on my platform...when I need to adjust the tether up or stand I grab the tail end of the tether just under the prusik and wrap the rope around my right hand and pull hard lifting my body up and allowing my left hand to loosen the prusik and slide it up....so in other words a tender on my tether would be counterproductive....the way tender works the rope has to be pulled back in the direction the rope is coming from and since I can't just stand to take the load off I wouldn't be able to pull the rope in the correct direction to make the tender do its job.....linesman's belt it's a different story and the tender is essential IMO
Click to expand...

Good call, thanks, I'll use that when I'm at height in the saddle. I use sticks and climb with lineman's and my tether on the tree for extra safety (I fell 15 feet about 20 years ago), so the tender helps on the tether when I have a bunch of ropes that I need to quickly get out of my way. This is also why I have a steel screw link on my tether (get around branches while climbing). I used the safety tether like that even when I was strictly a loc on hunter.
 
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