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Lone Wolf Hand Climber Failure ... It wasn’t pretty

sureshotscott said:
@anonesumcane thanks for sharing your story and pics. I've had a few "struggles" with the LWHC, but no complete failures like you experienced. My backup plan is a length of webbing which I could tie into an aider to hang off (in combination with LB) to relieve tension from tether. I've practiced this not really enough.

But I continue to love the LWHC method, it's so efficient.

Posts like this illustrate the need for a commercial offering for a LWHC-type platform purpose built for this technique.
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You mean like a mission climber?????
 
anonesumcane said:
No I didn’t mod it like so
E of the guys are doing drilling holes etc I used a rubber grommet and tape to keep it angled
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Ok, so the arm angle was modified by you. I wonder if this increases the chance of the platform or any part failing without drilling into the cast.


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Your scenario, and by the way I’m glad that you are ok, is what got me to start looking at rappelling down.
By using my rappel rope as the tether during the climbing portion and by being connected to the rope with a Mad Rock Safeguard, I can rappel down at any point during the climb. If a stick kicks out, step breaks, or whatever else could happen, I simply drop my rappel rope, grab the lever and breaking end and I’m headed down.
 
Glad your ok. Moments like this remind us climbing a tree can be dangerous

Those who keep saying the hand climber isn’t designed to hold you weight or different pressure points per square inch? How do you normally use a hand climber with the climber base?


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Honestly I'm surprised u don't see more aluminum casting fail....lone wolf, tethrd....I'm not singling out a specific company, just starting that aluminum casting doesn't produce the strongest end product. Castings of any metal can be problematic if the company doing the casting isn't practicing good quality control. The company I work for has a handful of products we have cast....I don't know how many times I've been working with said cast parts and I discover a void in the casting
 
anonesumcane said:
I had a lone wolf hand climber break completely apart durning my descent on Sunday.
my tether was high using this combing method . When the platform broke I dropped and the rope man was doing its job . I also had a lineman rope on. Thankful for this . I was unable to relieve enough tension on bridge to release the rope man . I struggled for 20 mins . My legs were killing me and I was getting short of breath . I was able to do a one hand pull up on tether and loosen my mantis leg straps this relieved some pressure and allowed me to start working on loosening the mantis buckle strap . Once I did this I was able to manage to get it unbuckled . My lineman rope kept me close to tree . I was able to get my carbiener free from the bridge at that point and I grabbed the tree and shimmied down . very scary and unnerving . I use hawk sticks normally but these were on another tree with my hang on for my morning spot .
thos was my first try with the lone wolf hand climber . Really worked well practicing with it and going up to 20 feet . I weigh 195 lbs the only thing I can think of that would have caused this to fail was on my descent the rubber strap may have been to tight to tree causing the platform to have a more acute angle ? Not sure but this should not have failed . I’ll see if I can post some pics
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I’m glad you’re able to get yourself safely out of the tree. I can hardly imagine the stress of the moment this must have caused.

As a LWHC user myself, something like this has always been on my mind as a possible scenario. Not because it’s a hand climber; it could happen with sticks as well as @Red Beard and I were talking about last weekend. But equipment failure in general. This is where I don’t care about equipment weight and have safety equipment with me and routines in place.

My climber is NOT modified. I am NOT climbing trees smaller than a basketball. I use a tether for climbing, with a lineman’s belt readily available in a pouch. I also have a self rescue strap, just in case. Once at hight, I immediately set up my rappelling system, oplux, ATC/rescue 8, autoblock. Lately, I added a short bridge connected to the lineman’s belt loops, connecting the rappelling system there. Just as an back up on the bridge. I’m contemplating if I should use a RCH as backup...

My point is, materials can fail. Regardless what system we use. It is our own responsibility to have backup systems in place. Failure to do so is our own fault. It sucks to have equipment breaking and for sure is scary when it happens. But we need to be aware those things can happen and we need to make sure we have a rescue plan. We can’t control material defects, but we can control human error and lack of planning.

Again, I’m glad you’re ok and we’re able to get yourself out of the bind.
 
Yay it didn't break at my "bolt mod"!!! Joking man, glad you are ok! I think you get the award for the best break with the LWHC....Do you think it was from bouncing or all your weight on a corner? Just curious as mine is still going strong. I weigh 205 and climb with my gear on my back which at least puts me at 220 give or take....Bet you were swinging from your tether!
 
Weldabeast said:
Honestly I'm surprised u don't see more aluminum casting fail....lone wolf, tethrd....I'm not singling out a specific company, just starting that aluminum casting doesn't produce the strongest end product. Castings of any metal can be problematic if the company doing the casting isn't practicing good quality control. The company I work for has a handful of products we have cast....I don't know how many times I've been working with said cast parts and I discover a void in the casting
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Would a predator-style made out of bent/welded/heat treated aluminum tube be safer? It seems the tubing bends before it breaks.
 
I think someone else said it upthread, but his underlines that we all need to have a self-rescue option at the ready and we need to practice with it.

I have a 3 foot nylon sling girth hitched to my saddle belt that I use as part of my backup system once at height. In a fall, I can use it and my lineman's lanyard to inch down with my tether. I also carry 12 treehopper steps with 8 foot amsteel daisy chains on each. As long as I have a step, then I can inch down with it also. Makes me think I'll start carrying 14 of them instead!

I climb with tether and lineman's on the tree. My goal is to not be totally surprised when something breaks and to have a plan. As more of these instances come to light, as more people saddle hunt, I'm guessing more people will start climbing with both tether and lineman's. You get good at it real fast.
 
raisins said:
I think someone else said it upthread, but his underlines that we all need to have a self-rescue option at the ready and we need to practice with it.

I have a 3 foot nylon sling girth hitched to my saddle belt that I use as part of my backup system once at height. In a fall, I can use it and my lineman's lanyard to inch down with my tether. I also carry 12 treehopper steps with 8 foot amsteel daisy chains on each. As long as I have a step, then I can inch down with it also. Makes me think I'll start carrying 14 of them instead!
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I don't mind carrying a few extra carabiners as well as a sling or two. Having a climbing line that reaches the ground is also a big advantage.
 
raisins said:
Would a predator-style made out of bent/welded/heat treated aluminum tube be safer? It seems the tubing bends before it breaks.
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I don't know the correct answer..... kinda a tricky question....
Are the LW and tethrd heat treated? Casting will definitely be quieter.... aluminum tubing also tending to fail without giving any indication....tubing has more surface area so maybe that why it seems to "bend".... If 1 side of the tube is dented/bent the there is the 2 "sides" that hopefully not compromised and resist total failure
 
anonesumcane said:
No I didn’t mod it like so
E of the guys are doing drilling holes etc I used a rubber grommet and tape to keep it angled
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I was having problems with that at first as well. I found the trick was getting the tether as far over your head as you can reach. i felt like i was actually on tippy toes. this allowed me to lift my feet. Same going down. This is actually what got me in trouble when it snapped. The tether was super high and the ropeman was way up there.
 
Adrena123 said:
Yay it didn't break at my "bolt mod"!!! Joking man, glad you are ok! I think you get the award for the best break with the LWHC....Do you think it was from bouncing or all your weight on a corner? Just curious as mine is still going strong. I weigh 205 and climb with my gear on my back which at least puts me at 220 give or take....Bet you were swinging from your tether!
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I didnt bounce I was actually going down quite smoothly all I can think is I made the rubber strap too tight at top of tree? I knew the tree would increase as I went down so I gave it some extra room but as i got closer to the bottom the angle became more acute . It just snapped. Hind sight maybe i should have stopped descent and gave the strap some more slack I was about 12-15 foot up
 
ImThere said:
Those who keep saying the hand climber isn’t designed to hold you weight or different pressure points per square inch? How do you normally use a hand climber with the climber base?


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By not using it to stand on as a platform and by staying away from small diameter trees that put those arms at too steep an angle.

I still have mine and can say the seat is quite a bit thinner and flimsier than the base portion is. I’ve heard quite a few stories of these failing now including my own experience.

But we are all adults here so it’s on you if you want to use it as a platform i think it’s a good thing to get these failures out there though so people can make a calculated risk knowing failure of the seat is quite possible, perhaps even probable?
 
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Weldabeast said:
I don't know the correct answer..... kinda a tricky question....
Are the LW and tethrd heat treated? Casting will definitely be quieter.... aluminum tubing also tending to fail without giving any indication....tubing has more surface area so maybe that why it seems to "bend".... If 1 side of the tube is dented/bent the there is the 2 "sides" that hopefully not compromised and resist total failure
Click to expand...

Can you weld aluminum tubing to cast aluminum to reinforce the LWHC at key points?
 
Well you gave a great description of what happened. Glad your ok...
I actually start out at the bottom with the platform at an extreme angle because I don't use an aider to step up on. I put my toe against the tree and my heal on the platform and pull myself up with my tether. Then pull my foot strap up and slide My feet in. One hit up and it levels out a bit...crazy stuff
 
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