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

anonesumcane

New Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2019
Messages
10
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
 
Ouch!!! Glad you made it down to tell the story. I tried this method years ago and didn’t care for it personally. Never had a problem with the hand climber when used as a climber. Be interested to see the pictures.
 
Glad your ok, I know there’s no way to plan for any & every emergency. Definitely a good reason to have a backup for emergency descent so you can self rescue. An extra daisy chain or versa strap makes a great impromptu aider just so you can stand up & adjust / descend. Means nothing if it’s not on your person though....... thx for sharing
 
Glad your ok, I know there’s no way to plan for any & every emergency. Definitely a good reason to have a backup for emergency descent so you can self rescue. An extra daisy chain or versa strap makes a great impromptu aider just so you can stand up & adjust / descend. Means nothing if it’s not on your person though....... thx for sharing
I actually had my predator platform and a tethrd daisy chain on my back in that predator pouch . I was in such a panic I didn’t even think about it ? That’s a good suggestion . I’ve also thought about keeping a screw in step in my sys hauler for emergency I could of stood on that as well . Since it happened it definitely has me thinking and a backup plan is a must ...
 
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
Thanks for sharing. I'm glad it worked out okay for you. It's not pleasant hanging stranded. I carry a squirrel step on an OCB in a vest pocket I can reach that hopefully I could get attached to the tree to get my weight off my tether if something like that were to happen. Nevertheless, I'm not anxious to have to try it out.
 
Holy crap! Thanks for sharing. I was thinking about trying this method next year. I think I’ll pass now.
 
@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.
 
I have seen many videos and posts about this method. Something inside just made me feel awkward about trying this. I will definitely stick with the climbing sticks.
 
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
If your tether is long enough, you can reach down and pull it up and tie a figure eight loop that you can stand on. Being able to convert your linesman's rope into another tether is very useful.
 
There is another active thread right now about the same problem.
 
Glad you are in one piece. Did you mod the angle of the arms prior to failure? I wanted the lwhc method to work so bad but it was such a pita to advance it just 1’. I was always struggling to lift feet up with it. This was with or without mod.

Lwhc for sale here haha. Im over it after seeing this


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There is another active thread right now about the same problem.

This is odd. I haven’t seen this happen in the whole time I’ve been on this forum and I put a post out looking for one to try a few days ago.
 
If your tether is long enough, you can reach down and pull it up and tie a figure eight loop that you can stand on. Being able to convert your linesman's rope into another tether is very useful.
I tried and it wasn’t long enough I was too scared to undo the lineman rope .
 
Glad you are in one piece. Did you mod the angle of the arms prior to failure? I wanted the lwhc method to work so bad but it was such a pita to advance it just 1’. I was always struggling to lift feet up with it. This was with or without mod.

Lwhc for sale here haha. Im over it after seeing this


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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
 
When used as part of the original climber, the seat portion sees low pressure. When ascending and descending, ppl typically place arms on the arms of the lwhc. When in place, your butt is on the casting. Much Less pressure per sq inch then when standing on it.
I saddle hunt w lwhc and like it but admit theres a need for a dedicated piece for what we do.
 
When used as part of the original climber, the seat portion sees low pressure. When ascending and descending, ppl typically place arms on the arms of the lwhc. When in place, your butt is on the casting. Much Less pressure per sq inch then when standing on it.
I saddle hunt w lwhc and like it but admit theres a need for a dedicated piece for what we do.

I actually had one of those arms break about 7 years ago while using it as intended, as a climber. Had i not had a harness on id have no doubt fallen 18-20 feet on my back as i distinctly remember the feeling of the trunk slipping past my fingers as i instinctively reached for it to only to be caught by my harness.

Per LW if you frequently climb small trees it puts those arms at too sharp an angle and it puts too much stress on them at the bolt and that’s where mine failed. I did frequently climb some pretty small trees back then.

I cringe every time i see people talking about climbing with these seat portions as they just aren’t designed for your full weight like that.
 
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