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Ropeman 1 safe for tether?

Shakeandbake

Shakeandbake

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2020
Messages
369
So I bought a ropeman 1 and was thinking of trying it for the tree tether. I see it’s not rated for static falls and I have heard of guys backing them up with other knots. What are you guys mostly using to hang from your tether?
 
That’s something you will have to decide for yourself. Me and my uses I don’t back it up. I also wouldn’t use it one sticking where I would get several feet of slack in my rope. You’ll have to evaluate your system then decide.
 
The ropeman for your tether is nothing but luxury. Its WAY more practical, almost necessary for a linemans belt. I found that I only make a few very small adjustments with my tether and a ropeman is just overkill.
 
Once in the tree (and this being my first year saddle hunting, but have hung out in my saddle enough to be use to it) i always tie in a prussic as a back up and tie a knot in my terther below the ropeman or madrock lifegaurd or whatever im using about 6-8 inches. Between those two i feel 1000% safe
 
I use a RM on my tether and on my linemans belt. I feel confident in both. I have a stopper knot tied on my tether also
 
Patriot38 said:
The ropeman for your tether is nothing but luxury. Its WAY more practical, almost necessary for a linemans belt. I found that I only make a few very small adjustments with my tether and a ropeman is just overkill.
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I can dig that, makes sense. Thanks
 
Shakeandbake said:
So I bought a ropeman 1 and was thinking of trying it for the tree tether. I see it’s not rated for static falls and I have heard of guys backing them up with other knots. What are you guys mostly using to hang from your tether?
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Here are 23 pages answering this question. The newer discussion starts around page 17.

Ropeman Safety

Who's to say the Ropeman is the weakest link? There are so many knots, straps, pieces of equipment that we are trusting our life with. I'm not saying that having a backup isn't smart. I have stopper knots at the end of my ropes for that reason. All I'm saying is that at some point each person...
saddlehunter.com
 
I have ropeman 1 on both tether and lineman's. I have a prussic above the ropeman on tether. Once I am all settled in, I connect my lineman's via carabineer to the backup prussic. I think it's overkill but gives peace of mind. I have complete faith in the ropemans and that's the key. Do whatever you can to feel secure so you're not second guessing your safety mid shot. You only want one thing on your mind at the moment of truth! Welcome to the diaper monkey clan!
 
I forgot to mention why I like the RM1 on my tether. I keep my tether on the tree all the way up and down for added safety so having it easier to adjust than a prussic, is a real bonus during ascent and descent. I accidentally released my lineman's one time only a couple steps up and scared the poop out of myself. I said right then and there that I would never again rely on only one attachment to the tree!
 
WannaBMonkey said:
I have ropeman 1 on both tether and lineman's. I have a prussic above the ropeman on tether. Once I am all settled in, I connect my lineman's via carabineer to the backup prussic. I think it's overkill but gives peace of mind. I have complete faith in the ropemans and that's the key. Do whatever you can to feel secure so you're not second guessing your safety mid shot. You only want one thing on your mind at the moment of truth! Welcome to the diaper monkey clan!
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If you go the the thread that Terp linked above, you will see a lot of the failure's recorded with the ropeman 1 are from the toothed cam damaging the rope. Monkey's back up prusik being ABOVE the ropeman eliminates the fall risk of this particular failure. Any other backup methods will be useless if your rope is cut by the ropeman and your backup is beneath the ropeman. I would personally still recommend a stopper knot at the end of your tether though.

Also, like Reo commented, learn about available rope types before you buy a tether and if you have the ropeman already, look into options with durable sheaths/cores - I have always used Bluewater ropes in work settings with toothed cam ascenders - Poly Sheath/Nylon core. You can get Bluewater Poly/Poly accessory cord by the foot in a variety of sizes for cheap.
 
EverettJ89 said:
If you go the the thread that Terp linked above, you will see a lot of the failure's recorded with the ropeman 1 are from the toothed cam damaging the rope. Monkey's back up prusik being ABOVE the ropeman eliminates the fall risk of this particular failure. Any other backup methods will be useless if your rope is cut by the ropeman and your backup is beneath the ropeman. I would personally still recommend a stopper knot at the end of your tether though.

Also, like Reo commented, learn about available rope types before you buy a tether and if you have the ropeman already, look into options with durable sheaths/cores - I have always used Bluewater ropes in work settings with toothed cam ascenders - Poly Sheath/Nylon core. You can get Bluewater Poly/Poly accessory cord by the foot in a variety of sizes for cheap.
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I also believe carabineer style and condition are extremely important. I use the roundest profile and smoothest surfaced carabineer I can find and make sure it doesn't have any nicks, scratches, gouges, etc. which could cut the rope. The RM1, IMO, is pretty rope friendly unlike the RM2 which has smaller, sharper, more snaggy teeth which will take much more of a toll on your rope. Check your equipment's condition often and be safe!
 
Some of the best money I have spent is using a Ropeman 1 on my tether. It makes adjustments so easy while up in the tree. However I also have a prussik as a backup, just in case. Can never be too careful.
 
A prussic backup below the ropeman doesn't work if the rope is cut. A prussic backup above the ropeman only works if it's tight and can catch you before it slides off the end. Not really a sure thing in my book.

If you trust the ropeman after knowing it can shear the "right" rope with a couple of kilonewtons, cool. If you don't trust it and back it up with a prussic, why are you using it? You still have to fool with the knot. And if that knot isn't a pain to fool with it probably means it's not ready to catch you when the ropeman fails. The only advantage of a ropeman is ease of use. Back it up and you lose that advantage, and are now paying $40 for a redundant component.

I like mine on a linemans, but sold the one I had on my tethers.
 
Nutterbuster said:
A prussic backup below the ropeman doesn't work if the rope is cut. A prussic backup above the ropeman only works if it's tight and can catch you before it slides off the end. Not really a sure thing in my book.

If you trust the ropeman after knowing it can shear the "right" rope with a couple of kilonewtons, cool. If you don't trust it and back it up with a prussic, why are you using it? You still have to fool with the knot. And if that knot isn't a pain to fool with it probably means it's not ready to catch you when the ropeman fails. The only advantage of a ropeman is ease of use. Back it up and you lose that advantage, and are now paying $40 for a redundant component.

I like mine on a linemans, but sold the one I had on my tethers.
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Exactly this!

I mentioned similar some time ago, but no one listened. I hope they are listening to you on this matter.
 
I for one, mentioned the prussic ABOVE the tether for that very reason. As did at least one other. And as for it having to be so tight as to make it a pain to deal with, not true. The prussic is self tightening when a load is applied and intended to slip easily when not loaded. So it can be on standby without choking the tether to death. And the only additional equipment for my extra peace of mind is a prussic and carabineer. No bulk or weight to make a difference. Bottom line is do what works for you and makes you feel safe. Some think it's too much trouble or overkill, but we each need to feel secure how ever we see fit. Also, the ropeman is not intended to arrest a fall, rather to prevent it. You do this by not having a bunch of slack in your tether. If you do, you're not using your system properly. So rope being sheared off by a couple kilonewtons should never come into play. You should have a constant load on it the whole time if used as designed.
 
WannaBMonkey said:
I for one, mentioned the prussic ABOVE the tether for that very reason. As did at least one other. And as for it having to be so tight as to make it a pain to deal with, not true. The prussic is self tightening when a load is applied and intended to slip easily when not loaded. So it can be on standby without choking the tether to death. And the only additional equipment for my extra peace of mind is a prussic and carabineer. No bulk or weight to make a difference. Bottom line is do what works for you and makes you feel safe. Some think it's too much trouble or overkill, but we each need to feel secure how ever we see fit. Also, the ropeman is not intended to arrest a fall, rather to prevent it. You do this by not having a bunch of slack in your tether. If you do, you're not using your system properly. So rope being sheared off by a couple kilonewtons should never come into play. You should have a constant load on it the whole time if used as designed.
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Why do people tie stopper knots then? How many inches of rope do you have before the prussic comes off if the ropeman shears the rope? If a prussic can't slide off of that little stub, how can it slide off a full length tether.

And where is @kyler1945 when you need him to rant about feelings of safety? Lol
 
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