Soft shackles?

[SemperFlightMedic]

I was more worried they would not moves smooth when your rotating your hips at the bridge tether connection......I thought about replacing the linesman's belt biner with one but decided I like the extra weight on the linesman's to help throw it around larger diameter trees

Yeah, I girth hitch the left side of the linemans belt, but have a biner on the other side for the Ropeman1.

Amsteel to amsteel should rotate fine, assuming it’s 1/4”. I think 7/64” might pinch a little more and not slide as easily. Haven’t tested that theory- just an assumption.


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[bj139]

I am more than a bit skeptical about this. Better have a backup.
I would not worry about the ultimate strength but will it work loose. Someone fell a few months ago with a tubular webbing bridge because it worked loose. Carabiners have a tendency to NOT work loose.

 

[robanna]

I’d be willing to bet my life on it.

You kind of are.

I see lots of places soft shackles would be great but soft-on-soft where there is absolutely going to be weighted almost constant friction is less than ideal. You may never cut through the shackle but any charring will reduce it's strength. I'd expect you'd want to replace it at least every season or more.

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

I am a bit skeptical about this. Better have a backup.

Skeptical that a soft shake won’t hold? You think the knot will slip? Make one and test it out. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. This first one I made this morning, albeit a sloppy one, was tested with the truck hitch to pull a car up hill, just to see .... it didn’t slip. What’s a Honda Civic weigh .... 4 or 5k lbs?? And uphill. I’ll take that bet. It’s a trustworthy shackle.


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[SemperFlightMedic]

You kind of are.

I see lots of places soft shackles would be great but soft-on-soft where there is absolutely going to be weighted almost constant friction is less than ideal. You may never cut through the shackle but any charring will reduce it's strength. I'd expect you'd want to replace it at least every season or more.

Yeah, no biggie. Cheap enough. Given 1/4” Amsteel Blue rating at 8600, if it degrades by 50%, I’m still okay with that. 4200lbs is plenty to hold my 145lb self let’s say even 160 with gear. Multiply by ten ... 1600lbs. Not even half of 50% degradation.

Consider too, we’re trusting aluminum and steel, which can have micro cracks we can’t see. Rope is much easier to inspect, I think. And cheaper to replace.




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[Weldabeast]

My limited tested with a come-a-long and once the load is applied and your cinch loop is correct size it can't open....maxes out the come-a-long with the nylon 12 strand

 

[bj139]

Skeptical that a soft shake won’t hold? You think the knot will slip? Make one and test it out. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. This first one I made this morning, albeit a sloppy one, was tested with the truck hitch to pull a car up hill, just to see .... it didn’t slip. What’s a Honda Civic weigh .... 4 or 5k lbs?? And uphill. I’ll take that bet. It’s a trustworthy shackle.


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Will the car land on you if it slipped?

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

Will the car land on you if it slipped?

That doesn’t even make any sense? I, nor anyone else weigh anywhere near what a car weighs.

The point was, to test the holding strength under a heavy load

Are you saying you don’t trust a soft shackle? That’s fine. Don’t use it. That’s your choice. They hold just fine. Test it out for yourself under whatever extreme conditions you choose. Tell me when it fails.


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[bj139]

That doesn’t even make any sense? I, nor anyone else weigh anywhere near what a car weighs.

The point was, to test the holding strength under a heavy load.


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I assume this is the only thing preventing you from falling? Be careful.

I was told when I first joined this forum I was doing unsafe things but I didn't consider them so and continued. No accidents yet.
This seems like a solution looking for a problem.

If you think this is safe you should continue using it as well. For me, not yet. I may change my mind in the future.

 

[robanna]

This is a bit extreme with the speed a saws on the rope but it took about 1 second to cut through rope with a much high melting point than amsteel.

I'm not connecting my bridge to my tether with soft-on-soft without lots of lab testing. Anywhere there's no movement; no problem.

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

I assume this is the only thing preventing you from falling? Be careful.

Any different than your caribiner? Look man, I just made one this morning. I tested its holding strength on my uphill driveway. I have 100% confidence in it. I would use it without hesitation.


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[SemperFlightMedic]

This is a bit extreme with the speed a saws on the rope but it took about 1 second to cut through rope with a much high melting point than amsteel.

I'm not connecting my bridge to my tether with soft-on-soft. Anywhere there's no movement; no problem.

Ok. So, the tether we tie around the tree, every time we move we introduce friction in to the tether. Are you suggestion now that we find another attachment method? At some point we have to stop and realize we’re going to extremes to say something isn’t safe.


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[SemperFlightMedic]

Any idea how many times people rappel down buildings, or out of helicopters? I’ve done both, plenty. We use edge protection over the edges. That edge-pro is often fabric. In the fire service, it’s often a piece of old 6” cotton jacket hose. That’s a lot of friction, over and over and over again.


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[bj139]

This is a new idea so it is only proper to question it's safety. Murphy has a way of popping up at the worst times.

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

This is a new idea so it is only proper to question it's safety. Murphy has a way of popping up at the worst times.

Questioning is a good thing. And I did just that, this morning. I was curious so I built it and tested it. Rope to rope between the two vehicles with the amsteel soft shackle in between. 100% satisfied with the results


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[bj139]

Please post some pictures of you using these to hang in a tree or rappel from helicopters. That would be cool.

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

Please post some pictures of you using these to hang in a tree or rappel from helicopters. That would be cool.

Haha, at my current job they would frown on me hangin out of the helicopter. The Marine Corps encouraged it, though

But I’ll get up in the tree this weekend and get some pics.


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[SemperFlightMedic]

Please post some pictures of you using these to hang in a tree or rappel from helicopters. That would be cool.

How about this .... pm me your address and I’ll send you one of the ones I made today. Test it out and offer some thoughts and feedback. Put it through the ringer. Make it fail. Let’s see what it can endure.


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[bj139]

I assumed the Marine Corp would not allow you to do this, for safety reasons, of course. Anyway, I would have to make one and test it to be confident enough to use it. I would still use my secondary tether.

 

[Weldabeast]