Soft shackles?

[SemperFlightMedic]

Wow. 15,000 lbs for the amsteel to break. I’m happy with that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Weldabeast]

This is still the nylon rope 1 I made and not amsteel..... come-a-long maxed out

 

[Bigfoot522]

To each his own. Surf youtube. Shackle strength is mind blowing. I sheath my shackles with tubular webbing. I been using them and just don't see all this friction some speak of. I use a biner from tether to bridge because aluminum is slippery. Lol

We are talking about short climbs meaning limited use here. Not like an arborist maneuvering from limb to limb all day long.
I cut trees and don't use shackles mostly because I'm not worried about alerting deer and because I am using double gate clips and biners, arborist saddle and 150' climb line. Different application.
I would have no problem rigging with shackles but I have specific gear like straps and biner, rings and friction lowering devices.

Use biners, maybe stealth strips, no big deal.
I removed buckles off my climb rails and my tree stand attachment because they cling and clang regardless of how careful you are.

 

[dlist777]

I've seen these used in towing applications. They have amazing break strength ratings. But why are they not used in climbing or life support? Honest question...

Also I noticed many times it says not to use to lift also....

 

[Bigfoot522]

You ever seen two or more people on a single hammock? they use shackles made with 1/8" and whoopies..

To your question, probably no deer around to scare so metal clips are quicker to do and un do.

The mods we speak of are for stealth and in most cases improved strength. Not that they are the absolute best although they have their merits.

 

[PEEJAY]

I worked as a parasailing deckhand/captain for 3 years in miami. This is what we used every day flying a 41 ft parachute with 3 bbw's hanging from it. Never seen one break or slip and these things are getting jerked and spun and dunked in saltwater all day. I would trust a soft shackle over a biner all day long. Connected the main tow line to the chute.

 

[PEEJAY]

I would imagine a carabiner doesnt wear out as quick but only using it for saddle hunting i would think it would last years and years

 

[Weldabeast]

I worked as a parasailing deckhand/captain for 3 years in miami. This is what we used every day flying a 41 ft parachute with 3 bbw's hanging from it. Never seen one break or slip and these things are getting jerked and spun and dunked in saltwater all day. I would trust a soft shackle over a biner all day long. Connected the main tow line to the chute.

What diameter amsteel?

 

[PEEJAY]

not sure it was "amsteel" at all but it seems like it was looking back. it was hollow white rope...boss-man always bought it so not sure, sorry. seemed like 3/8 or 1/2 inch. my main point was that the system in general was super safe. it would freak out the customers if they ever figured that it was holding everything together. before the soft shackle we tied a bowline knot. it was the only know we could pull out from all the pressure. now we splice the main line and soft shackle it to the chute yoke.

 

[dlist777]

Anybody familiar with them? I've been reading up on them a bit this weekend, since Missus Buster told me I couldn't go play. I'm wondering if they cinch secure enough to use in lieu of a traditional locking carabiner?

Seems like an easy way to eliminate biner-clink. If you were willing to use friction knots to adjust tether and linemans length you could 100% eliminate all metal hardware from your rope system.

Are they prone to slipping loose or something? Need to constantly be under load or fairly static? Surely there's a reason I haven't seen anybody else at least trying to use them.

Edit: this is the particular video that intrigued me. Seems like maybe you could add a castration band to eliminate the cinch part from backing loose if there was slack in the line?

I did a fair amount of reading on these as well. It seems they are widely used in sailing and recovery applications with many having break strength ratings well in excess of what we would need. I followed a thread on an aborist forum where someone discussed using these in place of caribiners. The response was extremely negative and quite emotional. The only reasons with any merit (IMHO) were:

1. Carabiners have been tested as safe for life support while the shackle has not and the shackle doesn't do anything additional for you that a carabiner won't.
2. The melting point is lower for a soft shackle so friction might come into play.

For reason #1, we do have another use vs. carabiner: noise reduction.
For reason #2, I don't think we're going to have melting point issues for the length of potential fall for us.

The only additional negatives I could think of were:

A. One-handed operation. It seems like the soft shackle would typically take two hands.
B. A soft shackle requires a bit of attention to re-tightening upon "closing" (whereas a caribiner usually just automatically shuts...it may not auto-lock, but most auto-shut). I could see a very careless climber might open the end to let the knot out, insert their connection point, put the loop back over the knot but forget to tighten/cinch back down before they place load on it.

But, I think it's an interesting option for us....

 

[bj139]

I am less skeptical of these now after thinking and discussion. Would these be good on a LB to link a bridge loop and a prusik loop so the LB can be adjusted just like the Tethrd Phantom? Those Ropeman / carabiners seem to clink a lot.

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

I am less skeptical of these now after thinking and discussion. Would these be good on a LB to link a bridge loop and a prusik loop so the LB can be adjusted just like the Tethrd Phantom? Those Ropeman / carabiners seem to clink a lot.

I’m curious to try it out with the Ropeman 1. I start my 4 day break tomorrow and am
Looking forward to seeing how I can implement these in to my setup, after tinkering yesterday. And now that I’ve seen the Phantom saddle, I wanna try out the Prussik on the bridge.

If you try it out today, let us know what you find.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bj139]

I’m curious to try it out with the Ropeman 1. I start my 4 day break tomorrow and am
Looking forward to seeing how I can implement these in to my setup, after tinkering yesterday. And now that I’ve seen the Phantom saddle, I wanna try out the Prussik on the bridge.

If you try it out today, let us know what you find.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I haven't made one yet although I have the winch cable from HarborFreight with 50 feet of 3/16" UHMWPE cable. I may try to make one out of this.
A Ropeman needs a carabiner to function. I can't imagine how a soft shackle would take it's place there.

I was looking at the videos and had a few questions.
Do these tighten under load and are difficult to release?
What type of carabiner would these most closely resemble in operation (non-locking, locking, auto locking, double auto locking, triple auto locking)?
My Aero Evolution has an adjustable bridge. It had a prusik but I substituted a Ropeman1 for adjustability. Some things are simply reinvented.

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

I haven't made one yet although I have the winch cable from HarborFreight with 50 feet of 3/16" UHMWPE cable. I may try to make one out of this.
A Ropeman needs a carabiner to function. I can't imagine how a soft shackle would take it's place there.

I was looking at the videos and had a few questions.
Do these tighten under load and are difficult to release?
What type of carabiner would these most closely resemble in operation (non-locking, locking, auto locking, double auto locking, triple auto locking)?
My Aero Evolution has an adjustable bridge. It had a prusik but I substituted a Ropeman1 for adjustability. Some things are simply reinvented.

A Ropeman can cinch down on rope. The caribiner keeps the side plates in place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bj139]

A Ropeman can cinch down on rope. The caribiner keeps the side plates in place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My first thought was WHOA. The manufacturer of the RM would never approve this. It would be fun to try at a safe level. NOW I am skeptical again.

 

[Red Beard]

A Ropeman can cinch down on rope. The caribiner keeps the side plates in place.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd be careful about trying this with a Ropeman. The carabiner doesn't only keep the side plates in place. It is also the hard piece that acts as a backstop for the spring loaded teeth to press against. Using a soft shackle in place of a Ropeman may not provide the rigidity required for proper grip.

 

[PEEJAY]

I haven't made one yet although I have the winch cable from HarborFreight with 50 feet of 3/16" UHMWPE cable. I may try to make one out of this.
A Ropeman needs a carabiner to function. I can't imagine how a soft shackle would take it's place there.

I was looking at the videos and had a few questions.
Do these tighten under load and are difficult to release?
What type of carabiner would these most closely resemble in operation (non-locking, locking, auto locking, double auto locking, triple auto locking)?
My Aero Evolution has an adjustable bridge. It had a prusik but I substituted a Ropeman1 for adjustability. Some things are simply reinvented.

If your asking if the soft shackle is difficult to release...no absolutely not. We would have well over a thousand lbs of tension on it for 10 hrs straight and it comes right out at the end of the day

 

[PEEJAY]

Yea i would imagine a ropeman with those teeth might wear it down quicker than rope to rope. But im not too familiar with them just ordered one a couple days ago actually.

 

[JBDaddy]

A soft shackle is a removable connection. Like a carabiner, function-wise, except entirely soft - no solid edge/rigidity.. It's NOT a replacement for or compatible with use on a ropeman where you'd otherwise use a carabiner. Don't do it.

 

[SemperFlightMedic]

Yea i would imagine a ropeman with those teeth might wear it down quicker than rope to rope. But im not too familiar with them just ordered one a couple days ago actually.

The teeth only contact the tether


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk