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1. is meant to help you formulate your own safe working practices With these three main issues and many other objectives in mind we set about trying to come up with a solution At first we made a few prototypes ourselves which we took to H 7 T C h C 7 m D e r manufacturers for comment Following a lengthy development period and f f Wi Pg Ar This is where things start to get a bit official The Hitch Climbers Guide is not a User Manual and as manufacturers we have no obligation to offer more than the product information that comes with each unit But as end users we know the limitations of most User Instructions So we wanted to do a bit more to help communicate our visions of how this system could work to help you understand why some of the new features are there and how these products may combine to help work positioning in the complex structures that are trees Now the difficult bit as soon as we are offer up information out of the darkness jumps the spectre of liability We hope that you will accept what you find in these pages in the spirit in which it is offered not as definitive instruction and as a substitute for training but perhaps as an extra tool or two that could be added to your mental tool box The usual analysis cross checking discussion and peer review should be applied to any new data you find here We want to meet as many of you folk as possible in person and in pleasant circumstances not in court or i2. 22kN The result is the first knot based system where every component is certified whether it be the rope and its splice a karabiner or pulley cord and its terminations A good overview of arborists knots including friction hitches is Lingens D 2006 Tree Climbers Knotbook Schlauverlag Stockelsdorf Germany ISBN 3 9810417 1 2 Available online at www freeworker de Less Sit Back Easier Self Tailing Sit back is the backward downward movement experienced by the climber between advancing an adjuster back to the point where the climbers weight is held by that adjuster For mechanical adjusters the measurement can be as small as a few mm For friction hitches the measurement is normally in cm There is less sit back with a Hitch Climber system The knot is pushed by the top of the pulley The hitch cord ter minations are held at the base of the pulley The distance between the top and bottom of the pulley is the minimum reduction in sit back It is also possible to use shorter cord lengths so sit back is further reduced Less sit back energy saved so it s worth experimenting with your hitch to see how you can reduce sit back whilst maintaining a reliable grab function Once you ve achieved Nirvana all you have to do is remember the set up and order the same lengths slings next time Self tailing is influenced by many things e g the friction between hitch and rope when not loaded base friction efficiency of the pul
3. Simply the friction stays the same but the surface area that copes with the heat generated is smaller This is especially true if you climb somewhat sporty and are using a pulley saver Hence Ocean Polyester The mantle performance is delivered via a mix of heat resistant Aramid and grippy Polyester The core is 100 trusty Polyester Hitch Climber works with most friction hitches but ultimately it s up to you the end user to configure the system so that it works reliably Single leg hitches e g Blake Helical etc will obviously require a stronger cord than closed double leg systems in order to achieve the same strength To really benefit from Hitch Climber use a hitch with low base friction such as the braided hitches e g Distel or V T The coils at the top of those hitches are where the friction is concentrated The pattern of braid s below decides how the friction is presented to the climbing line There are many configurations for each friction hitch but as ever when trying new tools stay low until you are truly competent with the system before advancing to greater heights Take the time to match the hitch cord to the climbing line and make sure the hitch grips reliably Be particularly careful when using both a new hitch cord and climbing line Use at least one run in rope element Ocean Polyester is available in spool lengths and as stitched eye to eye slings The slings meet EN standards having an MBS of
4. climbing line the casualty may be raised higher in the canopy above obstacles then lowered following a different route to a more suitable landing zone Note Rescue should only be attempted using the casualty s climbing line if inspection shows the whole system including anchor point to be fit for purpose following the incident Ensure that the rope is long enough Rescuer and or groundworker should provide a backup brake on the hauling line Pick off rescue mass of the casualty is entirely supported by the rescuers work posi tioning system During a pick off rescue the load applied to the friction hitch of the rescuer is significantly increased This may lead to cause difficulty in operating the hitch leading to a tiring and or jerky descent Friction levels can be reduced at the hitch and relocated elsewhere to normalise the performance of the hitch An adjustable mid line attachment can be placed above the termination using a compact Prusik loop Varying levels of friction can be added by routing the running part of the climbing line through a karabiner or by connecting friction devices to the karabiner e g a figure 8 If the climbing line is long enough friction can be created by a ground worker tending the tail of the rope until both rescuer and casualty are on the ground Notes Forces placed on anchor points and throughout the work positioning systems are often considerably higher in a pick off rescue than in
5. fittings e g Sherrilltree s Blue Band lts tight spliced or stitched terminations Low profile terminations should be used at the standing part of the climbing line Conflict between the friction hitch and climbing line end knots may cause the friction hitch to perform inconsistently Misconfigurations Tolerance of Anchor Diameter The karabiner holding the termi nation of the standing part of the climbing line is able to swing in its attachment hole Anchor points of all sizes can be ac commodated without having to reconfigure equipment or accept a compromised system This in cludes climbing in a triangle where the rope is routed over two anchor points often some distance apart 3F s Fork Falling and Fairlead A pulley directly under the friction hitch tends to ensure that the rope is always fed to the underside of the knot in a similar way thus nor malising knot function Rope fed at an angle to the cheek plates of the pulley will tend to be guided onto the running sheave via the side flairs and cheek plate angles Extended circular cheek plates tend to ensure that the rope continues to run on the sheave even when the rope is being fed from a slight angle When a climber descends in the canopy the running rope is often bent over a branch or through a branch fork The rope is bent upwards as the climber de scends There is no way to avoid friction building up on the branch but the Hitch Climb
6. walk on a snow covered limb can be considerably more graceful than the alternative fearful skating Notes These are not basic techniques Training may be essential or advisable New or unfamiliar techniques should be practiced at low level Many repetitions may be necessary When the climber is competent in the individual technique he she may advance to a working position Direct supervision by other climbing staff may continue to be necessary Friction at the hitch may be less than normal levels The hitch may need to be modified to perform reliably To help ensure anchor forces are equalised anchor points must be at the same height Adopting a swivel unit at the harness attachment point is a good idea for these techniques It s all too easy for torsion to build up in all that hardware concentrated in such a small area not good lt is important to avoid placing large lateral loads on the anchors points Lateral loads increase as rope angle approaches horizontal Anchor points in trees are often poorly adapted to lateral loads Rescue and Hauling Functions Lifting the casualty In Hitch Climber systems there is a pre installed 3 1 braked mechanical advantage hauling system on the climber at all times a Passive Safety feature This is relevant where the casualty may be located vertically above a hazard or poor landing zone e g electrical power lines water or road By hauling on the running part of the
7. Treemagineers Lid Dall Store Rannoch Station PRI ZO Scotland GB 44 1882 632 235 www treemagineers com info treemagineers com aligereluleitela The Hitch Climber Story an interesting diversity of subsequent prototypes we finally have a result A few years ago Treemagineers did some testing on the strength of The Hitch Climber system has two components at its core configured work positioning systems commonly in use We identified three situations that concerned us all of which involved karabiners a rather sexy looking pulley called Hitch Climber from DMM in Wales and a high performance friction hitch cord named Ocean Polyester made by Austrian firm Teufelberger the width of loading on the main attachment karabiner and the way the load was distributed 14 14 12 the negative effect a close and or large anchor had on the location of cords within the main attachment karabiner and the consequent reduction of strength of the karabiner ethe on off loading pattern experienced during ascending by the hitch karabiner when two attachment karabiners were used with the increased probability of cross loading These are stand alone products but make a cracking combo for tree climbers that prefer to use a knot as their adjuster in running doubled rope systems The Hitch Climbers Guide to the Canopy offers up some thoughts about how to use the two products together The Guide
8. ation for lightweight loads Load suspended centrally Haul back and pull lines to either side Hitch Climber is certified as an anchor for Horizontal Life Line systems Multiple pulley speedlines Chain of Hitch Climbers spreads the load along a greater length of rope The benefits are less bending of rope at any one point plus multiple attachments to the load Haul back and pull lines at ends of chain Se 8 N Mechanical Advantage Systems Mechanical advantage systems are normally constructed using multi sheave pulleys Be cause Hitch Climber can be hung eccentri cally braked MA systems can now be built with single sheave pulleys This Guide has illustrated some examples of appropriate uses of the Hitch Climber system Wed love to hear what you think If you have suggestions for further techniques please take the time to freemegineers put them in writing with copious illustrations as much explanation as LILII Trees TINI Imagination Engineering III possible and contact details including a telephone number Our con tact details follow below The plan is to expand the Hitch Climbers Guide with your help and experience for all to share Treemagineers Ltd Dall Store Rannoch Station PH17 2QH Scotland GB www treemagineers com info treemagineers com by treemagineers 2007
9. e ete eh nr are thes a Tiemens TE PAK Taya hi gt er shee ri ah 4 a Loading diagram imber 00 Oo ob O 5 Lan i DO 2 DO T CJ Cc E o 0 o qe ae GO LL ao A gt N OW a 22 wW on O OW a ahi eb QO o 5 RE gt c 8 Nw D 9 A C aD W ap gt 5 nw M D Z I r DO lt fzx o Stu OAOA nz el Nomenclature and Standards Teufelberger Ocean Polyester eye to eye Slings Minumum Breaking Strength a Standards EN 566 all tests on 12mm pins Strength Single Protection sleeve Aramid fibres Doubled 6 coil Prusik 6 coil Prusik Mantle on Yale XTC on Yale XTC rear Mantle intact Completely Plus Plus re aa s Severed Lr 157 I lt A S Ocean a Polyester 10mm 22kN 13 5kN 34kN 15kN 3 mins stitched eye to eye sling a Polyester core Polyester Aramid mantle CK mn A Friction Cord Selection and the Hitch or why you should use Ocean Polyester and a Hitch Climber Running a climbing line over a branch splits the friction in a climbing system between the anchor point and the friction hitch If you use a friction saver you will have noticed how much quicker the cord of your friction hitch is now wearing With more friction now concentrated at the hitch much more heat is generated there The situation becomes more extreme with smaller diameter climbing lines combined with small diameter hitch cord
10. er pulley without a becket helps to ensure that only minimal running re sistance is added by the pulley Double Anchor Configurations Two Anchors One Hitch One Rope the V rig A great technique to have in the tool box With low running resistance pulleys at both anchors and at the top of the hitch climber the load placed on both anchors tends to be equalised This technique may be applied in trees that have been topped e g where the climber feels uneasy about anchoring on a single point and in trees with spreading crowns Traversing from one side to the other and back may be easier It also gives more confidence when working in the wet Branch walking in and out seems to be easier This system can also be very useful when cable bracing e g traversing from one point to another and then back to the original location to complete a ring brace Two Anchors Two Hitches Two Ropes double crotching Climbing with both ends of a climbing line or with two ropes is preferred by many but that can lead to lots of clutter at the front of the harness In this configuration the second climbing system is mounted in the spare hole of the lower Hitch Climber pulley There is only one karabiner attached directly to the harness Traversing and precise work positioning can be made easier using this system Again this can be a reassuring technique to adopt in bad weather For example returning from a branch
11. ley sheave the degree to which the system bends the climbing line and the weight of free hang ing rope directly below the climber Hitch climber systems tend to leave the rope relatively straight and the rolling resistance of the sheave is low hence self tailing occurs sooner Work Positioning Techniques Single Anchor Set Up Some Features The stitched terminations make the whole system more compact and the rope termination is now relocated to a second karabiner The compactness allows us to use a different shape karabiner for main attachment An Oval here has the advantage that it can accept wider loads at both ends so it can be rotated if desired And the load from the splice is transferred through the rigging plate of the pulley to a central posi tion on the Oval karabiner where the loading pattern is now 4 which plays to its strengths Oval kara biners loaded like this often break at well above their rated MBS When the climbing line is in tension both karabiners tend to be pulled into vertical alignment When ascending slack may form in the rope below the point where you grip but the loading on the hardware is maintained Visual inspection of the system is also clear and simple Note e Measures should be taken to ensure that karabiners remain loaded along the main axis at all times this is especially diffi cult during inconsistent loading patterns Reliable methods may include fasts or compression
12. n hospital Please apply logic to what you do at height the consequences of a mistake or bad choice can be very harsh on individuals and families Chose your anchor points wisely make sure all the components in your work positioning systems are compatible and suited to the work to be carried out and ensure that every component is configured correctly If you are not sure about something before you do it ask someone who is truly competent for their input The inherent risks associated with work at height are without doubt there but that doesn t mean you can t have fun work positioning with a Hitch Climber system Manage the risks and enjoy Only some of the possible techniques are shown in this guide Nevertheless they cover simple and more complex work positioning techniques rescue and hauling applications and some ways that the pulley can be used in lightweight rigging If you have any difficulty in contact understanding the information Treemagineers Rant over presented please Warning Work at height is a high risk activity It is your responsibility to manage those risks Before using these products you must Inspect the product for defects Read and understand all relevant user instructions Understand the scope of application of the product and its limitations Recognise register and manage the risks involved and Gain instruction from competent personnel Risk of serious injury or death ST bn
13. normal work especially if the descent is jerky These forces should be taken into account before attempting to simulate a pick off rescue and in crisis situations A change to a stronger anchor point may be necessary and different hardware and software may be required in the rescue system Many other combinations of equipment may be used to add friction in this scenario It is the users responsibility to ensure that the equipment chosen suits the requirements of the situation Equipment Hauling Hauling equipment up to the canopy of a tree can be tiring work With a Hitch Climber system the climber can pull a bite of rope from between the hitch and pulley then lower it to the ground worker Tools e g chain saw pole saw rigging equipment or other supplies e g bracing equipment lunch or water can be attached in the loop and then be pulled up to the climber using mechanical advantage The ground worker pulls on the tail of the rope the loop shortens and the tools go up to meet the climber Karabiners incorporating a pulley e g DMM Revolver increase the efficiency of the system when used to hang the load It s never been so easy for the climber to get that Stihl MS660 Additional Applications in brief Hitch Climber pulleys are available in two colours so that you can clearly differentiate between those units used for lightweight rig ging and PPE Single pulley speedline Simple speedline install
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