# Lifeline Rope



## Mjr53086 (Jul 7, 2011)

I would guess something like REI or EMS.


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## JustJerry (Feb 8, 2011)

Lowe's will the the rope you are looking for!


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## Bowhuntertim214 (Jun 19, 2012)

For good climbing rope you should hit up REI or a local climbing store...unless you can find someplace that sells arborist gear. i am a DIY guy, but to be honest, if you price out what you need it's almost cheaper to just buy the ones made for hunting, unless you are going to make 20 of them or something. This is assuming you are using the correct materials, not just cheap rope.


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## Tomjack (Mar 4, 2011)

I bought a long length of Bluewater climbing rope on ebay, brand new, and picked up Prusic cord at REI who also cut my Bluewater for me and total cost to make 8, thirty foot lifelines was $72 and change. It took a lot of cruising ebay to finally get a rope at the right price.


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## scottparker (Mar 31, 2006)

JustJerry said:


> Lowe's will the the rope you are looking for!


our local Lowe's does not carry the right materials for this application. I strongly suggest purchasing the correct "climbing" rope, not just rope from the Big box stores.


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## Reloader7RM (Jan 25, 2006)

I made 5-6 of them for about $80 in materials. Far cheaper than buying them at $30 a piece and being made of less quality materials.

Check online climbing stores and auction sites for cut offs or the end of rolls, look for good climbing or repel rope like Blue Water or New England. I've used 24' pieces for the main lines(for loc-ons with 16' sticks). The cheapest I could get the Prusik cord was just buying them from STH, he'll sell em to you already cut to length with the ends burnt.


























Edit to add: The pic I have posted above with the Prusiks has the wrong knots, I removed the double slip and went with double fisherman's.


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## Thansen (Sep 23, 2009)

I bought the same rope the Reloader7RM has pictured on ebay. Look for shorts of climbing rope and you can pick up chunks for 10 to 15 dollars. The average peice I bought was 25 to 35 foot long. Good stuff as well. Good luck.


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## stevem174 (Nov 3, 2009)

scottparker said:


> our local Lowe's does not carry the right materials for this application. I strongly suggest purchasing the correct "climbing" rope, not just rope from the Big box stores.


Absolutely! 

The rope may look the same, might be the same size and color but they are made very differently. 

It's kinda like arrows. They all look pretty much the same, but we wouldn't shoot an arrow without making sure it was correct for our bows.


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## Rhody Hunter (Jul 14, 2008)

stevem174 said:


> Absolutely!
> 
> The rope may look the same, might be the same size and color but they are made very differently.
> 
> It's kinda like arrows. They all look pretty much the same, but we wouldn't shoot an arrow without making sure it was correct for our bows.


I very much agree with you . The rope there stretches to much and does not have enough working load. You can develop over a 1000 lbs of force in a fall so a 600 lbs working load rope won't cut it. They usually use a factor of 10 for safety harnesses ,straps and ropes


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## manhanriverbuck (Aug 5, 2012)

What Size rope?? 1/2 inch, 7/16, 3/8, kermantle??? thanks in advance!!


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## Reloader7RM (Jan 25, 2006)

manhanriverbuck said:


> What Size rope?? 1/2 inch, 7/16, 3/8, kermantle??? thanks in advance!!


11-12mm main with 6mm Prusiks is what I used on mine. IIRC the main was 12k lb test and Prusik was around 6k. Nothing like cheap hdwr store rope, bout like comparing a $1 spool of cheap 6lb Shakespeare mono to 80lb Spiderwire.

Sent from my MB520 using Tapatalk 2


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## kk1340 (Dec 29, 2005)

You could check out tree stuff.com as he might have some short lengths of arborist rope. I am tree climber so I just use climbing line. 11mm to 13 mm with a 8 mm Prussik cord. There are some many ropes out there but the key is make sure the Prussik cord bites on the line and does not slip. Another neat trick is to place a small pulley underneath your Prussik so you only neat one hand to advance the Prussik. Tree stuff has a cmi micro pulley for 20 dollars I believe. good luck


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## stevem174 (Nov 3, 2009)

manhanriverbuck said:


> What Size rope?? 1/2 inch, 7/16, 3/8, kermantle??? thanks in advance!!


I am planning to use 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) main with 8mm (0.31 inch ) for the prusik hitch. 

On another note, when I tie the prusik hitch on the main line, I dress the knot so that the weight isn't pulling directly on the knot.


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## scottparker (Mar 31, 2006)

stevem174 said:


> I am planning to use 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) main with 8mm (0.31 inch ) for the prusik hitch.
> 
> On another note, when I tie the prusik hitch on the main line, I dress the knot so that the weight isn't pulling directly on the knot.
> 
> View attachment 1487250


Correctly setup complete with double fishermans knot on the Prussic


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## NJlungbuster (Sep 14, 2006)

I have a length of climbing rope I am going to use for the life line part, however I dont have anything for the prussic line part. I do have a ton of top quality para cord though. would the 550 cord be ok to use for the prussic part or do you think that it wouldn't be strong enough? Thanks


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## Tomjack (Mar 4, 2011)

Don't use paracord. Pretty sure it is not strong enough in the event of a fall. Lots of force gets placed on that cord. Also, it isn't thick enough to slide properly. You can get Prusic loops online or go to a climbing store and get them.


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## Maxtor (Jan 7, 2007)

Finally dig some digging to try and find some rope. Sure couldn't buy it locally because they wanted $300 for 150' - YIKES!! Found a deal on ebay and got enough static rope to do 9 stands for under $100. So in total it's going to run me about $110 for 9 stands to be done. That's for both my wife and I hunting so it's $110 well spent.

It's going to take a week for the static rope to arrive so in the mean time I got busy making the Prusik knot ropes....


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## bow4bulls (Aug 2, 2010)

Just enough info to make you all dangerous.
I know everyone is using a prusik knot but *if you fall you can not desend on this knot!!!*
Try a blakes Hitch, Valdontain, Valdotain Tresse, or Schwabisch (http://www.sherrilltree.com/Learning-Center/Knots) if your not sure. they also carry rope
Always use a smaller diameter for knots attached to the larger diameter life line. 10mm knot rope to a 12 mm/16mm life line. 
Try for remanance peices from Mammut or New england Ropes. 
I use a daisey chain around the trunk of the tree then caribin my harness teather to it. I then usea 26 foot life line around trunk and hanging to the ground. If i fall I remove the split tail from my pocket, tie in a Blakes hitch, cut my teather on the harnes and descend. 

http://www.cheap-rope.co.uk/products.asp?Department=Climbing and Rope Access&SectionID=50
http://www.aliexpress.com/discount/discount-climbing-rope.html


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## Rick! (Aug 10, 2008)

try this place for static and dynamic climbing rope:

Climbing rope sold in bulk or by the foot


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## scottparker (Mar 31, 2006)

bow4bulls said:


> Just enough info to make you all dangerous.
> I know everyone is using a prusik knot but *if you fall you can not desend on this knot!!!*
> Try a blakes Hitch, Valdontain, Valdotain Tresse, or Schwabisch (http://www.sherrilltree.com/Learning-Center/Knots) if your not sure. they also carry rope
> Always use a smaller diameter for knots attached to the larger diameter life line. 10mm knot rope to a 12 mm/16mm life line.
> ...


Good info. I keep a Rescue figure 8 w/ears in my pocket just in case of a fall. I have practiced falling out of the stand, then while being held by my prusik knot, I hook up my rescue figure 8 and release the prusik to rappel down.


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## Bone2bWild (Jun 30, 2006)

Rick! said:


> try this place for static and dynamic climbing rope:
> 
> Climbing rope sold in bulk or by the foot


One more thing I wanted to point out is the difference in static vs dynamic is stretch. Now if you're like me you think yeah I want some stretch to help break the fall. First your harness should have all the fall cushion that is necessary. If you check its probably folded and sewn together. It's designed to break a fall, no sense in being redundant in that category. Second, the distance we are bound to fall from a life line is very short and not really far enough to benefit from a Dynamic rope.

Dynamic rope is way more expensive, so go with a good quality Static rope and put em in all your tree's. Cheaper than life insurance...except that it is life insurance. I don't go up a tree without one anymore.


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## bowhntr26 (Jan 18, 2008)

Maxtor said:


> Finally dig some digging to try and find some rope. Sure couldn't buy it locally because they wanted $300 for 150' - YIKES!! Found a deal on ebay and got enough static rope to do 9 stands for under $100. So in total it's going to run me about $110 for 9 stands to be done. That's for both my wife and I hunting so it's $110 well spent.
> 
> It's going to take a week for the static rope to arrive so in the mean time I got busy making the Prusik knot ropes....
> 
> View attachment 1488352


I can buy 300yards for 100$


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## Maxtor (Jan 7, 2007)

bowhntr26 said:


> I can buy 300yards for 100$


 300 yards of static rope for $100? :O I live in Canada man, we don't get deals anywhere close to that


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## Simpleiowaguy (Jan 10, 2011)

I'm an arborist also. It's recommended that your prusik is 2 to 5 mm smaller then your climbing line to get proper bite. You can buy some decent rope and order a split tail from sherilltree, tree stuff, or wesspur


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## sardis22 (Aug 14, 2012)

i just got my rope in from ebay. i bought 600 feet for $120. just waiting on my prusik rope to come in. the rope i bought is a arborist with a min break strenght of 8500 pounds and 7mm prusik line.
i should have a finished product for around 8 dollars a tree. i got 30 feet prusik rope for 30 dollars. i will post pics soon of my final product.


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## Stab 'em (Dec 26, 2008)

"Just enough info to make you all dangerous" is right bow4bulls. Static line is made to be kept taunt, and not to take the shock load of falling. A dynamic rope is made to take this load. These ropes are less than a buck a foot and can be bought by the foot too. Do yourself a favor and buy arborist rope for your life lines.

www.knotandrope.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=7

Watch this video to understand the difference in static and dynamic ropes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDIo-WZkSaM


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## sardis22 (Aug 14, 2012)

What do u think about my arborist rope i agree with your statement i worrie more about the prusik line then my main line what do u think.


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## Stab 'em (Dec 26, 2008)

sardis22 said:


> What do u think about my arborist rope i agree with your statement i worrie more about the prusik line then my main line what do u think.


I have climbed trees for the past ten years for a living, and can tell you the arborist rope you got for the life line is a great choice. However the bridge line that attaches to your harness and is then tied to the life line needs to be sufficient to hold the dynamic load of a fall. Check out the video links I posted earlier. As for the 7mm diameter of rope you bought for the life line, you should probably have a 10mm bridge line to get a good bite on the life line and keep you attached to it in the event of a fall, so it does not break in the middle. There are some manufacturers that make small diameter lines that can handle the dynamic loads and can safely be used for bridging with a prusik-type knot, but they are not a common line that is sold everywhere, and it is fairly expensive too. It would probably serve you better to trade that 7mm line in for a 10mm line. It won't cost much more and will be worth it.

Personally I would use a Taut Line Hitch or a Blake's Hitch before I would tie a Prusik knot on a life line because the prusik will lock up on the life line and prevents a self rescue. It amazes me that the tree stand industry puts that knot onto their life line where guys who fall can only hang there locked up until they can (hopefully) climb onto their stands after a fall.


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## Stab 'em (Dec 26, 2008)

Yale Cordage's Poison ivy is a good life line rope that is fairly dark and camouflaged: 
www.knotandrope.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=627&idcategory=28#.UHsvL67FrCM

Ocean's Polyester 3/8 is the bridge line I trust my life with. It is a 10mm line:
www.knotandrope.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=743&idcategory=30#.UHsvx67FrCM

This Tautline hitch knot will hold in the event of a fall and will allow you to descend the life line so long as you don't tie it out of the hanging arm's reach:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqYRPfBxHW8

The Double or Triple Fisherman's knot should be tied to the fall-rated carabiner that attaches to the harness:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g2coRRd0gI&list=UUJ_Lbj8c-zmWcF6UaJRWNsw&index=29&feature=plcp

I use a Black Diamond Bod harness for my safety harness while hunting and it doubled for climbing safely on and off my roof this year also:
Don't confuse it with the Alpine Bod harness if buying one off ebay. The Alpine Bod is cheaper because it does not have the necessary climb/fall rated loop on the front, or the padding in back (not necessary).
www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/climb/harnesses/bod-harness/


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## Brad66 (Jun 7, 2008)

Does anyone have any plans for making a linemans rope out of climbing rope? I lost my other one and want to get another but I might be able to make one cheaper since I only need a few feet of rope. I would probably go to REI for a carabiner.


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## sardis22 (Aug 14, 2012)

The line I am going to use for my prusik is a blue water line rated for a tie off line. I am going to test all my lines with over 300 pounds. That is my hunting friend we will test over water our a safe landing area.


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## scottparker (Mar 31, 2006)

Brad66 said:


> Does anyone have any plans for making a linemans rope out of climbing rope? I lost my other one and want to get another but I might be able to make one cheaper since I only need a few feet of rope. I would probably go to REI for a carabiner.


I use a 8' piece of 11mm static rope with a loop tied to one end and attached to my harness with a biner, then use a 7 or 8 mm prusik cord for adjustments


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

Tomjack said:


> I bought a long length of Bluewater climbing rope on ebay, brand new, and picked up Prusic cord at REI who also cut my Bluewater for me and total cost to make 8, thirty foot lifelines was $72 and change. It took a lot of cruising ebay to finally get a rope at the right price.



I second that. I also use Bluewater rope either static line or dynamic line, either one works, but static line is a bit cheaper. I bought 11mm or 7/16. You can find prussic line from several sources or on line. I use 7MM line to make up my own prussic cord for use on 7/16 diameter rope. Then buy a climbing quality carabiner to go with this set up. The screw gate type works and is cheapest, but I use the quick locking gate style. If it is not a locking carabiner don't use it.


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

The prussic line needs to be a smaller diameter than your main line so it bites into it if a fall occurs. I leave the prussics on my main lines, but carry a spare with me in case someone thinks they need it more than I do.

There is another type of friction knot with which you can use a line of the same diameter as your main line, but the name escapes me at the moment.


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## sardis22 (Aug 14, 2012)

What about using the carabiner that comes with my harness.


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## scottparker (Mar 31, 2006)

stanlh said:


> The prussic line needs to be a smaller diameter than your main line so it bites into it if a fall occurs. I leave the prussics on my main lines, but carry a spare with me in case someone thinks they need it more than I do.
> 
> There is another type of friction knot with which you can use a line of the same diameter as your main line, but the name escapes me at the moment.


blake's hitch




sardis22 said:


> What about using the carabiner that comes with my harness.


yes


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

sardis22 said:


> What about using the carabiner that comes with my harness.


Would likely work. Can you lock it closed?


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

scottparker said:


> blake's hitch


That's it, blake's hitch.


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## zkid09 (Oct 7, 2009)

Does anyone have a setup they would sell?? I was goin to make up my own, but if someone has a setup that they could sell since a few of you have made a bunch, it may be even easier!


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## sardis22 (Aug 14, 2012)

No it does not lock


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

sardis22 said:


> No it does not lock


A non locking carabiner may work, as in stays closed around the rope and your harness, 99% of the time during a fall, but what about the one time it does not because the rope for whatever reason causes the carabiner to open or the carabiner opens because it hit a tree branch or metal on the tree stand as you were falling. Then there is the question of how strong is that carabiner if it does not lock? Will it take the shock force of a 200 lb man falling? The carabiner does not have the same strength rating if it is open. All the climbing carabiners desinged for saving your life are the locking kind as far as I have seen.
I won't pretend to know the whole universe of carabiners that are supplied with typical tree stand harnesses, but the ones I have seen are pretty basic compared to the climbing carabiners. For $10 to $20 you can get a quality locking aluminum carabiner with the capacity rating stamped right on the product. I would not use a non locking carabiner, personally.


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## scottparker (Mar 31, 2006)

zkid09 said:


> Does anyone have a setup they would sell?? I was goin to make up my own, but if someone has a setup that they could sell since a few of you have made a bunch, it may be even easier!


I won't sell them due to liability but Safetreehunt.com makes them


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## sardis22 (Aug 14, 2012)

Cool thanks i will go get one


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## skeet16 (Dec 9, 2010)

So many different ropes and strengths out there what is the minimum you would get? Static rope, arborist or climbing. 11 mm or 12, 
Does the Brade matter. I am 6'2" 200 lb. prussick line 7 mm or smaller. Thanks for your help. Was looking last night and found some rope but was unsure.


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

skeet16 said:


> So many different ropes and strengths out there what is the minimum you would get? Static rope, arborist or climbing. 11 mm or 12,
> Does the Brade matter. I am 6'2" 200 lb. prussick line 7 mm or smaller. Thanks for your help. Was looking last night and found some rope but was unsure.


I am not an expert in that I am not a climber, but I will tell you what I know based on my reading and talking with people and my own personal testing. I use 11mm bluewater brand static line which is 7/16 diameter and with that I use a 7mm prussic. This seemed to be a good combination. The prussic cord needs to be smaller than the lifeline so it will grab. 6mm would work, but then you loose some strength and 8mm seemed that it did not grab as well, I suppose since it is closer in diameter to the 11mm line. I found that if I made the prussic cord long enough so I could wrap it at least four or five times around the lifeline it would readily grab the 11mm lifeline every time. The 6.5mm prussic worked ok as well and still has some good strength.
For climbing all the ropes are measured in millimeters, for arborists they all seem to be measured inches. In climbing there is static rated line and dynamic rated line. Ropes rated as dynamic line is more expensive because it is made stronger to catch a climber who may free fall during a climb, that is one of their anchors gives way and they fall some distance, several feet of free fall, before the line catches them and stops their fall. This puts a large shock on the line due to acceleration by gravity. Static line is also very strong, but is not rated for catching a body during a free fall. It is used for hauling up or rescue or actions that do not put a severe impact on the rope. Just a guess, but arborist rope seems to be in a similar class to static line, but that is somewhat of a guess on my part. There is also a rescue rated line used by fire departments and rescue teams to retrieve dummies who fall off cliffs or get stuck in a river. I will guess these are similar to static lines in how they are rated. In a thread from last year I communicated with a climber/bow hunter who told me in tree stand hunting a static rated line was good enough because even if you do fall out of your stand it is not the kind of shock for which a dynamic line is rated and that the static line rating is all that is needed for this type of fall.
I took a look at what HSS was selling for $40 in their lifeline kit and it appears to be a braided line you could buy at any hardware store. I would assume they did some testing and found it would save you from a tree stand fall. But I wanted to save some money so that's why I started looking around and discovered and learned about climbing and arborist ropes and techniques. What I found was I could make my own safety line kit for the same or less money and have much better quality equipment, ie. lifeline, prussic cord, and carabiner. I sold one of my kits to a friend, no I will not make one up for anyone else, for $35 complete with a nice climbing carabiner. That was my cost. I would suggest you call BMO Rescue at 770-842-9292 and ask for Jonathan, he knows his stuff and they have a good selection of product.
I think the braid does matter as in a three twist rope vs. a find braid rope. The prussic has to be able to grab the rope.
I am 6' 220 lbs.
Hope this helps.


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## skeet16 (Dec 9, 2010)

Thanks for the info


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## fountain (Jan 10, 2009)

Could i please pay some of u that truly know how to make a proper life line to make me some? I fell 20' last year and dont want to do it again. I want to be hooked from the ground to the top. $40 a piece for the hss lines is a lot and i see some building them cheaper here. I will pay for materials/ time... i want to have the security and safe feeling. Falling aint fun. If one of u wouldn't mind building me some, please pm me


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## Hunter Dave (Jul 17, 2007)

Stab 'em said:


> It amazes me that the tree stand industry puts that knot onto their life line where guys who fall can only hang there locked up until they can (hopefully) climb onto their stands after a fall.



I suspect the industry promotes the prussic since it is a more fool-proof knot to tie and easier for the layman to verify that it's tied correctly. It's unfortunate that they seem to offer little additional discussion about getting down once the lifeline and prussic have prevented one's impact with the ground.


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## Simpleiowaguy (Jan 10, 2011)

You can't descend with a prusik. Tie a blakes hitch. I trim trees every day for a living. I tie a blakes hitch with 6 wraps instead of 4. I use a 12mm line with a 10mm bee line splittail (prusik cord as you all call it) Here is a link to the blakes hitch.

http://www.sherrilltree.com/Learning-Center/Knots


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## houser52 (Apr 26, 2011)

Simpleiowaguy said:


> You can't descend with a prusik. Tie a blakes hitch. I trim trees every day for a living. I tie a blakes hitch with 6 wraps instead of 4. I use a 12mm line with a 10mm bee line splittail (prusik cord as you all call it) Here is a link to the blakes hitch.
> 
> http://www.sherrilltree.com/Learning-Center/Knots


I've been using lifelines and prusiks for a few years now and they work well but I'm always looking for something better.

Most of the guys on here, myself included, are using rock climbing rope with regular prusik cord and not arborists rope. To descend I keep a couple extra prusiks and slings handy to use for that.

Using a Blake's hitch sure would make it easier to descend but I don't want to buy arborist rope for all my stands.
I've tried the Blake's hitch using regular prusik cord on rock climbing rope. Its almost impossible to break it loose and when it does the descent glazes the rope no matter how slow you go.

Have you ever tried the Blake's hitch on rock climbing rope instead of climbing rope, using Bee Line, without locking up or melting the jacket?

I would buy some Bee Line, Ocean Polyester or Ice Tail to use for my hitch if I knew they would work with climbing rope.

Thanks


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## Ancient Archer (Sep 25, 2008)

kk1340 said:


> You could check out tree stuff.com as he might have some short lengths of arborist rope. I am tree climber so I just use climbing line. 11mm to 13 mm with a 8 mm Prussik cord. There are some many ropes out there *[COLOR]="#FF0000"]but the key is make sure the Prussik cord bites on the line and does not slip.[/COLOR]* Another neat trick is to place a small pulley underneath your Prussik so you only neat one hand to advance the Prussik. Tree stuff has a cmi micro pulley for 20 dollars I believe. good luck


*[COLOR]="#FF0000"]but the key is make sure the Prussik cord bites on the line and does not slip.[/COLOR]* This is most important! If the Prussik rope has a "hand" that is too hard it can easilly slip. 

"Another neat trick is to place a small pulley underneath your Prussik so you only neat one hand to advance the Prussik."  How is this done? Any picture or video references?


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## Stab 'em (Dec 26, 2008)

houser52 said:


> I've been using lifelines and prusiks for a few years now and they work well but I'm always looking for something better.
> 
> Most of the guys on here, myself included, are using rock climbing rope with regular prusik cord and not arborists rope. To descend I keep a couple extra prusiks and slings handy to use for that.
> 
> ...


Melting and glazing will happen with the rock climbing ropes because they are not engineered to be used like you guys are using them. Arborist ropes are made to take the heat causes by the knots sliding on them all day long for months! They do not melt with a few easy uses like your static rock climbing rope "system" is doing. They are also engineered to take the dynamic shock load of a fall, whereas a static line is made to take a lot of steady pull from rappelling (with metal carabiners being the friction point, not another rope). They are also engineered to be out in the elements and not break down like other ropes will do.

On another note, you guys who are thinking that those 7mm prusik chords are going to save you in the event of a fall may be in for a surprise. Those are rated for static pulling also, not a dynamic load. Do yourselves a favor and get the proper ropes for the life saving system you are creating. Arborist ropes average a dollar a foot, so you won't be "saving" more than a ten dollars and in the end it may be worth the extra money you spent.

Call Luke at Treestuff.com and he will set you up with a great system at some of the best prices in the arborist industry.

https://www.treestuff.com/index.asp


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## houser52 (Apr 26, 2011)

Stab 'em said:


> Melting and glazing will happen with the rock climbing ropes because they are not engineered to be used like you guys are using them. Arborist ropes are made to take the heat causes by the knots sliding on them all day long for months! They do not melt with a few easy uses like your static rock climbing rope "system" is doing. They are also engineered to take the dynamic shock load of a fall, whereas a static line is made to take a lot of steady pull from rappelling (with metal carabiners being the friction point, not another rope). They are also engineered to be out in the elements and not break down like other ropes will do.
> 
> On another note, you guys who are thinking that those 7mm prusik chords are going to save you in the event of a fall may be in for a surprise. Those are rated for static pulling also, not a dynamic load. Do yourselves a favor and get the proper ropes for the life saving system you are creating. Arborist ropes average a dollar a foot, so you won't be "saving" more than a ten dollars and in the end it may be worth the extra money you spent.
> 
> ...


I had tried the Blake's hitch on a short piece of climbing rope hung in the back yard to see how it would do. You are correct, descending using a Blake's hitch on climbing rope will not work. The rope's sheath will melt from the friction and the hitch will lock.

Climbing up or down a ladder stand and sliding the prusik loop as I go doesn't produce any heat at all since there is no weight on the rope or hitch. I do not ascend or descend on a rope using friction hitches or ascenders like a tree climber does. 

The 11mm dynamic climbing rope that I use is plenty strong because thats what it's made for. If I should have a short fall it will catch me and have some "give" to it to soften the fall. I also keep extra prusik loops with me so I can either go up or down the rope if I can't reach the ladder.

One other good point that you brought up is the 7mm prusik cord being the weakest link in the system. Since I won't be taking a big fall it will hold but next time I replace my prusiks I'll go with something stronger and get it from an arborist supplier. Thanks for the heads up.

Whenever my main ropes are ready to be replaced I'll be looking at arborist rope too because I like the idea of descending using a Blake's hitch.

Thanks for the help.


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

Simpleiowaguy said:


> You can't descend with a prusik. Tie a blakes hitch. I trim trees every day for a living. I tie a blakes hitch with 6 wraps instead of 4. I use a 12mm line with a 10mm bee line splittail (prusik cord as you all call it) Here is a link to the blakes hitch.
> 
> http://www.sherrilltree.com/Learning-Center/Knots


Blakes hitch is what I plan to use this year.


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## fountain (Jan 10, 2009)

Anybody building them? I need some for me and my dad asap. If i can get some and a material list of specific stuff to use i plan to try building my own


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## Antleraddictpa1 (Dec 3, 2011)

Got mine at Home Depot.


Bring em in and put em down..


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

Antleraddictpa1 said:


> Got mine at Home Depot.
> 
> 
> Bring em in and put em down..


What did you buy? What is the break strength rating?


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## Stab 'em (Dec 26, 2008)

stanlh said:


> What did you buy? What is the break strength rating?


I just saw this and was wondering the same thing!


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## houser52 (Apr 26, 2011)

Antleraddictpa1 said:


> Got mine at Home Depot.
> 
> 
> Bring em in and put em down..


IMO, You should reconsider your choice of rope.


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## Shotkizer (Nov 3, 2012)

Thinking about making a lifeline with a rock climbing Ascender. Does anyone use Ascenders on their lifeline. If so, What brand?


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## Simpleiowaguy (Jan 10, 2011)

You guys are really only only risking your own safety by going with cheap rope and cheap split tail material. All the cheap ropes are glazing because THEY AREN'T DESIGNED for what you are using them for. If you go to knotandrope.com they have a bunch of arborist rope and it is almost all under a dollar a foot. They also have "prusik cord" priced by the foot. They carry beeline which is my personal favorite (8mm has a 8000 lb break strength) or ocean. Ice is very good for you guys that are worried about rope that can withstand heat. Ice is good to 900 degrees. Prusik cord is anywhere from 1.50 to 2.50 a foot. Much better alternative to the rope that you are getting at home improvement stores. I wish you all a safe hunt


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## kk1340 (Dec 29, 2005)

I just want to point out whether you are using a Blake's hitch or a Prussik knot that you are on a single line and these knots used in a arborist climbing system are designed for a double rope climbing system which means that you have two parts of rope. One end goes over the limb and back to the climber and you attach you knot to the line on the other side of the branch.that way the weight is shared on the knot which allows you to ascend and descend.if you use a Blake's hitch on a single line it to can lock up so whatever knot you please practice low and slow.keith


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## flairboater (Nov 5, 2012)

Hi, I am new to this site and saw this thread about life lines. I am a firm believer in life lines and have devised a life line that will let me down to the ground in a controled decent. The system uses a carbiner and a prussic knot loop. If some one could instruct me as to how to post pics I would be glad to share. I tried to share this with system with Hunter Saftey Systems but they declined because of the liability aspects. If intrested please post
Flairboater


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## flairboater (Nov 5, 2012)

*decent system*

The pics are of the decender I have devised. The first and second pics are the complete system. The parts are; Purple rope is the life line, the blue cord is the prussic loop, the white cord is the release lanyard and the carabiner. The next pic is the parts; life line, prussic loop, carabiner and the release lanyard. the next shows the prussic loop hooked into the carabiner. The next 5 pics show how to "tie" the acender. The prussic loop is wraped around the L.L. then around the "backbone " of the carabiner, this is repeated 4 times , I feel it binds better when needed, with a loop tail left about 2"-4" long, this is where your body harness carabiner is attached. The last thing is the release lanyard, the lanyard is attached to the carabiners bottom side and should be long enough to be reachable when you are suspended after a fall and a grab handle of some sorts should be attached the the bottom end of the lanyard. 
The carabiner added to the system acts as a handle to the friction knot. The way this system fuctions goes as follows. Should a fall occur the harness carabiner puts tension on the prussic loop causing the loop,carabiner and L.L. to bind aresting your fall. When you have collected your self you takwe the lanyard handle and start to transfer your weight from your harness to the lanyard, do this slowly as this will start to release the tension knot and you will start to decend in am controlled manner. I hope this will help in an emergency. 
THIS IS A ONE TIME USE SYSTEM AS OTHERS HAVE SAID THE ROPES CAN GLASE AND CAUSE PROBLEMS PLEASE , PLEASE ,PLEASE IF THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN USED REPLACE THE WHOLE SYSTEM AS THERE MIGHT SOME DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURAL COMPONETS OF THE SYSTEM. 

THE USE OF THIS SYSTEM IS AT YOUR OWN RISK 
SAFE HGUNTING
flairboater


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## Spotdodger (Mar 1, 2009)

I have followed this thread for a little while now and there is lots of good information. I have a question about the life line rope. 
We have priced and are looking at some 5/8" 3 strand poly-dacron rope that meet ANSI and OSHA fall protection standards. 
Does anyone know how that compares to the arborist type rope that has been discussed? Materials? Construction?
My concern with this rope is I do not know if it is ok to use a rope-on-rope type restraint such as prussic or blakes knot. 
The systems I have seen it used in use a mechanical fall arrester. Which wouldnt be out of the question other than the cost goes way up.
The price we have for a 600' spool is $250.


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## houser52 (Apr 26, 2011)

What I would do is look at the specs on that rope and look at the elongation %. The higher the elongation % the more stretch it has and the more shock it will absorb during a fall. Also, the less likely that it will break.

Climbing ropes are either dynamic, static or arborist climbing rope which is semi static.

Dynamic rock climbing rope has a lot of stretch and will absorb long hard falls. Arborists don't use dynamic rope because it's too springy when climbing up the rope.

Arborist semi static climbing rope has some stretch so it will absorb some of the shock if they should fall but is not bouncy. Arborist static climbing ropes also have some stretch and is not bouncy. Arborist rigging ropes don't have any stretch and is not made for climbing.

Go the Yale Cordage website and look at their video of static and dynamic rope testing. Good info.


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## bow4bulls (Aug 2, 2010)

Great info there Stab em & thanks for the web site for buying rope


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

What about the fact the rope that spotdodger is looking at is three strand vs. braided? Does that make a difference for getting a prussic to bite onto the rope?


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## fowlskies (Oct 10, 2012)

I am new here but I have been trolling the forum for awhile and love this DIY forum...I was going to make a line like this for my Tree Saddle using static rope since it will be constantly taught from me hanging from it but after looking at the price of rope compared to buying it already done I might just buy one. 

I was wondering does the Muddy lineman's rope use static cord and would it be good in conjunction with a tree saddle? I emailed Safe tree hunt systems about their rope and how it would work with a tree saddle but they have not emailed me back. Although, I may make my own so I know the rope be used is static and good for hang from for prolonged periods.


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## sardis22 (Aug 14, 2012)

it does not matter if u main line has strech. that is what your harness is for it has built in fall protection. i am use arborsit rope with 8000 pound breaking strenght. i payed about 150 for 600 feet it is 5/8.but i did buy good purissc line from blue water. that is the line i worried about breaking because it is much smaller. hopefully i will never need to see if it works.


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

fowlskies said:


> I am new here but I have been trolling the forum for awhile and love this DIY forum...I was going to make a line like this for my Tree Saddle using static rope since it will be constantly taught from me hanging from it but after looking at the price of rope compared to buying it already done I might just buy one.
> 
> I was wondering does the Muddy lineman's rope use static cord and would it be good in conjunction with a tree saddle? I emailed Safe tree hunt systems about their rope and how it would work with a tree saddle but they have not emailed me back. Although, I may make my own so I know the rope be used is static and good for hang from for prolonged periods.


Like you I compared using the HSS brand lifeline, but when I compared the cost of good quality static line to the cost of the HSS kit I soon came to the conclusion they could not be using high strength line and sell their kit for $40. For $40 I was able to get high strength certified static line, a high quality trilock aluminum carabiner and true prussic cord. Just mho.


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## fowlskies (Oct 10, 2012)

stanlh said:


> Like you I compared using the HSS brand lifeline, but when I compared the cost of good quality static line to the cost of the HSS kit I soon came to the conclusion they could not be using high strength line and sell their kit for $40. For $40 I was able to get high strength certified static line, a high quality trilock aluminum carabiner and true prussic cord. Just mho.


Just got an email from the guy from Safe tree hunt systems and he has a 10' lineman's rope for $19 shipped that will work for what I am looking for. I don't think that price can be beat, especially when he is using BlueWater ropes. I couldn't make it for that much unless I buy it in bulk and make ton of them.


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## stanlh (Jul 23, 2010)

fowlskies said:


> Just got an email from the guy from Safe tree hunt systems and he has a 10' lineman's rope for $19 shipped that will work for what I am looking for. I don't think that price can be beat, especially when he is using BlueWater ropes. I couldn't make it for that much unless I buy it in bulk and make ton of them.


Agree, go for it.


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## handirifle (Jun 9, 2005)

I must be cheap, cause I bought a couple 3/8" climbing ropes from Home Depot. I used one for my safety line, while wearing my HSS pro harness, and the other to control the fall of the oak limbs I was trimming off my tree.

I had limbs as large as 12" in diameter and 6-7ft long. This was LIVE limbs, weighing close to 400lbs. The limb swung from the tree and dangled with it's full weight for several minutes, with no issues from the rope. I would trust my life with those ropes, in fact about 30 min later, I did. A miscalculation allowed my electric saw to get between me and another limb, and it shoved my backwards out of the tree. My rope and prusik knot performed perfectly.

I am sure some of the more expensive climbing ropes would take more abrasion but if you're going rock climbing that's another issue.


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## TJK (Dec 2, 2010)

I hunt with a climbing stand so a life line won’t do me much good. I climb up with my linesman belt and then hook up to the tree with the supplied strap. What I am thinking about doing is carrying a rope with me in the event that I fall and can’t get back onto the climber, I know this would be very unlikely but if it were to happen and let’s say I dropped my cell phone I don’t want to hang there until someone comes looking. With the climbing rope and a figure 8 I could rappel down to safety. My question to the experienced climbing guys is how could I go about tying my rappelling rope to the tree. What I thought about trying was a “figure 8 loop” in the end of the rope and then wrap my rope around the tree 2 times and back through the loop and then down to my figure 8 descender. Would this be safe? Remember I’m not using it as a fall protection but to rappel only.


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## Fiferguy (Apr 16, 2009)

Another, much cheaper solution is to talk to some of the rock climbers around your area. A lot of times climbers will get rid of old climbing ropes, and they will probably give it to you for free. Because of the nature of the falls off a ladder, steps, or a tree stand, the ropes they're retiring are just fine for you. The falls from a ladder or stand are what we climbers term "static" falls, rather than "dynamic falls". Another way of thinking is even if you slip and fall, you aren't truly "falling" to a climber. You might drop 6-8", but for a climber, they wouldn't even notice that. We're used to falling 10-15 feet when we fall. That's a much different impact force than what you'll see falling out of a tree stand.

Retired ropes are fine for this purpose, and are generally given away if you ask.


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## Kaos (Jun 28, 2011)

TJK said:


> I hunt with a climbing stand so a life line won’t do me much good. I climb up with my linesman belt and then hook up to the tree with the supplied strap. What I am thinking about doing is carrying a rope with me in the event that I fall and can’t get back onto the climber, I know this would be very unlikely but if it were to happen and let’s say I dropped my cell phone I don’t want to hang there until someone comes looking. With the climbing rope and a figure 8 I could rappel down to safety. My question to the experienced climbing guys is how could I go about tying my rappelling rope to the tree. What I thought about trying was a “figure 8 loop” in the end of the rope and then wrap my rope around the tree 2 times and back through the loop and then down to my figure 8 descender. Would this be safe? Remember I’m not using it as a fall protection but to rappel only.


Use a bite knot as illustrated on this page http://safetreehunt.com/systems/


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## TJK (Dec 2, 2010)

Kaos said:


> Use a bite knot as illustrated on this page http://safetreehunt.com/systems/


That is basicaly what I was trying to explaine but I was going to wrap the tree one more time, would it hurt anything to wrap the tree again or is that going to affect it. (there will be no branches to go over)


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## Kaos (Jun 28, 2011)

TJK said:


> That is basicaly what I was trying to explaine but I was going to wrap the tree one more time, would it hurt anything to wrap the tree again or is that going to affect it. (there will be no branches to go over)


I couldn't answer on wrapping it twice. I just wrap once like shown with know branch's. Once you pull on it it bites even the slickest tree's.


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