Rope and Prussic knot
 

I want to use a rope and prussic knot for safety while ascending and descending my tree stands. I looked at Lowes today and they have 3/8" x 75' rope for $14, that's only 18 cents a foot and its camo too. It holds 240 some pounds. I've read that the prussic is to be 2 mm smaller than the rope but the next size down, I think it is 1/4 or 3/16, is rated below 200 lbs. What size rope should I use for the prussic? And should I spend more money and go toa rock climbing store to get real climbing ropes for 60 or 70 cents a foot?

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Youwant to use climbing rope not hardware store tie down ropes. The stuff I use is 11mm and its rated for fall protection.

The 8mm rope I tie my prussic hitch is rated well over a thousand pounds.

I think I paid 0.60/ft for the 11mm and less for the 8mm.

It's not cheap, but it's a lotcheaper than a decent wheelchair.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Just buy it from Summit.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Thanks Urban, Thats what I was looking for. How do you attatch yourself to the prussic? Do you tie it in, cleavace, or a climbing clip?

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

does anyone have a visual of this knot and how to tie it?
very interested in using this

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Here ya go Rhody.
http://www.iweb-solutions.com/explorers/knots4.htm
It slides easily when there is no tension but as soon as it grabs up or down there is no movement.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

I use a locking carabiner on my harness to a web strap, and a regular carabiner from the strap to the loop formed by the prussic. I wrap the carabiners with electrical tape to keep them quiet.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

if you guys check out www.fallguysafety.com you'll see a quick fix to your problem with the ascender/descender. I have it, and I know that I feel better than with just a prussic knot and rope. of course anything is better than nothing.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

I used to make these for Seat-O-The pants. Take about a 3 foot section of your prussic rope, and tie the two ends together to make a loop, we used a fisherman's knot to do this. Then you can loop your prussic onto your main rope. I would suggest that you loop your prussic three times instead of two, when looped twice it takes longer for the prussic to stop you if you fall. Good luck!

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

I intend to put these on every tree next season. My buddy almost bed to death after falling while climbing this year. He caught a screw in tree step on the way down, completely severed his bicep, half his tricep and most of his deltoid muscle. Lost 4 pints of blood before getting to the ER.

Deer 902, The guy I'm talking about is Mitch,you met him whenwe were gutting that big buck 5 years ago.

I'm going for the climbing rope myself. No point in being cheap about safety. Dont wanna say "whoops" twice on the way down;)Looking around now for the best pricing on the stuff. I'll let you know if I find a deal. If you find one, give me a holler.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Deer, you may want to check out these two forums for additional ideas:

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1309286&mpage=1

http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=1307404&mpage=1

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

I work with ropes for a living and quite honestly, although the prussik will work, its not the answer. It becomes cumbersome to move up and down and after a while the moving of the knot becomes tiresome and one ends up removing it. Not to mention the safety aspects of working with rope on rope in wet weather
If you want the right tools for the job, then the Petzl ASAP fall arrester is what you need. It moves up and down the rope by itself but will lock off instantly should you fall.

A full body harness with a Petzl ASAP ($160)fitted with 11mm access braid (not dynamic rope) and you're in business.
Alternatively you can look at the Yates Rocker ($90)or the Petzl Shunt ($46). Petzl have stopped making the Shunt because of safety reasons, ie. it wasnt all that safe under certain conditions as you had to move it down by hand and when falling the usual reaction is to grab rather than release. The rocker moves up and down by itself but you have to move quite slowly.

Another reason to avoid the prussik for your application is the possibility of a high fall factor (>2 can be life threatening) due to having a longer length of rope attached to the harness. Ideally the prussik knot is used in access systems such as pulley rigs and only really used in direct harness applications in emergencies.

Go to www.petzl.com and have a look around, theres tons of info. Alternatively, pop in at the local rope access store and speak to a specialist before making up your mind. Try and avoid buying from a climbing shop or similar outlet as they ask way over the top prices. Find an industrial rope access supplier if you can.

If you buy this kind of equipment and look after it, it will probably outlive us all.

Hope this helps :)

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Thanks guys for your info.
Bob, I read your post about Mitch and it got me thinking. Then that same night my wife was watching some Life in the ER program and a guy came in with a severed spinal cord from a treestand fall. I did fall from a short distance this year and had another close call while not being careful. I know that there is a climbing shop in Monroeville that I'm going to look at but if you find another place let me know. I emailed Mitch, tell him to give me a hollar and let me know how his is.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Here is another link with detailed instructions on the prussic knot.

http://images.ebsco.com/pob/summit/catalog/instr_prussic.pdf

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

thanks for the links .now i have a clearer picture of this knot system

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Petzl says ASAP not available in North America yet.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

I disagree...I have used and tested the system in wet and dry conditions and the system works extremely well. The only time I had trouble was when we had freezing rain which turned the rope into an icicle.I don't think there is much that would work in that situation.

When the main rope is attached slack free to both the top and bottom of the tree the prussik moves very freely up and down the main rope allowing very easy climbing.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Glad it works for you Browning 1 :) Certainly is the cheapest answer!

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Why put this system in every tree you want to hunt from? Seems like a waste to me. Unless you have money in the lint trap to burn. Just buy a length to go around the largest tree with another 3-4' with your prussic attached to that....backed up by a double overhand That's what Summit gives you. IMO, unless you have private property, and the money, adding 20 or more feet to a few tress doesn't make sence. 10' and a prussic know would suffice...correct?

Hey bomtec....are you former EOD...or HDS?

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Sorry for bringing up on old post but I stopped at the rock climbing store last night. The guy told me that he does not recommend this set up unless you pull the ropes down everytime(which defeats the purpose), because the UV rays will quickly weaken the strength of the ropes. And the prussic knot is not supposed to be used to stop falls. If you does use a prussic knot he recommends atleast tying a knot below the prussic once your in your stand to stop the knot form slipping down. The rope was .80 a foot and the prussic was .60 foot. He also said the using an ascender to stop falls is dangerous to because that much force could cut the rope right there upon the fall. He is a hunter and uses nylon strapping looped around the tree and attatched to his harness, but he only uses a climbing stand on straight trees. But thats not the appilcation we're looking for. The main rope should be rated no less than 2500 lbs. I still thinks it better than climbing with no ropes at all. I found this rope on Ebay today. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7229431370 I emailed the seller to find out what the strength is. Does any one know? They may sell this a an Army surplus store. Then you can buy the prussic rope from a rock climbing store.
Let me know what you guys think. Has a prussic knot ever stopped anyones fall?

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

I'm a lineman of almost twenty years,an also used to be a tree trimmer.I do trust the prusic system,and use it in all my treestands.One way to make the system even safer is if you could lash or tie down the fall line,that way as you stay connected(or clipped in)to the line you cn ascend with the prusic in one of your hands .Always maintain three point contact when climbing.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Sorry for bringing up on old post but I stopped at the rock climbing store last night. The guy told me that he does not recommend this set up unless you pull the ropes down everytime(which defeats the purpose), because the UV rays will quickly weaken the strength of the ropes. And the prussic knot is not supposed to be used to stop falls.I don't really think that UV will be much an issue in a wooded or canopee area.One thing that we are to do in my trade is inspect our gear before we climb or use it.Most times a visual and feeling the ropes for dry rot,cuts abrasions,critters chewing them,frayed strands,etc..most is common sense stuff.Some of these salesmen try to get us to believe we need all this stuff.One note though'I would stay away from some of the naturaul stuff like minela rope and hemp.As they are suspect to rot and mildew.Also one thing as importand as the fall line rope and prusic, is the webbbing or strap on some treestands or ladder sections.This isn't mentioned much but is just as important as the climbing rope.

RE: Rope and Prussic knot
 

Thanks for your responses. I am going to use this system but would rather not spend .80 a foot on rope. The seller on Ebay said his rope "has a dry tensile strength of 3840 pounds, stretch factor of 33%, and working load of 410 pounds." Do you think this rope will work? He is selling 120' for $48.