Lizard rope hanger

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Fjell

Well-known member
I have a bunch of Lizard rope hangers. They are wonderfully light but pre-date the internet it seems. I used to use them a lot, but I was wondering if anyone knows how well they age, has any ever broken, or even what the original tested to from various angles.
The bolts are 8.8, which is definitely OK in principle. The shank has a plastic sleeve which means you can?t inspect it without breaking the sleeve. No obvious oxide weeps, so I presume the zinc is doing it?s job. The alloy is as alloy always is - who knows.
 

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langcliffe

langcliffe

Well-known member
I once use them a lot, and still use them occasionally, and I have never encountered any problems.  They are great bits of kit. I also have some home-made copies (but I can't remember who made them), and they have also survived well. One can, of course, always replace the bolts which is the only bit that takes any strain.
 
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mikem

Well-known member
The only reference I can find to Lizard Speleo-Systems is when they published Dave Elliott's Rigging Guide in 1987 & although they are shown in his SRT book, there are no comparison numbers...

The nearest thing still available is probably the Clown, which are weaker than twists in vertical walls, but better on overhangs:
https://m.petzl.com/sfc/servlet.shepherd/version/download/068w0000001O2ssAAC
 
langcliffe

langcliffe

Well-known member
mikem said:
The only reference I can find to Lizard Speleo-Systems is when they published Dave Elliott's Rigging Guide in 1987 & although they are shown in his SRT book, there are no comparison numbers...

The nearest thing still available is probably the Clown, which are weaker than twists in vertical walls, but better on overhangs:
https://m.petzl.com/sfc/servlet.shepherd/version/download/068w0000001O2ssAAC
Click to expand...

Clowns are a lot clunkier than the bollards, and an awful lot more expensive! But they did have their uses.
 
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mikem

Well-known member
Yep, but the strengths are probably similar, as the load is mainly on the bolt, rather than the hanger.
 
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Fjell

Well-known member
Sleeve came off undamaged. Problem is bolt is a 25mm special, so will have to use set screws unless someone knows where to get any sort of 25mm bolt. Minor surface corrosion, looks good under sleeve.
 

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Pitlamp

Pitlamp

Well-known member
In case it helps (to provide search terms?) memory tells me these were manufactured industrially  by "Troll" and marketed as "Bollards".

Like most of the gear that Dave designed, they were excellent. I still have (and regularly use) a couple of those red Lizard tackle bags with black bases which he produced. I repair them lovingly, to keep them going. This isn't because I'm too tight to buy replacements, it's because I've never found anything as good on sale since.
 
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Fjell

Well-known member
I have the rope washer which is still going strong after more than 30 years around the world.
Dave was very kind to us as a little group of impoverished youth and 5 days with him moved us on significantly as we were entirely self-taught from a book when it came to SRT. He also showed us the proofs of his rigging guide, which explained a great deal about what all the red bolts were about that seemed to always head out into space.
 
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mikem

Well-known member
There is a review from 1984 on p.133:
https://www.wessex-cave-club.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Wessex-Cave-Club-Journal-Number-200.pdf

1987's On Rope mentions both Lizard & Troll Bollards, along with Clowns:
https://archive.org/stream/onrope1987/A.%20Padgett%20%26%20B.%20Smith%201987%20-%20On%20rope_djvu.txt
 
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