StoneyGraham
New member
Wondering if anyone has any idea how you might go about making a tripod suitable for SRT rigging. All of the consumer options seem unnecessarily expensive.
Homemade rigging tripod
- Thread starter StoneyGraham
- Start date
wellyjen
Well-known member
Are we talking this sort of thing? Typical example.
If so, then they aren't consumer options, but for professional use. Usually purchased by a company for their employees use, where HSE take a dim view of getting your employees killed. Low volume sales, hundreds, not hundreds of thousands a year, with lots of costs associated with development, testing, certification, traceability, training and after sales support. Hence the high price. I've not seen a tripod used by cavers, other than for digging, or rescue. Rescue ones are the expensive commercial variety, partly due to liability issues as some ones life depends on it. Digging ones seem to be made from scaffold poles and clamps and mostly just haul spoil buckets. General caving SRT, never.
If so, then they aren't consumer options, but for professional use. Usually purchased by a company for their employees use, where HSE take a dim view of getting your employees killed. Low volume sales, hundreds, not hundreds of thousands a year, with lots of costs associated with development, testing, certification, traceability, training and after sales support. Hence the high price. I've not seen a tripod used by cavers, other than for digging, or rescue. Rescue ones are the expensive commercial variety, partly due to liability issues as some ones life depends on it. Digging ones seem to be made from scaffold poles and clamps and mostly just haul spoil buckets. General caving SRT, never.
wellyjen
Well-known member
To add yet more...
Usual practice when rigging an old metal mine shaft, or dug shaft for SRT is to have a bomb proof back up belay, or belays well back from the top of the shaft. These are often large metal stakes of aluminium, or stainless steel, hammered well in to the ground. The first part of the shaft is often stone lined in soil, before it meets rock and this can potentially fail, so even when a tripod is used in rescue it is still backed up with stakes well back from the shaft. From there, the rope leads to the belay you hang from, which is often a scaffold pole. Fixed across the shaft top to prevent it moving in a number of ways. To get on the rope you'll typically be clipped in to the rope to the back up belay(s), sitting on the edge of the shaft to load up the descender before lowering your weight on to the scaff pole, or other shaft belays, before descending. No need for a tripod, or other means of making the belay higher than the shaft top in normal caving.
Digging, or rescue is different. With these, you need to be able to move a heavy bucket of spoil, or an inert caver in a stretcher out of and away from the shaft top and in these cases, having a high up belay makes it a lot easier.
Usual practice when rigging an old metal mine shaft, or dug shaft for SRT is to have a bomb proof back up belay, or belays well back from the top of the shaft. These are often large metal stakes of aluminium, or stainless steel, hammered well in to the ground. The first part of the shaft is often stone lined in soil, before it meets rock and this can potentially fail, so even when a tripod is used in rescue it is still backed up with stakes well back from the shaft. From there, the rope leads to the belay you hang from, which is often a scaffold pole. Fixed across the shaft top to prevent it moving in a number of ways. To get on the rope you'll typically be clipped in to the rope to the back up belay(s), sitting on the edge of the shaft to load up the descender before lowering your weight on to the scaff pole, or other shaft belays, before descending. No need for a tripod, or other means of making the belay higher than the shaft top in normal caving.
Digging, or rescue is different. With these, you need to be able to move a heavy bucket of spoil, or an inert caver in a stretcher out of and away from the shaft top and in these cases, having a high up belay makes it a lot easier.
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pwhole
Well-known member
We (TSG) used a variety of scaff rigs on the Longcliffe mine shaft excavation, adapting them as we went depending on the condition at the surface - as we started in a deep and wide crater with a hole at the bottom, this required a very different setup to the one we used when we'd filled the crater and had a flat top to work with. But all were built on site using standard scaff fixings, generally stabilised with a tensioned rope attached to a Y-hang bolted into bedrock upslope, and locked with a Stop. As we were using these both for hauling spoil and rope access, they had to be bomb-proof, and they were. Doesn't have to be this large, but it helps, landowner permitting. I suspect if it's the one I'm thinking of, this may be a bit much, but smaller models can easily be made transportable - or hideable in brush! 
The DCA invested in an expensive Obelisk 'Quad Pod' two years ago, specifically for jobs where we do need the backup of a manufacturer's warranty, certs for use, etc. This will take two people on two separate hangers, enabling rescue from the same pod, or obviously it can be used for some other heavy thing hanging alongside for convenience, like a big drill - it'll also open up to a 2m crossbar span if necessary. This one cost over two grand, but then it is definitely not going to fail and we need to be seen to be a reputable group where vertical access is required. We used this one to explore a random climbing shaft that opened up in a field last year with a crumbly ginged top that couldn't be trusted and needed to be avoided - note the additional fixtures available - but still with a backup to a tree.
The DCA invested in an expensive Obelisk 'Quad Pod' two years ago, specifically for jobs where we do need the backup of a manufacturer's warranty, certs for use, etc. This will take two people on two separate hangers, enabling rescue from the same pod, or obviously it can be used for some other heavy thing hanging alongside for convenience, like a big drill - it'll also open up to a 2m crossbar span if necessary. This one cost over two grand, but then it is definitely not going to fail and we need to be seen to be a reputable group where vertical access is required. We used this one to explore a random climbing shaft that opened up in a field last year with a crumbly ginged top that couldn't be trusted and needed to be avoided - note the additional fixtures available - but still with a backup to a tree.
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StoneyGraham
New member
Thanks for the tips. So where's a good place to buy scaffolding poles from? Some Cavers seem to go through miles the stuff.
pwhole
Well-known member
I've never used them but Scaffolding Direct usually come up top of search engines - and they do stock the thinner-wall tubes that are lighter and cheaper:
https://www.scaffolding-direct.co.uk/scaffolding-tube-3-2mm-wall/
Others who work in the trade may know better or local suppliers.
https://www.scaffolding-direct.co.uk/scaffolding-tube-3-2mm-wall/
Others who work in the trade may know better or local suppliers.
Mark Wright
Active member
You can pick up secondhand tubes and fittings at good prices from Darnall Hire in Sheffield. They provided most of the scaffolding down Rowter and Eldon Holes.
Scaffolding Hire and Sales at DH UK for Scaffolding Hire
www.dhukscaffolding.com
Mark
Well-known member
Got loads of tube and fittings in calver if you need any let me know
