automatic lowering system for infinite(100m) prussking

Cavebot3000

Cavebot3000

New member
I have set up a 6m tall frame in my garden for doing SRT. We have a 100m rope and my sister will lower me on a pulley as I prussik.  Problem is, she gets bored belaying me after the first 100m of prussiking. However, I saw a video some time ago that I can't find anymore of some (maybe Spanish?) dude who figured out how to rig an automatic lowering system, based off friction if I recall correctly. He would prussik up to a certain height and somehow get lowered.

If anyone knows which video I'm referring to, and has it handy, could you please send it to me?

Or even better, if anyone can suggest a better automatic lowering system (I definitely recall the system in that video being possibly really dodgy), then please feel free to provide me with some info on how to rig something like this.

Thanks,
Adam Prior
 
TheBitterEnd

TheBitterEnd

Well-known member
With 4 posts in two years we might not be seeing Cavebot3000 for a while :)

I once pondered using a bike wheel with the tire removed and the brake "reversed" so that the brake is normally on and you pull the brake to release it. Wrap the prussik rope around the bike wheel a couple of times and rig up a cord so that as you prussik up the cord releases the brake allowing the wheel to turn, feeding more rope through. The faster you prussik/higher you go the more the brake is released and the faster the rope feeds.

I imagine the brake would take a bit of tuning though  ;)
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
I know, I did start to sympathise with his sister a bit to be honest. That's most of Titan. Mind you, some people have done that ten times in one day ;)
 
Mark Wright

Mark Wright

Active member
A SAR Pro Allp Tech descender device rigged at the anchor point with the controlling wing nut adjusted to your preferred rate of ascent would work.

I'm sure there are some photos or videos online if you do a search.

Ian does have a point though.

Mark
 
Badlad

Badlad

Administrator
Staff member
Is my memory right that the late Dave Elliot and others at Whernside Manor use to have a continual prussiking loop?  I seem to remember it ran as a triangle where the rope was cut, split and sewn together to form the loop.  Can't remember how the friction was applied.  Was it a dream?
 
F

Fulk

Well-known member
It wasn't a dream, Badlad, unfortunately I can't remember the details.

Nevertheless, Dave certainly set up a continuous prusik with a length of rope spliced into a loop that went round continuously as you prusiked; I know that because I used it. I think that the most difficult part of the set-up was the splice.

I saw not so long since (a few months ago) a video of an American system of 'auto-prusiking' by means of which one could feed in a length of rope (your choice of length), which was basically pretty much the same as the one referred to above, but the rope fed in, and, of course, when you reached the end you either rested on your laurels ? or you started again.

I recall that a crucial part of the system was a Shunt, which acted as a sort of clutch to allow the rope to run through the system; I think I recall that it was somehow tethered to the ground.

Well, I think that I'll go and try to track it down; if anyone's interested, try the US equivalent of UK Caving.
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
I can't help thinking all these determined 100m home-prussickers should be generating some power whilst they're at it - and then we can watch their efforts on the internet for longer. Maybe build a big wheel to run inside - that could run a lightbulb or two.

Seriously though, wouldn't a descender (that worked) get incredibly hot if someone were prussicking a rope through it?
 
F

Fulk

Well-known member
Probably; but would it get any hotter than if you abseiled on it?

Incidentally, the NSS site seems to have changed beyoind (my) recognition since I last logged in there, and I've no idea how to access it now.
 
N

nearlywhite

Active member
Fulk said:
Well, I think that I'll go and try to track it down; if anyone's interested, try the US equivalent of UK Caving.
Click to expand...

I'll whisper so as not to annoy Jane but it was on a certain social media site. Have messaged Adam with the video.
 
Mark Wright

Mark Wright

Active member
The Pro Allp Tech was designed by Dave Allport (formally of Troll) for use as a mountain rescue device for carrying a casualty in a stretcher and a rescuer.

It was tested against the EN12841C standard with a 200kg rescue load with a non-stop descent speed of 1m / second for (I think) 200m so I doubt it would get any hotter with one person prussicking a rope through it than if you abseiled on it with a 200kg load.

Mark
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
Fair enough. I guess if the belayer's now unemployed they could always be on hand with a jug of water if things do start smoking ;)
 
Duncan

Duncan

Member
Sauvigne, Pete (1992) Climbing Treadmill. Nylon Highway #35, p6.
This article, which gives detailed instructions on how to make a rope-climbing treadmill with a continuous loop of rope, certainly used to be online somewhere, but I am now unable to find it.
 
M

mikem

Well-known member
Not sure how easily this will work with a frog set up, as you have to hold the rack, but, it may be feasible to hold the other end of rope alongside your hand jammer:

https://youtu.be/bVJBJIg7Qic
 
Leclused

Leclused

Active member
Hope you can see these clips

https://www.facebook.com/pierrot.clemens/videos/10158110028539002/

System set-up
- 100m rope is going through two points at a certain height about 1.5m to 2m between the two points
- at the first point you guide your rope through a pulley
- at the second point you guide you rope through a crab (deviation)
- you start Climbing at the end of the rope under the attach with the pulley
- you attach your descender (or gri-gri) on the part of the rope below the deviation
- I would use a Gri-Gri instead of petzl simple to avoid the locking manipulation
- if you've climbed  up to  first point you lower yourself by using your desceding gear

 
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