ZIP line expert- anyone?

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Kief

Kief

Joined
Apr 24, 2003
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Location
Southwest Oregon
Thinking about getting set up with a portable zip line, cable would be fine vs. rope but I could spend a bunch of $$ if I'm not careful. I have a HD come-a-long to get it tight but want to have a t-handle set up with a good quality trolley. I have a logging supplier that can hook me up with the hardware but am looking for suggestions on the trolley/caribeaner/ t-handle (fabricate?). This is something I would like to set up while out camping/ zipping over a swimming hole, etc. Thanks, Kief.
 
I used to have one, I just used a nice quality pully from the hawdware store and a rope hanging down, I had the rope at about 10' so that i could grad it and pull back to the top, I attached a 18" dowel about 2' down for a hadle, I think I used a clove hitch to tie the dowel on.
 
your winch cable anchored to something stout works good. thats what they used to do at the pool at the slabs in rubicon springs before the rope swing!!!!!
 
www.petzl.com has professional/recreational climbing equipment for every need.I don't know if they sell directly to the public but Mountain Gear is one of their retail shops. Climbing at MountainGear.com

here's the pulley section http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/pulleys for recreational lightweight climbing use and pulley section for heavier professional use

http://www.petzl.com/en/pro/pulleys

You should ask a fireman/EMT about their sources of equipment because the light weight aluminum climbing equipment could be more expensive than some made of steel.
 
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I built a 100 foot long zipline with some friends when we were all 13 years old- we have a couple of lessons learned from that.

You could use a couple hardware store pulleys and separate them with a couple pieces of metal bar or even wood. I wouldn't use just one el cheapo pulley due to the risk of breaking. It wouldn't hurt to run a carabiner backup, but the wire will chew through the 'biner over time. Wire is better than rope, and coated wire is best for maintenance of the cable and pulleys. Make sure to size the cable properly since load multiplication occurs with a near-horizontal cable span. If you're using rope or coated cable, the Petzl pulleys mentioned above are definitely safer, but the aluminum would wear quickly on bare steel wire.

If you plan on using rope, make sure it's static rope, as dynamic climbing rope will only last a little while before getting torn up and kinked (bad experience with version 1.0)

Tight is not necessary; if you set the bottom end of the zipline at a tree it's nice to have some sag for stopping, plus it cuts down on the tension in the cable. If you set it up too tightly and too steep, it's best to have a pad on the tree.

Lastly, connections are key. make sure to check your cable crimps/clamps or knots, lest they come loose and the thing collapses while someone's in the middle of a ride.

Most of all, have fun with it!
 
On the few that I have designed, I ended up using the Petzl pulleys due to the life safety issue. They are for use on ski hills, so there isn't a desire to drop off into the water. The user has a harness and clips into it. A heavy leather glove provides for the hand brake...
 
I figure it would be easier to jump into a swimming hole if I wasn't harnessed up, thus a t-bar but point taken. I saw several different petzl trolleys from 59 to 130 bucks. One type stayed on the cable the other looked like the type that you could use at a zip-line park, clip in and go and have it harnessed on.
Light weight is OK but not necessary as this will not be something I would pack around very often.
I like the idea of utilizing the slack for braking and keeping things a little safer. Thanks for the input guys.
 
If you use rope I can show you how to set up a nine to one with just beeners, tree wrap, rope, and prusik cord. Not very gear intensive and fairly easy to set up. An extra line running thru a standard belay device will work as a brake....

I've set up quite a few over the years, we used them pretty regularly while in Bridgeport. To keep them safe we used tuber to from the pully down to the harness (keeps the fingers clear).
 
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