Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:38:54 -0700
From: David Gilbert <xdavid@cis-broadband.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fall Harness-My Choice
I have an AN Wireless HD-70 freestanding tower with the foot pegs ...
slippery enough to require caution when wet, but not treacherous. I
climb with a full body harness with two relatively short safety straps,
neither of which are fall arrest lanyards. Each safety strap has a
self-locking gorilla hook on the end (required because of the large
steel cross braces on the tower), and one or the other hook is ALWAYS
attached to a cross brace as I climb. I even have a third strap and
gorilla hook coming from a separate belt around my waist that I affix to
the tower while I am working.
The hooks I use are made from a high strength aluminum alloy ... very
light and extremely strong. *http://tinyurl.com/25dns9a*
In general, I'm afraid of heights but don't feel ill at ease on the
tower with this system. If I die falling from it, it will be because I
was stupid.
## That method will work... but makes foe slow climbing up/down the
tower. Plus you are continually having to hook/unhook the L/R
gorilla hooks... which means you have one hand off the pegs 99%
of the time.
## That 3/8" safety winch cable scheme that both Trylon and AN Wireless
have for those types of towers works superb. The safety cable sits a few
inch's
from the tower leg... in between the foot pegs. You hook onto the cable..
and now you
never have your hands off the foot pegs..while climing UP. When coming down,
you have to
hit the sprinloaded rls... and slide the safety device /grabber down a couple
of feet.. then
climb down some more... slide it down again etc.
## IF you slipped and fell, the grabber will lock onto the 3/8" cable, and ur
going no where. IMO,
you are much safer this way, not having to constantly hook/unhook alternating
L/R gorilla hooks.
However, if gorilla hooks used, TWO of them, like you have, is much safer than
just one. At least
with 2 of em, you are assured that you ar tethered to the tower at all times by
at least one hook.
## all the safety cable amounts to is 3/8" winch cable with single/double
nicropress crimps at top
end... and a spring loaded tensioning device at the bottom end... to keep the
cable taut. Nobody
ever broke 3/8" winch/aircraft cable, when falling 6".. b4 it grabs.
Later... Jim VE7RF
73,
Dave AB7E
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