[TowerTalk] Climbing Harness

[n4zkf]

Tuf-Tug is the only type we use. It sure beats all the clipping on and off all the way up! They do make tie off points if you wanted to use more than one cable. (one SC to the first ring, one SC to the second, etc. Tie offs anywhere around the rings. They have different angle ones as well.

Once I'm up top I use my SRL so I can move anywhere I want to and not worry about clipping on and off unless I'm in one place a long time then the position lanyard is a must. Things sure have changed over the past few decades in PPE.


73 Dave n4zkf
e-mail: n4zkf at n4zkf.com
web: http://www.n4zkf.com
CC-Cluster node: 145.07 Mhz. or telnet://ccc.n4zkf.com:7373
N4ZKF/R 147.375 Mhz. Tone 103.5



On 7/7/20, 2:11 PM, "towertalk-bounces at contesting.com on behalf of wc1m73 at gmail.com" <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com on behalf of wc1m73 at gmail.com> wrote:

    I use a Petzl professional full-body harness. They don't make the model I
    have anymore, but it's pretty close to the AVAO BOD FAST. The Petzl
    harnesses are lightweight compared with other industrial full body
    harnesses, strong, superbly made and well-designed. They're expensive, but
    it's your money or your life, right?

    I use three methods to stay clipped on to the tower at all times:

    First, a fall-arrest Y-lanyard attached to the rear D-ring. One of the
    lanyards is always clipped to the tower as I climb. I have a Y-lanyard with
    large gorilla hooks, but found they're heavy and require some hand strength
    to operate, resulting in greater fatigue while climbing. I replaced that
    lanyard with a Black Diamond Via Ferrata Y-lanyard with smaller, lighter,
    easier-to operate hooks. The downside is that the hooks are too small to go
    around the tower legs, but I'm comfortable with clipping to the rungs on my
    Rohn 55 tower. When I reach my working position. I clip the two hooks as far
    above my head as possible to minimize the length of a potential fall. NOTE:
    As no one that I know of has reviewed use of a Via Ferrata for tower work,
    use one at your own risk.

    Second, I have short "Quickdraw", which is a pair of carabiners connected
    with a 6" nylon strap. I clip one carabiner to my chest D-ring and clip the
    other one to a tower rung when I stop climbing, either for a rest or to
    place the positioning lanyard (see below.) If I don't need to move around
    much when the positioning lanyard is in place, I'll leave the Quickdraw
    attached.

    Third, I have a Petzl adjustable-length positioning lanyard. When I reach
    the work position, I clip the two fall-arrest hooks to the tower, clip on
    with the Quickdraw and thread the positioning lanyard through the tower so
    that it goes around the legs. It's possible to put the positioning lanyard
    around outside of the tower to provide more mobility, but I question whether
    that's advisable and don't do it.

    As I get older, I find that clipping and unclipping the Y-lanyard hooks is
    more and more fatiguing and can lead to hand cramping. So I'm seriously
    considering a safety cable. It's complicated because I have three TIC rings
    on the tower, so the cable would have to pass inside the rings. I'm hoping
    there's a safety cable brand with standoffs of the right length to clear the
    rings and brackets. So far, it looks like the Tuf-Tug cable might do the
    job, and it's specifically rated for attachment to Rohn tower rungs (other
    brands seem to be designed to attach to ladders with thick cross-members and
    it's not clear they would safely attach to Rohn tower rungs.) Again, this is
    an expensive solution, but it's my money or my life.

    73, Dick WC1M 

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Keith Dutson <kdutson at sbcglobal.net> 
    Sent: Tuesday, July 7, 2020 6:47 AM
    To: Tower Talk <towertalk at contesting.com>
    Subject: [TowerTalk] Climbing Harness

    I started climbing back in 1998 when erecting my 150 foot Rohn 45 tower.  My
    ham friend who had been climbing for many years recommended a Miller nylon
    climbing belt with two nylon gorilla hooks to attach while climbing.  This
    has served me well for more than twenty years, but as I get older, I am more
    concerned with safety.  I think it is time for a full body harness with fall
    arrest.  I would use the gorilla hooks attached to the fall arrest.

    What are you using?  I would like some advice, especially regarding fit and
    comfort, as well as performance.  Thanks.

    73, Keith NM5G


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