[TowerTalk] How to Clip on with a Fall Arrest Lanyard

[Gary K9GS]

Hi Scott...oh absolutely. Good to hear you have found a safe and workable solution. I just wanted to point out my experience from a long time ago. 73,Gary K9GS
-------- Original message --------From: K9MA <k9ma at sdellington.us> Date: 9/7/20  10:36 AM  (GMT-06:00) To: towertalk at contesting.com Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] How to Clip on with a Fall Arrest Lanyard Hi Gary,I'm sure steel cables and cable grabs are still used, but I found the rope to be much cheaper and, as far as I can tell, perfectly adequate.73,Scott K9MAOn 9/6/2020 11:42 PM, Gary K9GS wrote:> Hi Scott,That's certainly different from the type of lifeline I have used.In the one I used,  the tower had a steel cable that was about 8 inches from the face of the tower and it ran from the top to about 10 feet from the ground.  It was under a bit of tension and if I recall, had a heavy duty spring on the bottom that allowed some give in the cable while climbing. The top was a very heavy steel bar bolted horizontally to the top of the tower.There were also steel standoffs about every 20 feet to keep the cable evenly spaced from the tower face.So you climbed up 10 feet, attached the "grab" to the cable and went up.  The standoffs were designed to allow the grab to slide past going up and down.The was before the days when people wore fall arrest lanyards; the grab was attached to your positioning belt right in front.The grab slid freely up and down the cable until you leaned back..then it grabbed the cable.This was, I believe, professionally installed.  The tower was a big 150 ft windmill type tower that had a ladder installed on one face.I imagine this would work with a fall arrest lanyard the same way as long as the lanyard was short so as to not get in the way.Now this was back in the early 80s.  I wonder if these are still used?I also used a similar one on a 60 foot monopole installed on a 300 foot building for a FM radio antenna. 73,Gary K9GS> -------- Original message --------From: K9MA <k9ma at sdellington.us> Date: 9/6/20  10:59 PM  (GMT-06:00) To: towertalk at contesting.com Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] How to Clip on with a Fall Arrest Lanyard I normally use double fall arrest lanyards from the dorsal ring, one of which is always attached to the tower. However, if I'm going to be making multiple trips, I'll install the lifeline. Installing it, of course, requires one trip with the double lanyards. The lifeline attaches to something solid near the top of the tower, like a shackle through a corner of the top plate. I tie down the bottom end just to keep some tension on it so the rope grab doesn't pull it up when I climb. I attach the front D ring of my harness to the rope grab with a short fall arrest lanyard. Once the lifeline is in place, I can dispense with the fall arrest lanyards, until it's time to take it down. The rope grab will follow me up the tower, but I usually push it ahead to reduce the fall distance. I have to manually lower it every step or two, but that's still easier and faster than the gorilla hooks on the double lanyards. The rope grab is also a lot lighter than the lanyards and gorilla hooks.If I'm just making one or two trips up the tower for a small job, of course, it's not worth the trouble of putting up the lifeline. It's polypropylene, so it can't be left up permanently. Even though polypropylene isn't all that strong, it is so big that it's rated for 6,000 pounds.If I'm going to be working above the end of the lifeline, like standing on the top plate, I have to use the double fall arrest lanyards.By "fall arrest lanyard", I mean one designed to break a fall sort of gently, with stitching that breaks, or some other mechanism. I haven't tried it, but I suspect such an arrested fall is likely to be painful. But not as painful as hitting the ground.Lifeline <https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HJFTHRU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1>Rope Grab <https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CPMZB7I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1>73,Scott K9MAOn 9/6/2020 8:47 PM, Kim Elmore wrote:> Would you mind being a bit more detailed about this? What it is, > exactly, and how you manage it? I think I know, but I want to be > certain. Also, if there's a permanently-installed a safety line on a > tower, what's required to properly use it?>> Kim N5OP>> On 9/6/2020 4:17 PM, K9MA wrote:>> I’ve been using a 5/8 inch lifeline and a rope grab. It takes one >> trip with the gorilla hooks to put it up, and another to take it >> down, but all the other trips are much easier.>>>> 73,>> Scott K9MA>>>> ---------->>>> Scott Ellington>>>>   --- via iPad>>>>> On Sep 6, 2020, at 12:05 PM, Dick Green WC1M <wc1m73 at gmail.com> wrote:>>>>>> 4. All this further convinces me that a safety cable is the best way >>> to climb a tower. I plan to install one on my Rohn 55 tower provided >>> I can find one with enough clearance to pass through the three TIC >>> rings on my tower.>> _______________________________________________>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________>> TowerTalk mailing list>> TowerTalk at contesting.com>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk-- Scott  K9MAk9ma at sdellington.us______________________________________________________________________________________________TowerTalk mailing listTowerTalk at contesting.comhttp://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk> _______________________________________________>>>> _______________________________________________> TowerTalk mailing list> TowerTalk at contesting.com> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk-- Scott  K9MAk9ma at sdellington.us______________________________________________________________________________________________TowerTalk mailing listTowerTalk at contesting.comhttp://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk