Semi-Auto Reset Resetting a pulley system in rope rescue can eat up time and limit your throw length. This post covers the Semi-Auto Reset — attaching a cord to the travelling pulley’s rope grab so an edge person can reset the system multiple times faster than walking it out. It covers cord sizing, compatible devices […]
Learn pulley system basics A pulley system lets you haul a rescue load up vertical or sloping terrain, from a single pulley at the anchor to multi-pulley setups for heavier loads and smaller teams. This post covers pulley system setup, the three system types (simple, compound, complex), mechanical advantage, and progression. Pulley system setup Pulley […]
A pulley system progression means stepping up from a smaller mechanical advantage — say a 3:1 simple — to a larger one, like a 5:1 or 9:1 compound, as a haul gets harder. This post tests whether that progression is actually worth it in practice, using load cells to compare the predicted force reduction at 90% pulley efficiency against what haulers really felt, and checks whether some systems in the progression turn out more efficient than others.
Build a 9:1 pulley system with a Jigger Something I am always looking to do is find new ways to make gear more useful. For rescue one of the great tools in the toolkit is the jigger (aka set-of-fours). This is a pre-constructed pulley system made, in this instance, with two double pulleys. It has […]
Pulley versus carabiner efficiency. It’s always a good idea to be prepared for self-rescue when you are out and about climbing, caving, canyoning, or mountaineering. Make sure the gear you have can do the job and you have tried it out. One question that comes up is: Can I use carabiners (to save weight) instead […]
