Jump to content

Belay Plates


robpatterson5

Recommended Posts

no sharp edge formation

the reverso doesn't develop a sharp edge if you alternate the orientation for raps, ie the free-end is sometimes the climber, sometimes the hand. Yes, it changes amount of resistance, no it's not issue is most situations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 39
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

The B-52 was on sale at REI for $8, so I bought one just to try it out. So far I've only used it for belaying and lowering. I've not tried it yet for rappelling or belaying the second. What I can say is that it does not lock off as positively as the ATC. You have to bring the tail down more to lock off, so you can't be careless. It does lower very smoothly.

 

So what would happen if you tried to belay the second with only one carabiner on the anchor? If it was one second and the biner was on the same side as the rope, it looks like it would work. If you were belaying two seconds it appears that it would cocks sideways and perhaps jam, hence the two biners. So supposing you used two biners, only one would have to be locking, right?

 

Trango B-52 Instruction Sheet

 

They only show one locking biner on the anchor regardless of whether one or two seconds are being belayed.

Edited by catbirdseat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I use the B-52 for multipitch routes, I also contacted Trango about some of these same questions I had myself.

 

So what would happen if you tried to belay the second with only one carabiner on the anchor?

 

If you're only using a single rope, you can hang the B-52 on the anchor using a single LOCKING biner, or two

identical non-locking biners with gates opposed.

 

So supposing you used two biners, only one would have to be locking, right?

 

If you have rope through both slots, then you should use two biners. Trango tech rep told me the important thing is that the B-52 should be hanging straight, free from jamming again rocks and other gear. The two biners should be identical, at least in length. But they do not have to be locking biners, non-lockers are ok if you oppose the gates.

 

They only show one locking biner on the anchor regardless of whether one or two seconds are being belayed.

 

Actually, in Trango's instructional sheet they do not show a diagram for belaying two seconds.

Edited by elementalphotos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used the B-52 with two ropes and non-identical biners, a locking Jake and a non-locking positron-type. It causes a slight tilt to the device which, while not ideal, is still functional. Two identical non-locking biners, opposite, AND opposed should work fine, and be perfectly safe. My guess is that ovals would be best, or at least cleanest-looking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a B-52 and I really like it for most duties (belaying, rapping, etc) I think it works great on skinny ropes as well as mid-fats (10.5) and excellent on icy ropes, too. Here is my beef: I haven't gotten the autoblock to work that well in some situations. Recently I ended up on an ice ledge. The only possible belay was from two ice screws placed vertically into horizontal ice (the next vertical section was too far back). I tried to set up an autoblock (for my two followers), but it didn't work at all. i couldn't take in rope. Is this because the device wasn't hanging vertically? I don't have much experience with the autoblock feature so it is hard for me to troubleshoot on my own.

Edited by dbconlin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Darn.

Actually for an ATC I like the BD even with thin ropes. It's simple. If you need more friction just clip a biner to you leg loop and go through that too.

The Reverso is nice though for belaying from above. Many people I know swear by it, but I'm stubborn.

The BD is light and simple.

I found the B52 annoying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well dammit, tell us what it is about the B-52 that you find annoying! I like it better than the ATC because I find it has a smoother action on lowering and rappeling.

 

Let me guess. Because the B-52 is asymmetrical, unlike the ATC, you get annoyed because you keep feeding the rope into the thing backwards. Am I right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nope. It locks up and you have to push it up from the biner with your other hand to unlock it. Some people like it for that reason. But I don't need it, so I don't like it.

I don't think the design will last.

That is strange, I have never experienced that. I wonder what type of carabiner you are using. I've found that the wide rounded ones work way better.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...