Can The Ascender Be Changed To Accommodate An Alternative Rope Size?

FAQ, Procedures

The short answer is that, yes, the ascender can be changed to accommodate alternative rope sizes by the customer’s submission of a change request at the time of ordering.

The modification is affected by changing the design of the capstan to accommodate a specific rope diameter. The capstan has three V shaped grooves about its perimeter to allow for the ropes coursing around it and through an adjoining pulley several times. The grooves shape is designed to grip the rope when the rope is pressed into it as the capstan rotates.

An alternative eleven millimeter capstan can be provided. In fact, the manufacturer may have a few available in stock, as they have designed and produced it in the past. They have also designed a capstan for 8 mm spectra, but have not yet produced it. The process to do so requires adding two weeks to their normal six week manufacturing cycle to have the custom capstans made as they aren’t standard components.

Additionally, other specific sizes can be engineered upon special customer requests. The main consideration is making sure the rope used is specified for the anticipated load. The manufacturer usually asks that customers send a sample of the rope that the customer intends to use, so that the capstan can be tested with it.

Petzl rope does not work well in the PowerQuick ascender, as it has a very firm core and does not seat in the capstan well, and so is prone to excess slippage. On the other hand, PMI rope works great. The ascender also likes Blue Water and several other brands. PowerQuick manufacturing is not sure about Mammut or Sterling. We understand Sterling manufactures for Petzl, so it may be the same. If the customer has access to PMI rope, we suggest they plan on using that, then try the others. The test is simple, the ascender will either climb or not climb a given rope. A lot of our customers experiment with different rope and report the results to us so we can add them to our recommended ropes.

We do not charge customers to test a sample of their rope. They only have to send it.

The address for PowerQuick’s rope test facility is:

PowerQuick Inc.

Rope Test Sample

232 Gold Pan Way

Dayton, NV 89403

We need about 20 ft of rope. Be sure to include a note with the ropes brand name, rope size, who we reply to with the results, and who their distributor is. It takes a day to test a rope, so turn around is pretty quick.

admin @ August 7, 2008