Cody Zimmerer gave me 1/2" used arborist ropes that broke at 11kN and 12kN which is super low compared to my 10mm static climbing ropes that break around 18kN. Cory Grossman gave me some new rope of the same type and they broke almost twice as high at 20 and 21kN. Used 3/4" double braided bull run rope broke at 20kn which is also pretty dang low for how thick of a rope it is.
Behind the Scenes
I originally sought after cores shot ropes and an arborist said he had some, sent me "well used ropes" and then sat in the queue for almost a year. I broke them to get them off the to do list and I was surprised such a large diameter rope broke so low. Then I did the VT Prusik VIDEO and Cory said he had some new rope of the exact same type so I thought comparing new vs old would make for a super good enough video as I explore HOW i want to make arborist videos.
After Publishing Thoughts
I feel insecure about making videos on a discipline I know nothing about but then the comments show me how many questions arborists have about their gear that takes an over zealous independent break tester to answer. I think really understanding the gaps and trying to fill them is the magic sauce. Also, it was interesting how many people brought up how tying figure 8s wasn't a standard thing in these ropes. I assume that is true, even before tying them, but it was nice to compare them to all my other rope tests which are tied with figure 8s. Splicing is a deep topic and I hope to do entire break test series on that, and of course testing all sorts of knots. It is nice to see how engaged the arborist community is.
Check out the arborist bridges we tested in this video, also new vs old.
