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rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 3:47 pm
by gjm6syn6
So I've got an 18" smc rack with the u-bars (straight eye), totally love the thing, but I've got an issue with uneven wear. I always align the rope in the center of the rack before I load it, but as I rap the rope migrates to the outside of the rack, where it stops against the frame (eye side). This has gone on long enough to where I'm starting to get some wear into the frame :( Can I solve this issue by using a different set of brake bars? Or is there a better way?

Thanks,
Gjm

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 4:05 pm
by Scott McCrea
What style harness are you using?

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 4:16 pm
by gjm6syn6
I'm using a belay loop style harness

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 4:20 pm
by Scott McCrea
How do you attach your rack? What I'm getting at is the orientation of your rack. When you are hanging from it, is it oriented so that it is perpendicular to your body or parallel?

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 4:25 pm
by gjm6syn6
When I'm hanging I've got the open end pointing directly out in front of me, so I suppose that would be parallel.

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 4:33 pm
by Scott McCrea
So, you have a biner, or some sort of link, connecting the eye of your rack to the belay loop?

Usually, rope will track straighter thru a rack that is oriented perpendicular. Turning a rack all or part of the way parallel and the rope run over a hip, will pull the rope diagonally thru the bars.

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 4:47 pm
by gjm6syn6
Hmm, I'm confused as to which way is parallel and which way is perpendicular. Just for clarification, I ride with the frame of the rack at a 90° angle to my body, and usually run the rope down between my legs.

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 5:03 pm
by Scott McCrea
Image
Looking down from above.

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 5:04 pm
by gjm6syn6
Perfect! Lol, I ride perpendicular :)

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 5:06 pm
by Scott McCrea
Ok. Back on track... When you say outside of the rack, do you mean away from your body?

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 5:11 pm
by gjm6syn6
I was referring to the frame, the rope is sliding over to the closed end of the frame closest to my body.

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 5:19 pm
by Scott McCrea
Haha! Can you take picture of your rack showing the wear pattern? Maybe one with a rope running thru it the way you are describing?

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 5:51 pm
by gjm6syn6
https://picasaweb.google.com/1157064741 ... directlink Luckily, I happen to have a rope up in the yard! Let me know if you need some higher quality (these are phone pics)

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 6:25 pm
by bcrowell
I had the same issue with my rack in its original configuration. Looking at your photos with the rope in the rack, you can see that the top bar is canted (not perpendicular to the rack frame) a bit when it is loaded, this causes the rope to track to the side and rub the frame. What I did was buy a big, circular stainless bar with a groove in it. The big bar has tighter tolerances than the other bars and remains perpendicular to the rack frame. This solved the problem by making the rope go where I wanted it to go, down the middle of the rack. I'd imagine that a smaller grooved top bar that couldn't be walked around the end of the rack might also do the trick, as long as it was not canted. Good luck, in short, I'd find a bar arrangement that puts the rope where you want, which probably means you will need to buy a bar. I'm sure some others have other ideas and experiences that would work too.

Re: rack wear

PostPosted: Dec 19, 2011 6:31 pm
by gjm6syn6
Replacing the top two bars is definitely going to be my first move, I hadn't even thought about it being canted though.