Do you own a Petzl Pro-Traxion Hauling Device? READ THIS!

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Mimi

climber
Sep 8, 2006 - 01:45am PT
Dirt, what the heck is the point of using soft aluminum instead of steel in a system that should be designed to resist wear? Do you really carry a bunch of these things with you that the weight savings matter? Just curious.
Lambone

Ice climber
Ashland, Or
Sep 8, 2006 - 04:35am PT
I like my Pro-Trax. Done plenty of heavy hauling with it and aslong as it has some degree of freedom (sling) to piviot on the powerpoint, it will engage and not get tourqued. Put a biner in teh bottom of course.

A friend said he broke his hauling above the hollow flake pitch, he had it clipped straight into one bolt. Crazy part is he got sucked head first into the chimney (hauler not backed up) by his haulbag. He got pretty beat up. He says he thought he had a biner in the holes, but i can't quite believe him. They were able to bail safely, and our conversation was held over beer in Curry.
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Oakville, Ontario, Canada, eh?
Topic Author's Reply - Sep 8, 2006 - 05:16am PT
I'll let you know on the rings.

Funny how now that I brought it up, rather a lot of people have heard of the Pro-Trax failing, eh?
Lambone

Ice climber
Ashland, Or
Sep 8, 2006 - 05:27am PT
anything can fail if you don't clip it in properly...
PD

Big Wall climber
Reno, NV
Sep 8, 2006 - 03:25pm PT
Yeah, he likes to ride out with the haul bags. The incident happened at the top of the Pancake Flake on the Nose -- barely even a lower out. I think the pro traxion was on a few links of chain, and the slightest movement in the direction of pull was enough to cause the failure. Seemingly, there was nothing interfering with the device, and I assumed that there was plenty of room for it to move around during the lower out. In theory it works well, but there must be a swivel on it, and if it so much as touches rock it's possible that could lead to a similar failure. That was in 2002 or so -- they may have changed the design, but I'll be using the Kong device from now on, or just a standard pulley and inverted jumar -- the old fashioned way. We were using it with less than half of its rated capacity -- it should be able to handle that. Petzl replaced the device and our rope that was almost chopped, but didn't say much else.

If I can figure out a way to upload images directly to this post I can show you all what the bent and broken P.O.S looked like after the incident.
Lambone

Ice climber
Ashland, Or
Sep 8, 2006 - 04:46pm PT
try to post the picture!

you need to host your image on another website then link to it here. you could put it on Rockclimbing.com or I am sure someone here Like Pete could host it for you.
John Mac

Trad climber
Littleton, CO
Sep 8, 2006 - 04:57pm PT
PD,
Check out photobucket as a place to store you photos. Once you have them uploaded all you have to do is to copy the code below your photo and paste it here.

The proxtrax seems to work for me. I think the key is the wieght of the bag. Two or three days fine, any more than that you need a larger pulley anyhow...

Cheers,
John

http://www.photobucket.com


Mimi

climber
Sep 8, 2006 - 05:16pm PT
Remember to leave your posted pics in photobucket. If a posted pic gets deleted from photobucket, the link is broken to ST and the pic is gone from the post unless you reload it.
PD

Big Wall climber
Reno, NV
Sep 8, 2006 - 06:04pm PT
here it is:

http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g305/pdronkers/My%20Life%20and%20Ugly%20Mug/Goshute%20Cave%20trip/random%20folder/?sc=1&addtype=local

it's fully closed in the photo. Notice the axle.
Landgolier

climber
the flatness
Oct 1, 2006 - 05:07pm PT
Bumping this b/c of the mention of fatty rap rings. I've never seen the kong ones, but Omega Pacific started selling a fatty rap ring last year about a week after I bought a grip of the scary rolled SMC ones. 20kN, and for $3 they're actually cheaper than using 2 of the old style ones.


('course who knows, they may just be rebadged kongs)

Also, how much of this critique of the pro-trax would apply to the mini-trax as used for TR solo?
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Oct 23, 2006 - 01:40am PT
Better to go with the Fixe 50kn stainless rings...
handsome B

Gym climber
SL,UT
Oct 23, 2006 - 01:48am PT
We just used the mini-trax to haul a wall with multiple 30 meter lower-outs and space-hauls.




No problems. Use long slings to give the system a bunch of play.
Hummerchine

Trad climber
East Wenatchee, WA
Oct 23, 2006 - 11:15pm PT
Sorry, Russ, I'm way behind on checking posts. I saw yours from 8/30/06, personally I find ANY El Cap route to be rad enough for me! Yes, I used a Pro-Traxion, it worked awesome, as usual. I ended up soloing the route, as my partner did not want to continue. Worked out great, as I have wanted to solo another El Cap route after my 1987 solo of the Aquarian. Incredible experience, I loved it. Does freak me out to hear of the problems others have had with the Pro-Traxion. One would think that Petzl would change the design, after hearing all of this. The thing worked brilliantly for me, sounds like I should say fortunately. Lurking Fear ruled, I can't say enough positive about it!
Dirk

climber
Leadville, CO
Oct 24, 2006 - 12:46am PT
My Protrax always hangs flush because I tied a loop of webbing into the clip-in hole, and I always clip the biner to the webbing loop rather than directly to the unit... so it never sits funny on a biner. Used it with moderate loads (~100 lb. bag + ~180 lb. climber jugging) on many walls to no ill effect. IMO it's the bomb.

That said, I think that monkey Rich dropped some bags real far off the Trip a couple of years ago because he didn't clip that biner at the bottom.... oops.
couchmaster

climber
May 27, 2009 - 12:36pm PT
The fatality in Zion last year that was being blamed on Petzl Ascender failure (severing the rope, not necessarily a failure) started with a Protraxion failure. I've been seeing Petes posts about the weakness of the Protrax for years before this 2006 post I think.

"On October 17, 2008, James Welton fell to his death while climbing the Touchstone route in Zion National Park. The National Park Service subsequently conducted an investigation into the cause of the accident in cooperation with the Washington County Sherriff’s office. Their findings have been released. The three-person climbing party had climbed three pitches (approximately 180 feet) without significant event. When the member leading the fourth pitch had reached the pitch’s top anchor, he tied the end of a rope into it. The climbing party’s gear, weighing 104 pounds, was attached to the bottom end of this rope, which was to be used as a haul line. The climbing partner then ran the haul line, which was also Welton’s ascending line, through a Petzl Pro-traxion device, a pulley which incorporates a cam allowing for rope capture as rope is hauled in. The climbing partner pulled 15 feet of slack through the Pro-traxion prior to Welton starting his ascent. The group planned to haul the gear to the top of the fourth pitch after Welton, the second climber, had completed his ascent. The third party member planned to ascend a second rope, the leader’s lead climbing rope. Welton’s fall occurred when the Pro-traxion failed soon after he started to ascend the haul line. The Pro-traxion operates with a cam and pulley mounted to a fixed plate. A sliding plate allows a rope to be inserted into the device. When the sliding plate is properly closed, a button locks the device together. NPS investigators were able to reproduce the failure of the Pro-traxion during informal tests when the device was closed improperly. They noted that the device could appear to be properly closed (but not truly closed) if the device was weighted prior to the side plate sliding into place. When improperly closed, the device can deform when weighted, causing rope to move rapidly past the cam in the unintended direction. When the Pro-traxion failed, the 15 feet of slack ran rapidly through the device, causing Welton to fall this distance while still attached to the rope by his mechanical ascenders. The force generated by the fall transferred to Welton’s ascenders, which severed the rope, resulting in Welton’s tragic fatal fall. [Submitted by Ray O’Neil, Plateau District Ranger]"
Thorgon

Big Wall climber
Sedro Woolley, WA
May 29, 2009 - 10:32pm PT
My Titanium USBA Kozlov designs(USSR)hauling device
has never given me any grief, although if you use a
larger diameter haul line there is the possiblity for
some slippage!!! Anything around 11mm or smaller
is stellar!! The thing is rock solid, however not
sure where you would buy one these days??!!


Safe Hauling,
Thor
rockermike

Mountain climber
May 30, 2009 - 04:17am PT
There was another thread on this accident. Sad no doubt but user error also involved. If I remember the incident correctly they didn't put biner through lower hole in protrax and didn't tie off slack, and had 2nd jugging on rope already weighted with haul bag.
Messages 21 - 37 of total 37 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
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