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If you pull on the device itself, it will slip down the rope. The lack of clear cut basic information is just wrong. that is, after I figured out how it all worked. Be careful. So, I sorted out these issues before they could have been dangerous. I felt completely secure up there. I have an extremely steep roof.
It needs to be noted that your weight cannot be on the device while down-climbing. This may be obvious to those who have used these before, but not to the uninitiated. Pulling on the rope is fine, and necessary; the device will hold. I tested out the whole system hanging barely above the ground before going onto the roof. Other than following the pictures on the box there was nothing indicating which way the shock-absorbing lanyard should attach and very little on how the harness works. Hold the rope, not the device. If you've never worked on roofs or done climbing with ropes, I would not recommend this package.
Those aren't the biggest issues, though.
I haven't done any roofing in about ten years, and I've never before worked on a roof so steep that I felt the need for a rope and harness.
The instructions are, at the same time, overly complicated and missing basic information.
The proper use of the actual fall-arresting ascender is more of a problem.
Too many serious accidents occur to take the risk.
Instead, get a pro to do the work.
The fall protection kit worked great.
The complication is mainly due to required liability, legal mumbo-jumbo.
Grab the body of the device on the way down and it comes with you.
I put the harness on - yes, I had to look at the picture a few times - and clicked in to a roof loop. But it turns out to be great, a big help. I could - with complete confidence - lean right over the gutter, blast it clean with the leaf blower. We have some roof pitches that are 20' over stone - plenty of incentive. I'm Batman. Our roof has loop holddowns built in, so I have no use for the V-shaped roofline gizmo.
The job went by fast, and was kind of fun. I bought this a year ago, finally got around to using it. I was expecting it to be something of a pain, hoping that at least it wouldn't get in the way. I played out the ratchet thing to be taut when I was standing smack at the roof edge.
It really has worked out well and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. We bought this harness for painting our 2 1/2 story house. Dragging the safety line along with you takes some getting use to.
For instance, it could mean that the rope grab is way above your head when it comes to descend. You do get a 100' rope, which is twice the length of competing products. And no extra D-rings for positioning or retrieval. Useful for moving about, but you need to factor this into calculating your fall distance. Whether you feel the need for extra safety, or for OHSA compliance, this is a neat kit with all the essential components. The harness is very basic - no comfort liners in this model. The lanyard and shock-absorber comes as a integrated unit with a total length of 6'.
Once you get it adjusted properly you almost don't notice it anymore. It's worth the price to know that if you do have an accident it's likely to hurt rather than kill. Fortunately, I did not find out how well this product does its job. Having everything you need to get started arrive in one reusable bag is very convenient.
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