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Grab the body of the device on the way down and it comes with you. that is, after I figured out how it all worked. This may be obvious to those who have used these before, but not to the uninitiated. I felt completely secure up there.
The complication is mainly due to required liability, legal mumbo-jumbo. So, I sorted out these issues before they could have been dangerous. If you've never worked on roofs or done climbing with ropes, I would not recommend this package. Instead, get a pro to do the work. The fall protection kit worked great. I have an extremely steep roof. The lack of clear cut basic information is just wrong. If you pull on the device itself, it will slip down the rope.
It needs to be noted that your weight cannot be on the device while down-climbing. Hold the rope, not the device. Too many serious accidents occur to take the risk. 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. Be careful.
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. Pulling on the rope is fine, and necessary; the device will hold. The proper use of the actual fall-arresting ascender is more of a problem. The instructions are, at the same time, overly complicated and missing basic information. Those aren't the biggest issues, though.
The job went by fast, and was kind of fun. I could - with complete confidence - lean right over the gutter, blast it clean with the leaf blower. I played out the ratchet thing to be taut when I was standing smack at the roof edge.
We have some roof pitches that are 20' over stone - plenty of incentive. Our roof has loop holddowns built in, so I have no use for the V-shaped roofline gizmo. I bought this a year ago, finally got around to using it.
I put the harness on - yes, I had to look at the picture a few times - and clicked in to a roof loop. I'm Batman. I was expecting it to be something of a pain, hoping that at least it wouldn't get in the way.
But it turns out to be great, a big help.
Dragging the safety line along with you takes some getting use to. We bought this harness for painting our 2 1/2 story house. It really has worked out well and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.
You do get a 100' rope, which is twice the length of competing products. 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 lanyard and shock-absorber comes as a integrated unit with a total length of 6'. For instance, it could mean that the rope grab is way above your head when it comes to descend. The harness is very basic - no comfort liners in this model. And no extra D-rings for positioning or retrieval.
It's worth the price to know that if you do have an accident it's likely to hurt rather than kill. Having everything you need to get started arrive in one reusable bag is very convenient. Fortunately, I did not find out how well this product does its job. Once you get it adjusted properly you almost don't notice it anymore.
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