made myself a custom mini three prong grapplehook, (NOT FOR LIFE SUPPORT!) for treework....to pull branches in closer, retrieve dropped gloves or handsaw, to pull the tail end of a rope in closer, to lower down to the ground to pick up the water canteen etc etc etc etc etc.

PICS LATER TONIGHT!!!!!!

basically all i did was go to Mountain Equipment COOP here in Vancouver, and buy one of these:

Black Diamond TALON hook, made of forged steel, (used for rock climbing as a "piton" or clifftop crack piece)





I then added a eyebolt (3/8" ) and put on a few nuts first for weight, then a split washer, then the Talon, then a NYlock self locking nut on the very end. Add 4 mm static cord, and PRESTO, you have a mini grapple. The hook points face towards the eye of the eyebolt. weighs less than 1/2 a LB, easy to toss , retrieve, lower and it does'nt snag or wrap around limbs . Works incredibly well ! (again, i did NOT make this for life supoort, purely as a third hand tool)


cost me a whopping $14 CDN to make.


PICS SOON!!!!!

as promised PICS!!!!!!

That's a nicely made little tool there.

thanks! i'm pretty dang happy with it!

stay tuned for a second version, with a custom machined solid stainless steel shaft with a single SS Nylock retention nut and washer, and a drilled out top with a small SS 'D' shackle for rope attachment!

Nice work, heavier duty than I need for retreiving throwline and throwbags for traverses but very well designed. I could see using a smaller eyebolt to make a lighter version. The only tweak I can imagine is to file down some of the edges on the hooks so it doesn't chew on throwline and rope or you if it comes back at you fast. Or maybe just dip the sharp parts in some liquid rubber.
-moss

going to be rounding them off smooth, its pretty hard to do on those Talons though, a file just skips right off it ....gotta resort to a carbide wheel.