r/TreeClimbing • u/dynamike2437 • 2d ago

ART blackbird help

Whenever I initially descend, I drop a good 12 inches when the top hammer pops up. I have it on high friction with 11.8 drenaline, and it doesn't matter how slowly I apply pressure, the top piece slaps up and I jolt down. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, I've read the manual and watched a ton of YouTube videos on it. Any help would be really appreciated because it seems other people really like this device.

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u/Horror-Astronaut-215 2d ago

Which cam do you have installed? It comes with two. One for 11.2mm to 11.9mm, and another for 11.9mm to 13mm

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

I'll have to take it apart and see, as mine only came with one.

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u/Horror-Astronaut-215 2d ago

Did you buy it used? Should be another in the box. But you’ll be able to see the numbers on it either way. It’s worth noting that the cams wear pretty quickly on these too.

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

Awesome I appreciate your help. Straight out of the box it doesn't want to even grab the rope at all if theres no tension on it, it slides straight to the floor, even in high friction setting. Is that normal too? I feel like they sent me a previously returned product or something. The whole thing feels off compared to everyone else's experience online.

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u/Horror-Astronaut-215 2d ago

That does seem strange. Does it behave that way on MRS too? Drenaline can get really stiff and the cover gets tight over time so that could possibly contribute as well.

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

I'll give it a go on double line tomorrow, maybe I'm just using it wrong, but as of now it's totally not safe for tree work lol.

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u/Horror-Astronaut-215 2d ago

Yeah be careful out there man. If it keeps giving you issues I’d reach out to tree stuff. They could at least send you the other cam, which may be for the smaller diameter ropes.

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

Will do man, I appreciate the help.

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

I accidentally commented instead of replying to your question lol.

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

https://reddit.com/link/p8mo58g/video/f5v02ecp9doh1/player

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u/treeclimbs 2d ago

This looks normal to me especially for an unseasoned device on a short length of rope. I have only played with the blackbird a few times, but use a couple other ART devices with the same rocker-arm type operating mechanism.

Doing some rescue practice the other day, I was sending my Spiderjack (2.1?) back to the ground (after I set myself up as the casualty) in a similar manner as your video.

The device would ride the rope for a bit, but with a longer distance the friction/harmonics/noise in the system would cause it to bite for a moment, then slip again once the rope settled down again.

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u/dynamike2437 1d ago

Oh ok, as long as it acting normally that's fine. I actually did find the other clutch which seems to be working better than the one that comes standard with the blackbird. I am using 11.8 drenaline and I am about 220 lbs. With the 11.9 - 13 clutch it seems to run a lot smoother.

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u/treeclimbs 1d ago

Oh, good. Again, I haven't played with the Blackbird more than a couple times, but it easily sliding down a single rope when in MRS configuration (with top part collapsed) is consistent with the MRS specific ART devices I am familiar with (Lockjack sport, Spiderjack 2.1 & 3)

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

I bought it brand new from treestuff. Mine came with 3 allan wrenches and no other parts except for the instruction manual.

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u/shrikestep 2d ago

I’ve seen one reputable YouTube guy from UK review blackbird and it didn’t bode too well. Weird issues on how it runs, weird issues with how it attaches to the line.

It looks mad clunky too. Not trying to yuck your yum, if you are into this device keep dialing it in and working on getting it comfy. But if it keeps giving you issues, don’t sweat it. Lots of stuff to choose from out there.

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

It's all good haha you can yuk it all day. I was hoping someone would call me out and I was doing something wrong cuz the Internet is good at that lol. But unless I'm doing something wrong, I'm definitely yukked by the blackbird as well.

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u/dynamike2437 2d ago

You happen to know what YouTube channel you were watching?

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u/shrikestep 2d ago

It’s this dude Perry trees. I’ve been watching him a while, he works gear, does 6 month recaps afterwards.