Drop-Roll	Equilibrium Set

Overview

[ Top | Equilibrium Set | Return to Rope Grabs ]

Drop-Roll
(#1805)

Front	Rear

Side	Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Krok Drop Roll from Gear4Rocks in 2013. Gear4Rocks is the same company as Krok, the only difference is that the Krok trademark sells gear only inside the Ukraine, and the Gear4Rocks trademark was created to spread Ukrainian gear around the world.

My Krok Roll is 67 mm. long, 80 mm. wide, 28 mm. high, and weighs 246 g. The Roll consists of a spring-loaded pivoting steel lever and a fixed anvil mounted between two steel plates. The rear plate is stationary, while the front plate pivots on the lever axle so that it may be opened to admit the rope. The anvil is attached to the rear plate with two rivets, one of which is extended to engage a notch in the front face plate. The front plate has a l4 mm. attachment hole and a 20 mm. lightening hole. The rear plate has similar holes, except there is a pulley riveted to the rear plate. The pulley width is 13.5 mm. and the diameter is 27.6 mm. The pulley has a 1.7 mm. deep U-shaped groove around the circumference. The central hole in the pulley shaft is 13 mm. in diameter.

The pivoting side plate is stamped with the Krok logo, a book-with-an-"i" icon, and "06 12."

Comments

The Krok Roll resembles some of the Krok Drops and the Ural Alp Steel Basic ascender. The Roll can be used as a rope grab, an ascender, a descender, or inverted and used as a pulley.

[ Top | Roll | Return to Rope Grabs ]

Drop-Roll with Equilibrium Set
(Капля-РОЛ с Набор Эквилибр)
3601_35.94
(#2821)

Front	Rear	Top

Bottom	Front: Open for Rigging	Rear: Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Krok Equilibrium Set, fully assembled, from Krok in 2021.

My assembled Equilibrium Set is 154 mm. long, 145 mm. wide, 28 mm. high, and weighs 309 g.

The Equilibrium Set consists of two parts: a Drop-Roll ascender and the Equilibrium Set handle assembly. Since these are sold separately and the Drop-Roll can be used alone, I'll describe them separately.

Drop-Roll (Капля-Рол ):

This Drop-Roll is 65 mm. tall, 85 mm. wide, 28 mm. thick, and weighs 187 g. The Roll consists of a spring-loaded pivoting stainless steel lever and a fixed anvil mounted between two aluminum alloy plates. The rear plate is stationary, while the front plate pivots on the lever axle so that it may be opened to admit the rope. The front plate has a l4.9 mm. attachment hole and a 15.8 mm. central attachment hole. The rear plate has similar holes, except there is a bollard riveted to the rear plate. The bollard width is 13.5 mm. and the diameter is 21.6 mm. The pulley has a 1.7 mm. deep U-shaped groove around the circumference. The central hole in the pulley shaft is 14 mm. in diameter.

The rocker arm is 52 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. Each end has a 4.5 mm. radius, and the central straight has a shallow U-shaped rope groove. A pin pressed through the rocker extends through an arcuate groove in the rear plate, limiting the rocker’s motion to about 45°.

The anvil is attached to the rear plate with two rivets, one of which is extended to engage a notch in the front face plate. The outside of the anvil is semi-circular with one groove near the rocker arm forming a tooth, and three more forming teeth near the bottom.

The pivoting side plate is etched with ’"Капля-РОЛ," "(и зажим, и спусковое)" (both clamp and trigger), the Krok logo, "EN 12841-2014/B," "Max 300 кг Ø 10," "Max 550 кг Ø 11," "Max 600 кг Ø 12," and "MBS 15 kN." The rear is etched with "EAC," "TP TC," "019/2011," a book-with-an-"i" icon, the Ukrainian Conformity Mark, and "20.01.21.10." The front of the extended anvil rivet has a rigging illustration etched on its head. The inside of the rear plate is etched with "Верх" (top) and a an illustration of cable with a loop at the top.

Equilibrium Set (Набор Эквилибр)

The equilibrium set consists of a handle with rubber grip, a bushing, and a set screw. The handle is 154 mm. tall, 97 mm. wide, and 16 mm. thick. The set weights 122 g. The bushing is 29.8 mm. in diameter, extends 9.8 mm. from the handle, and has a smaller projection to fit the h0le in the handle and keep everything centered. The circumference of the bushing has a 1 mm. deep U-shaped groove.

Assembling the Equilibrium Set to a Drop-Roll is easy: just place the handle over the bollard of the Block Roll, slide the bushing in place, and tighten the set screw.

Comments

The Krok Drop-Roll resembles some of the Krok Drops and the Ural Alp Steel Basic ascender. The Roll can be used as a rope grab, an ascender, a descender, or inverted and used for hauling.

1. ПодЪём = Rise, 2. Позиционирование = Positioning, 3. Спуск = Descent, 4. Фиксация = Fixation

The primary function of the Drop-Roll is to act as a rope grab. It performs this function reasonably well, provided the safety line is not tensioned. Since the Drop-Roll and other rocker-arm rope grabs rely on bending the rope to provide grip, they should not be used on tensioned lines.

As an ascender, the Drop-Roll is small and reliable, but inefficient. It operates on the same principles as the Camp Lift and similar ascenders. To rig it as an ascender, follow the instructions given for the Camp Lift. As with all ascenders of this type, there is a significant lost motion with each step. I wouldn't choose the Drop-Roll for a long climb, but it’s small size makes it attractive for short, remote drops.

As a descender, the Drop-Roll is essentially a bobbin. The rope follows the standard S-shaped path that defines a bobbin. This is why the outside of the anvil is semicircular. The Drop-Roll provides much tighter rope bends than standard bobbins, and so I do not recommend it for general use. It should only be used for descending more flexible ropes.

Since the bollards do not turn, the Drop-Roll is not as efficient for hauling as a pulley would be; however, it is better than a carabiner and will work in a pinch.

The Equilibrium Set adds a handle to the Drop-Roll. The bushing design allows the handle to rotate freely. Since the bushing is retained by a single set screw, a loose screw can result in the bushing coming loose and the handle coming off the Drop-Roll. I recommend using a thread-locker such as Loc-tite on this screw. I adcise against tying into the handle without adequate backup, either by a secondary connection to the Drop-Roll or by other redundant features in one’s vertical system.

Warning: The Equilibrium set handle is held on by a single set screw. Do not LOAD THE HANDLE OR rely on the handle staying connected to the drop-roll.

[ Top | Roll | Equilibrium Set ]