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StarTraverse Rescue 540° Rescue Belay

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Overview


Notice:

On February 11, 2001 I received a phone call from CMC Rescue informing me that there was a problem that appeared on some of the early Traverse Rescue 540° Rescue Belay devices. They also emailed the following notice to me. It appears that this problem has been corrected, but there may be some early users who did not get the word. CMC and Traverse Rescue both deserve praise for promptly notifying me of the problem, and also, in the case of Traverse Rescue, providing an immediate solution. It is not uncommon for a new product to have a few "glitches," and when they are promptly corrected, as they are in this case, the product is only made better.

This is the note I received from CMC Rescue:

CMC Customer,

This is a copy of the letter of notification for all persons and services who recently purchased a 540 Rescue Belay, manufactured by Traverse Rescue. We have also faxed you the notification letter.

If you have any questions or concerns please call the Traverse toll free number at 888/599-3355. Also, please feel free to call me personally if you have any questions regarding this matter.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

Libby Straight

Libby Straight
Customer Service Supervisor
CMC Rescue Inc.
lstraight@cmcrescue.com
Phone : 800-235-5741 ext. 511
Fax : 800-235-8951
www.cmcrescue.com

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COPY OF NOTIFICATION LETTER SENT TO CMC RESCUE FOR MODIFICATION of the 540 RESCUE BELAY
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TRAVERSE
RESCUE
A FERNO GROUP COMPANY

TRAVERSE RESCUE
#103-2689 Kyle Road
Kelowna, B.C.
CANADA V1Z 2M9

Tel: (250)769-0723 Fax: (250) 769-0751
Website: traverserescue.com


February 5, 2001

To Whom It May Concern:

SUBJECT: 540 RESCUE BELAY

This is a letter of notification, to all Person(s) and or Services who recently purchased a 540 Rescue Belay, manufactured by Traverse Rescue. We are specifically referencing 540 Rescue Belays with lot numbers, 0001 as well as F1001 through and including F1005.

We have had two reports of the retaining ring (this holds the Push-Pin in place) working it’s way out, which then allows the Push-Pin, and subsequently all of the Ball-Locks, to come out of the Pulley-Pin Assembly. At this point, the Front Plate cannot be locked into place.

You are in our records as having received a 540 Rescue Belay from one of the above-noted lot numbers. We are asking you to return this unit to us so that we can make the necessary modification, thereby ensuring this will not occur on your unit.

To make this process as easy as possible for you, we ask that you package it in a small box and return it via Fed Ex using their Three Day International Service. Billing should be to our Fed Ex account number, which is [DELETED- GDS]. Please make sure that you include your return address, contact person and phone number inside the box so that we can return it to you without interruption.

We will be able to make the required modifications on the same day we receive your unit, and will Fed Ex it back to you either the same day or the next working day.

Our address for the return shipment is: Traverse Rescue, 103-2689 Kyle Road, Kelowna, B.C., CANADA V1Z 2M9.

We apologize for the inconvenience this causes you. We are taking every step possible to make this modification at no cost to you, and to make it in as quick a time possible.

Traverse Rescue is committed to providing you with the highest quality products and service, so if you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call toll free at (888) 599- 3355. We also would welcome any comments or critiques of your 540 Rescue Belay based on your use of it to-date.


Sincerely,

Randy K. Sawatzky
Managing Director
Traverse Rescue

I sent my 540° Rescue Belay to Traverse Rescue as they instructed, and received it back a week later. They drilled an upwards hole in the bottom of the spool, and apparently added a screw or similar assembly then sealed the hole, making it difficult to see exactly what the change was. In any case, the problem is solved, and the service provided by Traverse Rescue was excellent.


Large
(#756)

Front Rear
Front Rear
 
Side Open for Rigging
Side Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I received my Traverse Rescue 540° Rescue Belay in January 2001.

The 540° consists of a clutch-mounted oval spool fitted between two side plates. The side plates are 4.2 mm. anodized aluminum. The side plates are shaped much like rescue pulley side plates, including a D-shaped hole at the top of each for rigging, and two bends each to bring the plates together at the rigging hole. The front side plate can be removed to provide access to the spool assembly during rigging. A central hole aligns the front plate with the spool. An aluminum bar is fastened to each wing of the front plate with Philips head machine screws. The inner side of each bar is ribbed. The bars are tenoned at each end, one end is fastened to the front plate as just described and the other fits into a slot cut in the rear plate. The rear plate has an additional cut to provide clearance for the release lever axle to be discussed. Two aluminum cylinders are bolted to the rear plate. They are free-spinning because the release lever (described below) acts against them. They also function to hold the release lever away from any rock (or building) face during use. The front and rear plate are connected by a cord with a tubing cord protector.

The spool is mounted on an aluminum shaft that is tenoned to the rear side and held in place with a Philips-head Machine Screw. The other end of the shaft has four 8 mm. steel balls and a push button arranged similar to a quick-release pin: these are what hold the front plate on. The spool is 69 mm. high by 51 mm. wide oval-shaped aluminum block. The block appears to be extruded. Seven circular holes and two larger, irregular hole lighten the block. The block is free to rotate on the shaft to about 25° either side of center. A spring-loaded clutch holds the spool in one of three equilibrium positions: left, center, and right. A 4.8 mm. stainless steel pin protrudes 14 mm from each side of the spool.

A spacer and hex cap screw pass through a slot in thee rear plate and attach a release lever to the rear of the spool. A weak spring attached to small 2.3 mm. pins on the lever and spool tends to keep the release lever centered.

The front plate has the Traverse Rescue Logo, "Patent Pending," "540° Rescue Belay," "11.5≤Ø≤13.0 mm," and a diagram showing rigging instructions printed on it. The rear plate has "MEETS NFPA 1983 (95 ED.)," the Underwriters Laboratory label, "MBS 36 KN General Use," another Traverse Rescue Logo, and "Lot: 0001" printed on it. The inside of the rear plate has two illustrations showing the rope wound counter-clockwise and clockwise, respectively, and "OK" between.

Comments

Warning:
None of the machine screws are load-bearing; but if they are removed then it appears that the device could fall apart in use. For this reason, I recommend checking these carefully before use. It is also important that the front plate be securely fastened prior to use.

RiggingThe 540° is rigged by opening the front plate, wrapping the rope one and a half turns around the spool, and closing the front plate. The spool should be centered with the release lever if necessary. When a heavy load is encountered in use, the spool will rotate to one side and squeeze the trailing end of the rope between the spool and the wing bars. This provides a dramatic increase in friction (you do remember the snubbing formula, don't you?). Considering that the rope only makes a 540° pass around the spool as opposed to 900° on other devices such as the Bassett Metal Studios Belay Spool or the Single Rope Technique RBM Belay Spool, the additional friction generated this way is easily appreciated.

The 540° is well-designed and well-made, and should be a welcome addition to the rescuer’s toolbox; however, it is more complex than some of the alternatives so proper training and practice is important (as always).

The Traverse Rescue 540° Rescue Belay received U.S. Patent #6,378,650 in 2002.

Instructions Instructions Instructions

Small
(#800)

Front Rear
Front Rear
 
Side Open for Rigging
Side Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I received my small Traverse Rescue 540° Rescue Belay in September 2004.

This is a small Version of the 540° Rescue Belay, designed for 10.6 to 11.6 mm. ropes. At first, the difference between the large and small model isn't obvious: the plates appear to be the same size, as do the spools, and the space between the bars is the same. The difference appears to be limited to the slot on the back plate: it is 43.9/51.2 mm. wide (top & bottom) on the large version, and 51.5/55.5 mm. wide on the small version. This allows the spool to rotate farther on the small version.

The markings on my small Traverse Rescue 540° Rescue Belay differ slightly from the large one. The changes to the front plate are "10.6≤Ø≤11.6mm" instead of the larger rope size, and adding the word "SMALL." The changes to the rear plate are "MEETS NFPA 1983 (2001 ED.)" instead of the 1995 edition, adding "CE 0194," and the lot number is "Lot: 300388-08." printed on it. The markings inside of the rear plate are unchanged.

Comments

The "bigger is better" crowd will prefer the large model, while those of us who use 11 mm ropes in our daily lives will find the smaller model more to our liking.

Instructions Instructions

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