Mule Tape

[Jovankat]

I've seen this stuff mentioned a bunch of times around here, usually with glowing reports. I was looking into buying a whole bunch for my spineless monkey huts this year but I'm wondering about how well it holds knots given that it is lubricated and flat rather than round. I did a google search of the boards but couldn't find any discussion about this side of things, just lots of talk about how cheap and strong it is.

What I do with my huts is run two lengths of cord down the inside of the hut with a clove hitch around each rib to hold them all the right distance apart. The idea is this line is taut and can thus replace the rigid spine. I use a clove hitch because is can be tied in line rather than messing around with poking 30' of length through the knot. The clove hitch is also good because it's easy to adjust once the hut is standing to make sure the length between each rib is correct. Would tying an inline clove hitch be easy enough with the flat tape shape of mule tape? Would the lubricant be a problem with keeping everything taut and the distance from rib to rib correct?

Thanks in advance ePlayans!

[watchyourfeet]

I have had no problems tying knots in mule tape, including clove hitches. I can't imagine your pvc moving along the length of the "spine" once it's under tension. Good luck!

[FIGJAM]

I'm not sure all brands are lubed.

It's nylon, so it is pretty slick.

Still no problems though.

[motskyroonmatick]

My experience with mule tape is that it holds well done knots really well but when i look for it it seems expensive. I use paracord or bailing twine.

[FIGJAM]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-4-x-500-2500- ... 1758637571

You can't get rope that cheap or that strong for cheaper than this!!!

[Jackass]

The utility companies use this stuff to pull runs of heavy electrical cables all day long, it's boss...

[KnotJim]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-4-x-500-2500- ... 1758637571

You can't get rope that cheap or that strong for cheaper than this!!!

I ordered 200 ft of this two days ago, your right you can't buy rope that cheap even on ebay.
It's going to be perfect for my spineless monkey hut build too. I'm going to use constrictor knots for the rib spacing and just for good measure throw a few figure 8's of duct tape around the knots to prevent sliding. Going to do three rows of this equal distant along the arch, this will give it three guy out points and should give the structure a little more stability.

[mgb327]

I use Slick-Tape all the time. The link shows the heavier grade, there is a 1800 lb grade that will still pull out a tree stump. Best stuff on the planet, bar none. Easy to tie knots and very easy to untie as well. It is all I use.

[silas thatcher]

i use the stuff at work sometimes and yes it is slick !! a well done knot ( bowline, sheet bend, double sheet bend is all i use ) backed up with half hitches and then secured with tape and it will hold.... to cut it, i usually twist it so it is rounder and cut them with lineman's side cutting pliers (kleines ) or dikes....if my kleines are getting a little dull, wrap it with tape after twisting and then they will cut neatly....

for securing, a trucker's hitch is better than a taut line hitch due to it's slickness.....

[Soliton]

I looked carefully at getting mule tape instead of rope, but the only stuff I could find was pre-lubricated (some type of dry lube). The research I did on the web indicated that the lube would come out when wet and could stain or leave deposits on everything it was in contact with (unless washed first). I didn't want to wash hundreds of feet of the stuff, so I went with rope.

That said, the price point for its strength is way better than anything else around. I don't have personal experience with the stuff, so I'm glad you started the thread.

Soliton

[Jovankat]

I messaged the eBay selled from the link Figjam posted and that stuff isn't lubricated.

I bought 2000 feet of it

It was a little more expensive than Amazon but the lack of lubricant sold me.

Thanks for the help guys.

[skippy3k]

Hmm...so I bought 500 feet of the same stuff from the same seller and just received it yesterday. It's not lubricated, but it's pretty slick...slick enough to cause a problem for me in regards to the knots I was going to use.

A slip knot works great with it, but the Midshipman's Hitch doesn't hold a load, and this was the primary knot I would be using for guy lines. It basically just becomes another slip knot.

Does anyone else have this problem with mule tape and is there an alternative knot you would suggest for guy lines? I liked the Midsipman's Hitch because it allowed me to adjust the tension as needed without retying. The trucker's hitch seems to work but it doesn't allow adjustments without retying.

[ygmir]

thing about the truckers hitch, is it does lock. and, you can back that lock up, undo the lock easily for adjustment and such.

[Canoe]

I like tying a loop into the line part way up from the 'stake' towards the attachment point. Run the guy-line down to the 'stake', then backup and through that loop (as a 'pulley'), then back down towards the 'stake', tie off (along the guy-line or back at the 'stake'). Gives you leverage on tensioning the guy-line, and less load on the tie-off knot.

Depending on the load you put on the guy-line, you may or may not be able to undo the loop-knot. Wrapping/twisting it twice before pulling the loop through gives you a better chance at undoing the loop later, but it's only a chance. But if you're making dedicated guy-lines (likely), then that doesn't matter.

[skippy3k]

Canoe - Sounds a lot like the trucker's hitch. I may have to just use that one. I'll play around with the mule tape and that knot and see how it works.

[Just_Joe]

Canoe - Sounds a lot like the trucker's hitch. I may have to just use that one. I'll play around with the mule tape and that knot and see how it works.

Yup.
My Truckers Hitch = bowline (coolest knot ever) + alpine butterfly (using rope, can always be untied) + slippery half hitch.

[Canoe]

My loop isn't made with a bowline. No way it can slip/come undone. If it's put under a lot of load, you can usually forget about getting the loop undone.

[Just_Joe]

My loop isn't made with a bowline.

Neither is mine. It's on the static part of the line, tied to or slipped over the carport/shade fitting/eyebolt/tree/beam/tow hook or even person, in which case it's referred to as a Rescue Knot.
I can always untie bowlines used in a (nylon rope) truckers hitch. Mule tape may be another story.