Instructions
Step-by-Step Guide
Scroll down through the pictures to view the
step by step instructions for each aspect of the Top Hand Tripod.
There are also video instructions on the videos page.
The Rally Clip:
To unwind the Rope:
Top operate the Rope Lock:
There is no good way to describe the rope lock using pictures so we will describe this in the following steps;
1. Loop the rope around the animals leg using the hook provided.
2. You must lift the weight of the animals leg with one hand while pulling down on the rope tail with your other hand.
3. You must let go of the weight or animal leg before letting go of the tail for the rope to engage the knurled lock pin inside the head which will lock the rope.
4. To lower the leg or drop the weight, you must lift up on the weight and give the rope tail a tug to free up the knurled lock pin in the head. Then you must let go of the rope tail before dropping the weight and the rope tail will freely slide thru the head while you lower the weight or animal leg.
Helpful Tips:
You can set the tripod up low with its legs fully extended. With the rope looped around and hooked onto the animals leg, get the rope to lock in the head and then stand the legs of the tripod up which will in turn lift the animals leg with leverage. You can lower or reposition the animals leg by using the tripod legs this way too, only use caution not to bend the tripod legs while positioning them to the terrain. And remember the lower you take the top of the tripod the less grip the legs will have on the ground. So always use caution and take your time.
You can also create a pulley block system with an additional lap-link hook an short piece of cord. You build a pulley block setup by attaching the extra lap-link and cord around the animals leg. Get the rope to lock in the head with the tripod's lap-link hook pulled up to within a couple inches from the bottom of the head. Take the rope tail and run it down thru one of the hooks on the extra lap-link. Then run the tail back up to one of the hooks under the head and then back down again to the other hook on the extra lap-link. Now you can pull up on the rope tail and you will be lifting only 1/3 of the weight of the animals leg. Once you reach the desired height you will be holding the rope tail pulled up beyond the top of the head where you will then wrap it around one of the standoffs on the top of the head and lock it into the crease of the standoff or simply weave the rope a few times on the side of the rope cleats on the head. Extra lap-links are available on the peripherals page.
Under normal conditions the rope lock will hold considerable amounts of weight. But if your rope has been used a lot and has gotten animal fat into it to where you may notice on rare occasion that it may want to slide back thru the lock mechanism in the head, if this ever happens you can simply hitch the rope around one of the screw standoffs on top of the head to secure the rope tail. This can also be an additional safety measure to ensure the rope will not ever slip in the head, though it is not always necessary.
To wind the Rope:
Rope Storage Options:
To open the Legs:
To close the Legs:
To remove the Leg:
To attach the Leg:
To operate the Leg Locks:
DO NOT OVER ROTATE!!
