Harken CLUTCH

The HARKEN CMC CLUTCH descender is the first conventional descender to feature the high-efficiency pulley function.

In standard use, it is a descender as compact as I'D, openable laterally, with a classic handle and an anti-panic.

For advanced techniques, its unidirectional pulley system gives a much better friction coefficient than a conventional descender.
This allows you to avoid friction when climbing rope or in a lifting or pulling system, offering all the advantages of a high-efficiency pulley combined with all the advantages of a self-locking descender.

The HARKEN CLUTCH descender is a luxury product, but it is a unique offer at this level of weight / performance on the market.

The HARKEN CLUTCH descender/pulley is designed for lifting or hauling operations without loss of efficiency and technical rescue.

It facilitates the handling of heavy loads, both downhill and hoist, and can be used both as a main system or as a back-up.
This versatility allows rescuers to adapt to all configurations that can be encountered in the intervention.

Very intuitive to use, it is used as a conventional descender and can engage the rope without disconnection.
With a good compactness for a weight 1/3 higher than an I'D, its anti-panic is naturally hard so as not to be a gene.
Mounted side-by-side, two CLUTCH can be operated with one hand.

Its direct competitors would be CMC MPD and PETZL MAESTRO (cheaper but less compact and heavier: 1000 g instead of 840 g),
but for demanding users, the HARKEN CLUTCH descender/pulley is the most versatile product available today.

Certification:

A very wide international certification level:
* CE Certified
* Conforms to EN 12841: 2006/C - Ø 10,5 to 11,5 mm - 240 kg Load at 0.5 m/s or 200 kg at 2 m/s
* Conforms to EN 341: 2011/2A  - Ø 10,5 mm - 230 kg load for 200 m or Ø 11 mm 240 kg load for 200 m
* Conforms to EN 15151-1: 2012/8 - Ø 10,5 to 11 mm
* Conform ANSI / ASSE Z359.4 - 2013 - Ø 11 mm - 140 kg load for 200 m
* Conform NFPA 1983 (2017 edition) class G - Belay and Descent Control - Ø 10,5 to 11 mm

Advantages:

 * Very robust, mono-block and resistant, it withstands 4000 kg (40 kN) before the Breaking Load Limit (MBS).
* Especially practical when opening, it opens with a double locking side flange (like OMNI pulleys from Rock Exotica), without having to be disconnected from the harness.
* Very original, it opens even at full load because the flange is independent and mounted on a rigid single-block aluminum frame.
* The integrated pulley-blocker, equipped with a large diameter sheave on sealed ball bearings, ensures excellent hoisting performance.
* Beautiful Stainless Steel details guide the rope at the entrance and exit.
* The unidirectional sheave turns freely in one direction but locks in the other direction to switch to descending mode.
* The AUTO-LOCK system automatically locks the rope on descent.
* Once locked, the rope can still be pulled without having to touch the handle.
* The ergonomic handle and the integrated additional brake make it easy to control the descent.
* The transition from the descent position to the hoist position is immediate, without having to transfer the load.
* This allows to be very efficient in the hauling and accurate in positions.
* The HARKEN CLUTCH descender is compatible with ropes from 10.5 to 11,5 mm and allows the handling of loads up to 240 kg on 200 m.
* The installation and extraction of the rope is quick and easy thanks to the guide and marking on the product.
* The handle, facing up, is set for natural use when the device is in descender mode and reversed when the device is placed higher than the user.
* The new faceted V-groove sheave provides both good friction grip on the rope while ensuring a long service life.
* A becket at 22 kN in the lateral part allows the return of rope during the composition of mechanical advantages.
* The classic operation of the handle, as on an I'D or a RIG, allow a good dosage and an optimal grip.
* The handle pierced with a hole and a screw, allows to make a small pulling rope to control the descent from a distance.

Technical Rescue - Rope Access Resue - GRIMP:

Technical rescue or GRIMP teams respond when the situation is especially difficult and requires significant resources to be deployed.
They operate in any terrain. They have complete mastery of all progression and belay techniques on rope.
When the terrain allows, downward evacuation is preferred because of the gravity-assist.
But when it is necessary, upward evacuation is a team effort that requires perfect coordination by everyone involved.
It demands techniques which are sometimes particularly complex: raising systems, mechanical advantage, creating a hauling system using lightweight pulleys, counterweight techniques, etc.
In these situations, the HARKEN CMC CLUTCH pulley offers incomparable advantages in terms of ease and speed.

Paired with twisted carabiners such as KONG DNA, two CLUTCH can be mounted side by side with parallel handles for easy one-handed action.

These Descenders/Pulleys provide the necessary versatility during technical rescue operations: descent, hoisting, handling of heavy loads, use in main system or belay-safety system.

History:

The CLUTCH is the result of the design and product engineering collaboration by two experts with a collective 90 year history in rope management under heavy loads:
* CMC, a company with roots in rescue and rope access and
* Harken Industrial, a manufacturing company with roots in high-performance sailing.

Specifications:

 * HARKEN CMC CLUTCH - IN401 - Ropes from 10.5 to 11,5 mm - Load of 240 kg
* For long descent in heavy load, the CLUTCH accepts 240 kg over 200 m
* Rupture - MBS : 4000 kg or 40 kN
* CE Products
* Standards: EN 12841 : 2006/C ; EN 341 : 2001 / 2A ; EN 15151-1 : 2012 / 8 ; ANSI/ASSE Z359.4 - 2013 ; NFPA 1983 (ed. 2017)
* Weight: 840 g