Old school vs new school on rope hitches - still use a bowline?

Honestly, I used to tie a bowline on every single governor rope I installed. That was the way I learned from the old timers 15 years ago up in Chicago. Now I just use a compression clamp and call it a day. It's faster and I don't have to worry about the knot slipping under load. But last week I had an older mechanic on site who saw my work and gave me an earful about how the clamp can fail if the rope gets oil soaked. He said he's seen two clamps pop off in his 30 years. Made me second guess myself. Do you guys still bother with knots on modern governor ropes or is everyone running clamps now?

2 comments

2 Comments

chen.casey1mo ago

Clamps work fine, old timers just hate change.

evaallen29d ago

People get stuck in their ways and forget what it's like to learn something new. Clamps are simple and do the job without all the fuss of newer systems. You're not wrong for liking what works for you.