Rope ratchets and counterweights

Got my first set of rope ratchets yesterday and will hopefully be able do some testing tomorrow.

The underlying mechanic seems quite scary to me and prone to mishaps and miscalculations.
"Respect the ratchet" seems to be sound advice.

But of course the mind wanders and comes up with ways to use them in the most devilish way possible.

Has anyone here tried to use them with a small counterweight, so that every inch of slack you feed into the ratchet is immediately taken away? You can limit the extent of the continous pull by adjusting the length of the rope, so at one point the weight will hit the ground and no longer tighten every inch of rope it's receiving.

Definetly not trying that without a panic hook in reach no matter what.

Not with a rope ratchet, but I have done this sort with a set of diving weights.
The weights kept the ropes tight even after sitting on the floor.
You can also use weight lifting weights as well.
The nice thing about this setup, is that you can have an emergency pull string setup so if something starts to go wrong, one quick pull and the weights pop off the rope allowing you to get free.
I don’t think you can do that with a rope ratchet.

[Like Ra]

Not with a rope ratchet, but I have done this sort with a set of diving weights.

Something like this? https://www.likera.com/sb/tech/weight1.php

Got my first set of rope ratchets yesterday and will hopefully be able do some testing tomorrow.

The underlying mechanic seems quite scary to me and prone to mishaps and miscalculations.
"Respect the ratchet" seems to be sound advice.

But of course the mind wanders and comes up with ways to use them in the most devilish way possible.

Has anyone here tried to use them with a small counterweight, so that every inch of slack you feed into the ratchet is immediately taken away? You can limit the extent of the continous pull by adjusting the length of the rope, so at one point the weight will hit the ground and no longer tighten every inch of rope it's receiving.

Definetly not trying that without a panic hook in reach no matter what.

Fear the ratchet. Alternatively limit the rope by tying a knot into it. Also bring a pair of sharp scissors.

Not with a rope ratchet, but I have done this sort with a set of diving weights.
The weights kept the ropes tight even after sitting on the floor.
You can also use weight lifting weights as well.
The nice thing about this setup, is that you can have an emergency pull string setup so if something starts to go wrong, one quick pull and the weights pop off the rope allowing you to get free.
I don’t think you can do that with a rope ratchet.

Also good for locking yourself in one place. Problematic if you can just lift the weights around. I like to tie the weight onto the middle of the rope and secure the end to furniture for added security.

Well, today I learned that the rope ratchet release just may very well get stuck if there is too much weight pulling against it.
I was just running some tests to get the hang of the ratchets and used it to pull just one leg into a very light scorpion hogtie position via an anchor point above my head.
The release lever just wouldn't budge while under load. Pretty sure that's not how it's supposed to work.
Good thing I used a panic hook as well.

Well, today I learned that the rope ratchet release just may very well get stuck if there is too much weight pulling against it.
I was just running some tests to get the hang of the ratchets and used it to pull just one leg into a very light scorpion hogtie position via an anchor point above my head.
The release lever just wouldn't budge while under load. Pretty sure that's not how it's supposed to work.
Good thing I used a panic hook as well.

I think it depends on the ratchet, usually you need just tiny little bit of slack when you want to release the ratchet. If it is at its absolute limit it might be hard to release. When you look on the image on this page, the latch usually does go back a tiny bit once it moves over the next teeth, to make sure it is securely locked in place.

https://technologystudent.com/cams/ratch1.htm

I have used these, i think they work well. https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AYn3co

I have used these, i think they work well. https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_AYn3co

Mine look exactly the same, got them from Amazon though.

But now that I know they are for tightening slack only and do not provide a reliable escape mechanism, I will keep that in mind and treat them as such.