Lockjack Safety Alert!

tockmal

tockmal

Location
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Today a fellow climber who has been using his Lockjack Sport(basic) for 2 years showed me what happened to him recently when he nearly fell out the tree due to a major design flaw in the Lockjack.

He leaned forward to prune a branch and the wooden handle went through his lower carabiner, he leaned back and there was no hold in the lockjack as it was stuck on the release position jammed in the biner - see below -

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He decided the best short term remedy was to use the small mongoose biner for the lower attachment because the wooden handle would not fit through it. He continues to use his lockjack nevertheless. Just slighty more aware of this issue than before.

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Yup - Thats the instant descent mode alright!

never use an HMS biner there and it should be fine. Any offset D krab should be perfect. I found this when it first came out, probably along with many others. Doesn't it say in the instructions not to use an HMS to attach there?

The original Lockjack needs care too - the loop required to retain the descent cord can easily catch on twigs, releasing the device - very not good as you're about to cut with a chainsaw.

I expect the spiderjack has been developed to improve all of these issues - I like the look of it, but have yet to try it. The major issue I had with the sport, was the re-dirceting of the line into the cam from side angles. Use of a redirecting pulley just caused ineffective clash. With the Spiderjack, there seems to be a channel in the handle for the rope - not sure if this is going to work with the end of the rope being re-directed up over a branch and to the side?

I'm going to play with my old ropeguide as a friction hitch again - it seemed to work better than the rest (only just above ground of course). Maybe thats where the idea for the positioner/spiderjack came from?

Anyone with experience of the Spiderjack???
 
This "design flaw" as you call it was an issue a few years ago. A good friend of mine broke his back on the curb stone whilst falling down backwards out of a small plane tree.

The problem has been acknowledged by Hubert and since than the manual states which biner to use and which not.

This again is clearly a case of (as we call it in Holland) RFM. Read the Fuc king Manual.
 
Lets face it, its a Stupid design if it can't be used with regular carabiners, cause someones always gonna give one to a friend to use. Thats life. People don't wanna be thinking about what size of fecking carabiner there gonna use that day.

Its BS.
 
I use that often MB with the other end of my lne - very quick and effective.

What is your experience of 3 wraps over 4 and how heavy are you (its relative)?
 
MBs knot is two down, one up.
That is the knot I learned to climb on.
I am fairly confidant that I could tie that knot while upside down, in shock, bleeding, or if there was a major earthquake and the whole world turned upside down.

It is good to really know your knots, no matter what.
 
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Lets face it, its a Stupid design if it can't be used with regular carabiners, cause someones always gonna give one to a friend to use. Thats life. People don't wanna be thinking about what size of fecking carabiner there gonna use that day.

Its BS.

[/ QUOTE ]

stupid - lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity.

I just dont see your descriptive analogy applying to the LockJack or to Hubert or even to the overall design.
It is similar to saying that a chainsaw is 'stupid' because in the hands of an unskilled or uneducated operator, the saw can maim or even kill.

Lets face it, your comments are more often than not, antagonistic, rather than being constructive.

I lke 'Hubi', and I am certain he has made a huge contribution to our trade with his inventions. I am proud to be a part of an industry that encourages such innovation.
 
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I lke 'Hubi', and I am certain he has made a huge contribution to our trade with his inventions. I am proud to be a part of an industry that encourages such innovation.

[/ QUOTE ]

He certrainly has made a huge contribution to the hospital welfare by getting many people in there. No I think Masterblaster has a great point here. Knots and hitches rule
jamminz.gif
 
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[ QUOTE ]
I lke 'Hubi', and I am certain he has made a huge contribution to our trade with his inventions. I am proud to be a part of an industry that encourages such innovation.

[/ QUOTE ]

He certrainly has made a huge contribution to the hospital welfare by getting many people in there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha Ha!
 
yeah, I'll take two of those pieces of crap! You must be nuts to use that or even come out the pocket for it. How much? 300? I have 200 foot sections of High Vee that are almost ten years old, never been cut, and still in service. Which brings me to: How long before I throw it out?
 
why does it look like you hang your life from something that looks ready to fall apart? Are those screws holding that together?
 
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why does it look like you hang your life from something that looks ready to fall apart? Are those screws holding that together?

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Come on...the track that this discussion is taking is silly!

Go outside for a minute...look in the driveway at all of the screws that hold together that thing that you hang your life on every day...your car/truck. Then, wait just a little while to look at the REALLY complicated collection of pieces flying across the sky.

There have been people who have fallen because friction hitches failed too.

If a person doesn't follow the manual they are putting themselves at risk. I read the manuals...in fact I just got done putting new rubber slings on my Big Shot. Just to be sure that things hadn't changed I read the instructions.
 
Tom,

I started this thread to highlight a safety issue.

There are people out there who have maybe borrowed or bought a Lockjack 2nd hand, I was just pointing out to them that you have to use a small biner for the main attachment point at the harness, in fact just a use 2 small biners, then you got no problem.

One thing does bother me though...why in the name of God did the guys who designed the Lockjack not think that the wooden handle would cause a problem like this?

They should change the design of the release handle so that there is no possibility of it catching inside a biner.
 
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