spiderjack or zigzag ?

Just inspect it!! Bought a ZZ a few days ago Ripped down 7 trees today with it. All spur work. But it performed very well. I was actually really impressed with it. It is extremely efficient when tending tons of slack. Hopefully I still like it in a week. I tend to always try new things, love them for a week, then go back to my old habits. We shall see.

Steve Connally- What type of rope are you climbing on?
 
The cougar. Its stiff enough to really self tend and a super tight rope. I used the Vortex after a ground guy cut my cougar. Wouldn't self tend like the cougar but still a good rope. I think to get the most out of the ZZ you need to be a small as a rope as its rated for.
 
I used a friends zigzag 2 today. It was cool, although it didn't self tend like a spiderjack when run with a fuzzy cougar. I want to try it with velocity.
 
So Ive been running the spiderjack a few days now, and I must say Im impressed. First off its a beautifully engineered piece of kit, yet compact and very light for all the work that's gone into it.

From the off I felt totally comfortable and reassured. I haven't quite got vertical rappelling totally dialed in yet, at least not with just one hand, but Im getting better with each tree as Im getting used to the thumb brake. Limb walking is fine though, no-matter the line angle....and upon returning the way the line just automatically falls through the device, no sit-back or tending slack..... and what with the DdRT 2:1 its got to be the easiest and safest system I've ever used for keeping the maximum amount of weight in the line, and off the limb.

Todays job was previously topped Douglas fir which had since grown two big ugly heads, limbs throughout up to about 35 ft long with the main stem covered in dead ivy. The whole tree had to be rigged. In such a messy tree, with disproportionately long limbs, the effortless 2:1 that the spiderjack affords made it the right tool for the job.

When I first got a Rope wrench I though I was done DdRT....and I sorta turned my nose up at the Sj when everyone else was raving about it. Boy was I wrong. I would highly recommend this device to others who haven't tried it and think they know it all. Hard not to be impressed. Thanks for the input in the thread by the way, it was really helpful.
 
The only bad thing I know about the spider jack is that it self tends slack all the time. If you need a little slack I guess you will have to throw a slip knot above the sj so the rope can't run through it. More of an issue in large spread out trees you r trimming. For removals, especially firs, spruce, etc. prob not a big deal. Interested to hear about how it works for ya.
 
sherwood7 said:
The only bad thing I know about the spider jack is that it self tends slack all the time..
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You know I expected that but it didn't happen. A groundworker tried to pull the slack from underneath as I went back up on spurs after lunch and it didn't work, it just engaged the cam. It only seems to fall through if you feed it from above, or pull it underneath at an angle. I found a v.t with a lot of line underneath far more annoying for tending when you dont want it to.
 

I haven't tried this but several people have reported back that it works great. It is a cool tool and watching people use it well is nice.
 
You know I expected that but it didn't happen. A groundworker tried to pull the slack from underneath as I went back up on spurs after lunch and it didn't work, it just engaged the cam. It only seems to fall through if you feed it from above, or pull it underneath at an angle. I found a v.t with a lot of line underneath far more annoying for tending when you dont want it to

Glad to hear it worked for you. That was the only issue I had heard about it.
 
treebing said:

I haven't tried this but several people have reported back that it works great. It is a cool tool and watching people use it well is nice.
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I switched off a couple of minutes before the end....and unless something dramatic happened thereafter that was one of the worst tree vids I've seen. What was it about ? I would not like to get that song stuck in my head.

Can't see the benefit in a SJ wrench combo....as well as being unauthorized by ART. In the event of a fall you wouldn't have a leg to stand on, literally or legally. I'll stick to one or the other I think.
 
I've seen people use a Rope Wrench to ascend a static line, followed by switching over to a dynamic system and stowing the RW away or sending it down. What I can't understand is using one for ascent only. If one plans to do that, just leave the RW out of the equation.
 
Yeah I don't get that either actually it would just get in the way if you were going to switch over anyway

. To be honest I just saw that video on my Facebook feed and didn't watch it, just went off the title and the fancy intro. Sorry.
 
all i can see is that they have the SJ on a rope, and this is the best way to SRT up the tree and have your SJ there when you reach the canopy. since the SJ isnt mid-line attachable, the only other options would be leave the SJ at the tail, then pull that end up when you reach the TIP or to climb off a seperate access line then switch over when at height.

I would not bother with this method at all.

-Steven
 
lonniels said:
Are you still liking the spiderjack Reg? Are you running it off a ropeguide or pulleysaver?
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Yeah I like it a lot. I dont have a pulley saver, just a frictionsaver. Its really good for removals of any kind, as well as pruning sprawling-type canopies. This week however we were pruning a row of firs, all between 120-130 feet....didn't take long switch back to the RW. Too much like hard work. I did try the RW/SJ combo, but thought it unsafe. wouldn't recommend it.
 
Try it(spiderjack) with a ropeguide or pulley saver Reg, super smooth. Im with you on the tall conifers Rw is nice and the best option, also I didn't care for the spiderjack rope wrench combo ,just seems sketchy
 
Crazy_Jimmy said:
Try it(spiderjack) with a ropeguide or pulley saver Reg, super smooth. Im with you on the tall conifers Rw is nice and the best option, also I didn't care for the spiderjack rope wrench combo ,just seems sketchy
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Yeah will do Jimmy, thanks. As well as feeling sketchy I noticed too that the spiderjack got really hot on decent with the RW.
 
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