The ART Spiderjack is firmly back in the limelight following Melbourne-based Joe Harris' epic video, previously published by Treetools and others (see YouTube clip below). Joe makes climbing with the Spiderjack look so easy and smooth it's little wonder this minor Spiderjack renaissance is taking place.
Newcomers to the Spiderjack all comment on how the it 'cleans' up their rope. If you are using an older rope, the first few climbs on a new Spiderjack will squeeze everything out of the rope, giving it a good clean in the process.
One downside to the Spiderjack's cleansing action is premature wear on the cam (clutch).
From Treetools experience the first Spiderjack cam (clutch) wears out reasonably quickly (six weeks-ish depending on the number of climbs) but thereafter cam wear is minimal.
We figure the premature wear on the first Spiderjack cam (over subsequent cams) is the abrasive action of the resident grit in older rope on the milled aluminum clutch - sorry guys, we have no scientific proof of this but that seems to be the only logical explanation.
Into Trees, Joe Harris in action on the ART Spiderjack 2!
