Pole gaffs were OK till the red oak...

[Jon Heron]

Tree spurring newby here. I am learning and taking out a bunch of trees threatening buildings on our property.
I have climbed a couple maples now and a pine and had no issues with my sharp Bashlin pole gaffs.
I climbed a big red oak the other weekend and the thick bark was causing me to gaff out more then is likely safe...
I only have about half a dozen more of these to climb and a new set of tree gaffs are pretty expensive @ $200USD for just a pair of gaffs for my old and worn shanks... https://www.bashlin.com/products/product/replacement-gaffs
Any suggestions on a way to make the situation better without dropping a couple hundy?
Cheers,
Jon

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Tree spurring newby here. I am learning and taking out a bunch of trees threatening buildings on our property.
I have climbed a couple maples now and a pine and had no issues with my sharp Bashlin pole gaffs.
I climbed a big red oak the other weekend and the thick bark was causing me to gaff out more then is likely safe...
I only have about half a dozen more of these to climb and a new set of tree gaffs are pretty expensive @ $200USD for just a pair of gaffs for my old and worn shanks... https://www.bashlin.com/products/product/replacement-gaffs
Any suggestions on a way to make the situation better without dropping a couple hundy?
Cheers,
Jon

Touch them up snd just keep them ankles out...

 

[mikewhite85]

200 seems worth a more comfortable and safer climb

 

[ZinTrees]

Wesspur has buckingham spurs (2 3/4" replacable gaff) for $187, thats for the shank, sleeve, and gaff

 

[Dave1960_Gorge]

Touch them up snd just keep them ankles out...

Right --I learned a long time ago its all about the angle to the trunk. I used to leave a lot of stubs on big removals because I was afraid of sliding down after tearing out. Then I realized that I just had to choke my lifeline to the stem just below my flip line; not gonna slide down, and now no stubs needed. (This has stopped a slip at least once for me). You can loosen it with one hand and slide it down a couple feet as you go.

I do usually leave a group of three long stubs in two spots in case I want to rappel down in a hurry; takes some time to notch the top and I actually have never done that because it seems sketchy to me (heard once about a guy that cut a kerf that was too shallow -- 'nuff said).

If you see a tall spar with 20 or 30 stubs (we have all seen this a few times!) it means someone "removed" the tree with no ropes or hooks at all, and then chickened out when it came to chunking. Maybe they had some clothes line around the waist? Or could be it was some kind of art. I have seen a variation with a small top still on as well.

You can also find a vid on Youtube of a climber that removed a spreading hardwood over a roof with no gear at all -- barefoot. The guy was good, if crazy, one handing the saw; was somewhere in the tropics. So you have more tools than that guy!

 

[TheJollyLogger]

Pretty much every gaff out I have seen is from a guy hugging the tree and setting his spurs too vertical... much like trying to set a toenail at too steep an angle. I always used pole spurs because regular tree spikes always made me feel like I was standing on 2 pins. Even on ponderosa pines, which I feel like have the flakiest bark out there, I felt comfortable on pole gaffs... I would just loosen the buckstrap a bit and take smaller steps.

As far as leaving stobs goes, I think we all thought it was a good idea starting out, but learned later on that one, it was a false sense of security, and two, a great chance for a dropped limb to slide down the tree, hit a stob, and kick out from the tree.

My favorite rig was a wire core flipline and my lifeline choked around the tree attached to a petzl I'D, or grigri. Over the years I saw value in having a safe way to get out of the tree instantly, one handed ( the time I cut into a beehive, the time I tip tied an oak limb and the groundie didn't let it run... three dislocated fingers when it came back at me, red wasp nest... you get the picture...). Some guys criticized this method as being too slow, but I had a groundie time me one time on an 80' spruce removal... had him start and stop his stopwatch every time I adjusted my lifeline... 4 minutes on a 90 minute climb... I'm cool with that, especially since I probably spent 15 minutes just hanging out in the tree waiting for them to clean up limbs so I didn't bury them...