spikes

[matty f]

Ive just brought some carbon geckos,definietly the most comfy spikes ive worn at first i tried them on the american style gaffs spent the day on them finishing up on the 395xp and didnt evan notice them on my feet!,having tryed the american style gaffs before on kliens they felt like wearing high heels up a tree! so that was what made me finally buy a pair and i cant say i regret it.
Kliens with short gaffs i liked the most before the geckos but have spent the last 4 years on bashlins wich were ok ,but you new if you had had them on for longer than 45mins!

 

[tree MDS]

tree MDS said:

Maybe its something to do with how tall a person is, I'm only 5'10" and cant even feel the Geckos after 6 hrs in a tree finishing up 385xp on big wood.



6 hours in a tree?
I never thought of being in a tree that long.
How do you pee?
What did you do to that tree?
I'm not making fun, just really curious!

If I spend 1 hour up there on the spikes I am really miserable. Anything I can do to put my weight in the harness and on a rope is welcome.

Cheers,
Charlie K.

Sounds like you got crap spikes CharlieK. Usually when I'm doing a large takedown I've got other things on my mind than going potty, JMHO.

 

[tree MDS]

tree MDS said:

Maybe its something to do with how tall a person is, I'm only 5'10" and cant even feel the Geckos after 6 hrs in a tree finishing up 385xp on big wood.



6 hours in a tree?
I never thought of being in a tree that long.
How do you pee?
What did you do to that tree?
I'm not making fun, just really curious!

If I spend 1 hour up there on the spikes I am really miserable. Anything I can do to put my weight in the harness and on a rope is welcome.

Cheers,
Charlie K.

Also, I find it hard to believe that someone blabbering about split tails (another thread) and such has never heard of a tree taking 6 hours. What kind of treework is it that you do CharlieK? I just looked at and got a tree for 2400, I wish I could do that in an hour....now that would be sweet.

 

[safeT1st]

Spur Comfort

I don't spend as much time on spurs as some of you professionals but have learned how important footwear is to be comfortable . Currently I wear a pair of Viberg Lineman boots . The pronounced heel holds the spur well . Before that I wore a pair of el cheapo work boots and my feet were sore just looking at my spurs . Often look at Wesco boots longingly .

Also proper adjustment of spur height and straps goes a long way towards being comfortable .On the lower strap I put a full turn around the shank which helps prevent the shank wandering against my leg . I started learning on an old set of Klein "pole gaffs' and belt and last year moved up to the Buckingham steels with aluminum pads and "tree gaffs" .Still learning . World of difference in comfort and confidence .

Sometimes I will spend more than an hour just assessing a tree situation before I even begin to climb . But then I'm not getting paid to do this as I only attend to my own trees .

 

[arbormonkey]

I thought of that idea many years before they were made, the pads
similar to crutches are they comfortable? I wish I would have patented it.

Very comfortable. Once you get them adjusted correctly for your leg, no pinching on the shin, no rub on the inside heel bone. I started on leather "L" pads and it is a night and day difference. My only concern is my boots; I am due for a major upgrade.
Good climbing!
AM

 

[tree MDS]

Very comfortable. Once you get them adjusted correctly for your leg, no pinching on the shin, no rub on the inside heel bone. I started on leather "L" pads and it is a night and day difference. My only concern is my boots; I am due for a major upgrade.
Good climbing!
AM

My vote goes to redwing loggers, about 230 a pair and they last about a year of hard workin, maybe longer but I like them better newer+ find it easier to grip the rope with my feet when forced to do the ocaisional footlock. Wessco's (or whatever it is) look like good boots as well but I think they skyrocketed with the price for some reason, not sure, but I stick with what I know works.

 

[CharlieK]

Nice.

Also, I find it hard to believe that someone blabbering about split tails (another thread) and such has never heard of a tree taking 6 hours. What kind of treework is it that you do CharlieK? I just looked at and got a tree for 2400, I wish I could do that in an hour....now that would be sweet.

Is it hard to believe that I could have used a split tail and not had to be in a tree for 6 hours?

Sometimes the bucket truck can take care of the lower 57'. The trees where I live top out at 100'. So, climbing in the tree, I just have to worry about the top 40.

I didn't mean to say that I am done after 1 hour, just not really comfortable anymore. But 6 hours to get a top out? Nope, never had to do it. Not even leaning over a trailer. I guess I am just lucky.

Happy Easter,
Charlie K.

 

[ropensaddle]

Very comfortable. Once you get them adjusted correctly for your leg, no pinching on the shin, no rub on the inside heel bone. I started on leather "L" pads and it is a night and day difference. My only concern is my boots; I am due for a major upgrade.
Good climbing!
AM

Thanks I bought what I thought were Cadillacs only to call them pinto's!
Been thinking on those for a while but don't like buying things over and over!
I have used westcos boots they are great boots, but the way I wear out
boots Carolina is more practical. I wear the heal out quick to the outside
I think its from my line clearance days.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Sometimes the bucket truck can take care of the lower 57'. The trees where I live top out at 100'. ..... But 6 hours to get a top out? Nope, never had to do it. Not even leaning over a trailer. I guess I am just lucky.

When you have the hight to rig big, then you have room to work big. It's when they are very short and very wide, w/o bucket access that it drags on.

Last week I was in a stone dead Am'elm that topped out at 35 ft, spread for 50 and had no good tie-in/rig points in the center. One of those twisty buggers that are a fun junglegym to prune. On top of that, the mulberries growing at the base were "ornamentals" that could not be crushed, and a 175 y/o log cabin very near by. That took all of 3 hours, though setting a second line in an adjacent when I could not get out on the longest low limb to do jump cuts took more time then I wanted it to.

 

[tree MDS]

A typical tree that takes that long around here, or longer : Large Red Oak, no drop zone, over all kinds of sheds/other obstacles, every single piece has to be roped down often using the double crotch/tip tie/butt tie method, sending down 30+leaders butt first, two groundies one on tip line, one on butt line after I toss it off stub to he has to pull it into that one LZ. Then when all thats done its time to start roping the wood down with 3/4 db and large CMI false crotch block. Thats my typical big TD around here, people just hate acorns, I gotta make a living. I agree with you JPS, the taller ones are often easier, just but tie and swing em down.

 

[ropensaddle]

Time is not a factor exceeding safety or property damage. I have seen
trees that take ten hours and greater to piece down to prevent damage.
6 hours is a medium removal in my area, or not uncommon.
Unless all equipment is at ones disposal ie, crane,helo etc.

 

[tree MDS]

I've done alot of big ones where everything was flyin nice, sending down whole leaders, good ground crew, and still after 7-8 hrs a couple of big tops left for tomoro+all the wood to rope-many times over the years. Thats just big TDs around here. I dont understand how some of these companies survive only able to do smaller jobs, I really dont. Big Silver Maples, there's another one. Hey, CT guys! check out my post in the employment section.

 

[Bermie]

What are spur stays?

Yeah, what are they???

I use Bashlin aluminium spikes, leather pads...take a wrap around the shank to keep them in place, never had any issue with rubbing or digging into legs or ankles...guess I just don't know what I'm missing?

Did a coconut last week on spikes...bad, but no access for a bucket, too tall for a ladder...nuts hanging over the roof had already smashed the chimney.
Good thing I'm used to sailboats, 'cause this thing was swaying like a yacht!

 

[oldirty]

just put in an order for the komet spikes. blue strap version. looking forward to them.

 

[tree MDS]

just put in an order for the komet spikes. blue strap version. looking forward to them.

"blue strap" version?? eh? heh, heh, heh, are you some sort of perv or something??

 

[tree MDS]

No, dude, I'm sure that would look sweet!! Heh,heh.

 

[oldirty]

"blue strap" version?? eh? heh, heh, heh, are you some sort of perv or something??

well to be honest MDS. i couldnt find the big black strap on version. i settled for the blue. something about a better fit around the leg.

lol

 

[oldirty]

komet spikes

here you go boys. the new set of spikes i'll be doing my thing in.

380 later after taxes and this is them.

by the way thank you very much BostonBull for letting me come to your house to pick them up today. you are a good man.

i'll tell you how they feel to work in them tomw, i got a bit of rigging to do tomw. but i'll tell you what they sure are light!

the pads are velcro'd in to the hard plastic. and there is also a prefabbed slot for the leather strap to run through but i am not going to use it. i like to cinch it up a bit higher than were they put it.

 

[tree MDS]

here you go boys. the new set of spikes i'll be doing my thing in.

380 later after taxes and this is them.

by the way thank you very much BostonBull for letting me come to your house to pick them up today. you are a good man.

i'll tell you how they feel to work in them tomw, i got a bit of rigging to do tomw. but i'll tell you what they sure are light!

Cool, those look sick, I cant wait to hear how you like em. Have you tried the Gecko's yet as well? I'd love to hear a compairison.

 

[oldirty]

no idea bout them geckos but i was told they are better than the carbide something or other geckos. light weight for sure though. i am looking forward to tomw's work a little more than usual.

i'll give you the rundown around this time tomw.