# What do you all think of these spikes?



## Diesel JD (Sep 2, 2006)

Hey guys these are the ones I've been learning with. I picked them up on scambay for cheap. Look structurally sound, no breaks, no obvious weld or repairs. I threw new leather at them tried to make them safe as they can be etc, but I was wondering if you all could look at the gaffs themselves and see what you all think? Do they look in good shape? Long enough? May need sharpening, I'm not sure. Have a peek and thanks
J.D.


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## l2edneck (Sep 2, 2006)

I keep mine pointier than that seems to let me "step" in instead of having to "kick" in.If they are replaceable maybe look into some new ones.It varies with climbers some like long and some like short.Depends on what yer comfortable with.Since they all damage the trees guess it dont matter how "big" a hole they make.IMO(im sure i will get corrected if i am)


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## Fireaxman (Sep 2, 2006)

Big time need Sharp, look mighty short, is that all the leather you got? 

That's not much for padding. How long are you going to be in them? Even my old Klein "L" pads gave me more than what you have, and that wasn't enough. Aren't the tops going to move around on you a lot?

Those gaffs look a whole lot like a skinned up belly, chin, and nose to me. At least. Assuming you have a good safety. Any blood stains on the old leather?

Sorry, Diesel, I got a little carried away. I'm no expert. Wait and see what the Pro's say.


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## l2edneck (Sep 2, 2006)

Yea sorry i was focused on the gaffs didnt look at the leathers.They are missin the L pads that wrap around yer leg ill re-edit this post with pics of mine.They are alcoa aluminum.


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## fishhuntcutwood (Sep 2, 2006)

They need replaced, or at the least sharpened. They look uneven as well. And you'll likely do better with better straps and leather. If you're learning on these, well you're a better man than I. I would have wimped out first time in them.


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## woodbutcher44 (Sep 2, 2006)

look like they are more for pole climing than tree climing.

BUT IN BAD NEED OF A FILE OR GRINDER be cautious 


www.tiptopwebsite.com/woodbutcher44


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## Diesel JD (Sep 3, 2006)

They may just be wore out, they appear to have been US gov't surplus from the US Forest Service, I would guess that they are tree climbers not pole? Anyhow, they are brooks, so I would be really lucky to find a new set of gaffs. Brooks is no more and Baileys and Sherril have quit carrying old parts. Somebody said American Arborist supply might have some new gaffs for Brooks? They are replaceable, don't know if I could amke ones from anything else fit? What do you think?


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## woodbutcher44 (Sep 3, 2006)

I'M IN OCALA IF YOU CANT FIND ANY PM ME A CONTACT # AND I'LL SEE IF ONE OF MY BUDS IN THE FADCRATION FIELD CAN MAKE S PAIR WITH THE ADDED LENTH FOR YOU.


www.tiptopwebsite.com/woodbutcher44


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## Diesel JD (Sep 3, 2006)

Thanks for the offer WB. You can contact me here... [email protected] I'll let you know if I can't find any replacement gaffs intended for this app.


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## beowulf343 (Sep 3, 2006)

woodbutcher44 said:


> BUT IN BAD NEED OF A FILE OR GRINDER


File yes, Grinder NEVER. I can honestly say i've never seen gaffs that short or that dull. Heck, I broke the end off a gaff last spring and it still didn't look that bad. I can't believe you were even able to sink them into a tree. I'd have thrown those out a long time ago.


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## Diesel JD (Sep 3, 2006)

Okay, it makes me feel better that there is something wrong with the gaffs honestly. I've had a hard time kicking out too often. They won't sink in at all when you work the backside of a lean. I am not in the business at the moment and I wanted to pick up a basic set and learn the how to do it. I figured I can always replace the gaffs and if I get into tree work, I'll onl;y use them for takedowns and I can get a nice set once I make enough money to justify it. This is teh main reason why I haven't gone any higher than I'm afraid to fall. I just didn't feel secure in them for some reason. I can stay stuck to the spar but I felt liek if I started up a saw or started working, I might get hurt.


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## Ax-man (Sep 3, 2006)

They look wore out, if the gaffs are replacable I would do that instead of sharpening, they look like they need a lot of sharpening to get them even, when you sharpen spurs it is basically a touch-up with file, that set needs major work.

Larry


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## sloth9669 (Sep 3, 2006)

*poll*

looks like poll spikes not tree spikes...ive done both tree work and now work for verizon and went to there climbing school...i had a hard time i was kicking in bending the knees and was not aloud to use a lanyard and had to go up 18 feet...why i dont know just how you are surposed to poll climb...now i just use a ladder for the polls much easyer....but get new spikes and better padding..also if you dont feel safe the heck with how much they cost one trip to the hospital cuz you climb on crap gafs is alot mroe the new gafs


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## Koa Man (Sep 3, 2006)

In Hawaii everyone I know uses pole gaffs for tree climbing, including me. 20 years ago I made the mistake of buying tree gaffs and quickly switched them. Way too long for climbing palms and the thin barked trees we have here. I do have a new set of Stringer-Brooks replacement pole gaffs. Only problem is it is in a storage container that I won't be opening until my new house gets finished sometime in January 2007.


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## Diesel JD (Sep 3, 2006)

That sucks. I like the climbers, I just need new spurs for them and pads. I am somewhat ignorant about climbing with spurs, so I didn't know that the pads were mandatory for safety. I feel secure that they won't slip off, but if the set is so bad then no doubt that's why I had a problem climbing with them. Thanks for the advice. If anyone else has a set of striger brooks tree gaff replacements they want to part with, PM me. I def. want to fix these. These are the type where the spur is held in with the little drive link rivet and that looks like all that holds it. Thanks for any ideas,
J.D.


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## FIRSTIMECLIMBER (Sep 3, 2006)

May have a pair around I'll check for ya.


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## Diesel JD (Sep 3, 2006)

Thanks, let me know


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## Stumper (Sep 4, 2006)

I love my Brooks. As others mentioned-you need pads and one of those gaffs appears very short....but the other one doesn't. For those that have never used Brooks climbers they have a noticeable different gaff profile than Bucks, Kleins or Bashlins.(which all differ form each other but the way BrooKs are shaped and sharpened is considerable different from the others)


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## Diesel JD (Sep 4, 2006)

I wonder if it could be the picture playing tricks on you...as far as I can tell, both gaffs are about the same length. How does one measure these anyway? IIRC, the Brooks gaffs were supposed to be 2-21/4" when new. I should also tell you all what I'm mostly going to be climbing. Laurel Oaks and water oaks, some pine, some live oak. Some of these guys have moderate to thick bark. Then of course there is the odd magnolia or pop ash that has almost smooth bark.


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## Stumper (Sep 4, 2006)

Brooks pole gaffs are 1.5 inches new -the "tree gaffs" are longer-a little over 2 inches. The gaff length is measured from the point to the base of the juncture of the gaff flat and the rest of the gaff(Gaff flat is the underside/iron side)


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## Diesel JD (Sep 4, 2006)

Justin and everyone. Looks like you gusy were right. there is a big difference between i side and the other. I measured one gaff was barely 1.5" while the other is almost 2" So either we have 1) 1 badly worn and 1 decent gaff 2) a set of gaffs where 1 bad gaff was replaced with a pole gaff(no way right>?) Anyhow, it appears that they are well worn. As I say the gaffs are heldf in with only one drive link type rivet. Does anybody think I could make something from Bashlin or Buckingham or somebody else fit...or are they different enough to make that impossible? Thanks,
J.D.


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## Stumper (Sep 4, 2006)

Nothing else is compatible. American Arborist Supplies had the replacement gaffs 5 years ago-I have no idea if they do now....... if the short is 1.5 inches then they should be sharpenable for use. Having differing lengths shouldn't matter so long as they are both contoured properly.


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## doggonetrees (Nov 12, 2006)

Pole gaff are what they look like to me. Brooks probably sold replacement gaffs, and these got intermixed somehow. I know Klein "hooks" are sold with either, and some are interchangeable. Not enough padding for me and the connection with a drift pin isn't most secure method for gaffs. Put them on a nostalgia wall, and get some decent, comfortable hooks. Imagine being on a pole for an extended length of time sagging wire, pulling in a service, or hanging a transformer. My shins are hurting already!


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## woodchux (Nov 12, 2006)

I'd buy a new pair, and keep those as a backup/rescue set.


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## Stumper (Nov 12, 2006)

doggonetrees said:


> Not enough padding for me and the connection with a drift pin isn't most secure method for gaffs.


Perhaps you are opining about something you are unfamiliar with. The Brooks design is secured with a pin but the gaff has a steel arm that travels through a trough in the Iron under the instep and is secured on th efar side by a second pin though the strap ring. It is arguably the most secure replaceable gaff system ever designed since if the entire iron dematerialized you would still be standing on tha gaff strapped to your ankle.


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## hammer0419 (Nov 12, 2006)

Those gaffs are NOT in climbing condition. Especially for trees let alone poles.
My pole gaffs are 1 5/8" and my tree spikes are 2.5" long. They MUST be kept sharp with a hand file and a gaff guage. Do not risk your safety with those...........


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## Monk (Nov 12, 2006)

they aren't safe to climb with in the condition they are in. I use pole gaffs to do most of my climbing and mine are shorter than them but they have to be sharpened properly for them to work right a gaff gauge is the best way or have someone that knows how to do it for sure sharpen them for you. They have to have a slight angle at the end of them this is what helps keep you in the tree. If I were you I would look on ebay and pick yourself up a nice set of bashlin pole gaffs and order a set of tree spurs for in them. Try both sets of spurrs in them to see what you like best I have to sets one with pole and the other with tree I primarily use the pole gaffs unless I am climbing something like a walnut or locust with real thick bark.


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## (WLL) (Nov 19, 2006)

most leg irons are 4 both pole or tree but the tree gaff is longer these look like broken pole gaffs should be replaced with tree gaffs never sharpen outside edges will loose temper and only hand file inside because grinder creates to much heat


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## AbTeK (Dec 3, 2006)

does anybody ever tried these ones ?


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## Kneejerk Bombas (Dec 3, 2006)

There are a few points from this thread I'd like to address.
First, dull gaffs or bad straps should never be a safety issue. Arborists need to tie in so they can't fall and get hurt. How does gaffing out change that? It doesn't. If you are depending on your gaffs for safety, you are climbing wrong!
Climbing 18 feet up a pole without a secure attachment to the pole, or a safety net of some type is idiotic! The trainer mentioned should be fired immediately!
Second, is gaff length. On thick bark, long hooks work better. On poles and thin bark trees, or even on thick barked trees higher in the canopy, pole gaffs (shorter gaff hooks) work better. 
I typically ladder up 20 or 30 feet into the tree, which puts me past the thick bark of any trees we have around here, so I favor the comfort and ease of climbing on pole spikes. Tree spikes suck to stand in.
As for the spikes in the picture, sharpen a point on the spikes and get some good leg pads, they should be great.


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## clearance (Dec 3, 2006)

Mike Maas said:


> There are a few points from this thread I'd like to address.
> First, dull gaffs or bad straps should never be a safety issue. Arborists need to tie in so they can't fall and get hurt. How does gaffing out change that? It doesn't. If you are depending on your gaffs for safety, you are climbing wrong!
> Climbing 18 feet up a pole without a secure attachment to the pole, or a safety net of some type is idiotic! The trainer mentioned should be fired immediately!
> Second, is gaff length. On thick bark, long hooks work better. On poles and thin bark trees, or even on thick barked trees higher in the canopy, pole gaffs (shorter gaff hooks) work better.
> ...


 Couldn't disagree with you more, to start with, ladders, ladders are flat out bad news and dangerous for tree work, as the injury and fatality section here suggests. Not to mention a pita if you have to carry them far, and, of course, not needed at all if you are climbing with spurs. Pole spikes are for poles and tree spikes are for trees, thats why they have different names, because they are made for different things. The condition of your equipment is of the utmost importance, to suggest that straps or gaffs are should not be a safety issue is foolish, in the extreme. I remove trees constantly, strip and chunk by powerlines, sometimes this work is real close to the wires, the last thing I need is to gaff out or have a strap break while removing overhang. I have always climbed with tree gaffs, never been comfort problem for me, I figure because I wear heavy Viberg linesman boots. Anyways, right tool for the job, or right job for the tool, whatever.


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## jefflovstrom (Dec 3, 2006)

They look like crap! You are only using for removals, right? Go Bashlin!
Jeff Lovstrom


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## beowulf343 (Dec 3, 2006)

Clearance! Glad to see you back man. Hadn't seen a post by you in so long I was afraid you'd been banned!

Funny you should mention ladders. I've spent 11 years climbing full time with never a bad fall. Was putting up Christmas lights two days ago and the :censored: :censored: ladder slid out from under me and I ended up with two cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, and two broken fingers! It will be a cold day you know where before I ever get on another ladder again!

Also curious as to what make tree spikes more uncomfortable to stand in than pole spikes. The only problem I've had with tree spikes is the gaffs are so long that when you stand on the ground they sink into the dirt or hit a rock and thus become dull. Easy solution though-don't walk around on the ground with tree spikes.


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## beowulf343 (Dec 3, 2006)

By the way, is it just me or do the spikes in Abtek's picture look a little short? Are they even adjustable?


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## Kneejerk Bombas (Dec 3, 2006)

Ladders can be very dangerous, or perfectly safe if used proprerly. In my neck of the woods we climb all deciduous trees. Some are great for spiking up, others are 25 feet around and full of branches, just not good to spike up. So the ladder is a big work saver and real fast. If it's a long way to the truck, I'll throw a rope up and go up that way.
Clearance's comments about the danger of spiking out while cutting near power lines are valid, but my point was to be tied in properly and have redundancy in your life support. If I were cutting in a hazardous situation like near a transmission line, I would make extra sure I was stable and secure so a spike out wouldn't cause my death. That was my point.
A newbie climber should know the spikes are just climbing aides, they are not intended for life support. You need to be tied in so you can't fall.
Tree spikes, some of them anyway, are quite long and stick way out. This causes a torquing on the leg pad. With shorter spikes, the side of your boots come right up against he wood and give you leverage for moving around. They are just like standing on a stub.


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