1st day on new gaffs......

[treeclimber165]

Originally posted by Ryan Willock
Spence, i like to grap my flip line as i climb and flip it up every two or three steps. take small ones as you go.

here's a pic of my friend learning to climb to day, its his 3rd climb on gaffs and he went up to 50' and cut some limbs with the hand saw for me!! he's wearing my climbing gear.

Ryan, Why didn't you have a lifeline on him to belay in case he slipped? I sure wish I had done that the two times I kicked out when I first started climbing. Luckily I wasn't hurt either time, but God looks over fools, drunks and treeclimbers.
:angel:

 

[hillbilly]

Anyone using an AFC (Adjustable False Crotch) with the flipline?
From what I can see it should have a better chance of catching
the climber if he kicks out.
I have never used gaffs, but I might get some training soon.

While we're at the safety issues, where is the chinstrap on that
helmet ?

"God looks over fools, drunks and treeclimbers"
Agree Brian, I fell out of a second floor window at a party
a few years ago, was gonna "have a cigarette, standing in the
open window", amazingly I didn't even get a scratch. Not sure
of god's involvement in that, I think it has more to do with
"drunk people falling from windows land soft cause their bodies
are all lame and shock absorbing"

 

[Ryan Willock]

Brian, he didn't want one, we used one on his first two climbs and he didn't like the way i had it set up. there's probably a better way to do it but gotta go with whatca know:Eye:

 

[mikecross23]

Believe it or not, I had my mom (44 yrs old) about 30' up a 10"-12" dbh pine removal about two months ago. First I limbed the tree up high, set a false crotch and came down on that. Then sent her up on gaffs and belayed her w/ my petzl stop anchored to the base of another tree. She was a little shakey, but is a big adrenaline junkie and kept going. When she was tired I told her to put her weight on the rope until she was sitting in the saddle. She threw her arms and head way back and pushed off from the tree. Dang Ma, You's crazy! ! ! I then lowered her w/ ease w/ the petzl stop.

 

[Ryan Willock]

That wouldn't work with my mom or my girlfriend as they are both terrified of hights thats pretty cool though

 

[budroe69moni]

mike,
what type of false crotch set-up are
you using?????
budroe

 

[mikecross23]

Originally posted by budroe69moni
mike,
what type of false crotch set-up are
you using?????
budroe

It's a 48" buckingham false crotch w/ aluminum rings. It's long enough to double wrap around small spars or branches and holds firmly in place when under load. I quit using it on my normal climbing set up after realizing that it involves a lot more effort to set than just using a natural crotch.

 

[Greg]

leave the stubs????

Someone mentiond leaving the stubs for your flipline to grab... I learned to flush cut when gaffing up a tree so those stubs don't do any damage if you happen to gaff out and slide down on one. I can see leaving a little bump, and yes it does help the flipline hold on, but take a close look at the stubs you are leaving, if they are pointing up at all they could be very dangerous even if you took a 6inch slip and your butt is in the right(wrong) place.

The only time I use the old style buckstrap is when I'm climbing a pine like in the posted pics. They work great for those trees because you really won't need to adj the size of the strap, just swich over to a rope flipline when you get up into the small stuff. That big thick strap advances nicely. Also make sure to watch your fingers. Get your fingers under your flipline and then take a little slip and you'll be hurting!!! That happend to me about 3-4 months ago and I still feel it in those 2 fingers. One of the most natural things you have to learn not to do is bear hug the tree if you do gaff out, you are better off holding your line on both sides a few inches away from the tree --- try not to touch the tree a lot with your hands while climbing on gaffs, in the event you gaff out, you are much better holding that flip line than dumping it and grabing the tree. I climb on 1 1/2 gaffs and attribute them to several times when I have gaffed out due to thick bark breaking away or thick vines. One day soon I am going to get some long spikes. I'd like the replaceable kind so I can swap out short and long gaffs depending on the work.
Greg

 

[lync]

gaffs

I normally use a pair of buckingham gaffs with the non- replaceable tips, its about 3 1/2 " long. Super wrap pads with the steel shin cups and a pair of wrestling knee pads under the wraps to protect from chaffing. I hardly ever gaff out.

On the other hand or leg should I say, i bought a used pair of bashlin steel frame gaffs. I replaced the pole tips with brand new 2 1/2" tips. Did an ash removal and gaffed out at least 15- 20 times during the job. I resharpened the tips with the jig, that comes with the gaffs. Same situation ,gaffing out constantly, even in pine removals.

Anyone using bashlins and having the same problems?
I keep my heals in and knees out never have a problem with the buckingham's.

corey

 

[Ryan Willock]

lync, i learned on a pair of bashlins and didn't have that much trouble but i did kick out a quite a few times

 

[Stumper]

I've got a set of Brooks with 1.5 inch gaffs. i have gaffed out only once (on an Ash) I dropped about 6" and landed right back on the gaffs. I will probably buy a set of Brooks tree gaffs his summer. The Brooks Tree gaffs are only 2" long but my Brooks Pole gaffs are quite wide in the shank and seem to hold pretty well so I haven't felt pushed to change-I do few removals anyway.

 

[mikecross23]

It's very seldom that my gaffs don't stick. Vines and thick bark seem to be a problem sometimes. I make a concious effort every time to look and see where I will stick the gaff before I take the next step, and when it sticks I test it before trusting it w/ all my weight. May be a pain, but should help the gaffing out problem.

 

[treeclimber165]

I've known many climbers who have never sharpened their gaffs. They claim they don't like sharp gaffs, yet when I watch most of them climb they seem to be kicking awfully hard to stick their gaffs. Many also have to sometimes make multiple stabs to take a step. They claim the gaffs "sink too deep and get stuck" if they are sharp.
I like keeping my gaffs sharp. I'm used to just stepping into the trunk and having the gaff bite. Perhaps a combination of my light weight (150 lbs) and the shape of the gaff shank help keep the gaffs from sinking too deep. I've climbed with dull gaffs and could never tell if I had a good bite, which made it difficult for me to trust my own steps. And as we all know, a good climber MUST be able to trust his equipment 100%.
I trust sharp gaffs.

 

[monkeypuzzle]

Now you know one more Brian, I've never sharpend mine. Bashlins, I think they are pole gaffs. Brian I recall you saying that you wear your hiking style boots with spurrs. While I have used them also I tend to think that a REAL boot makes all the difference when using gaffs. Those 16'' things are just too much for me so I use Baileys 12 inchers, and love 'em.

Standing on a big pine for a few hours suxs because there is really no sitting in the saddle, so ankle support is a must.

I always swap over to a more comfortable pair of boots when I'm on the ground.

I still to this day can't see how guys use the long offset "tree gaffs" ,, way too much spike.

 

[Jumper]

Pole climbing site.

Anyone seen th site http://www.myinsulators.com/pole-climbing/ ? Are the things/proceedures presented there in legit, realizing that climbing a tree perhaps is a lot different than climbing a pole.

 

[Kevin]

That's about 25yrs. old.
He's clipping in after he climbs up, that's how I was taught in 1974.

 

[Greg]

Not a bad intro I guess, but I didn't read the whole thing. The slope of the tree will change a lot in how you climb on spikes. A pole is a good training tool, you wan't destroy any of your trees that way. Also I'd spend a few hrs working within 3-5 ft of the ground starting out, practice moving around the spar, you need to be good at that so you can always keep yourself on top as the stem twists and bends. You probably have less of a tendancy to kick out on a pole than you would on a tree.
--There has been a tendancy --I've heard-- that people just learning to climb on spikes practicing on poles will sometimes think they actually work for the TV Cable company and take out the little filters that are installed to keep you from getting the good channels --- This is illegal and could get you in trouble. When you do this for your friends, and neighbors and when they get busted they will rat you out, resist the urge!!!! (Not me, but I know a guy...had to go to court, pay a big fine...)
Greg

 

[Jumper]

Originally posted by Kevin
That's about 25yrs. old.
He's clipping in after he climbs up, that's how I was taught in 1974.

I guess some people are just slow to come around to new ways-this site was developed based on a course the author received in 1998, or perhaps the phone companies still do it that way??

 

[Ryan Willock]

I have a friend that works for the power company and he still climbs up to his working postion then clips in

 

[Kevin]

The pole climbing method is much older than that but the telephone equipment he writes about is about 25yrs. old so I can only assume that is about the time this info was gathered.
The telephone company here is governed by the federal government and isn't regulated in the same manner that the power company is which is regulated by the province.
We still snap in at the top, if it's a real ratty pole that is all chewed out then I use my own discretion.
The power companies have the new belts and snap in at the bottom.
We are heading in that direction and will be switching over within the next few years.
When climbing trees I always snap in at the bottom and I will be trying to do the same on poles.