Know anyone who climbs on pole gaffs?

[treeoperations]

buy a set of geckos, im not sure about the other manufacturers but with my geckos i can take the gaffs off with just a star allen key and i swap between short and long gaffs and also makes replacement of the gaffs easier, my gaffs get a hiding due lots of dead hard gum trees and due to my pet hate of anything blunt i sharpen them probably more then i need to but theres nothing worse then spiking with blunt gaffs

 

[arbadacarba]

Shouldn't use pole gaffs on anything with slaking bark. The prime example that comes to mind is older Douglas Fir, but Shagbark is similar. On smooth bark trees the pole gaffs are actually better for the tree because they don't do as much damage. Hemlock is a toss-up as the bark is not that thick and tends to adhere to the tree quite well.

 

[TreEmergencyB]

Shouldn't use pole gaffs on anything with slaking bark. The prime example that comes to mind is older Douglas Fir, but Shagbark is similar. On smooth bark trees the pole gaffs are actually better for the tree because they don't do as much damage. Hemlock is a toss-up as the bark is not that thick and tends to adhere to the tree quite well.

ummm damage?
spikes are for removals..nuf said

 

[treemandan]

Man, I haven't used the straight gaffed pole spikes in ten years. I remember when I finally tried klien's curved gaff climbers I said" never again" But that was so long ago.
I bet it would be good to carry both on the truck, well, the truck is kinda full now. The reason I tossed the pole gaffs was becasue it took so much more to work them and they didn't bite nor hold as well. Some trees I get stuck in with the curved gaffed climbers. I do like the action of the curved ones though over the pole gaffs, they are faster, more agile... or so it seems.

 

[treemandan]

dont pole spikes make you climb bow legged? the only guy I ever saw using those always had to hold his legs funny to keep em' in the tree. Thats the only reason iI never used em' ... hehe

Yeah, don't look when you hear that sissy word, you know what's coming and have seen it plenty. I am dying now man. Great stuff.

 

[arbadacarba]

ummm damage?
spikes are for removals..nuf said

I agree, but it's often a case of real world versus ideal world !!!!

 

[TreeClimber57]

Shouldn't use pole gaffs on anything with slaking bark. The prime example that comes to mind is older Douglas Fir, but Shagbark is similar. On smooth bark trees the pole gaffs are actually better for the tree because they don't do as much damage. Hemlock is a toss-up as the bark is not that thick and tends to adhere to the tree quite well.

I agree, use pole gaffs only on smooth, thin barked trees. Too dangerous otherwise, at least in my opinion.

 

[TreEmergencyB]

o yea wish i had to money to buy them CF geko climbers almost 600 bucks though change from short to long!

 

[southsoundtree]

I climb everything with pole spikes. I think that they are better on the knees, and more balance is achieved by boot contact. I have climbed lots of thick barked conifers and only spurred out a very little bit. I use a cinching climbline and a flipline when using spikes, so an unexpected spur-out is not a big deal. I have to look a little bit on where I step on the thick bark at the bottom of Doug-fir sometimes. The only time I had problems was on really rotten wood in a few sections of a dying alder (very thin bark, just rotten).

BTW, I have tree spikes, and two sets of pole spikes.

 

[046]

just scored a set of aluminum Bashlin pole spikes. my old Buckingham tree gaffs almost never get used.

 

[TreEmergencyB]

I agree, but it's often a case of real world versus ideal world !!!!

i guess but for rescue only, and if u need to wear them to prune somthing rotton or what it prolly was topped or sumtin and it should removed anyway, the first guy i worked for spiked alot of trees that were topped before or otherwise just nasty ugly bad trees he would usally put up theladder and "tip toe" from there as he said