new used spurs

onepaw

TreeHouser
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Feb 12, 2016
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missouri
I picked up some Buckingham spurs from an electric company employee. Traded a Benjamin air rifle for them. He has only used them a couple of times. Went right to management two months after being hired. They look great and have new shin cup pads. I climbed up and down about 10- 15 feet on a dying oak that needs to come down. That's when my mind kicked in and questions started formulating. My first is after watching tree services working and videos I noticed some guys leave nubs where they cut branches and some cut smooth with the trunk. Then I've seen them run the lanyard on top of the nub like a safety. Is this a good practice or does it just get in the way? Seems like it could be good or bad. Just wondering. And should I wrap the lower strap around the spur? Seems tighter that way but that's just from watching too. No personal discussion. Thanks
 
the odd nub can be handy for just what you describe, but they can be a pain in the ass if there are too many.
I use two flip lines...one wire core and one being my climbing line choked.
Yes, I wrap the lower strap around the shank, going under first, it does help to keep things in place.
 
One problem with nubs and stubs is a simple rip out and sliding down into your lanyard on a smooth stem can be an opportunity for getting a one or two inch diameter splinter on a stubbed up spar.
 
IMLTHO, people are far too worried about gaffing out and sliding down the bole. Use your spurs correctly, use your flipline/lanyard correctly, and you won't be cheese grating.
 
In My Long Toothed Honest Opinion??? Did I guess it? Anyhow, I agree. I don't worry about gaffing out. I've only done it once and don't plan on doing it again. Concentrate on doing it right and it won't happen.
 
The thinking part of my mind doesn't worry much about gaffing out, but the body managing part doesn't agree at all. The first part can say what it wants, the second keep being stressed.
The main worry is that I hate the quick changes in my support points and gaffing out is a perfect one. Even flipping my lanyard bothers me for this reason.
The gaffs are a great tool for removals but I can't trust them.
Or actually, I can't trust myself using them.

But I don't want a stub or small bit punctures me in the chest or in the face if a slip occurs. It's a pain too when you come down, every bit / collar catches the flipline. So, flush cuts for me too, except a few stubs strategically placed to hold the rope for a rest or about where I will have to come down.

I don't wrap the lower strap around the spur. If the shoe's/boot's heel is prominent enough, all stay in place. Just take out all the slack (but don't over tighten, the foot would disagree).
And that makes one thing less to do when you put on or off your equipment.
 
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They came with pole gaffs Raj. Which are better? I'm thinking tree gaffs as the name implies but I've read where both are OK depending on the tree. Today while using them I took about 8 steps and impaled my climb line! Afterwards I thru the rope over my shoulder but it still messed with me. Any advice besides paying more attention?
 
You can clip your tail to the side of your harness with a carabiner, keep it clear of the gaffs. But you always have to pay attention, anyway.
 
The gaffs are a great tool for removals but I can't trust them. Or actually, I can't trust myself using them.
Practice, practice, practice. After a while it will all become first nature. You won't think about gaffing out and you will learn that you can trust your gear (and yourself). I don't know how long you've been climbing Marc-Antoine, but nobody started out feeling comfortable on a set of gaffs.
 
Agreed. I believe it was the better part of 3 years steady climbing before I realized one day, one tree actually, that I felt entirely comfortable on spurs for the first time.
 
I began climbing 9 years ago ( 6 regularly). I bought my present spurs about 4 5 years ago but the first pair, given to me by my buddy, was an absolute crappy one. Painful too. Just a flat steel stock folded with the shank on the outside and double gaffs like a snake lung stamped at the end. They disgusted me and I made all what I can do to not use them. Not a very good start for the practice's enhancement.

For instance, I was topping a black locust, skinny and stone dead. I gaffed out during the cut, the lanyard slipped. I stayed there hanging on the 200T's handle. I can't believe that the bar didn't fold (it wasn't the light model though). Scary.
And not a long time ago before this moment, I saw that a good climber died, gaffing out during a cut and falling on the running chainsaw:\:. That put me in a very good mood, you can believe me...

But nontheless, you give me some hope :)
 
From my limited experiences, locust can be tough to spur and the gaffs don't feel firmly spiked. A good leg angle, and the climbline choked gets me into a stable cutting stance.
 
....And not a long time ago before this moment, I saw that a good climber died, gaffing out during a cut and falling on the running chainsaw.....

Wow, very sorry to hear that. Was he using a secondary support line at the time of the accident? The reason I ask is that it is something that many climbers try, for it's extra support and supposed increased safety. I have seen this cause many more problems than it has fixed. When you take weight off your spurs it increases the likelihood of a slip.
There is no substitute for a good spur and spur boot combination. A climber cannot focus on good technique if things are constantly moving around and painful.
 
I read that on a forum. I don't recall where nor have more details, but it heavily impressed me and nearly froze me in the trees for many days.
This "what if" at each cut is hard on the mind.

I already found that the efficiency of the gaffs decrease dramatically by using the climb line as a secondary support to take off some weigh. If I have both spurs and climb line in a removal, I use my climb line either as the main support (only stabilizing with the spurs) or as a back-up under the steel core lanyard. Less (bad) surprises like that.

With my crappy spurs, the main inconvenient of the doubled gaffs is that if your foot rotate slightly, one gaff acts as a pivot point and pulls out the second gaff, but without being pushed hard enough in the wood to take alone all the load. Then Ziiip !
It's hard to get some confidence with at least one miss at each and every tree.
 
I don't think I have ever seen double-gaffed spurs...sounds like 2 spikes on each foot-spur..."like snake lungs".

Can you post a picture? thanks.
 
Austrian, I belive.
I tried a pair ages ago.
Total crap, even on smooth barked trees like beech, you gaff out real easy.
 
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