Tree felling vids

In my experience there is no difference in spur shape in regards to fat or thin...the point profile is the same for tree gaffs or pole gaffs. The difference is only in the length above that point profile.

Am I mistaken? It has happened before :).
 
That was a good watch Reg. Thanks verty much. I've never been a fan of snap cuts, but have recently found myself using them more and more. :lol::|:
 
Buckinhams from Wesspur. Perfect points for Doug Fir. Long for thick bark, but not too thin. Not so thin that a bigger man than myself would get stuck if he were using a heavy saw.
 
RegC said:
Mine are very slender, Sean. Is that what youre asking ?
Click to expand...


My general feeling is that tree spurs are way too long/ extend laterally too much, in most cases. Being so long seems to necessitate better pads.
I've worn basically one set of steel pole-spur climbers with cheap as can be pads, worn in like the day is long (very comfy), one set of steel tree-spur climbers with sub-par pads (definitely less comfy), and Buckingham tree spurs with plush pads (very comfy). Never worn euro spurs, but have some on Geckos that I got in a package deal a while ago (need to try them, sometime.
On occasion, I may switch to my Buckinghams if I have a lot of thick-barked lower spar work with a big saw, where I don't have a rope to sit on. My general way of doing removals is sitting as much as I can on the way up, using my spurs for active climbing, and lightly for positioning, advancing my rope a few whorls at a time, if I don't preset a line.


You've climbed a huge variety of trees, as well as the 'local' trees. Curious what you use, and when. Do you only have one pair of regular-use climbers/ spurs, or do you change what you wear based on the tree, or what you're doing (topping in thin bark, big saw work in thick bark).
I think you get into thicker barked firs more often than I do.

By slender, do you mean traditional US/ Canadian tree spurs, versus euro spurs?
 
SeanKroll said:
My general feeling is that tree spurs are way too long/ extend laterally too much, in most cases. Being so long seems to necessitate better pads.
I've worn basically one set of steel pole-spur climbers with cheap as can be pads, worn in like the day is long (very comfy), one set of steel tree-spur climbers with sub-par pads (definitely less comfy), and Buckingham tree spurs with plush pads (very comfy). Never worn euro spurs, but have some on Geckos that I got in a package deal a while ago (need to try them, sometime.
On occasion, I may switch to my Buckinghams if I have a lot of thick-barked lower spar work with a big saw, where I don't have a rope to sit on. My general way of doing removals is sitting as much as I can on the way up, using my spurs for active climbing, and lightly for positioning, advancing my rope a few whorls at a time, if I don't preset a line.


You've climbed a huge variety of trees, as well as the 'local' trees. Curious what you use, and when. Do you only have one pair of regular-use climbers/ spurs, or do you change what you wear based on the tree, or what you're doing (topping in thin bark, big saw work in thick bark).
I think you get into thicker barked firs more often than I do.

By slender, do you mean traditional US/ Canadian tree spurs, versus euro spurs?
Click to expand...

Hi Sean

Short gaffs are nice to use, especially on hardwoods and younger conifers. Not so good on the lower part of mature Grand firs where the bark is hard but flakey....often you spur right through and dislodge a flake but not into the actual tree, sometimes you then have to pull the flake off your spur. Obviously they would be almost completely redundant on old growth firs. I also find long gaffs a lot safer for spurring down.....especially if theres bumps and curve on a stem that you have to navigate in good time. Reaching down with your foot is a lot different than stepping up with it.

I actually made a how-to video on spur climbing this year. Its long but all relevant thin to wide trees covered. But the different spur profiles that you were asking about is right at the start at about 3 mins. You can clearly see the different thicknesses (Edit, I just looked and we straight into gaff shapes from the start

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
MasterBlaster said:
I'd sure like to know the physics behind that. How does the pad know how long the gaff is?
Click to expand...
Tree spurs give a lot more leverage, IME. More leverage means needing better pads to have the same comfort.


I found where I moved my Geckos with the euro spurs, today, while searching the whole truck for cable and brace drill bits that evidently didn't show up for work today :) . I"ll give them a go, what they are like. Likely, not too long until another take-down.



Thanks for the link, Reg. Your tree spurs are very slender compared to standard Buckingham spurs. What you're showing for pole spurs, look like the Gecko euro spurs. The pole spurs I have are even closer to the shank, possibly.

I'll pull out mine and check.


I fully agree that reaching down while down-climbing, trying to get under a bulge, long spurs are the ticket. Grand fir sometimes have that dog-leg, and have the loose bark at the base...tree spurs win.

Having the choice, I wear both types depending on work at hand. If I'm heading up with a top-handle, I don't mind if I slip a bit while spurring the low, thicker bark of most firs, pinching the lanyard a bit is just autopilot. Not what I'd be looking for when chunking the same section with a large saw. Not uncommon for me to strip and start to chunk with a small saw, then take a break, change saws, and just put on a different set of spurs. Not uncommon for me to use pole spurs up and back down to the ground, either.



Really thick, not always stable bark definitely needs long spurs, and the slender, deeper penetrating profile makes sense for the same trees.
 
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SeanKroll said:
Tree spurs give a lot more leverage, IME. More leverage means needing better pads to have the same comfort.
Click to expand...
Can you show your work on that? My longshanks weren't any more painfull then the short ones. Balance, either. I think people get that idea into their heads and run with it.
 
I wear tree spikes...and have two identical sets of Bashlins...except for the pads. The ones where I had L pads were awful, the shank would twist and dig no matter how tight I could cinch the top strap. The ones with T pads were fine from the get-go that extra bit of pad made all the difference it seems.
I replaced the L pads with some Velcro ones and they are fine now.
So, long spikes, same shanks, same legs, same feet, same boots...different pads, different experience!
 
The leverage effect is more sensitive with the spike's length than the shank's length.
I can't say exactly, but say that the long shank is 20 % more than the short one, there wouldn't be much difference in the feel for the shin. But with a tree gaff at least two times the pole gaff's length, the load on your shin is over twice the load with the short gaff. I bet that your shins can tell what's what if they don't have a comfy cushion to distribute the load.
 
Thanks for the vid about spurs Reg. So easy, when it isn't me.
It's nice to have these explanations.
My learning process began about 11 years ago, but my body has an hard head and it's still very laborious. The lack of practice leads to a lack of confidence, then that ends to avoiding the practice as much as possible. The main point isn't the risk of gaffing out anymore (more maybe not as so prevalent as before), but the constant change of both the support points and the equilibrium perception : feet, hands, hips, left /right, back lean/ stand up...
I struggle with that since the beginning.
 
Marc-Antoine said:
Thanks for the vid about spurs Reg. So easy, when it isn't me.
It's nice to have these explanations.
My learning process began about 11 years ago, but my body has an hard head and it's still very laborious. The lack of practice leads to a lack of confidence, then that ends to avoiding the practice as much as possible. The main point isn't the risk of gaffing out anymore (more maybe not as so prevalent as before), but the constant change of both the support points and the equilibrium perception : feet, hands, hips, left /right, back lean/ stand up...
I struggle with that since the beginning.
Click to expand...
Thats interesting. I started young, just turned 17, so spurring felt as easy as walking. Yet through the first year I always had a sense of inadequacy through the whole tree climbing process....like I should've been doing much better.
 
Marc-Antoine: I think that you and Corey would get along really well. Two of the coolest people that a man could ever read from.
 
I nominate Jedidiah as official TH character judge!;)
 
Daniel didn’t you have a video with that kind of release cut on a hazardous tree? I don’t think you were the climber in it. That video stuck in my head for some reason and then one day I saw my chance to try it out. A much bigger top had to be taken and caught. It worked flawlessly. Had a lot of rigging involved and carefully tensioned lines but I was no where near it when it came over.
 
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