Wobbly Gaffs

[MasterBlaster]

No, I don't.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I think the current ones could be repaired, at least you could put off getting a new pair for awhile.

 

[rbtree]

If your gaffs are loose, you are about to have a major problem. When they get loose like that, the problems gets worse every time you kick them in, and it eventually causes the screws to break. The screws just aren't designed to handle the repeated hammering. When the screws break, the gaff comes off and you chessgrate down the trunk.

Mebbe, but one of my Klein's is notorious for loosening....the screws are large....have never had a problem....nor has the looseness ever been a bother....but then, I've only been on gaffs for a coupla years now...:roll:

 

[Stumper]

It isn't just that steel is harder than aluminium. Butch lives in mudbugland-where humidity is high. Galvanic action betwixt dissimilar metals can enlarge slots and holes too. Bashlin has always placed a limited \service life on the aluminium climbers -not just due to wear- I believe their reasons are rooted in cumulative fatigue on AL. Steel does not fatigue from flexing short of a level that induces a certain level of deformatiom Aluminium theoreticaly fatigues and may crack or become in brittle from any repeated loads even if they cause no permanent deformation.-----the process is quite slow. Old airplanes flap their wings many millions of times before they crack.
Titanium is extremely corrosion resistant and stronger than steel-but it is pricey.

Is anyone at all surprised to hear that Roger has a screw loose?

 

[MasterBlaster]

We both do!

 

[Bounce]

You got to have at least a couple screws loose to be a climber anyway. If they were all tight you'd be a lawyer or something.

 

[Stumper]

If I had to be a lawyer I'd be about half tight.

 

[Al Smith]

I doubt there is enough mass of metal to cause a galvantic action type of thing .

Most likely the hole has became elliptical plus the shoulder has worn thin on the counter bore allowing the bolt to bottom out on the taper of the head . You could space them out using that counter sink type washer I mention ,they are about 10 bucks for 50 of them . I imagine the bolts are grade 8 so chances are they won't break .

One of the short falls of aluminum is just simpley the fact it is soft ,doesn't take much to deform it .

 

[wll]

my t2's had wiggily gaff when new. i sold them and swiched to geko2's after many years of use. my legs never felt so good. are the cf gekos any differnt from the old 2nd gen. red ones? the t2 w/super wraps are way over rated and kill my legs!!!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Welcome to the Treehouse!

 

[ptptree]

You'll get it sorted out MB, the spacers or a metal fabricator should be able to fix it in a jiffy, untill you can fork out for another set of shanks. Myself I like the steel kliens with the hard caps( cushioned on the inside).

 

[MasterBlaster]

I've already firmed it up somewhat. I shimmed it up a bit with some plastic.

 

[cutitup]

Hey, Boss, I think I know whats going on. As some have already said steel is harder then the alum. So if the there is ANY and I mean barely noticable movement it will cause the spur to move constantly and while doing so rubbing against the much softer alum causing the hole in the shank to become elonongated and worn. As far as a quick fix goes Burnham's got it right expoy them up and screw them TIGHT! and like someone also said you can remove them by heating them up -not crazy hot - and taking the screws out.
I have steel kleins and I noticed that no matter how tight I 'thought' I got my spurs they seemed to loosen. So now I use locktite on them.
Could they be fixed? The short answer is yes the longer answer is that between you bettin' your life on those things and the skill of the repair and the cost factor puts the odd's against it.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Could they be fixed? The short answer is yes the longer answer is that between you bettin' your life on those things and the skill of the repair and the cost factor puts the odd's against it.

Yep, kind of reminds of the guy who tig welded the aluminum cracked handlebar on my bicycle. "You'll be fine now", he said. Two months later riding down the road, the bar snapped in half at the weld like a potato chip. Had just enough time to say to myself, "Something is strange here", before crashing into the curb and breaking my finger.

Shimming the gaff may be putting extra stress on the screws, be careful, boss.

 

[Al Smith]

You can almost be assured the screws are grade 8 steel ,Not likely to break with a puny two hundred pounds on them .

 

[Mr. Sir]

If you're talking about the tiny set screws on the adjustable upper part of the shank, they don't really support any weight at all. So I wouldn't think they're Grade 8.

 

[Al Smith]

Are you suggesting then that they would intentionally install grade 2 screws in a potentially dangerious apparatus that if they failed could cause serious injury or death .I doubt that very seriously .

 

[Mr. Sir]

I'm saying that those screws support a few pounds at most, so there is no need for Grade 8. They're not a critical component. I've seen guys use zip ties because they lost the screws.

 

[SkwerI]

Brett, they are talking about the allen screws that hold the gaff on the climber frame.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Oh, sorry. I probably should have read back a few posts. I thought we were still talking about the height adjustment issue.

In that case, never mind.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I guess if we are to consider the safety factor of trying to fix what is essentially used for life/personal support, that when the wear has progressed to the point the gaffs are wobbling; perhaps this would be better to say that this is the sign of enough wear to make them worth replacing. Chances are if they are that worn, the aluminum could very well be fatigued close enough to a point of fracture and failure. Old friends they may be, but your lack of bodily harm kind of depends on them
I would rather see Butch replace them and be safe than try and repair them. Just my .02

 

[Al Smith]

Well I just looked them up. On the Buckinghams they are in fact grade eights just as I thought .Evidently number 10-32 bolts because they take a 5/32" inch allen wrench .Tighten to 136 inch pounds .

By the looks of the screws they are a long tapered flat head screw .Similar to what is used on toolholders to hold carbide inserts in place .The long taper really locks them in place .Provided of course the hole is not wallered out as is this case . The Kliens use a torx head screws,didn't give the size .

Ah the good old internet and Google ,luv it .

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't see how ya'll think it's so unsafe. I don't free climb.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Even so, I wouldn't want a gaff to fall off while I'm climbing. It would be un-nerving, to say the least.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Or... just as you start to make a back cut on a big pine stick with the 660!