Steel Geckos - alternate mounting holes for gaffs?

W

Walden

Location
Gibsons
So I’m still trying to get comfortable in my spurs. I’ve transitioned from tree to pole gaffs - most of the work on my property is take downs of broad leaf maple. The pole gaffs bite well in the thin bark/cambium layer and I’ve no complaint about gaffing out. I do still find the climbers just barely comfortable. I was wondering if anybody had relocated their gaffs to the “alternate” position on theses climbers and if, indeed, doing so made any difference in comfort and usability?
 
Try standing more straight up and closer to the tree. The further back you are the more pressure gets put on the top of the spurs, and that forces them into your leg.
I bought a pair of Geckos and found them to be the most uncomfortable spurs I was ever on. Down right painful. Some people swear by them, but I will never try them on again. Been climbing on steel Buckinghams with the aluminum (Caddy) pads and have not found a better set of spurs to date for comfort.
Like you, being in the Midwest I do not see trees with thick bark and so I use pole gaffs. Gets your foot closer so your boot can rest on the tree and aid in support, and you don't feel like you are standing on top of a spike.
 
Tops of stirrups/ pad should be around 2" below the bulge of the side of the tibia top. Personal anatomy and pad combo are factors.

Post pics. To be clear, pics of your pads on your knee anatomy. Hahaha.

Adjust the stirrup length up and down, trying different things.


The right pads make a big difference.

Pole spurs work great on thin-bark trees like bigleaf maple.

Sitting in your saddle with an overhead tie-in point is important.

Also, particularly for bigleaf maples, Beware barberchair-ing and the Circle of Death.
 
I had those got them free with a treestuff promo, hated them they just fit really bad the angle from the under the foot part to the shank was God awful.
 
Shadowscape said:
Try standing more straight up and closer to the tree. The further back you are the more pressure gets put on the top of the spurs, and that forces them into your leg.
I bought a pair of Geckos and found them to be the most uncomfortable spurs I was ever on. Down right painful. Some people swear by them, but I will never try them on again. Been climbing on steel Buckinghams with the aluminum (Caddy) pads and have not found a better set of spurs to date for comfort.
Like you, being in the Midwest I do not see trees with thick bark and so I use pole gaffs. Gets your foot closer so your boot can rest on the tree and aid in support, and you don't feel like you are standing on top of a spike.
Click to expand...
Thanks, maybe I'll start saving up for new spurs.
 
southsoundtree said:
Tops of stirrups/ pad should be around 2" below the bulge of the side of the tibia top. Personal anatomy and pad combo are factors.

Post pics. To be clear, pics of your pads on your knee anatomy. Hahaha.

Adjust the stirrup length up and down, trying different things.


The right pads make a big difference.

Pole spurs work great on thin-bark trees like bigleaf maple.

Sitting in your saddle with an overhead tie-in point is important.

Also, particularly for bigleaf maples, Beware barberchair-ing and the Circle of Death.
Click to expand...
yea Gods, what is the Circle of Death? Another thing to look forward to? Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!
 
chiselbit said:
Try adjusting the pad height too, for me, lower on my calves is way more comfortable than up high under my knees.
Click to expand...
Copy that. One of the most common mistakes folks make when setting up the spurs is their pads riding too high. Get ‘em down in the meat of your calves.
 
Walden said:
yea Gods, what is the Circle of Death? Another thing to look forward to? Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!
Click to expand...
circle of death is the zone of space between your body and the tree.
Or another way to look at it is whatever your flipline/lanyard goes around. Southsound it talking about barberchair, or the stem splitting below. This can open up enough to put deadly pressure on ones body.
There are several techniques to mitigate this.
Hopefully someone can post the youtube video of the poor guy who took a large weeping willow limb, which cracked, opening up while in his lanyard pinning him into the branch.
 
evo said:
circle of death is the zone of space between your body and the tree.
Or another way to look at it is whatever your flipline/lanyard goes around. Southsound it talking about barberchair, or the stem splitting below. This can open up enough to put deadly pressure on ones body.
There are several techniques to mitigate this.
Hopefully someone can post the youtube video of the poor guy who took a large weeping willow limb, which cracked, opening up while in his lanyard pinning him into the branch.
Click to expand...
Happened to one of the guys that works with me when he first started climbing. He took an oak limb and made is top cut on the wrong side of his under cut and it peeled down and squished him against the truck fortunately I was right there and it was low so I was able to cut it off for him.
 
evo said:
circle of death is the zone of space between your body and the tree.
Or another way to look at it is whatever your flipline/lanyard goes around. Southsound it talking about barberchair, or the stem splitting below. This can open up enough to put deadly pressure on ones body.
There are several techniques to mitigate this.
Hopefully someone can post the youtube video of the poor guy who took a large weeping willow limb, which cracked, opening up while in his lanyard pinning him into the branch.
Click to expand...
 
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