What kind of spurs do you guys use?

I got big buck velcros a couple months ago and I like them. They never gave me a second of discomfort. I haven't had a work day in the upper 80's or lower 90's yet, so I don't know how they will feel then, but upper 70's and lower 80's they are not too hot for me.
 
RBJtree said:
I got big buck velcros a couple months ago and I like them. They never gave me a second of discomfort. I haven't had a work day in the upper 80's or lower 90's yet, so I don't know how they will feel then, but upper 70's and lower 80's they are not too hot for me.
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Don't get me wrong, the Big Bucks are super comfy, but I just find them very bulky and warm. I have skinny chicken legs and the Big Bucks don't fit me very well. I have found that the Cushion Wraps offer the same comfort, fit me well, and are not so bulky and warm.
 
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rico said:
Don't get me wrong, the Big Bucks are super comfy, but I just find them very bulky and warm. I have skinny chicken legs and the Big Bucks don't fit me very well. I have found that the Cushion Wraps offer the same comfort, fit me well, and are not so bulky and warm.
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Picked up the cushion wraps with the steel insert, as per your recommendation. Pretty dang comfy so far... Ran up and down a tulip poplar in my woods a few times today and really like the pads and the way the buck alloys are set up ( hybrid tree gaffs with the angled shank). The true test will be spending 6 or 8 hrs in them on a removal.
 
chiselbit said:
And because of you two I ordered a set. I’ll let you know how I like em. Maybe I can join your club.
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Ok. So I got the kk’s. Today was second day on them. Super light, not quite as comfy as my Klein’s but I’m still playing with adjustment. All in all they felt real good. BUT, the spike ascender is driving me nuts! What’s the trick to keeping the rope in the goddamn thing? If I go real slow and concentrate on bending my foot at an awkward heel down angle it stays in, but more often than not when I go to step into that ascender there’s nothing there. Please tell me this gets better with practice. If not I’m ready to declare them useless for ascending ropes.
 
Duct tape?

No, really... I never had much luck with them, either. I eventually gave up. Maybe some of the new foot ascender designs coming out will work better as a spike ascender. I hope so.
 
chiselbit said:
Ok. So I got the kk’s. Today was second day on them. Super light, not quite as comfy as my Klein’s but I’m still playing with adjustment. All in all they felt real good. BUT, the spike ascender is driving me nuts! What’s the trick to keeping the rope in the goddamn thing? If I go real slow and concentrate on bending my foot at an awkward heel down angle it stays in, but more often than not when I go to step into that ascender there’s nothing there. Please tell me this gets better with practice. If not I’m ready to declare them useless for ascending ropes.
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@swingdude care to share tips on ascender use?
 
I’ve got some Klein’s with a powerscender. Works great. No issues. Just wanted to try these super light things to see if I was missing out. Like them so far but having a hard time with the ascender, im sure there’s a trick and I don’t want to give up. Got your rope today by the way. Thanks. Haven’t opened box yet. Just got home.
 
chiselbit said:
Ok. So I got the kk’s. Today was second day on them. Super light, not quite as comfy as my Klein’s but I’m still playing with adjustment. All in all they felt real good. BUT, the spike ascender is driving me nuts! What’s the trick to keeping the rope in the goddamn thing? If I go real slow and concentrate on bending my foot at an awkward heel down angle it stays in, but more often than not when I go to step into that ascender there’s nothing there. Please tell me this gets better with practice. If not I’m ready to declare them useless for ascending ropes.
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Yours should have a locking pin. If I am using a saka I have drilled a hole and use an xrse biner to lock it. If I am.just using it to go a few feet I just pump it never seems to jump out. But I been at it for over 5 years.I guess I found the sweet spot.
 
Give it some time. If not sell them. Gear is funny. We all have preferences. I have bought and sold loads on recommendations from folk I respect. But just were not for me. Here trying KM3max as we speak. Weird ass rope. But I am always willing to try new rope.
 
Ok. Thanks. I’ll look for lock pin. There was zero information/instructions in the box. And disassembled, I thought that was strange.
 
Z'sTrees said:
Ran up and down a tulip poplar in my woods a few times today
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Are tulip poplars pretty resilient to injuries incurred from gaffs? I've got allot of those in the yard (otherwise, it's pines and a random red maple and water oak or two) and was wondering about practicing spur climbing on em.

Otherwise, are any of those others less susceptible to succumbing to those types of wounds?
 
LordFarkwad said:
Are tulip poplars pretty resilient to injuries incurred from gaffs? I've got allot of those in the yard (otherwise, it's pines and a random red maple and water oak or two) and was wondering about practicing spur climbing on em.

Otherwise, are any of those others less susceptible to succumbing to those types of wounds?
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Not sure how to answer that...
I guess they can be when they are super mature and have really thick bark. Not a good idea to spur any tree you are concerned with damaging though.
Mine is just a random tree in my 22 acre woods, that being said it's been spurred up and down dozens of times over the past few years and hasn't even sent out a single sucker. Not condoning, just saying.
 
I have a pie-shaped 0.3ac at the end of a culdesac with plenty of trees, believe it or not. xD But I don't want to do anything that will lead to certain death for any of them. BUT - it'd be nice to have a close place to practice spur work! Maybe I should just pick a tree (pine?)...
 
LordFarkwad said:
I have a pie-shaped 0.3ac at the end of a culdesac with plenty of trees, believe it or not. xD But I don't want to do anything that will lead to certain death for any of them. BUT - it'd be nice to have a close place to practice spur work! Maybe I should just pick a tree (pine?)...
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Ya just go over there and stab up a pine for a while or a thicker poplar will hold up for a while. Problem with pine is you do it once and then there's mad sap all over it.
When id practise on spurs id try to keep it to one or 2 trees that offered most the structural characteristics I was trying to practice on.
Sure you could try to not hurt it much by spiking the tree less and practising on more trees to spread out the damage but I don't recommend that. Beat up 1 or 2 you want to get rid of or don't mind losing.
If there's a lot in your culdesac they didn't clear out yet then when they clear the trees for a house they usually keep the hardwoods, pines are usually first to go. Nobody I know cares much for poplars. Their not sappy at least.
 
Mowerr said:
Ya just go over there and stab up a pine for a while or a thicker poplar will hold up for a while. Problem with pine is you do it once and then there's mad sap all over it.
When id practise on spurs id try to keep it to one or 2 trees that offered most the structural characteristics I was trying to practice on.
Sure you could try to not hurt it much by spiking the tree less and practising on more trees to spread out the damage but I don't recommend that. Beat up 1 or 2 you want to get rid of or don't mind losing.
If there's a lot in your culdesac they didn't clear out yet then when they clear the trees for a house they usually keep the hardwoods, pines are usually first to go. Nobody I know cares much for poplars. Their not sappy at least.
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Every tree over 4" in diameter - every. single. tree. - is straight up-and-down as an arrow; no spread, no nothing. If there is anything that constitutes 'spread', it's some of the taller pines with ~15' limbs that are at the edge where the clearing for the house was made, growing towards the light. So, not much diversity in that respect.

I'm getting pretty good at de-sapping myself. Saliva for hands (for small sticky spots, at least), and peanut butter for hair! xD

But anyway, gotcha - sounds like a plan. Pick a tulip poplar or pine (probably away from house) and go to it. Man, the TP's are made of foam here, at least in my yard! 5" limb with a Silky is not much into double-digit #'s of strokes before it breaks free!
 
Well you could try to think of it this way... Become as good as u can without spurs for working canopies.
I try to use my spurs as little as possible but you always need them for blocking down stems. So definitely use those trees even just to beat up the stems...
Because if there's anywhere you can work without spurs, its in a wide spread canopy.
 
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