Inoculator Dynamic Tree/Pole Gaffs

[jomoco]

A few years ago I shelled out serious coin for a set of Buck Titanium pole gaffs hoping they'd solve an age old beef of mine about setting both my gaffs securely, at acute angles, when way out on a lateral, with a high TIP.

 

One foot sets good, but the other cuts and runs with the wood grain, slicing rather than setting, annoys the hell out of me.

 

I'm a firm believer in razor sharp gaffs, as well as chainsaws, and was thoroughly disappointed when my brand new BT2's suffered the same old inability to set securely at certain acute angles.

 

A few years of experimentation with round pencil point gaffs, led to the idea of an extendable and retractable inner 3/8ths needle, housed in a static cone shaped 5/8ths housing to support the inner dynamic needle, which is simply a long grade 8 aircraft bolt that costs about 7 bucks apiece.

 

My first set solved the acute angle setting problem, but the dynamic components had a tendency bind up with sap n stuff, and the inner needles not retracting from simple spring pressure. The addition of grease zirts to the needle housing to lube the inner needle tract solved that problem too.

 

These are the first set of Inoculators, and I'm very pleased with their performance in hardwood trees, particularly dead and still standing petrified deadwood.

 

They're about an inch and three quarters long when retracted, and two and a quarter long fully extended.

 

The next set will incorporate an inner needle with up to 3/4's of an inch of adjustability as the needle wears and is re sharpened.

 

My thoughts are that supplying two sets of needles along with a sharpening jig, even at a higher initial cost, will pay off for guys who take their gaff performance as seriously as I do?

 

Would you shell out 750 bucks for a set of these, complete with sharpening jig?

[jomoco]

Fully extended.

[jomoco]

In the field.

[Mick Dempsey]

Sure, I'm nuts for new stuff, some vids/testimonials always helps though.

[jomoco]

That's my dread though, charging serious coin, to deliver a seriously crafted product, without any product liability involved?

 

Kinduva sold as is clause?

 

An iron proof disclaimer?

 

Jomoco

[Mick Dempsey]

Maybe get rock exotica or one of the big boys involved, take the liability out.

[Mark Bolam]

Surveyor on here who sells the Bulldog Bone goes down the disclaimer route?

Good luck with it J, the way our ash are going you may well have a booming market.

[jomoco]

There's an outfit that casts titanium right next to me here in Ariz, Phoenix, I believe.

 

Just the basic bare shanks n pole/tree gaffs from Buckingham's 420 bucks a set!

 

Super lightweight and worth the money. But 75 bucks a pop every six months for replacement gaffs gets old, and kicking out cuz your gaffs are too short sucks.

 

These gaffs sorta go against the keep it simple rule of design, but in a good way, like a cat's ability to extend n retract it's claws makes them far superior tree climbers, compared to say dogs who can't?

 

Jomoco

[jomoco]

Surveyor on here who sells the Bulldog Bone goes down the disclaimer route?

Good luck with it J, the way our ash are going you may well have a booming market.

 

Vultures too, are an integral aspect of the natural world mate!

 

Consoles me no end!

 

Jomoco

[treequip]

There's an outfit that casts titanium right next to me here in Ariz, Phoenix, I believe.

 

Casting tends toward granular structures and probably isn't the best material process for making spikes.

 

Spikes (climbers) are more usually hot forged