markdcgraham

And mesterh, did you just tell dempsey that he f$&ked himself? That’s some twilight zone/Back to the Future weirdness right there. How were you? And it’s a little strange of him to be so into it. I’d keep my distance from him. Don’t let him get around behind you, and paddy, thank you for your kind words of encouragement. You are clearly the only sensible member of this forum. 🤣 All taken in good fun I hope. Keep em coming.

And krhiss chastity has never been a virtue I was very fond of. But I sure wish your mom had practiced it . How many people did she give syphilis to?

I’m gonna take these jabs on one at a time. So mick, I just brought this up with mum, and she was wearing them, and also, you’re probably my dad! Congratulations

That depends if you are will c.😘 you’re right. It’s just my old sex swing, which I repurposed. Your mum helped me pick out my new one.

Thanks guys I appreciate your feedback and input. I was expecting more of a trouncing than I received so I guess everything turned out better than I thought. Now who wants to hire me? Just kidding.

Crampons up a tree Is very hard on your back. It’s a very unnatural way to have your body. And yes it’s not the most comfortable but like I said I’m not a real arborist. So I don’t sit in it everyday. But I do have a pretty good amount of tolerance for discomfort. When headed up something, climbing with a harness and your backpack straps and the belt from your pants and maybe long underwear as well all rubbing on your hips you get used to going through a bit of skin. And that lanyard is bullitt proof. It’s 1/4” wire rope rated to 2600lbs. And I made my own throw bags as well so I’ll set a climbing rope in the tree. Have it go through my belay device with a prussic to mind it. So every 8’ or so I’ll suck up the slack. I also use a 5/8” nylon rope as a back up lanyard . So when I have gaffed out I only go for a little whipper. But I have yet to on this set. I’ve made a few pairs now and finally got the angle figured out at about 27 degrees. But really it’s that angle you put on the beehive at the tip that makes all the difference. I have found you almost want to make a little platform or step. So a 45 degree angle to the 27 degree angle. I added a pic.

Yes they do look a little like leg braces from forest gump. But those straightened him right out didn’t they? My wife actually offered to by me a set of professional ones if I would just stop making these stay out of the garage. But by then it was a matter of principle. I had to finish them. She hates them so much. I’m a little worried for Their safety.

Thank you, I bet with researching the angle of the gaffs and building the furnace to heat the stirrups to bend them Ive invested close to a jeez. It’s embarrassing maybe a few hundred hours. But I bet I only spent maybe 50$ on em. Just the steel for the gaffs and the bolts to hold the gaffs to the stirrups. All the rest of the material was salvaged or liberated from construction sites I’ve worked on. Me too. I used to just wear my climbing harness with a bunch of webbing tied around the waste for the d rings. And instead of spurs I would front point up in my crampons.

Thanks, i appreciate that. They’re not so bad. I wear a nice thick boot and some nice thick work pants. But yeah, I’m never in a tree for more than a few hours. So they’d probably get a little painful. And as for the strength of them. The stirrup is 3/8” thick steel and the gaffs are 1/2” cold rolled steel. So I don’t think them breaking is an issue. It started out as fun but now I’m addicted to the feeling when the top just start to fall and down she goes. I love it.

Hello arborists. I am not an arborist but I built my own pair of spurs and want to see what you guys think of them. Keep in mind I’m not an idiot but a capable mountaineer. And I have already proven they work. So far I’ve chunked down 8 trees. The biggest was a nearly 60’ spruce trees about 8” from my cabin. Yeah, it was tight but went off smoothly. And I don’t even know how many I’ve just cut from the ground. So have at her and be as merciless as you want. That’s what I’m here for. I also made my own harness and lanyard and wire clips for the speed line I set up a few times. Yeah I’m really enjoying myself. If you wanna see them too I’ll put some pics up.